Mount TBR 2021 discussion
Mountaineering Checkpoints
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Mount TBR Checkpoint #2--Halfway Point
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2nd Qtr Checkpoint1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain.
I've read 14 out of 36 books - 4 books short of the halfway point, 40% or 1925 ft. My pace lagged in the 2nd quarter with less reading time, shiny new books to distract me and several reads still in progress. Hope to pick up the pace with summer reading. Just finishing the books I've started gets me back on track.
2. A. Choose two titles from the books you've read so far that have a common link.
The Saddlemaker's Wife by Earlene Fowler
and
Letter From Home by Carolyn G. Hart
Links: Both are
📖non-series books by
📖cozy mystery writers who
📖author popular mystery series* and
📖Agatha Award for Best Novel finalists.
*Death on Demand by Carolyn Hart and Benni Harper by Earlene Fowler
2. B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way--
The Power of TED* (*The Empowerment Dynamic): 10th Anniversary Edition by David Emerald. Introduced me to a new and proactive way of thinking and acting.
2. D. Use titles from your list to complete as many of the following as you can.
My Day in Books
I began the day with An Appetite for Murder
before breakfasting on Murder on a Silver Platter.
On my way to work I saw A Family Reunion
and walked by The Wedding Party
to avoid [a] Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard
but I made sure to stop In Farleigh Field.
In the office, my boss said, "Excuses Begone!"
and sent me to research The Power of TED.
At lunch with The Saddlemaker's Wife
I noticed The Diva Sweetens the Pie
playing a game of Love and Death Among the Cheetahs.
When I got home that night,
I studied A Letter From Home
because I'm interested in The Proposal
and I decided [to] Discover the Power Within You.
I'm honestly quite shocked that I've read 52 books (I believe 50 as of the end of June) that counted toward this challenge already! Especially as I only read two books in the first quarter of the year. I completed my hike up Mt. Ararat and decided to really challenge myself by taking on Everest next. The book that has been on my TBR the longest thus far was A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. It's been on my TBR since 2013. It's a super interesting read, and one I'm a bit sad I let lapse for as long as I did. But I got to it, and I'm so glad I did! Interested to try some more of Ruth Ozeki's stuff in future.
1. I am 40 miles up Mt. Everest. I got sidetracked along the way by an avalanche, but hope that I can get going again soon to reach the summit. If I don't, that's okay, at least I am making the attempt and have enjoyed the journey so far. 2. A. Choose two titles from the books you've read so far that have a common link.
The Prison Healer by: Lynette Noni
Shadow and Bone by: Leigh Bardugo
Both books are YA fantasies and both are 5 stars from me!
B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way.
Firekeeper's Daughter by: Angeline Boulley
It was a new author to me, it's a new book for 2021 (ARC), and it was new to me to learn a lot about the history that exists close to my home. I live in Michigan and this story takes place in Michigan.
C. Which book (read so far) has been on your TBR mountain the longest?
Dracula by: Bram Stoker
I read it back in high school and still own it. I've been wanting to re-read it for years, but just never got around to it. It wasn't as good as I remember it being, but I did enjoy it and am glad that I read it.
D. Use titles from your list to complete as many of the following as you can.
My Day in Books
I began the day [in] The Winter Garden
before breakfasting on The Beginner's Guide to Growing Great Vegetables.
On my way to work I saw Shiloh
and walked by Mercy House
to avoid Animal Farm
but, I made sure to stop at Mirrorland.
In the office, my boss said, "We Need to Do Something!"
and sent me to research Dracula.
At lunch with Angel of Greenwood
I noticed The Burning Girls
playing a game of Shadow and Bone.
When I got home that night,
I studied The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War, and Everest
because I'm interested in Every Last Fear
and I decided [on] The Final Chapter!
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1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain (# of books read). I've completed 15 of 24 books, that equals 3006 meters with 1803 left to hike. A very successful first half indeed.
2B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way
Joanna Russ' The Female Man was not only a new-to-me author, but also the most unusual writing on my conquered part of the mountain.
2C. Which book has been on your TBR mountain the longest?
I answered this question in the first checkpoint post (The three Musketeers), so I pick the oldest tbr read from this quarter of the year, and that was Americanah. Actually I got both books at the same time. I'm glad I finally read it in a time where I'm not commuting, this big book would have been quite unpleasant to carry around. But the pages just flew by, Adichie's prose is very easy to consume.
