Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2012 discussion

This is the place if you plan to read 25 books from your TBR pile/s. Sign up with a discussion entry below.

Here is my post for this level: http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com/2011/...

I'd like to put this on my blog, but I'm awfully spotty about posting there, while I'm fairly regular with Goodreads stuff, so I'll wait on blogging this for now, okay Bev? My tentative list of the first ten or so of my prospective 25 are:

1. ENTER A MURDERER, Ngaio Marsh #2 Alleyn series, I've read most of hers, but somehow missed this one! Bought a copy several months ago as library hadn't one available and I'm trying to read her series in published sequence.
2. 101 MYSTERY STORIES, Pronzini & Greenberg editors
3. GREAT WOMEN MYSTERY WRITERS, Kathleen Klein
4. NOTE TO SELF, Samara O'Shea NF, journaling
5. FALLEN INTO THE PIT, Ellis Peters #1 Felse series
6. CHARLOTTE ARMSTRONG TREASURY contains three suspense novels: MISCHIEF (her first, and I think it got Edgar), DREAM WALKER, THE WITCH'S HOUSE - would that make this = three books? i.e., also 7 & 8?
9. COPE CODE, Mystery Writers of America Anthology, short stories (am slowly working my way through all these, some from library and some I own, like this one)
10. THE GHOULS, Peter Haining, short stories

If none of these look familiar, that's likely because most of them are at least fifty years old and the rest are terminally obscure...

I feel at a disadvantage as I've simply TONS of library books waiting for me too! Damned online requesting is far, far too easy, kwim??? (grin) Helps with the budget, though, and since mine is terribly tight, I'm forced to almost exclusively use library books these days. Luckily (grin) I've "a few" books (in, um, rather high piles) here that I own but haven't read as yet...

er. the title of #9 should be
COP CADE, Mystery Writers of America Anthology for 1978. Police procedural short stories.

Sorry.

Abbey, it's fine if you just want to post here. And no problem on the typo (you should be able to go in and edit your post...does that option show up for you?

Bev wrote: "...you should be able to go in and edit your post...does that option show up for you?"

Hi Bev:
yup, I see it's there at the bottom of the post. I *do* rather have a tendency to not read instructions first..... (grin).

Hi all, I'm Geevee from the UK and transferring in from Pike's Peak as I think 25 is a better challenge for me.

I'll create my list on a new thread to save cluttering up this with my ramblings...

I've decided to extend myself and aim for Mt Vancouver rather than Pike's Peak. It means that roughly half my reading material this year will have to come from my TBR pile but that should be doable. And greatly encouraged! I've already read five that qualify :-).

I've started a separate thread to keep a record of my challenge books just in case anyone feels inclined to want to go check them out.

Good luck with Mt. Vancouver, Jemidar & Geevee!

Hi there Jemidar and Geevee! I'm glad I'm not alone here. 25 also will probably mean around half my reading for the year.

Actually, I seem to be going backwards. I was tidying through my shelves here at home today and found the over 1000 page Peter Ackroyd biog of Charles Dickens, which I had completely forgotten I had. The bookmark inside is a ticket to Goethe's house in Weimar dated 2008.

Hi Karen,
Nice to meet you - funny you mention the 1000 pagers as when I was compiling my list last night I had a couple of borderliners because they were big on pages. I've put them aside and I'm hoping a couple of short biographies on two British prime ministers should see me able to add them.

Mind you no matter how many I read the TBR just gets bigger as I added another two today, and like Abbey says on-line requesting via the library means I have loads to read there too :)

Yes, 25 books will probably be about half my reading total as well especially since I'm hoping to knock off a few chunksters this year too. And while it will feel good to put a definite dent in my TBR pile (or rather bookcase!) that is only half my problem solved--I really need to stop buying new books. LOL.

Jemidar wrote: "I really need to stop buying new books. LOL..."

Methinks that's a no hoper for most of us here :)

Yes, I have that feeling too!

I think we need a confessions thread for book splurges.

Name and shame? LOL.

Jemidar wrote: "Name and shame? LOL."

That's pretty much what I was thinking :p

I already posted that I don't buy a lot of books; I rely on the library, and Kindle freebies. But, I must admit that I collect manga. Fortunately, I read each new volume as soon as I get it from the nice UPS driver. :)

Here we go: there are 4 from the Booker shortlist on their way here from the book depository. My excuse is that I ordered them before I joined this challenge. They'll probably do fine for next year's.

Misfit wrote: "I think we need a confessions thread for book splurges."

My confessions would come primarily at my birthday and then in October (Red Cross Book Sale). This past year I bought over 150 new (to me) books. I'm a used book kind of girl--so at least those weren't at new book prices. :-) Now you know why I needed this TBR challenge.

I would hate to add up what I bought last year! I bought my Kindle in April and since then have acquired over 150 books for it (including lots of freebies!) plus I bought 'don't know how many' other books, mostly paperbacks. Eeeek!

Refuse to make my book splurges public because then I might have to admit that I have a problem! Scary stuff!! LOL.

I'm usually OK until I go to a FOL sale or I go here, http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/10...

oooo, FOL sales!!! And Amazon is too damned easy, ditto abebooks. The ONLY thing that keeps me from buying tons 'n tons of books is that there is simply no longer any money available in the budget for them! Well, pretty nearly none... (grin). Like Bev I'm a used books maven (would have to be, as most of the books I read are around fifty years old now...) and can easily purchase 5 or 6 for my monthly budget of ~$20 (but that's "supposed" to be split between books and yarn...!) - and if it's used paperbacks, sometimes can get ten!! And I love those Kindle freebees too, plus I'm in the Amazon Prime program and can find a lot of ebooks very cheap or to read for free.

