Mount TBR 2017 discussion

I have started my ascent of Mount Blanc (24 books in 2017). I have about 120-ish physical books to choose from and God knows how many on my kindle. I'm really aiming to get my physical books under control though. Here's a picture of (nearly) all my eligible books for this challenge.


I have started reading some books already—see list below. I'll edit this list as the year proceeds.

Currently Reading
1. The Faber Pocket Guide to Shakespeare's Plays by K McLeish & S Unwin. Started in Oct '16 but I had only read a few pages.
2. The Kitchen Diaries II by Nigel Slater. Started on 02Jan17. I plan to read this throughout the year.
3. Selected Short Fiction by Arthur Schnitzler. Started on 01Jul17.

Finished Reading
1. The Immoralist by André Gide. Started on 01Jan17. Finished 03Jan17.
2. Betrayal by Marquis de Sade. Started on 04Jan17. Finished 06Jan17.
3. The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa. Started 07Jan17. Finished 11Jan17.
4. 88 More Stories by Guy de Maupassant. Started on 14Jan17. Finished 26Jan17.
5. Something to Declare by Julian Barnes. Started on 28Jan17. Finished 02Feb17.
6. Three Plays by August Strindberg. Started 05Feb17. Finished 06Feb17.
7. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. Started on 08Feb17. Finished 16Feb17.
8. Late Fame by Arthur Schnitzler. Started on 17Feb17. Finished 18Feb17.
9. Vienna 1900: Games With Love And Death by Arthur Schnitzler. Started on 04Mar17. Finished 12Mar17.
10. Howards End Is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home by Susan Hill. Started on 03Mar17. Finished 14Mar17.
11. Don't Know Much about History: Everything You Need to Know about American History But Never Learned by Kenneth C. Davis. Started on 23Mar17. Finished 29Mar17.
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12. Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter. Started on 31Mar17. Finished 04Apr17.
13. The Feast Of Lupercal by Brian Moore. Started on 18Apr17. Finished 22Apr17.
14. The Spire by William Golding. Started on 02May17. Finished 07May17.
15. Pierre and Jean by Guy de Maupassant. Started 18May17. Finished 20May17.
16. Paris by Émile Zola. Started 21May17. Finished on 04Jun17. Read on Kindle.
17. Identity by Milan Kundera. Started on 09Jun17. Finished 10Jun17.
18. Clochemerle-Babylon by Gabriel Chevallier. Started on 25Jun17. Finished 30Jun17.
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****As of 02Jul17 I will be trying to ascend Mt. Vancouver.*****
****My progress can now be tracked here.*****

Hello Jonathan. I was about to send you an invitation, but found you already here. I'm going for Ararat (48) and I've started already. I have a list started which I may deviate from as long as I deviate to my TBR room.

Get a move on!

That's more like it, Dagny.

We haven't got a minute to waste, have we?

Are you going to note each book as you read it, Jonathan? That's what I'd planned to do. I mean make a comment on here.

I planned on editing the first comment whenever I needed to - I thought that would be clearer. I may post a quick comment as well each time. I'm not sure if there was a standard way in previous years.

First time for me. I made a list of titles that are possibles but I may deviate from that if I feel I need to.

Dagny wrote: "Lisa just posted at Vauquer Boarding House to let her know when I'm reading to read The Leopard! I'd been thinking of asking you the same thing - we can spur each other on. (Lisa is also planning o..."

Thanks Dagny. I replied on your blog as well: my reading of The Leopard will be imminent. When are you planning to read it? I prefer to start on a weekend as my reading during the week is slow due to work.

Dagny wrote: "JI haven't scheduled it, so will try to work it into your schedule. I also have Fred starting Durrell's Justine - in the next couple of weeks he mentioned. "

I nearly started The Leopard last weekend but I'd just finished Colette's Pure and Impure and felt that Gide's The Immoralist would be a good follow on to that one and have now found myself following that with a short story by de Sade (it's quite a funny story so far). So I'm aiming to start The Leopard on Saturday. I'm sure you and Lisa will easily be able to catch up and overtake me. :-)

Dagny wrote: "Righto, works for me. I found it earlier today, so I'll plan on trying to begin this weekend."

That's great!

Well, I finished my second book of the challenge today, Betrayal by the Marquis de Sade, which was, strangely for him, a fun read. I didn't know the Marquis did comedy.

I'm quite pleased with my progress so far: I've read three books and just started another one today, 88 More Stories by Maupassant. I've read some of the stories before so I may not read all of them this time — but some I will re-read some just for the hell of it.

I seem to be reading a lot of French literature again!

Dagny wrote: "Three already! Good going, Jonathan. I have only one done, but should finish The Leopard this weekend or at least the first part of next week."

Wel, they were only short ones — 'The Leopard' was the longest of the three. The Maupassant collection is a bit longer at just under 800 pages!

Good for you. Joining the group has helped to stay focused.

Finished my fourth book for this challenge: the collection of stories by Guy de Maupassant, 88 More Stories. I could carry on reading his stories forever.