2D. Use titles from your list to complete as many of the following as you can.
My Day in Books
I began the day [with an] Affirmation
before breakfasting on The Cruel Way
On my way to work I saw The Female Man
and walked by The Sword in the Stone
to avoid [the] Wintersmith
but I made sure to stop at QualityLand
In the office, my boss said, "The Queen of Air and Darkness [sure is an astonishing woman]"
and sent me to research The Book of Nights
At lunch with The left hand of darkness
I noticed The Three Musketeers
playing a game of Ninefox Gambit
When I got home that night, I studied The Gospel according to Biff
because I'm interested in Americanah
and I decided [on] The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars
1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain (# of books read). If you're really ambitious, you can do some intricate math and figure out how the number of books you've read correlates to actual miles up Pike's Peak, Mt. Ararat, etc. And feel free to tell us about any particularly exciting adventures you've had along the way.---I’m climbing Mount Ararat
---25 of 48 books read = 1.66 miles = 8,778 feet
2. Complete ONE (or more if you like) of the following:
A. Choose two titles from the books you've read so far that have a common link. You decide what the link is--both have strong female lead characters? Each focuses on a diabolical plot to take over the world? Blue covers? About weddings? Find your link and tell us what it is.
Dark Bayou (The Dark Trilogy #1)
Too Jewish (The Cooper Family Saga #1)
Both are set in Louisiana, where I’m from and live.
B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way--new author, about a place you've never been, a genre you don't usually read...etc.
The Stranger Beside You by William Casey Moreton
New-to-me author. I have another of his books but haven’t read it yet.
C. Which book (read so far) has been on your TBR mountain the longest? Was it worth the wait? Or is it possible you should have tackled it back when you first put it on the pile? Or tossed it off the edge without reading it all?
The Ninth District (FBI Thriller #1)
Purchased March 15, 2012. Pretty good book, coulda read it now or then. First in a series of 3, but 3rd not out yet. It’s set in Minneapolis, where I visited once, so I recognized a lot of the locations.
D. Use titles from your list to complete as many of the following as you can. If you haven't read enough books to give you good choices, then feel free to use any books yet to be read from your piles. I've given my answers as examples. Feel free to add words (such as "a" or "the" or others that clarify) as needed.
My Day in Books
I began the day [in] The Ninth District
before breakfasting on [the] Dark Bayou
On my way to work I saw Shot Girl
and walked by The Silver Horse, Braised
to avoid The Jack Hammer
but I made sure to stop at [the] Dark Carnival
In the office, my boss said, "Daddy’s Home" This one makes me laugh
and sent me to research The Yellow Farce
At lunch with [the] White Russian
I noticed Green Eyes
playing a game of Flee
When I got home that night,
I studied The Journal of the Plague Year
because I'm interested in Finding Hannah
and I decided [to] Do Not Open for 50 Years
Mountaineering Checkpoint #2!How is the year already half over??
(1) I am at 49/75 books needed for El Toro (65% or 4,009 m up). If I can keep up the pace, I should make it without being exhausted. LOL
(2a - new to me) One of the first books I read this year was Persephone Station. Both the author (Stina Leicht) and sub-genre were new to me. While, I've read Sci-Fi, this was almost a Space Western kind of novel and it was completely brilliant!
(2b-linked titles) I'm Not Dying with You Tonight (Gilly Segal & Kimberly Jones) and Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (Bryan Stevenson) were both selections from my local library's Community Read program earlier this year that I just happened to already own.
(2c - longest on TBR) Not counting all of the Elizabeth Peters and Agatha Christie novels that my mom gave me in 2011 when she downsized, or rereads of books I've owned for decades, the book that's been on my TBR the longest is Murder at the House of Rooster Happiness (David Casarett). I bought it back in 2016 and I'm very meh about it. I don't necessarily wish I'd never heard of it, let along purchased it, but I'm not overjoyed with it, either. I'm glad it's off the stack, but my life would have been just as complete had I never read it.
While I've technically made it up my mountain (I only pledged 12 books this year), my real goal was to keep my TBR under 30-35 after zeroing it out last year, which I have absolutely bombed--I am somewhere in the 60s. There are just too many good books!