Hello. My Name is Abbey, and I'm a biblioholic... - have you read Tom Rabb's BIBLIOMANIA? Very funny little paperback about book "accumulators".

I've got two sweatshirts that show my leanings: a dark grey one that has "bibliovore" on the front, and a sandy brown one with "will work for books..." on it, both courtesy of "Unshelved" - a comic about libraries - they've got one of those tiny on-line stores and sell collections of cartoons and a few clothes/hats. you can find their stuff and/or have the daily cartoon emailed to you or rss feed, at unshelved.com

I used to have a job where I worked for books :-).

I've read some of the comics on Unshelved; they're pretty funny. I wasn't aware that they sold shirts and things.

I have a job where I work for vegetables, but it's not quite the same, is it?

Umm, no. LOL.

Oh, well, the distribution site is across the street from the library! :)

That's some compensation, but not as good as at the beginning of each month being given a book catalogue and being asked to pick which ones I wanted, all brand new and mine to keep :-).

true, true....

Abbey wrote: "I've got two sweatshirts that show my leanings: a dark grey one that has "bibliovore" on the front, and a sandy brown one with "will work for books..." on it, both courtesy of "Unshelved" - a comic about libraries - they've got one of those tiny on-line stores and sell collections of cartoons and a few clothes/hats. you can find their stuff and/or have the daily cartoon emailed to you or rss feed, at unshelved.com "

Ooooh. Not only am I a biblioholic, I also love book-related shirts and whatnot. Now I'm going to have to go check out this site....

I want some of these http://www.spinelessclassics.com/# :-).

I do, too! A bit pricey, but pretty awesome!

Abbey should feel right at home. We're all pathetic that way. If only I had discovered what an awesome library I had years ago. Yes, there are many many books I want to own and read over and over, but there are so many that I purchased and are now gathering dust until I need more swap points.

FOL sales are fun. Last year I discovered a first edition of Seton's Katherine for a whopping $.25 pennies. I had to rub my eyes and look about three times before I was believing what I saw.

Jemidar wrote: "I used to have a job where I worked for books :-)."

I used to have one when I was a 15 yr old lad that paid in 45s (vinyl singles). Ooh can I hear people saying what are those old fella?

I remember vinyl. Matter of fact, I still have some of those things called albums.

I don't have any of my 45s, and only a couple dozen of my LPs are still with me. LPs are making a comeback these days.

I have the singles and albums still but I don't have a record player now just CDs, a Brennan and MP3.

What's a Brennan?

We bought a turntable some years back, to replace the one we brought to the US from Germany. We tend to play the LPs rarely, except for my mother's Christmas albums. I used to love my record player, that was sort of like a valise. (I had to look up the spelling for that!)

Jeannette wrote: "What's a Brennan?.."

Oh sorry, simply put it's a hard drive like a big MP3/I-Pod and has all my CDs on (CDs now alongside records in loft). Funny I have no regrets doing but would never do the same with my books they are out and staying :) http://www.brennan.co.uk/

Between the 3 iPods (my husband was given one as a bonus at work!), and internet-based radio (pandora), the CDs don't get the workout they used to. But, once in a while it's nice to listen to something we acquired pre-iPod. I have to say, 99 cent songs from iTunes caused my/our music selection to explode.

But, never put those books into storage! I just enjoy looking at my books.

Misfit wrote: "I remember vinyl. Matter of fact, I still have some of those things called albums."

My 18 year old son has just 'discovered' vinyl and is proudly bringing home albums I remember from my youth!

My husband has gone through a retro phase. He bought a turntable and we now own about 50 LPs.

I just love a mod who lets us go OT :D

Me, too! :D Another fun place to chat books, and stuff.

Love the chatting...Not able to keep up as much as I'd like. Y'all are kind of overwhelming--between the almost 200 I have on the blog and all you friendly folk here :-).

Misfit wrote: "I just love a mod who lets us go OT :D"

Me too, I was expecting a slap for going from books for pay to vinyl for pay. I enjoy the chats and reading people's posts on the Mount TBR Challenge so thanks for the leeway Bev.

I am going to sign up for Mount Vancouver, but if I am on a roll and reading steadily, I hope to actually end up on Mount Ararat (but I have a tendency to bite off too much, so I am going to be prudent because I am pretty sure I can finish 25 books, but not exactly sure about finishing 40).

Same here, Gundula. Better to be prudent. We can always upgrade.

Karen wrote: "Same here, Gundula. Better to be prudent. We can always upgrade."

Exactly, and it seems you can upgrade, but not downgrade.

What a fun chat! Non bibliomaniacs would have no appreciation for our situations but we all understand our shared obsession perfectly.

I didn't know what a Brennan was either, thanks for asking Jeannette. We still have vinyl, my original Star Wars album and many of my grandmother's of the classic standards, like the Mill's Brothers. We bought a player to play the old 78's, one song per side vinyls, so we can here and test the old jazz recordings.

Last year our downfall, as far as book buying, was the closing of Borders. They closed at different times, so we just had to check out both. And UBS are very hard for us to pass by. We have been very good this year and have not purchased one new book yet (no this doesn't count freebies and swaps), that's almost two months (pats self on back)!