Mount TBR 2013 Reading Challenge discussion

1. They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, by Horace McCoy (1/04)
2. Former People: The Final Days of the Russian Aristocracy, by Douglas Smith (1/02 -- started 12/30)

3. A Grain of Truth, by Zygmunt Miloszewski (1/07).

If anyone reads translated crime fiction, Miloszewski's novels are excellent. This series is from Poland.

Hey, Nancy. Welcome to the challenge! I see you're off to a good start.

Hayes wrote: "Hey, Nancy. Welcome to the challenge! I see you're off to a good start."

I bombed out last year because of all of the great new books published in 2012 so I'm giving it another go!

And coming in at #4, The Feast of the Goat, by Mario Vargas Llosa, from the 1001 books you must read before you die list.

full discussion of this novel is here.

#5 spot goes to Brenner and God, by Wolf Haas. A good mystery with a lot of humorous moments.

1/10th of the way there! I just finished Babbitt, by Sinclair Lewis. Word to the wise: do not try to read this when you have the flu. It will take forever.

Go, go, go!

I've been meaning to re-read this one. It will have to wait for a while, I think.

Hayes wrote: "Go, go, go!

I've been meaning to re-read this one. It will have to wait for a while, I think."
It's actually quite good and I probably would have been wiser to put it aside while sick -- it needs much more attention than your average novel.

I read it at school, way back when. I didn't pay much attention when I was 16, so I will take your advice and choose an appropriate moment.

#7 is finished: Fateless, by Imre Kertesz. -- holocaust fiction, 1001 books

#8: Of all things, Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming. It's actually on the 1001 books to read before you die list. And I loved the cover art!

#9. Occultation and Other Stories, by Laird Barron. If you are in the mood for an unsettling, creepy pair of reads, first read The Imago Sequence and Other Stories. After you relax from that one, go right to Occultation.

#10 is Violette Noziere: A Story of Murder in 1930s Paris, by Sarah Maza. It's a look at a girl in Paris of 1933 who commits a terrible crime as well as the cultural and social influences of the time. A bit boggy in terms of detail and it has some other issues as well. I think this one is more geared to academic study than general reader consumption. A shame, really.

#11: pushing me into the teens is The Collected Ghost Stories of E.F. Benson, ed., Richard Dalby. There are 54 short stories in this collection; highly recommended for aficionados of the classic ghost story.

#12: At the 20% completion mark now (yay!) I've just spent about a week with Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien, finishing it this morning. I absolutely loved this novel and now cannot wait to dive into the other books on my shelves by this author. Definitely a one-of-a-kind experience that is still rolling around in my brain.

A month later, I'm back with book number 13, Philida, by Andre Brink. The new book buys were what got me into trouble in this challenge last year, so I'm making an effort here on out (after the 4 ARCs I need to read) to stick with the 2012 buys. It feels good to be on track again!

#14 is The Sheep Look Up, by John Brunner, as a part of my focus on environmental fiction for this month. An oldie, but still quite a goodie!

#15 (putting me 1/4 of the way to the goal) is A Friend of the Earth, by T.C. Boyle. Recommended.

#16 (2 months later) and way behind schedule (darn those fine novels of 2013!) is A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar, by Suzanne Joinson. A definite yes.

#17 with only 43 to go (LOL): Death and the Olive Grove, by Marco Vichi.

at #18 (it's summer and I read fast) is Death in Sardinia , by Marco Vichi. I liked this one much more than the other two -- not quite at the Camilleri level but okay.

Making good progress!

Bev wrote: "Making good progress!"

Oh, my! I don't think so!

I meant here in the summer--hopefully you can keep the momentum going!

Bev wrote: "I meant here in the summer--hopefully you can keep the momentum going!"

Summer reads are killing my challenge, but I plan to try to recoup in August!

#19 is The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories, ed. Jeff VanderMeer and Ann VanderMeer. I really should get credit for two books -- this one's 1152 pp and is double columned!

Darn all these good summer books getting in my way!

#20 is American Rust, by Philipp Meyer. Along with marking the 20th book for this challenge, I also mark the fact that there have been way too many good 2013 books that have prevented me from even coming close to my goal here. It's okay...I'll shoot for less next year!

coming in at #21, a fine piece of weird fiction: Yellow Sign & Other Stories, ed. S.T. Joshi.