1. I'm currently at 36/48 books up Mt. Ararat. The library keeps getting in the way of me making progress up the mountain so it's seeming like a slow climb.2. I began the day Fudging the Books
before breakfasting on Lemon Meringue Pie Murder
On my way to work I saw Grace Interrupted
and walked by The Jungle
to avoid The Starless Sea
but I made sure to stop at The Calamity Café
In the office, my boss said, Journey to Munich
and sent me to research Killer Jam
At lunch with Kane & Abel
I noticed [the] Body Movers
playing a game of Charade
When I got home that night,
I studied A Zen for Murder
because I'm interested in (a) Second Chance Courtship
and I decided Fire Me Up
1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain37/60 books, 11927 miles
2A. Choose two titles from the books you've read so far that have a common link.
The Unkindest Tide
Cold Reign
These are both books in long-running favorite series, and both were great entries.
2B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way
Ebby's Gift
New author and an unusual genre. It is a very gentle romance, about a woman who realized she was in love very late in life.
2C. Which book (read so far) has been on your TBR mountain the longest?
I've read 12 books that have been on my TBR since I started keeping track. 2 were DNF, so definitely not worth the wait.
One that I really enjoyed and should have read sooner was Silas.
2D. Use titles from your list to complete as many of the following as you can.
My Day in Books
I began the day Buried in the Bayou
before breakfasting on Big Game.
On my way to work I saw Silas
and walked by (a) Louisiana Hotshot
to avoid (the) Enchantress
but I made sure to stop at Eternal Island.
In the office, my boss said, "Aloha Means Goodbye!"
and sent me to research Death Down Under.
At lunch with Dracula
I noticed (a) Child of Silence
playing a game of Deja Vu.
When I got home that night,
I studied (the) Mouse of Cards
because I'm interested in Casting Spells
and I decided (to enjoy a) Fuzzy Navel.
1. I'm at 25 books out of 36 on Mt. Vancouver, aiming for Mt. Ararat (48 books).2.
A. None of the books I've read so far have much in common, other several being urban fantasy, several horror, several nonfiction, and the rest more general fantasy. I've read more than two of each. There are a lot of blue covers though. Five of the books I've read so far had mostly blue covers.
B. The Family Plot by Cherie Priest. I hadn't read anything by this author before. I also hadn't read a horror novel based in the south before. It was a good book and I'll definitely read more by this author.
C. Cold Days by Jim Butcher. I had yet to catch up to this point in the series until the beginning of this year, so I couldn't have read it any sooner. It's a good book. I would have read it sooner if I'd caught up sooner.
1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain.I read 34 books towards my challenge at the end of June. I've since added to more to that list, for a total of 36 books and THREE mountains climbed!
2. A. Choose two titles from the books you've read so far that have a common link.
The Starless Sea and The Magician's Nephew both involve doors/ways to travel to new worlds or places
When We Collided and A Quiet Kind of Thunder both deal with mental health
2. B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way--
The Once and Future Witches was highly recommended on Booktube, and I LOVED it. Suffragist movement with witchcraft in a historical fantasy AU mishmash? Yes, please!
2. D. Use titles from your list to complete as many of the following as you can.
My Day in Books
I began the day with A QUIET KIND OF THUNDER
before breakfasting on THE STARLESS SEA.
On my way to work I saw HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
and walked by GREAT GODDESSES
to avoid MY SHADOWED PAST
but I made sure to stop [in] THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST.
In the office, my boss said, "Excuses Begone!"
and sent me to research THE DEAD GIRLS OF HYSTERIA HALL.
At lunch with THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES
I noticed THE VALCOURT HEIRESS
playing a game of TRUTH OR DARE.
When I got home that night,
I studied ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
because I'm interested in [the] TALES OF THE GREEK HEROES
and I decided [to] CALL DOWN THE HAWK.
I have finally updated my comments to include all books finished before July, so I can finally check in. 1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain (# of books read). I have read 14 of 24 books, so I am 58% up my mountain.
2. Complete ONE (or more if you like) of the following:
A. Choose two titles from the books you've read so far that have a common link. You decide what the link is--both have strong female lead characters? Each focuses on a diabolical plot to take over the world? Blue covers? About weddings? Find your link and tell us what it is.
