Sunday, December 30, 2012

TBR Twenty

Once again, I'm setting myself a list of 20 books from my own shelves that I want to get read this year. I did terribly in my progress on this project in 2012 so am carrying over many titles, and adding a few more to reach 20 again. Need to get my shelves moving this year! Here are my choices -- I do want to read them all, and just need to give myself a reminder to pick them up -- sometimes those books on our shelves get a little swamped by all the shiny new releases and need a bump up into our consciousness again.


Also, I have found a new challenge that ties in very nicely with my ongoing TBR 20 project -- the 2013 TBR Pile Challenge. It aims to get you to read 12 books off your own shelves throughout the year. The only difference -- the books must have been waiting their turn on your shelves for at least a year -- so no 2012 titles. This may help me get through this list! So I am signing up to yet another challenge ;) This is hosted by Roof Beam Reader, and has rules and a prize, too... if you are like so many of us and have lots of backlogged reading on your shelf, think about joining in. But do it quickly, as you must be signed up and linked up by December 31st!
(PS -- there has to be a list of 14 for this challenge, so the first 14 on the list below will count toward the TBR Pile Challenge)



In any case, here is my List of 20 that I'll be working away at this year:
(first 14 for TBR Pile Challenge specifically)

1. All the Names / José Saramago  (my review here)

2. Translation of Dr. Appelles / David Treuer  (my review here)

3. The Postmistress / Sarah Blake     (My review here)

4. Exit Lines / Joan Barfoot   (my review here)

5. The Disapparation of James / Anne Ursu   (my review here)


6. Embers / Sandor Marai    (My review here)

7. The Deadly Space Between / Patricia Duncker    (my review here)

8. The Line / Olga Grushin  (my review here)

9. Larry's Party / Carol Shields     (My review here)

10. The Photograph / Penelope Lively    (my review here)

11. Excellent Women / Barbara Pym  (my review here)

12. A Few Green Leaves / Barbara Pym  (my review here)

13. Stopping for Strangers / Daniel Griffin  (my review here)

14.Mr. Skeffington / Elizabeth von Arnim    (my review here) 

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15. Ardor / Lily Prior

16. The Vet's Daughter / Barbara Comyns 

17. The Enchantress of Florence / Salman Rushdie

18. The Ugly Truck and Dog Contest / Cathy Jewison

19. Russian Winter / Daphne Kalotay

20. Lydia Cassat Reading the Morning Paper / Harriet Scott Chessman

And some non-fiction, which I don't count as part of the 20 but as extras, in case I'm more in the mood for non-fiction at some point:

1. Must Write / Edna Staebler

2, Pursuing Giraffe / Anne Innis Dagg

3. The Paper Garden / Molly Peacock

4. The Arcanum / Janet Gleeson

5. Letters of a Portuguese Nun / Myriam Cyr

9 comments:

  1. I wish you luck in your endeavour!

    There's also a fairly good Mr. Skeffington movie with Better Davis and Claude Rains.

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  2. duckthief - thanks! I really like Claude Rains so will have to check it out once I get the book read :)

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  3. Ooo! I loved Embers by Sandor Marai. It's a quick read too, so it'll be easy to knock off your list. Good luck!

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  4. Glad you're joining us for the TBR Pile Challenge! Can you indicate which 14 books (12 + 2 alternates) you want to count specifically for the challenge? Maybe an asterisk by the ones you want to count - part of the challenge is to stick to a specific list, so the only way to make it fair is to have everyone pick the same # of books. Obviously, if you read all 20 of these you'll end up "winning" regardless, but we still need a specific starting point, just in case. Thanks! :)

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  5. Heather - my husband keeps telling me to read Embers so thought I'd better get to it!

    Roof Beam - oops, missed that part! Let's count the first 14 on the list as the official count. Make it easy to keep track.

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  6. I have (too) many TBR books as well! The only one from your list that I've read is The Paper Garden by Molly Peacock. I think you'll enjoy it, when the mood for (artistically) inspiring nonfiction strikes.

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  7. Suko - I've had it for quite a long time, and really do want to read it through! It looks gorgeous.

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  8. You can still sign up for the TBR Double Dog Dare you know. ;-)

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  9. Unfortunately, C.B., it's the "only" tbr which gets me...I know I will still be reading new review copies, library books, and so on. I would most definitely fail your challenge!

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