I started Something to Declare by Julian Barnes today, a collection of journalism on France, French culture/literature, but after reading a few of the pieces I'm finding it all a bit dull—I usually find journalism dull, so I shouldn't be surprised really.

I enjoyed Barnes' Flaubert's Parrot. Have you read that one?

Guy wrote: "I enjoyed Barnes' Flaubert's Parrot. Have you read that one?"

I haven't Guy, but it's on my TBR list. Do you need to have read much of his work to enjoy the Barnes book? I've only read Madame Bovary and the Three Tales. I really want to read Bouvard and Pecuchet which appeals to me.

No you don't need to read much of Flaubert at all. I think it's my fav. Barnes followed by Staring at the Sun.

Well, I've finished #5 from my list, Barnes's Something to Declare —about half of the essays were about Flaubert in one way or another.

Brideshead Revisited may be my next one...I've been meaning to read it for years.

Just finished another one, Three Plays by August Strindberg—my first Strindberg! It's another short book though and didn't take long to read. It's falling apart as well. I'd like to read more by Strindberg.

I started Brideshead Revisited today. Amazingly, I've never read the book; like everyone who was around in the eighties I saw the brilliant TV series. The book has started slowly but I'm getting into it now.

Finished #8, 'Late Fame' by Arthur Schnitzler, which is a great story. It's a novella rather than a novel but I've avoided making that distinction on my GR shelves so far. Some books, like this one, are quite clearly a novella but then so many are not quite so clear cut and I so hate trying to classify books.

Dagny wrote: "I also hate trying to classify books, Jonathan."

Well, I've done it! I've added a novella book type to my bookshelves...now I have to ask myself, is it a novel, novella or short story? I won't add a novelette type though! I won't!

After reading a few books that don't qualify for this challenge I've just started Howards End Is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home by Susan Hill. I felt I had to read it for this challenge as Hill covers a year of reading books from her own library.

I've been ill for a while so haven't read much recently. I started Don't Know Much about History: Everything You Need to Know about American History But Never Learned by Kenneth C. Davis today as I'm not really in to reading fiction at the moment.

Sorry to hear that but hope you're feeling better now. I'm plugging along with my numbers

Guy wrote: "Sorry to hear that but hope you're feeling better now. I'm plugging along with my numbers"

Thanks Guy. How many have you read so far?

Dagny wrote: "Glad you're finally getting well, Jonathan. Hope you lick it completely soon."

Thanks Dagny. Well, I'm reading again so I must be a bit better.

14

Well, the first quarter is basically over so I thought I'd post a photo of what I've read from my TBR pile so far—there's eleven in total, all physical books as well. The ones on the left are ongoing. If I continue like this for the rest of the year I may even try Mt Vancouver.

How many pages in that Slater?

Guy wrote: "How many pages in that Slater?"

530 big pages but lots of photographs. I haven't actually tried any of the recipes yet but have my eye on a couple.

I was going to say it counted for two...

Guy wrote: "I was going to say it counted for two..."

It's very heavy.

There you go then

After a bit of a pause I'm back climbing the mountain with Brian Moore's The Feast Of Lupercal. So far it looks like a good companion piece to The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne.

I really liked the latter. The Doctor's Wife too.

I have 'The Doctor's Wife' as well. It was a toss up between the two but I felt like reading about a male character. I may read TDW next if I'm in the mood.

I think you'll like it.

I've just finished The Spire by William Golding. I'm not sure what to make of it really. It's written in a type of 'stream-of-consciousness' style where it's a bit confusing what's exactly going on, who's speaking to whom etc. The symbolism, as always, goes over my head; I have little time for it. But it was quite a good story with the main character having a fragile hold on reality but, somehow, persuading everyone to go along with his crazy plan to build a massive spire on top of a cathedral that lacks the foundations for it.

I don't care for Sof C. Drives me around the bend

Guy wrote: "I don't care for Sof C. Drives me around the bend"

Sometimes it works but other times......ugh! I think it would have worked better here if Golding had used it sparingly.

Do you like Faulkner?

I loved 'The Sound and the Fury' when I read it, bit that was years ago. I wasn't keen on the others I tried. I haven't tried any Faulkner since then.

I couldn't stand the sound and the fury. I've wondered about the Snopes books. Have you tried them?

I really liked S&F and would like to re-read it sometime. I like soc and other techniques if I can see the point of it, if it adds something to the story. If it doesn't, or I just can't see it, then it's just annoying.

I've definitely read 'As I Lay Dying' and 'The Wild Palms'. I may have read another but definitely not the Snopes ones.

Curious: may I ask why?

Guy wrote: "Curious: may I ask why?"

I just mean I definitely 'know' that I haven't read them not that I definitely 'don't' want to read them. :-)

I haven't really thought of reading Faulkner in recent years. It's similar with Dostoyevsky: I don't really think of reading any of his books these days but he's a favourite author of mine. I think I must subconsciously think of him as an author from my past rather than the present.