The Child from the Sea and No Name: By Wilkie Collins - Illustrated. Marriage, its legitimacy, and inheritance laws figure into both books.
B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way--new author, about a place you've never been, a genre you don't usually read...etc.
The Golem and the Jinni New-to-me author.
C. Which book (read so far) has been on your TBR mountain the longest? Was it worth the wait? Or is it possible you should have tackled it back when you first put it on the pile? Or tossed it off the edge without reading it all?
Probably The Child from the Sea. It was worth the wait.
D. Use titles from your list to complete as many of the following as you can. If you haven't read enough books to give you good choices, then feel free to use any books yet to be read from your piles. I've given my answers as examples. Feel free to add words (such as "a" or "the" or others that clarify) as needed.
My Day in Books
I began the day Playing for the Ashes
before breakfasting on (something which had) No Name
On my way to work I saw (a) Match (being) Made
and walked by (the) Underland
to avoid The Passage
but I made sure to stop at The Citidal
In the office, my boss said, "(I'm going) To Sleep in a Sea of Stars"
and sent me to research The Best American Mystery Stories
At lunch with The Child from the Sea
I noticed The Golem and the Jinni
playing a game of Illusion
When I got home that night,
I studied Stories with Intent
because I'm interested in Conquest
and I decided to (take my) Pigs in a Taxi
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1) As at 30th June I'd read 37 books of the 75 - exactly half way!2A) Admissions by Henry Marsh and Stiff by Mary Roach were both non fiction books I have owned for quite a while. Both had a medical link - Admissions was about patients, Stiff was about dead bodies!
1. I'm exactly halfway through my mountain! I'm a little behind but hoping I can catch my breath and sprint this final half.2. Complete ONE (or more if you like) of the following:
A."The Secret of Chimneys" by Agatha Christie
"The Seven Dials Mystery" by Agatha Christie
Both of them have the same detective and feature some of the same characters - The Secret of Chimneys is set a few years before The Seven Dials Mystery. Also, both were 5 stars and my first Inspector Battle reads.
B. The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty was by a new-to-me author and a book a couple of friends have been recommending me to read...and they were absolutely right because I absolutely loved it! Can't wait to read the next installment!
C. Wither by Lauren Destefano...and unfortunately it wasn't worth the wait. I think that, if I had read it sooner, when I added it to my TBR, I would've enjoyed it more because it was right up my alley at the time. Now, it was not for me anymore - I couldn't even finish it.
D. My Day in Books
I began the day [when] A Murder is Announced
before breakfasting on The House of Earth and Blood
On my way to work I saw The Muse of Nightmares
and walked by The Demon King
to avoid The Long Way Down
but I made sure to stop at The Well of Ascension
In the office, my boss said, "Lock Every Door"
and sent me to research The Seven Dials Mystery
At lunch with Wilder Girls
I noticed Geekerella
playing a game of Poison or Protect
When I got home that night, I studied The Murder At The Links
because I'm interested in Ordeal By Innocence
and I decided [for] The End of Oz
1. As of June 30th, I've only read 13 out of 48 books for Mt. Ararat, so I'm VERY behind. I've been reading a lot of 2021 acquisitions or library books, plus my reading pace has plummeted the last 2 months due to work so I have some catching up to do if I want to make it to the top of the mountain this year.2A. Choose two titles from the books you've read so far that have a common link.
A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea
Song of a Captive Bird
Both are stories about women in Iran in the 20th century.
2D. My Day in Books
I began the day [with] A Transcontinental Affair
before breakfasting on A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea
On my way to work I saw An Ember in the Ashes
and walked by The Overstory
to avoid Love With a Chance of Drowning
but I made sure to stop at The Crimson Petal and the White
In the office, my boss said, "These Ghosts Are Family"
and sent me to research An Unkindness of Ghosts
At lunch with The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
I noticed Binti
playing a game of Black Sun
When I got home that night,
I studied Night Prayers
because I'm interested in The Moment
and I decided [on] A Torch Against the Night
1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain (# of books read). 62 of 100 as of 7/1.
2. Complete ONE (or more if you like) of the following:
C. Which book (read so far) has been on your TBR mountain the longest? Was it worth the wait? Or is it possible you should have tackled it back when you first put it on the pile? Or tossed it off the edge without reading it all?
