Mount TBR 2019 discussion

I think this challenge will be just what I need to help clear out my TBR pile. I have over 200 books waiting for me, and some have been waiting for years, so I'm hoping to focus more on already-owned books in 2019 - and hopefully manage to shrink the pile a bit instead of just making it bigger. Having lots of books waiting for you is good, but so is finishing some of them :) There aren't any specific books I'm hoping to get to in the coming year, but I mostly read science fiction, YA, and some fantasy (with other stuff like psychological thrillers sprinkled in as well).

Books read:

1. Tam Lin by Pamela Dean (2* | review)
2. Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner (3* | review)
3. The Darkest Legacy by Alexandra Bracken (4* | review)
4. The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak (4* | review)
5. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (3* | review)
6. Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury (4* | review)
7. You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know by Heather Sellers (3* | review)
8. Justice Calling by Annie Bellet (2*)
9. What to Say Next (DNF)
10. The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson (3* | review)
11. The Leaving by Tara Altebrando (2* | review)
12. Mindtouch by M.C.A. Hogarth (5* | review)
13. Once Was a Time by Leila Sales (5*)
14. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (5*)
15. The Write Attitude by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (4*)
16. After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress (2* | review)
17. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (5*)
18. The Writer's Business Plan by Tonya D. Price (2*)
19. The Rational Writer: Nuts and Bolts (4*)
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Welcome to the climbing crew! Good luck!

Happy climbing!

1. Tam Lin by Pamela Dean (2 stars | on TBR since December 2018)

Very slow-paced, but that would have been okay with me if the payoff had been worth it, and if the book hadn't been intended to play on nostalgia for college (maybe specifically college in the 1970s) that I don't have. As it was, this book wasn't for me. Also, it felt like it took a million years to read. (review)

2. Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner (3 stars | on TBR since April 2018 )

Interesting premise, but the characters just weren't engaging enough, or the romance believable enough, to make it satisfying. (review)

3. The Darkest Legacy by Alexandra Bracken (4 stars | on TBR since November 2018)

I thought I would have trouble getting into this book, but it was actually a great addition to the original trilogy, mainly because it was telling a new story. (review)

4. The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak (4 stars | on TBR since August 2018)

An interesting parallel between the life of Rumi and the life of a modern middle-aged woman. (review)

5. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (3 stars | on TBR since April 2017)

Loved the characters, loved the writing style, not sure how I feel about the plot. (review)

6. Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury (4 stars | on TBR since June 2017)

Light on practical advice, heavy on inspiration - which is the entire point. A great antidote to too many marketing books. (review)

7. You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know by Heather Sellers (3 stars | on TBR since September 2016)

I never really connected with this one - it felt too much like reading the author's therapy notes. (review)

8. Justice Calling by Annie Bellet (2 stars | on TBR since December 2014)

After how much I'd heard this book talked up, I was disappointed. I never felt close enough to the characters to get invested in the plot.

9. What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum (DNF | on TBR since May 2018)

Autism cliches and teenage girl cliches, two things that make a book lackluster for me. For a while, every time I thought about putting this down I looked at the good reviews and kept going, but at this point I can tell it's not going to get any better for me.

10. The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson (3 stars | on TBR since December 2018)

A good book, but an unnecessary sequel that detracts from the first book rather than adding to it. (review)

11. The Leaving by Tara Altebrando (2 stars | on TBR since April 2018)

The answer to the mystery was a letdown, which is frustrating when the mystery is the whole point of the book. (review)

12. Mindtouch by M.C.A. Hogarth (5 stars | on TBR since January 2018)

This book was so cozy and comfortable. And it's about an entirely non-sexual relationship! (review)

13. Once Was a Time by Leila Sales (5 stars | on TBR since April 2018)

A well-written middle-grade novel that doesn't make things overly simplistic or condescend to its readers.

14. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (5 stars | on TBR since April 2018)

A slow start, but more than worth the read.

15. The Write Attitude by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (4 stars | on TBR since May 2015)

Kind of uneven, but overall good advice. She has good stuff to say about how to just get on with writing minus the drama.

16. After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress (2 stars | on TBR since May 2015)

Interesting ideas, but a depressing worldview and an unpleasant main character. (review)

17. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (5 stars | on TBR since February 2017)

SO GOOD. I'm glad I finally got around to reading this.

18. The Writer's Business Plan by Tonya D. Price (2 stars | on TBR since June 2016)

The author spends a lot of time trying to sell the reader on the importance of a business plan after they've already bought a book on the subject, she defensively brings up her credentials and expertise a LOT, and her own business plan, which she uses in the book as an example, doesn't seem to have worked out (the website for her pen name is defunct, and the only books she has on Amazon under either name are her business books for authors).

19. The Rational Writer: Nuts and Bolts by Mindy Klasky (4 stars | on TBR since June 2016)

This was everything I had hoped The Writer's Business Plan would be. This author's brain works the way mine does, and her advice is solid and useful.

Hope you were able to get some more reading done for the mountain!