But, nothing ventured, I shall give it another shot next year... but somewhat differently I think.
As before the challenge is 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, 2015.
*You may sign up anytime from now until November 4th, 2015.
*Books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2015. 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!
And so. Last year I bit off slightly more than I could chew so I'm aiming rather lower for next year. The plan is to go for Mont Blanc which is to read 24 books off your TBR pile. *But* I would like the 24 books to be one of two things - either fiction that's over 300 pages (although I will not be pedantic about it) or non-fiction of any length. I have a lot of both on my TBR shelves and it's high time I shifted a few. So going for 24 books will not necessarily involve less reading, it could even end up being *more*... just less books in actual number.
A few titles I'd like to shift:
Non-fiction:
Agatha Christie, an autobiography - Agatha Christie
Gerald Durrell, the authorised biography - Douglas Botting
Meander - Jeremy Seal
Jack - Geoffrey Perret
Thames, Sacred River - Peter Ackroyd
The Mitford Girls - Mary S. Lovell
A View from the Foothills - Chris Mullin
Blue Latitudes - Tony Horowitz
Wildwood, a Journey Through Trees - Roger Deakin
Atlantic - Simon Winchester
Africa in my Blood - Jane Goodall
Ox Travels - edited by Mark Ellingham, Peter Florence & Barnaby Rogerson
The Churchill Factor - Boris Johnson
Scribble, Scribble, Scribble - Simon Schama
Fiction:
Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
The Mad Ship - Robin Hobb
Tigana - Guy Gavriel Kay
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernon Vinge
The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
Un Lun Dun - China Miéville
Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens
Mill on the Floss - George Eliot
Gaudy Night - Dorothy L. Sayers
Ahab's Wife - Sena Jeter Naslund
Ox Crimes - edited by Mark Ellingham and Peter Florence
A Tiny Bit Marvellous - Dawn French
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
Byzantium - Stephen Lawhead
I only planned to list 10 or so but here I am with 28 already and there are many more. To be honest if I just get a few off this list I will be well pleased.
7 comments:
Gaudy Night. Get yourself off to a good start
Good luck, Cath! What I like in January is that all my books will qualify for this challenge, so you're bound to do well at first! It's keeping going all year that's more difficult - all those enticing books out there. I'm going to attempt Mill on the Floss next year too - I think I've started it twice in the past.
Jack was pretty good. I still have the Franklin & Churchill book I need to get to one day. Won't The Mitford Girls be a lot like The Mitfords? is there something that's supposed to be added to that one??
I read both of Patrick Rothfuss books... did he ever write the last book??
and lately: I think you will like The Woman in White!
Signed up for the challenge! I was waiting for this post to show up...I've been reading your blog for a couple months now, and the TBR is the one I've always wanted to start with, but I figured I'd wait till the new year to sign up (I know you could sign up untill november)
Elaine: Yes, Gaudy Night will be among the first books I read next year. So impressed with the LPW books.
Thanks, Margaret! Yes, that's one brilliant thing, I agree. And yes, I found myself flagging recently with trying to read books that qualify. I did fine for the first 7 or 8 months though.
Pat: Jack will definitely be read. I think the two Mitford books you mention are the same... just different titles. Whatever, I haven't read either so it'll mostly be new apart from what I read in Deborah Devonshire's autobiography.
Apparently he didn't write it. Yet. LOL
Elisabeth: Welcome. Always nice to have a new visitor. Good luck with the challenge!
What a lot of good books you have for your Mount TBR challenge! Since I have begun to shop for books again, my Mount is definitely growing taller as my reading is still so slow. Hmm. I'll think about joining this challenge. It would be nice to get some of the books on my pile read too. Good luck with it and I hope you enjoy many of the books next year.
Are there a whole pile of us bloggers who have started Mill on the Floss and not finished it yet? lol
Susan: They're books which have sat on my shelves for years so it's about time I got to them. But because a lot of them are 'big' I thought it would be snesible to lessen the number of books I'm aiming for for the Mount TBR challenge. Thank you!
I haven't actually started MotF yet, but I know Margaret has. So yes, I suspect there might be a number of you. ;-)
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