Still The Phantom Tollbooth! 2017
As of the end of June, I had finished 30 books towards my goal of 48 for Mt. Ararat. Lots of new-to-me authors in the first half of the year. Ύπνος: Εννέα ζωγραφιές και ένα διήγημα by Vangelis Hatziyannidis was also my first time reading an art book with a concertina binding. You open it one direction and look at the artwork, and then you turn it over and open it the other direction and read the story inspired by the art.
Stina wrote: "As of the end of June, I had finished 30 books towards my goal of 48 for Mt. Ararat. Lots of new-to-me authors in the first half of the year. [book:Ύπνος: Εννέα ζωγραφιές και ένα διήγημα|16174300..."
That is so cool!!
2nd Quarter check in (little late)...only counting books read until June 30th.I completed 33 out of 60 books, so little over half-way, on target for the mountain peak.
The book that's been on my TBR the longest is: Working: People Talk about What They Do All Day and How They Feel about What They Do by Studs Terkel. And will be hard to beat that one this year. Since I finished reading it in February, I'll chose a March-June oldest read....and that is:
Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald. I got this book in November 2000. Happy to have finally read it, maybe should've read it sooner, but just glad it's done now.
2nd quarter checkin - really late! (Hoe did I not see these threads before?)I have made it up 2 mountains; Ararat and Kilimanjaro and have started climbing #3 Mt. Toro. I just finished reading book #66 in my TBR pile. Not including new series and stand alone books I’ve read this year!
Mount TBR 2021
Books mentioned in this topic
Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do (other topics)Fall on Your Knees (other topics)
Ύπνος: Εννέα ζωγραφιές και ένα διήγημα (other topics)
The Phantom Tollbooth (other topics)
A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Vangelis Hatziyannidis (other topics)William Casey Moreton (other topics)
Earlene Fowler (other topics)
Carolyn G. Hart (other topics)
David Emerald (other topics)
1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain (# of books read). If you're really ambitious, you can do some intricate math and figure out how the number of books you've read correlates to actual miles up Pike's Peak, Mt. Ararat, etc. And feel free to tell us about any particularly exciting adventures you've had along the way.
I must have eaten my Wheaties this year. I just finished book #91 last night and the top of Everest is in view. I hope to have my rocket ship packed and ready to blast off for Mars & Mount Olympus by the end of July. Fingers crossed that this is the year I plant a flag on the top of Olympus!
2. Complete ONE (or more if you like) of the following:
A. Choose two titles from the books you've read so far that have a common link. You decide what the link is--both have strong female lead characters? Each focuses on a diabolical plot to take over the world? Blue covers? About weddings? Find your link and tell us what it is.
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
Why Kill the Innocent by C. S. Harris
Both earned five out of five stars and both are historical mysteries of a sort.
B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way--new author, about a place you've never been, a genre you don't usually read...etc.
The Conjure-Man Dies by Rudolph Fisher (new-to-me author): The first full-length American detective novel by a black author. It also has an all-black cast of characters. An interesting twisty mystery.
C. Which book (read so far) has been on your TBR mountain the longest? Was it worth the wait? Or is it possible you should have tackled it back when you first put it on the pile? Or tossed it off the edge without reading it all?
Dracula by Bram Stoker (Pendulum Press graphic novel version) I've owned this since about 1977. It's a nicely done graphic novel from before the time graphic novels were cool. :-)
D. Use titles from your list to complete as many of the following as you can. If you haven't read enough books to give you good choices, then feel free to use any books yet to be read from your piles. I've given my answers as examples. Feel free to add words (such as "a" or "the" or others that clarify) as needed.
My Day in Books
I began the day Gently in the Sun
before breakfasting on (The) Coconut (Killings)
On my way to work I saw Dracula
and walked by Howard's End
to avoid [the] Dragon's Cave
but I made sure to stop at The Lazarus Tree
In the office, my boss said, "Who Killed Stella Pomeroy?"
and sent me to research Why Kings Confess
At lunch with The Ultraviolet Widow
I noticed [the] People of the Book
playing a game of Hunt the Tortoise
When I got home that night,
I studied The Documents in the Case
because I'm interested in What Darkness Brings
and I decided I'll Kill You Next!