Mount TBR 2021 discussion

Wow, I didn't expect to cross the 24 books mark, yet here I am with several more months to cover.

My owned unread books*
*) Not all of them are eligible for this challenge, but it would feel wrong not to list them together.

Leftovers from the ascend (3/5)
The Luminaries*London: The Biography

Snapshots from the ascend (31/36)*
*) Contains rereads.

25. The Cruel Way: Switzerland to Afghanistan in a Ford, 1939

I'm so lucky to have read Maillart's first book first, for it was a very different kind of report, more personal, curious, and without the weight of prejudice. This one was written 10 years and many travels later. Okay, but not as exciting as my first trip with Ella.

26. Mythago Wood

Intriguing but impenetrable in a way. I have to think about it some more ...

27. The Color Purple

A real highlight, loved it. I just wish my copy looked less battered, must find a better copy. This one's a keeper.

28. The Book of Tea

I had this copy in my kitchen for years among my cook books for whatever reason '^^
Now I picked it up and read it in one sitting. I'm kind of meh about it, I must say. Too many romanticizing aspects to it to be called true non-fiction, and I don't know enough about Japan to place this ideologically.

Getting Close!!!

29. Die geheime Welt der Bauwerke

Five stars! I have learned tons in this entertaining book on structural engineering. The subject is miles away from my education, yet I was fascinated and absorbed facts like a sponge. The book contains helpful illustrations and offers everyday examples so I could easily grasp every technique Agrawal described. A great great read.

30. Die unendliche Geschichte

I have always loved Ende's ideas, and this book is no exception. There is one caveat, though: The pacing is a bit uneven, the second half could have done with a lot less pages. The problem Bastian faces becomes clear very early on (even for a child this would be pretty obvious), so the story drags on for a long time before things start to happen again. I'll have to return to the audioplay I fell in love with a couple of years ago and see how they adapted this, since I didn't feel the same way about it at all.

31. Night of Amber

My first reread of a book I loved more than 15 years ago. Still enigmatic, disturbing, enchanting, frustrating.