SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

In 2010, Steph started this challenge. (You can see the original challenge here.) It's been a good motivation to move some books off my TBR pile, so keeping it going this year!

Duration: 1/1 - 12/31/13
Rules: Read 5-25 books from Mt. TBR; oldest books first.
After reading 2 of your oldest TBR adds**, you can move on to more recently added books.
Read the 2 oldest by March 31, 2013

**(1) Post your list in advance of starting
**(2) NOT make any changes once their to-from dates have been set
**(3) feel a great sense of accomplishment when you reach your summit goal!


Evaluate the height of your Mt. TBR and your desire to tackle the beast, then pick your goal from the list below. The highest Mt. TBR will require the most reading energy to reach the summit. Are you up for it?

Mt. Everest: 8,848 metres
Read 25 books

Mt. McKinley: 6,194 metres
Read 20 books

Mt. Olympus: 2,919 metres
Read 15 books

Mt. Vesuvius: 1,281 metres
Read 10 books

Uluru: 863 metres
Read 5 books

** To sort your TBR list by age: Click on your TBR list, sort by "date added"


★ I'll allow everyone to pick 2 books added to their bookshelf within their first 6 months on GR (or first year if there are less than 30 books from the first 6 months OR oldest 30 books remaining on your TBR list regardless of date), that they actually want to read. The month/year you joined GR is stated in your profile.
Revised 1/3/13...please double-check!

★ No changes to your list once you have officially begun the challenge.

Holding just because!

Mt. Everest: 8,848 metres

*My note: Recently, I tend to read e-books, and the paperback pile is NOT going down...so, this gives me incentive to dig these out, plus, most are ones I REALLY want to read, and have put off for some reason! Can't believe some are still waiting on this list!*

**1. Mercy Thompson: Homecoming
**2. Hawksong
3. A Brush of Darkness
4. Dark Awakening
5. Fire
6. Kitty Steals the Show
7. Lothaire
8. Lover Reborn
9. Darker After Midnight
11. Seduce Me in Flames
10. A Certain Wolfish Charm
12. Raised by Wolves
13. Blue Diablo
14. Lord of Rage and Primal Instincts: Lord of Rage\Primal Instincts
15. Left Hand Magic
16. Master of Darkness
17. Wolfsbane
18. Shalador's Lady
19. Twilight's Dawn
20. Unnatural Issue
21. Beauty and the Werewolf
22. Chosen: A Dark Breed Novel
23. Widow's Web
24. Dark Predator
25. A Perfect Blood

Hey Judithe - Can I pick the 2 oldest from the first 30 in my TBR? I joined GR in 2007 so I have less than 10 books left from those I added in my first year :) (Yes, I have books on my TBR from 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, LOL!)

DG you are certainly not alone there!

I am in for Mt. Vesuvius

0/10

*1. Faithful Place
*2. Hereafter
3. The Pledge
4. The Bad Always Die Twice
5. I'll Mature When I'm Dead: Dave Barry's Amazing Tales of Adulthood
6. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
7. A Visit from the Goon Squad
8. Nothing's Sacred
9. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
10. Starcrossed

Do we still need to start with the two oldest first?

Never mind - just read the answer lol :)

I was actually going to do this by myself this year but this version seems much more fun :) I'm gonna pull out the big guns and go for Mt. Everest.

Mt. Everest: 15/25

1. The Better Part of Darkness
2. Shadow's Claim
3. Spider's Bite
4. A Brush of Darkness
5. Magic to the Bone
6. Slave to Sensation
7. Tempt Me with Darkness
8. The Force of Wind
9. Succubi Are Forever
10. Touched by an Alien
11. Annie's Song
12. Eternal Rider
13. Full Moon Rising
14. Captive in the Dark
15. On Dublin Street
16. Raphael
17. Here Kitty, Kitty!
18. Summoning the Night
19. Kitty Takes a Holiday
20. Gabriel's Inferno
21. Fated
22. The Indigo Spell
23. Ill Wind
24. The Shadow Reader
25. Rock Chick

Read:

Mt Uluru:

My 5 oldest TBR, in order:

read 5 Jan 2013read 6 Jan 2013

SOS - Mt TBR 2013 - Once More (with feeling)

1st January - 31st December 2013

Mt Olympus

4/15

1) - Faithless by Karin Slaughter - 21st March
2) - The Death Collectors by Jack Kerley - 27th February

3) - We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
4) - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
5) - The suspicions of Mr. Whicher : or, The murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale
6) - Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward - 31st March
7) - The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
8) - Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead
9) - Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole
10) - Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole
11) - This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
12) - One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost
13) - Timeless by Gail Carriger - 6th April
14) - Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
15) - Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

Read

I'm going for third times the charm with this one. Hopefully I'll finish it this year!

