Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2012 discussion

I'm going to try the Level 2 challenge in hope that I may be able to kick it up to Level 3, even though I'm off to a slow start this year.

1.Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life by George Eliot
2.The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
3.Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
4.Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
5.The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck
6.11 22 63 by Stephen King
7.Revelation by Kate Brian
8.The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
9.The Cold Kiss by John Rector
10.Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain
11.We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
12.Columbine by Dave Cullen
13.Last Christmas by Kate Brian
14.Life of Pi by Yann Martel
15.Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes
16.Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
17.Jonathan Strange Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark
18.The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston & Mario Spetzi
19.Just Kids by Patti Smith
20.The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
21.The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
22.Persuader by Lee Child
23.A House Divided by Pearl Buck
24.Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
25.Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Good luck, Sera!

I was hoping to read Middlemarch this year but it's a reread for me :-(.

I'm too chicken to try Middlemarch.

Thanks, Jeannette!

Hayes, it's a wonderful book. If you read a few chapters a day, you could get through it in a month or so. It's a fabulous piece of work, but once should be good for me. I admire Jemidar for attempting to reread it.

I adored Middlemarch when I read it at university. It's on my list to re-read once I get through a few books for this challenge. I fell in love with Eliot's writing all over again when I recently read The Mill on the Floss.

Sera wrote: "If you read a few chapters a day"

I'll have to wait. I have 2 or 3 mega-books on the list this year. I'm reading a Suitable Boy a few chapters at a time. I wonder if I will finish by the end of the year! So far I am enjoying it.

Good Luck, Sera, I want to eventually re read Middlemarch. Sometimes, Eliot can be a bit long winded for me though! But.....slow and steady is the way for sure....

Sera wrote: "I'm going to try the Level 2 challenge in hope that I may be able to kick it up to Level 3, even though I'm off to a slow start this year..."

Hi Sera and welcome to the mountain!

I see Russka is one of your favourites - I read Sarum and loved it and have copies of London, Dublin and Russka on my shelves unread.

Thanks, Geevee. I really loved Russka and thought that Sarum was excellent, too. I have London and New York. I must get to them at some point.

I adored Middlemarch. But so far I adore anything of Elliot's I've read.

Misfit wrote: "I adored Middlemarch. But so far I adore anything of Elliot's I've read."

Yes, she has quite the following, and I must say that after reading Middlemarch, I will definitely read more of Eliot's work. What an amazing piece of work!

Even easier now that most (if not all) are free e-books now. So much easier reading those chunksters with the Kindle :)

Misfit wrote: "Even easier now that most (if not all) are free e-books now. So much easier reading those chunksters with the Kindle :)"

Indeed - interestingly, my desire to read classics has significantly increased since being able to get them for free on the Kindle. Plus, I can read them on my PC during my lunch hour. It saves me from having to take anything with me to the office.

I stuck the Kindle for PC app on at work also, same reason as you. I like having all those classics on hand for when the right mood strikes, no waiting for a library copy.

I too have a Kindle which I use when I travel by train (ave about once a week for work) and have only downloaded "classics" in the hope that I can get through some of the ones I've always meant to read. Middlemarch is another I really must read.

I read Middlemarch on Kindle, which was very helpful, since I didn't have to lug that tome around. I'm now reading Wives and Daughters on it. It's becoming my go to media for the classics, while I wittle away at my paper books for this challenge.

I've not read Middlemarch and think I really should but I'm using my Kindle for classics too Sera, which is great as I use it when I travel by train - and partly too as I'm a cheapskate by only downloading the freebies as I still buy lots of printed books.

The majority of books on my kindle are freebies or 99 cent books. (Misfit supplies me with some interesting titles every now and then.)

My issue is that I can't rationalize paying $12 for an ebook when I can buy the paper book from a clearance sale or a library sale for $1 or 50 cents. I love my Kindle but I'm all about buying based upon cost or borrowing from the library. I've slowed down the latter significantly, while I tackle my TBR, except for audio books that I listen to during my commute. Audiobooks are awfully expensive and I can't justify the cost for one listen.

I don't own many audiobooks for just that reason. I get the majority of my reading material from the library. Except, of course, for my manga. That's where I spend my money.

