The Little Reader Library: to be read

Showing posts with label to be read. Show all posts

Monday, 5 January 2015

Tackling the TBR pile

Happy New Year! So. I am really committed to tackling my ridiculous number of books 'to be read' this year. I plan to spend time reading those books that have been sitting ever so patiently on my shelves waiting and hoping to be read. I'm consciously devoting reading time to pleasurably choosing and reading these books, many owned for years, many that I longed to read and then have left languishing. I'm not ruling out reading any new books; I envisage that I'll read one here and there too. Anyway, let's see how it goes, but that's the plan. I've also been looking through my books to be read and passing on any that I don't think I want to read anymore to charity.

I noticed a couple of challenges that I thought could help with my tbr pile.

Take Control of your TBR Pile is hosted by Kimberley at Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and it focusses on March 2015, but I am starting my TBR tackling right now. Still, I think it'll give me a bit of added encouragement as the year goes on.

The Chunkster Challenge hosted by Vasilly at 1330V is for tackling books over 450 pages long, fiction or non-fiction. Find out more about the challenge here. This one particularly appeals to me because I think I read fairly slowly and I tend to put off reading big thick novels, even when I've been really looking forward to them, because I am wary about how long they will take me to read. Yet I know that I will love many of them once I get started - this happened with several books I read in 2014, such as American Wife, Fingersmith, Gillespie and I, and 11.22.63.

I already have a few in mind for this challenge, and indeed as I write this I have even already finished one of them, hooray!

~~The Secret Keeper - Kate Morton~~ - read in January.

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair - Joel Dicker

I Am Pilgrim - Terry Hayes

The Distant Hours - Kate Morton

~~The Golem and the Djinni - Helene Wecker -~~ read in January.

~~Disgrace - Jussi Adler-Olsen~~ read

Are you planning to really tackle your TBR this year? Do you have any tips for not being distracted too much by brand new books? Are you doing any challenges? Are there other TBR challenges you'd recommend?

If so good luck, and either way, happy reading!

Friday, 4 January 2013

The 2013 TBR Pile Challenge

I have decided to take part in the 2013 TBR Pile Challenge!

Hosted by Roof Beam Reader

The goal of the challenge is: To finally read 12 books from your “to be read” pile (within 12 months).

Each of the 12 books must have been on your bookshelf or 'To Be Read' list for at least a full year - the books cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2012 or later. (Any book published in the year 2011 or earlier qualifies, as long as it has been on your TBR pile. The rest of the outlines/specifics for the challenge can be found on the main blog post here.

My 2013 TBR Pile Challenge List:

1. Gillespie and I by Jane Harris (2011)

2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (2011)

3. The Taste of Sorrow by Jude Morgan (2009)

~~4. Dead Simple by Peter James (2005) - READ~~

5. The English German Girl by Jake Wallis Simons (2011)

6. The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller (2010)

7. The German Boy by Patricia Wastvedt (2011)

8. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (1938)

~~9. Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard (2005) - READ~~

10. The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan (2010)

~~11. Regeneration by Pat Barker (1991) - READ~~

~~12. Cambridge Blue by Alison Bruce (2010) - READ~~

Alternates:

1. Last Train from Liguria by Christine Dwyer Hickey (2010)

2. The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1867)

As and when I read and review one of these titles, I'll return to this list and make a link through from the list above to the review.

Wish me luck! :-) And good luck to everyone else grappling with TBR piles!