Mt. Everest: Read 25 books

Read: 0/25

1. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
2. Into the Nightside by Simon R. Green

3. Frostbite by Richelle Mead
4. Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
5. Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
6. Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
7. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
8. Ghouls Gone Wild by Victoria Laurie
9. Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls by Victoria Laurie
10. Ghoul Interrupted by Victoria Laurie
11. What a Ghoul Wants by Victoria Laurie
12. My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
13. My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent
14. My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent
15. Fatally Frosted by Jessica Beck
16. Sinister Sprinkles by Jessica Beck
17. Evil Eclairs by Jessica Beck
18. Tragic Toppings by Jessica Beck
19. Killer Crullers by Jessica Beck
20. Drop Dead Chocolate by Jessica Beck
21. Powdered Peril by Jessica Beck
22. Illegally Iced by Jessica Beck
23. Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia
24. Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia
25. Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia

Read

Pics to appear :)

Mt. TBR ...one more time! 2013
Duration: 1st January - 31st December 2013

Mt. McKinley: 10/20 books


I don't know how I'll fare with this challenge because I always change my mind.

01. Face Off by Mark Del Franco {Added Jul 25, 2010}
✓02. Skin Game by Ava Gray {Added Aug 02, 2010}, 19/03/2013 ★★★★

03. The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay
04. Mind Games by Carolyn Crane
05. Blackout (All Clear, #1) by Connie Willis
✓06. Rajmund by D.B. Reynolds, 07/01/2013 ★★★
✓07. I'll Be Slaying You by Cynthia Eden, 06/05/2013 ★★★
✓08. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner, 02/04/2013 ★★★★
09. Geist by Philippa Ballantine
10. The Greyfriar by Clay Griffith
11. Shadow Walker by Allyson James
12. A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter
✓13. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire, 14/01/2013 ★★★★★
✓14. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire, 22/01/2013 ★★★★★
✓15. Nightbred by Lynn Viehl, 17/01/2013 ★★★
✓16. Conspiracy Game by Christine Feehan, 08/01/2013 ★★★★
17. Binding the Shadows by Jenn Bennett
✓18. Control Point by Myke Cole, 12/01/2013 ★★★★
✓19. Trapped by Kevin Hearne, 10/01/2013 ★★★★
20. Rock Hard by Olivia Cunning

D.G. ~Shameless Hussy~ wrote: "Hey Judithe - Can I pick the 2 oldest from the first 30 in my TBR? I joined GR in 2007 so I have less than 10 books left from those I added in my first year :) (Yes, I have books on my TBR from 200..."

We're all getting "older" here on GR, so tweaked that "clean-up" bit again. If there are 30 or less from your first 6 months, expand your range to the first year.

Last year, I realized many of those books I couldn't get (or only at an outrageous price) or really did NOT want to read anytime soon...tastes change, and too much indiscriminate "adding" at the start as my "shelves" were so bare...ahh...clean-up time! But, I did use this as the opportunity to buy a book that I've wanted to read, but haven't due to the price! So happy for Christmas book gift certificates!

And, WELCOME everyone to the challenge! Happy shelf-cleaning and hope you enjoy some very good books (challenge books looking really good!)

Judithe wrote: "We're all getting "older" here on GR, so tweaked that "clean-up" bit again. If there are 30 or less from your first 6 months, expand your range to the first year. "

That's the thing Judithe. I only have 9 books within my first year and I don't feel like reading any of those (they are heavy duty Classics stuff.)

Then I have 15 books within 2 years, 30 books at around 3.5 years (mid 2010). That's why I want to pick within my 30 first 30 books because that's still really far away. :)

I get it, no problem and I'll change the rule. So, please choose within your first 30 books!

Oh dear. I remember this challenge from 2011 (which was EXTREMELY good at helping me kick off a bunch of books from my TBR). I finished my 25 books (YAY ME!) but it's one of the only yearly challenges that actually took me the whole year to complete. I'm in again but I probably won't sign up 25 again.

Judithe wrote: "I get it, no problem and I'll change the rule. So, please choose within your first 30 books!"

Thanks, Judithe. I want to pick my books carefully because that's why I couldn't finish the challenge last year (couldn't read the oldest picks by March 31.)