Hayes wrote: "Sera wrote: "If you read a few chapters a day"

I'll have to wait. I have 2 or 3 mega-books on the list this year. I'm reading a Suitable Boy a few chapters at a time. I wonder if I will finish by ..."

How is this one going Hayes? One of my clubs is reading it later this year, but it is a real beast. I'm not sure if I will be tackling it. Keep me posted on how you are enjoying it.

Jeannette wrote: "The majority of books on my kindle are freebies or 99 cent books. (Misfit supplies me with some interesting titles every now and then.)"

Sure, blame me :p

Sera wrote: "My issue is that I can't rationalize paying $12 for an ebook when I can buy the paper book from a clearance sale or a library sale for $1 or 50 cents. I love my Kindle but I'm all about buying bas..."

Same here, although these days there are very few authors I would consider auto buy, I'd rather spend money (or swap points) on those older OOPs. My library gets pretty much all the new stuff, and in Kindle as well as dead tree. If they have the kindle edition, that is choice #1, but otherwise it's the dead tree version.

I just have so many purchased books hanging around that even if I do decide to read them again, I can get them from the library on a couple of day's notice. As long as there's not a waiting list, any Kindle book I get from the lib is mine with a couple of clicks at any hour of the day.

That said, I am extremely fortunate to live in a county with such a well founded library system. They're pretty close to perfect.

Sera wrote: "How is this one going Hayes?"

It is and it isn't, Sera. I like the story and the characters, but it is just so biiig! I've read 400 pages but it feels like I haven't made any progress at all. (Can't rmeember who said that instant gratification isn't fast enough...)

I readched a stopping place and put it aside so that I could read a few more off the mountain. Will pick it up again in a week or so.

Sera added: My issue is that I can't rationalize paying $12 for an ebook when I can buy the paper book from a clearance sale or a library sale for $1 or 50 cents.

Oh how I wish that the English library was closer... there is one (1) here, and it's in a miserable place for me... right in the center of town in a place I never go. I was a member for a year, but gave it up. They do have a good sale, however... *sigh*

So every now and then I splurge and buy something expensive for the ereader, but usually I get the gutenberg freebies.

Misfit wrote: "Jeannette wrote: "The majority of books on my kindle are freebies or 99 cent books. (Misfit supplies me with some interesting titles every now and then.)"

Sure, blame me :p"

There's always an enabler :)

That would be me :)

Misfit wrote: "Sera wrote: "My issue is that I can't rationalize paying $12 for an ebook when I can buy the paper book from a clearance sale or a library sale for $1 or 50 cents. I love my Kindle but I'm all abo..."

You are very fortunate. My county library is actually very good because about a dozen libraries are all connected and I can get books from any of them delivered to the library that is closest to my house. The only issue is the wait list for more recent items can be quite long. The library is only about a mile from my house and it is frequently packed with people. I take my daughter every Saturday and oftentimes we have to wait in a long line to check out our books! I think that it's great but it also presents some challenges in getting books that are popular.

Hayes wrote: "Sera wrote: "How is this one going Hayes?"

It is and it isn't, Sera. I like the story and the characters, but it is just so biiig! I've read 400 pages but it feels like I haven't made any progress..."

Oh my gosh, I can imagine! 1500 pages is ALOT of pages. That's why I'm not sure whether I am going to try to tackle it unless I hear great things about it. So no pressure, but I'm looking to you as an influence as to whether this one makes my list.

Sorry to hear about your library system - I went without an accessible for a number of years, and I missed it terribly. Have you thought about joining Bookmooch or another bookswap group on-line to help fill any voids that you might have?

Bookmooch (the only int'l one) and Bookcrossing are a big help for me. Makes me lazy however... I almost never have to leave the house. The postal person (lovely woman that she is) brings the books to the house, and when I mail out I go around the corner to the PO. lol!

LOL - that's fabulous :)

Yay! Over half-way there and on track to meet my goals!

Brava!

Graci!

Yay, I did it!!!

Excellent, well done, congrats

Way to go, Sera!

Thanks!

COngrats!

:)

Congrats.

Well done!

Thanks! I am happy that I was able to read some excellent books, too.

Good Job! Congratulations!

Thanks, Bev and for creating this group :)

Awesome job! Great list of books too.

Thanks, Michelle! I was able to reach my goal with your help as well :)