Wednesday 6 November 2013

2014 Mount TBR challenge

One thing I suddenly realised - well maybe not as suddenly as all that - this year is that I seem to be concentrating more on reading library books than I do on reading those on my own bookshelves. I sort of understand why. Going to the library once a week is a lovely thing to do... all those books make for a great *free* book fix and there's also the added consideration that if libraries are not used we might lose them. But I also buy books. Not in huge quantities, I will say that, and I also tend to go for the cheapest copy I can find either on Amazon Marketplace or in charity shops. *But* once I buy the book there's this feeling that OK... I now own it and can read it whenever I want. So up on the shelf it goes, and quite often, I'm ashamed to admit, there it stays and off I toddle to the library to pick up something else to read. It's silly. And over the past few weeks I've been thinking that I should try next year to get some of my own books read. I have read some of my own this year. When I counted, out of the 76 books I've read so far this year around 30 were my own, that's less than a half. It's not terrible but I could clearly do a *lot* better and to that end I'm going to have a go at a challenge that will hopefully help me out.


The challenge is the Mount TBR challenge, 2014 and it's being hosted by Bev at My Reader's Block.

These are the challenge levels:

Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancouver: Read 36 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR piles/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 60 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Everest: Read 100 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Olympus (Mars): Read 150+ books from your TBR pile/s

And the rules:

*Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you're on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a taller mountain, then you are certainly welcome to upgrade. All books counted for lower mountains may carry over towards the new peak.

*Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2014.

*You may sign up anytime from now until November 30th, 2014.

*Books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2014. No ARCs (none), no library books. No rereads. [To clarify--based on a question raised last year--the intention is to reduce the stack of books that you have bought for yourself or received as presents {birthday, Christmas, "just because," etc.}. Audiobooks and E-books may count if they are yours and they are one of your primary sources of backlogged books.]

*You may count any "currently reading" book that you begin prior to January 1--provided that you had 50% or more of the book left to finish in 2014. I will trust you all on that.

*Books may be used to count for other challenges as well.

*Feel free to submit your list in advance (as incentive to really get those books taken care of) or to tally them as you climb.

*There will be quarterly check-ins and prize drawings!

*A blog and reviews are not necessary to participate. If you have a blog, then please post a challenge sign up and link THAT post (not your home page) into the linky below. Non-bloggers, please leave a comment declaring your challenge level--OR, if you are a member of Goodreads, I will once again put together a group for the challenge there. Feel free to sign up HERE. And, finally, I will once again have a sidebar link for Progress Reports--> ***Coming Soon: Reviews may be posted at links found at Review Headquarters (click link).


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OK, so all that remains is for me to choose a challenge level. I've thought hard about this. I've managed 'around' 30 this year without any effort on my part, so 36 is not really challenging myself. 60 is attractive but might be taking it a bit far as some years I don't read much more than 60 books. The logical number is 48, Mount Ararat, so that's what I will go for. Wish me luck!

Books read:

1. The Long Winter - Laura Ingalls Wilder
2. Consider Phelbas - Iain M. Banks
3. Shards of Honour - Lois McMaster Bujold
4. The Talisman Ring - Georgette Heyer
5. Have His Carcase - Dorothy L. Sayers
6. Sundiver - David Brin
7. Good Evening, Mrs. Craven - Molly Panter-Downes
8. The Nine Tailors - Dorothy L. Sayers
9. Touch Not the Cat - Mary Stewart
10. West with the Night - Beryl Markham
11. Among Others - Jo Walton




~~~oOo~~~

10 comments:

Penny O'Neill said...

I do wish you good luck, Cath. Onward and upward on your TBR pile come New Year's Day. While I don't generally participate in these challenges, I'm tempted with this one. We'll see.

Margaret @ BooksPlease said...

Good luck Cath! I'll be going for Mt Ararat too (again - I won't reach that high this year, I'm sorry to say).

Bev Hankins said...

Welcome, Cath! Good luck with Mt. Ararat!

Cath said...

Penny: Thank you! Well... *cough*... that's the plan. We shall have to see how the reality pans out. LOL. What I like about it is that it's not necessary to read any particular kind of book, you can read absolutely anything as long as it belonged to you before Jan. 1st. 2014.

Margaret: Thank you. We're going for the same mountain it seems. Just off to look at your post.

Bev: Thanks, I plan to do my very best.

TracyK said...

I do this challenge every year... or at least the two years since I started blogging plus I will do it next year. Not going to aim higher than 36 because this year I challenged myself too much... not in this challenge but too many others. I probably will get to 50 books from my TBR this year. I hope.

I am rambling. But anyway, glad you have joined in and it is a worthy challenge. Most of us have too many books in the TBR piles.

Cath said...

Tracy: I had to think carefully about how many books to go for. I may have gone too high but thought that if I didn't it wouldn't achieve what I was aiming for, ie: to read 'more' of my books not just the same as I read this year. If that makes any sense... And yes, it's so tempting to go crazy with the challenges. The good thing though is that you can double up with books.

I'm rambling too. ;-) Look forward to seeing what you read.

Susan said...

Ever since you mentioned this challenge a few weeks ago, I've been mulling it over. I like the idea of reading some of the books I've had on my shelves for some time, AND it dovetails nicely with Ana's and Iris's challenge for January. So while I tidy up my bookshelves, I will see what I want to read for the challenge and join it, I think. Not sure what level yet!

I haven't read all my own books either, that you've read almost 40 of your own books is quite good, I think!

Cath said...

Susan: The thing I realised when I thought about doing this was that it's the easiest one of all to do. It doesn't matter what you read as long as they're yours and you bought them before 1st. Jan 2014. And the thing is... I shall do a bit of doubling up too. Some of the books I'll read for the Vintage crime challenge will be my own, likewise Carl's sci fi experience and so on. I'm hoping this will really force me to concentrate on getting some of my own books read.

Thomas Hogglestock said...

I just posted earlier today about taking up the TBR Triple Dog Dare at Ready When Your Are, C.B. Based on my commitment to that (and the fact that I extended my observance of it from 3 months to 11) I predict I will achieve no less than El Toro status.

Cath said...

Good luck with that, Thomas! 75 books is a good number to aim at. I'm pretty certain I can get to 48 (says she confidently ;-)) and am wondering if I can make 60. We'll see. I like the idea of testing myself like this and also of getting a large number of books off my tbr mountain.