Pamela’s Comments (group member since Jan 17, 2013)

Pamela’s comments from the Mount TBR 2013 Reading Challenge group.

Thank you Susan & Carolyn!

I attempted Mount Blanc, 24 books and recently made it up that mountain. It was a struggle, but not from lack of reading, but sticking to books I already own. Working in a library does not help! I will join again next year, it helped me focus and keep from even more purchases.

Describe yourself: Collections of Nothing or Before Freedom, when I just can remember
Describe where you currently live: Pacific Edge (moved mid-year, and funny enough, now live where this book takes place)
If you could go anywhere where would you go?: Heart of the Trail
What's the weather like?: Coming of the Storm & Cloudsplitter
Favorite time of day?: The Passage (i.e. sleep)
Your relationships: The Great Typo Hunt
You fear: Bone Rattler
What is the best advice you have to give?: Quiet Please & Listen
My soul's present condition: The Relaxation Response
Favorite Drink, especially while reading: Three Cups of Tea
Best gift to give or receive: The King's Gold :-)

I've conquered the mountain! Finished the 24th book with The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson.

Interesting, but the writing...could it be they tried too hard? Too often there were bits of information put in the story that was purely extraneous. The main writer had worked as an editor, but the book felt like it lacked editing. Overall okay, but could've been better. I gave it three solid stars.

I'm going to try to squeeze one more in before the end of the year, since really one of these I only read half...but was so discouraged I'll never get back to it. In any case, I do believe I achieved my goal. YEAH!!! Looking back at what I thought I may read, I read 5 of the 8 I listed, better than half.

I hope to return next year and try another mountain climb. I have hundreds (seriously, hundreds) of unread books I own. Thanks all for reading my posts & Bev for organizing this challenge.

Book #21 was finished on Wed. Nov.27. Got sick so I had lots of time and read two more over the long weekend.

#21: The Passage by Justin Cronin

#22: Before Freedom, When I Just Can Remember: Twenty-Seven Oral Histories of Former South Carolina Slaves edited by: Belinda Hurmence

#23: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

I haven't written any reviews yet, but I've really enjoyed #21 & 23, they are 5 stars reads. #22 is more difficult to judge, it was a rough time in the history of the U.S. as this book is a collection of oral history of slave narratives. The grammar and speech patterns are somewhat rough and of course the situation. What is surprising is how many reminisce fondly of those times. Overall the book isn't as depressing as it may seem, but there definite difficult moments. Will post link to reviews once they are up.

This short sprint got me close to the mountain top. It's in view and I think I can get there before the end of the year.

Finished another book, number 20 yesterday. Hope to finish number 21 today. This last one I really enjoyed.
Bone Rattler: A Mystery of Colonial America. by Eliot Pattison. The first in a series called Duncan McCallum, who is the main character.

I'll probably write up a short review soon. It's a five star read, or maybe four and just feels like five since I read so many duds this year. Will definitely read the next in the book series. It's a mystery that unfolds in surprising ways, not a typical who-done-it and expect more of the same.

Got my climbing boots firmly in the forward motion. 19 large steps up and only 5 more to the top. This last was Truck Stop Rainbows by Iva Pekárková.

Interesting title that had rainbows as part of the theme, as well as truck stops. But it wasn't quite as interesting as the title. My review is here. I gave it 2 stars.

Last one in October, book number 18 finished. Beyond Outrage: What has gone wrong with our economy and our democracy, and how to fix it by Robert B. Reich.


I gave it four stars, and have a short review here.

Hoping I will complete my 19th read this weekend. I can see the peak in the distance, but it's getting closer.

Book 17 completed: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time (or as the original subtitle was called One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations ... One School at a Time) by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Both titles show the ambition of Greg Mortenson. Despite having two authors the book wasn't very well written. There were moments that should have been exciting and full of tension, but instead were flat and dull. Yet the subject and accomplishments uplift the book enough to get at least three stars.

One more down: Coming of the Storm: Book One of Contact: The Battle for America by the Gear authors: Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear



Rated at a mild three stars. Read my full review here.

Climbing toward the mountain top, counting the half-read book as full, that makes 16 down...8 more to go. Will I make it??? Working on two more at the moment...so maybe...

Two more:

What Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly.

Interesting book, thought provoking. Don't agree with many of his conclusions or premises, but very worthwhile read.



Pacific Edge by Kim Stanley Robinson
Third book in a trilogy. I don't know what took me so long to get to this book; read the other two years ago. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I read it way back then as well. Still glad I finally got it done. This challenge is helping me tackle these old reads.

14.5 books up the mountain now....on my way up.

Another two done this week. Feels like a little sprint here.

Dispatches from a Public Librarian by Scott Douglas

Listen by Rene Gutteridge

Both were mediocre, but went quickly. Had some problems with both books. The Dispatches were sometimes more mean than funny. And Listen should have been edited more carefully, sloppy writing. The author has many books to her name, but I won't be looking for any. Happy both books were free.