Mt. TBR ...one more time! 2013
Mt. Everest: 8,848 metres
Read 25 books

✔**1. Warrior Princess - Allan Frewin Jones - ★★ (Mar 9th) - Review
✔**2. Unclean Spirits - M.L.N. Hanover - ★★★ (Mar 5th) - Review
------------------------------------------------------
✔3. Dragonfly in Amber - Diana Gabaldon - ★★★★★ (Dec 5th) - Review
4. The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
✔5. The Secret Hour - Scott Westerfeld - ★★★★ (Oct 22nd) - Review
✔6. Spider's Bite - Jennifer Estep - ★★★ (Apr 25th) - Review
7. The Book of Luke - Jenny O'Connell
✔8. The Amaranth Enchantment - Julie Berry - ★★★ (Jan 13th) - Review
✔9. Red-Headed Stepchild - Jaye Wells] - ★★★★★ (Apr 22nd) - Review
✔10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer - ★★★★★ (Apr 2nd) - Review
✔11. Wake - Lisa McMann - ★★★ (Jan 11th) - Review
✔12. Trouble in High Heels - Christina Dodd - ★★★ (Jan 23rd) - Review
✔13. Sabriel - Garth Nix - ★★★ (Oct 24th) - Review
14. Waiting For You - Susane Colasanti
✔15. The Taste of Night - Vicki Pettersson - ★★★ (Jan 26th) - Review
✔16. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown - ★★★★ (Oct 10th) - Review
✔17. Unholy Ghosts - Stacia Kane - ★★★ (Oct 26th) - Review
✔18. Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert A. Heinlein - ★★★ (Jul 22nd) - Review
✔19. I Am Number Four - Pittacus Lore - ★★★ (Jul 29th) - Review
✔20. Masques - Patricia Briggs - ★★★★ (Apr 22nd) - Review
✔21. A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin - ★★★ (Aug 28th) - Review
✔22. Eon: Dragoneye Reborn - Alison Goodman - ★★★★ (May 4th) - Review
✔23. Rosemary and Rue - Seanan McGuire - ★★★★ (Jan 30th) - Review
✔24. Mind Games - Carolyn Crane - ★★★★ (Apr 15th) - Review
✔25. Doubleblind - Ann Aguirre - ★★★ (Oct 9th) - Review
------------------------------------------------------
Done: 22/25

~ Done

~ Remaining

This one kicked my butt the first year and I skipped it last year. To join or not to join? Definitely a good 'clean house' challenge. We'll see.

Good luck, everyone! Happy Shelf Cleaning!

You know you want to...try climbing a smaller mountain!

@ D.G.~happy hunting, and glad that helps!
@ Lethal~looking forward to your list! Smaller peaks are definitely fine, too! I'm thinking of adding the shortest one to tackle some of the freebies...eep!

2013 "Time to Climb Mt. TBR" Challenge
Duration: January 1, 2013-December 31, 2013
Goal: Mt. Olympus 10/15 Completed

1. A Vampire's Claim by Joey W. Hill {Added 3/12/10} ★★★★☆ 3/9
2. Forget You by Jennifer Echols {Added 4/5/10} ★★☆☆☆ 1/13
----------------------------------------------------------------------
3. The Passage by Justin Cronin
4. The Secret Pearl by Mary Balogh ★★☆☆☆ 9/15
5. Taking Care of Business by Megan Hart & Lauren Dane ★★☆☆☆ 4/5
6. Withering Tights by Louise Rennison ★★★★☆ 1/17
7. Partials by Dan Wells
8. Dawnbreaker by Jocelynn Drake ★★★★★ 4/17
9. Pray for Dawn by Jocelynn Drake ★★★★☆ 6/1
10. Stealing Fire by Jo Graham
11. Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley ★★★★☆ 3/10
12. Sweet Possession by Maya Banks
13. Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs ★★☆☆☆ 3/4
14. Darkborn by Alison Sinclair
15. Nightlife by Rob Thurman ★★★★☆ 8/23

Judithe wrote: "You know you want to...try climbing a smaller mountain!"

LOL! Wicked girl! Maybe ... dunno yet.

@ Lethal ~ I really liked Pray for Dawn. Such fun getting Danaus' POV. I want to start Banks' Sweet series. Guess you're enjoying that one since you're up to #5, yah? Oooh, and Hill's Vampire Queen. You rec'd that one already too. Damn! Need to revise my TBR soon list. ;)

@ Steph: I'm glad to hear Danaus' POV was good. I've been a little apprehensive about reading PfD for that reason. As for Banks? I quit her early last year. After 10 books & 3 series, I started to realize her books weren't enjoyable to me anymore and in fact were getting worse. The only reason I'm reading SP is because it's been on my "own-but-haven't-read" shelf for almost 2 years and I'm getting sick of looking at it.

LOL! Well, hopefully that one won't be too painful a read for ya. ;) I'll probably skip it - for now anyway. Doesn't sound too promising and so many others to start.

It's harder to do the older ones than I previously anticipated. Luckily there is enough time.

Those always ended up being the last few I read, Val. Good luck! :)

Guys I don't want to toot my own horn, but I'm killing this challenge.

Komal wrote: "Guys I don't want to toot my own horn, but I'm killing this challenge."

Good for you!

I'm having trouble on the other hand... Although I've read a few that have been in my list for some time and enjoyed them, I started some that I really don't feel like reading anymore and I'm resenting the no-changing-the-list rule.

