Comments | birdgirl_1107: Mount TBR 2013

birdgirl_1107

Mount TBR 2013

Feb 10, 2013 14:00

Last year I joined up for the Mount TBR challenge and I was pathetic. I think I read 6 books. I was supposed to read 25. This sort of thing happens to me so consistently that I'm starting to think I have a weird streak of perversity that makes me lose all desire to do something as soon as I've actually committed to doing it. But the TBR list is ( Read more... )

mount tbr 2013, books to read, books read in 2013, books i own

Comments 29

calico_reaction February 10 2013, 19:20:16 UTC

Good luck! I found that Mount TBR really worked for me last year. I'm having a bit of struggle this year, but I blame the Hugo nomination period. ;)

birdgirl_1107 February 12 2013, 14:50:49 UTC

Thank you! Hopefully guilt will prove a strong motivator. And good luck to you with the Hugo nominations. I think that's an extremely valid excuse. :)

calico_reaction February 12 2013, 23:33:45 UTC

I think so. ;) I only have one more book I need to pick up before nominating, so the light is at the end of the tunnel...

catyah February 10 2013, 20:44:31 UTC

Good luck to you with the TBR piles -- I have a stack of unreads on the little bookshelf next to my bed, but I never can seem to keep up with it. It's the curse of those of us (as you know very well) who see an interesting looking book and request it from the library. In fact, I was thinking this morning that I should go into my request list at the library and put delays on some of the books so they don't come to me too soon.

I read through your list and made squeaky happy noises to see how many of them I've either read or am hoping to read (or re-read) this year. I'll be watching for them to come up on your posts.

And one title in particular caught my eye: The Timewaster Letters. It's got a line through it, but I didn't see it on your January overview post. Did you just finish it recently? I looked it up, but I'm torn between thinking it sounds funny and that it sounds really annoying. I'll be looking forward to that review post, too. :-)

birdgirl_1107 February 12 2013, 14:53:57 UTC

Thanks sweetie! Yes, the library is such a dangerous place, isn't it? Hazardous to the TBR list.

So curious to know which of these you've already read. I guess I'll find out as I read them.

You are correct in thinking that I just finished The Timewaster Letters recently. It's a quick, light read, quite amusing for the preposterous things he comes up with - and how polite so many people are in responding to him. If you like, I could mail you the book. It's one of the ones from my neighbour so I am not planning to keep it and would be happy to pass it on to you to do with as you will. :)

catyah February 12 2013, 20:27:05 UTC

Would you like me to tell you which are the ones I've read? :-)

Hold off on sending it just yet, I'm going to look for it at my library first.

birdgirl_1107 March 1 2013, 13:19:15 UTC

Yes! I would love it if you told me which you've read because it will inspire me to read them faster. :)

Thread 5

bellakara February 10 2013, 23:56:25 UTC

I'm currently reading The Angel's Game!

I've read Atonement and The Bell Jar. I have a Dorothy Parker collection and have read a few of her poems and stories. The only Rhys book I've read is Wide Sargasso Sea.

I've often been a bit curious about I Capture the Castle, which I've never read.

birdgirl_1107 February 12 2013, 14:57:27 UTC

I'm currently reading The Angel's Game!

Are you enjoying it? I am going to assume that you read and enjoyed The Shadow of the Wind. I just adore the concept of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

Wide Sargasso Sea is also the only Rhys book that I've read. I tried to read The Complete Novels a couple of years ago but didn't get very far. This is my last chance before they go in the donate bin.

I Capture the Castle is one of those books that I got from the library and then had to own. It's a coming-of-age story in the first person set in the interwar years which are a favourite period of mine. I quite adored it but I know that other people have not been as smitten.

namaste27 February 11 2013, 00:31:26 UTC

I have to read some of these! my comfort reads from the library were all McKinley books. Her writing makes me feel at home
I thought you read The Night Circus already? Secret Daughter is truly the only book I've ever regretted purchasing....ugh, I should donate that one.

birdgirl_1107 February 12 2013, 14:59:30 UTC

You're so right! I have read The Night Circus. Thanks for pointing that out. I've put an [r] after it now. Have you read it? I really think you would love it. And I'd love to discuss it with you.

I've always been kind of ambivalent about Secret Daughter but my aunt insisted on loaning it to me so ... we'll see if I make it past the 100-page mark.

oddmonster February 11 2013, 02:35:51 UTC

I'm the kind of person who reads a book from the library and then goes out and buys it

This. At like twice the rate if it's an ILL book. I swear I've bought 90%+ of the books I've ILLed.

...

I'M FEELING A LIST COMING ON.

Also: My other new rule is that if I'm not into something after 100 pages, I can quit reading as long as I immediately put the book into the donate box.

Yup! *supportivepowerfist* Because life is entirely too short. (I'm looking at you, Christine Falls. Hie thee boxward.)

birdgirl_1107 February 12 2013, 15:03:58 UTC

So nice to know I'm not the only one with such illogical reading habits. Your ILL-buy statistic is very curious. Do you suppose it means that you put extra thought into the books that you decide to ILL, as opposed to those you just pick up on impulse at the local library, so that you are in a sense pre-selecting for the books that you will really enjoy? Sorry. Momentary attack of the theorizing!

Life is entirely too short - and the TBR list entirely too long! Thanks for the supportivepowerfist. I know I will need to return to it when my English-major-guilt kicks in again.

oddmonster February 15 2013, 19:05:10 UTC

What English major guilt? Dang, is there guilt I should be bringing to the party too? :D

I suppose your theory is likely close to correct about being the books I put extra thought into, but I also wonder if it's they're books I'm interested in enough that I absolutely positively have to read them (usually it's a one-step from finding out about an ILLer to pulling up the form, so positively have to have them *right now*) but there's some other element where they're not automatic purchases. Hm...

Although lately I've been using ILL more to avoid buying books I strongly suspect I am not going to enjoy enough to purchase but need for reviews or book club meetings. It's going to skew the numbers!

birdgirl_1107 February 28 2013, 16:54:39 UTC

What English major guilt? Dang, is there guilt I should be bringing to the party too? Did you manage to avoid that particular memo? The way I see it, without guilt, half the works in the canon would never get read. ;)

I totally use ILL as a way to keep myself on the straight and narrow as far as buying books goes. Otherwise, every time a book I really want to read wasn't in my local library, it'd be off to the book store. And we know what happens there ...