12.5 books done now. Made it past the half-way point! Yippee!

Finished two books this week from the Mount TBR pile. One I had started back in January:

Relaxation Response. I had put aside, but got back to it, and have a few comments here.

The second book I read mostly over this weekend, Wabash by Robert Olen Butler.

It was nice to be back to reading. I had to take a break while I changed jobs and did a long-distance move, well seems long distance when it was over 500 miles. Been a busy summer, and despite all the boxes that still need to be unpacked, I relaxed this weekend and read! Yeah, reading!!

I missed logging in the one book I read in July:

The King's Gold: An Old World Novel of Adventure by Yxta Maya Murray. I did write a short review about it.

Not quite half-way up Mount Blanc. I have 10 read, and two partials. Still it's a possibility I can conquer this peak. Four full months left, and if I don’t detour I can get to the top.

Progress report:
Months Complete: 5
Read qualified books: 2 (7.5)
Books currently reading in progress: 0
Non-qualified books read: 0 (22.5)
New Books Acquired: 4 (28)

The second number: (Year-to-date total)
Summary: With the goal of 24 books I am behind. And the new books keep rolling in. Still have many months ahead if I focus I can reach the peak. Perhaps I should look at those books I thought in January I'd like to conquer this year.


Books read this past month:


Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks. Book was way too long really. Good, but felt a lot of it could have been edited out and would have made a better story, shorter and more enjoyable. Very historical, but still fiction. It took me a while to get through this one, but I also had interrupted reading.


Black Out by John Lawton. A very short review here.

Progress report:
Months Complete: 4
Read qualified books: 0 (5.5)
Books currently reading in progress: 1
Non-qualified books read: 3 (22.5)
New Books Acquired: 2 (24)

The second number: (Year-to-date total)
Summary: Didn't post my progress last month since there was the first check-in point. I didn't make any progress on my TBR mountain well since March, so it may seem to that I've been taking a long siesta at this stop. Really I had a detour, lingering along the lake and wildflowers of library books and life. I've gotten back to one Mount TBR book that I started in March and had set aside for those library books that came in. This one is a long one, but getting close to finishing.

I've made it up five complete miles (books) up my mountain peak, and three partials (one very probably will not finish, one I definitely will, the other maybe). I'm working on Mount Blanc so I'm about on track. Should be to mile (book) six now, and I’m close.

The book that surprised me the most, and was on my shelf longest, was The Great Gatsby. It surprised me because I expected great things, but I found it disappointing. I can acknowledge that it is a novel of its time, and the writing was perhaps breaking new ground, but it still didn't seem as good as it was purported to be as so many people said over the years. Perhaps I should have read it long ago when I first acquired it, may have felt differently then. Perhaps in the future I'll read it again and see it in a better light.

I seem to have stalled a little in March, as some library books that had been on hold for a long while came in. I expect in April to get back to the climb.

Stephanie wrote: "Someday I would like to read Atwood's Oryx and Crake, which has been hanging out on my shelf since 2004! "

I've had that one sitting on my shelf waiting to be read for years too! Also have enjoyed the few Margaret Atwood books I have read, been meaning to read more....will add The Blind Assassin to the list.

Book 5 finished a couple of days ago.
People of the Raven by Micheal Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear.

It's the 12th book in The First North American Series, or the North America’s Forgotten Past Series (they changed the name of the series). I read the others in the series and have enjoyed them, so of course I bought the next one as well, which I may not wait too long to read. Oddly this one I did, I bought it back in 2011. These books are fun reads and I particularly like that the authors have make these book accurate to the degree of what is known about these peoples. Overall I give this one four stars, and really that is probably being generous. The writing could have been more polished, but I do enjoy the series. While not an excellent book it did break the disappointment of the last few. My next TBR read looks like it will be a good one. I’m only on page 16 (out of 636) and already thrilled by the language.

Progress report:
Months Complete: 2
Read qualified books: 3 (4)
Books currently reading in progress: 3
Non-qualified books read: 6 (15)
New Books Acquired: 5 (14)

The second number: (Year-to-date total)
Summary: Starting to climb the old mountain, but creating a new one as well. Last month forgot to include the 3 newly aquired ebooks, so yeah the new mountain is growing faster than I climb the old one. At least I'm not just reading library books anymore, and making some progress on old owned books.

Yes, yes, I do need to move on. There are so many great books out there and I know I own at least one of them. :-)

One of the books I'm mired in, Collections of Nothing, I'm half-way through and debating about continuing. The reviews don't help. I feel like the author is being too self indulgent in his life story and not providing anything for the reader. So yeah, it will likely get put aside. Sometimes it's hard to set aside a book, that must finish feeling....

Book four: Michael Tolliver Lives

Another book off the TBR shelves, but that’s about the only good thing I can say about this one. Review here. I gotta pick a great one next, had a few duds lately. But am in the middle of something mediocre & another stalled (two in progress that I will likely throw aside for a book that soars, I hope)