It will certainly help clean up the TBR list, though, since I'll either manage to read them or admit defeat and remove them from my shelves, failing the challenge.

Thenia wrote: "Komal wrote: "Guys I don't want to toot my own horn, but I'm killing this challenge."

Good for you!

I'm having trouble on the other hand... Although I've read a few that have been in my list for ..."

What are you talking about, you're doing great Thenia! I have the same issue, they're a few books I don't want to read anymore that I'd rather exchange. I'm probably not going to read them.

Which books do you not want to read anymore?

Komal wrote: "Which books do you not want to read anymore?"

The YA ones that are leftover (I think I outgrew the genre and find myself without much patience for it anymore) and I started the Warrior Princess and it really doesn't hold my interest so far.

How about you? Which ones are you thinking of not reading?

Thenia wrote: "Komal wrote: "Which books do you not want to read anymore?"

The YA ones that are leftover (I think I outgrew the genre and find myself without much patience for it anymore) and I started the Warri..."

I'm the same about YA too. I have to build myself up to read them. I don't want to read Rock Chick and Gabriel's Inferno anymore.

Komal wrote: "I'm the same about YA too. I have to build myself up to read them. I don't want to read Rock Chick and Gabriel's Inferno anymore. "

Read them or not, it will definitely be good for our TBR lists since they'll be either read or kicked out of it by the end of the year so it's a win win!

Im in ! Will post list soon.

Komal, you read Rock Chick! Was it as bad as you expected?

No I actually liked it a lot! It was a great mystery/romance.

That's great! I found an unexpected surprise in my list as well. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was original and I liked it very much.

That's awesome! I've heard great things about that book.

I'm late joining--the year is nearly half gone, but hey, that leaves me half a year to work on my TBR.
Goal Mt Visuvius
01/10
1) Hounded
2)Black Night
3) At Grave's End
4)Grimspace
5)Queen of Shadows
6)Bad Blood
7)The Iron King
8)Errant
9)Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues
10)The Nymphos of Rocky Flats

READ:

SOS: Serious Overload of Series
Self-Challenge: Mt. TBR ...one more time! 2013
Duration: 8/1/2013 - 12/31/2013

Progress: 25 out of 25

Uluru: 863 metres:
Read 5 books
1. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez - * - 3/5/2014
2. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards - ***** - 7/18/2014 - 401 Pages
3. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan - ***** - 12/31/2014
4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - **** - 2/10/2014
5. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt - ***** - 12/11/2013


Mt. Vesuvius: 1,281 metres
Read 10 books
6. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser - *** - 10/21/2014 - 399 Pages
7. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich - ***** - 10/15/2013
8. The Princess Bride by William Goldman - ***** - 12/30/2014
9. 1984 by George Orwell - ***** - 12/29/2014
10. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - **** - 7/21/2014 - 268 Pages


Mt. Olympus: 2,919 metres
Read 15 books
11. Dune by Frank Herbert
12. Foundation by Isaac Asimov
13. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
14. Neuromancer by William Gibson
15. Jemima J by Jane Green

Mt. McKinley: 6,194 metres
Read 20 books
16. Mr. Maybe by Jane Green
17. The Art of Happiness at Work by Dalai Lama XIV
18. How to Read Your Child Like a Book by Lynn Weiss
19. The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog by Bruce D. Perry
20. The Bitch Rules by Elizabeth Wurtzel

Mt. Everest: 8,848 metres
Read 25 books
21. When Moms and Kids have ADD by Patricia O. Quinn
22. Not Becoming My Mother: and Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way by Ruth Reichl - **** - 1/12/2014
23. The Seaside Letters by Denise Hunter
24. Surrender Bay by Denise Hunter
25. The Convenient Groom by Denise Hunter

Has everyone given up on this one? I think I'm done with mine with 22/25 read, since I'm not in the mood for the remaining 3 (2 of which are probably getting the boot from my TBR either way).

I consider it a success!

I'd consider that a success as well Thenia! Well done!!

Well, 10/20 is the best I can do be cause I always change my mind when reading. The good thing is that I got some old books read but I should have taken more time choosing my list.

That's the trouble with a challenge you can't change the books on. I'm terrible, I'm always swapping and changing books. Luckily, this is the only challenge the books have to stay as posted.

Well done on the 10 books you've got off the tbr Val ;)

Thanks Sandra! I don't think I'll join a challenge with a non-changeable list again anytime soon. I think I learned my lesson with this one...

10 old books off your TBR are better than none Val, well done! ;)

Crashed and burned big time - on a scale of failure, this would rate as Beyond Epic. Only 5 books completed - haven't crossed one off since May... *hangs head in shame*.... dammit.....

Having said that though - are we doing it again next year??

The non-changeable challenges are the hardest for sure!

Charlotte, you're welcome to create a thread and repost it, if you'd like to re-run it in 2014. :)