Mount TBR 2015 discussion

I own 153 unread books (not including ebooks).

This will be my first climb. I chose this level to find out how far I get; hopefully I'll be able to upgrade and get more books out the way.

Apart from reading more of my own books, I want to try not to buy more books than I read. Let's see how this works out! Any tips for a newbie?

Checkpoint #1: 139 books on my TBR

Welcome, Iselin! Glad to have you climbing with us. Given how I manage to keep raking in the new books (my TBR mountain range never seems to get any smaller)--I think my only advice could be to get a set of blinders that will keep you from seeing the new, shiny books. Lol.

It's really hard not to get sidetracked by the new releases, books at the library, and used books stores....

Hehe, I should lock myself up with my books and nothing else. But then, how am I to post on GR?

Good luck with your first climb!

Bev has a great idea about a set of blinders so you won't see those new shiny books, lol!

All the best, Iselin! I will be joining you and of course, cheering you on...

And I'll be cheering you on ;)

#1 Sämtliche Bildergeschichten by Wilhelm Busch (996 pp.)

I love Buschs' rhyme, but sure not his racism. Phew. But some of his verses are still common knowledge, and it was great finding them in the stories where they belong.

Great going Iselin...im just about finishing my first book for the year too!

#2 Wo ist Carlos Montúfar? by Daniel Kehlmann

Can one fall for an authors' mind, for their thoughts? I might just have. But then, I'm writing my thesis on Kehlmann. Want an extremely well read contemporary author raving about The Simpsons or Tolkien? There you go. I loved this book to bits. BTW it's a collection of essays on several authors and on writing.

#3 Amphitryon by Molière

I knew the story before from the version by Heinrich von Kleist. The piece is written in verse and ends with a deus ex machina. Today is Molière's birthday, so I won't blame him for being a bit lame here! (I loved Le Malade Imaginaire though.)

#4 Digitale Fotografie: Grundlagen und Fotopraxis by Jacqueline Esen

I got this for my birthday last year because I had complained about my photo skills. This is a book for beginners, but it's stuffed with info and photos to illustrate how to, and how not to, take good pics even if all you have is a compact digital cam. Inspiring and informative, although I wonder how many of the readers actually use an Adobe product to manipulate their holiday fotos, since the author gives an intro to one?

#5 Alexis Sorbas by Nikos Kazantzakis

DNF - It may be due to the old translation, but this just wasn't for me. I really tried.

#6 The Remains Of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

It took me quite a while to get into this, but the second half was so enjoyable. All in all a work of genius that needs to be read between the lines. It had me in tears by the end. Okay, I also wanted to punch Stevens for his stubbornness.

#7 Morgantina, die Hexe der Königin by Lois Gould

What the - ? This was a strange novel. You could never be sure what happened, what's real, or where the whole thing was going. Quite frustrating, even more because the language and perspective were so unusual. I wanted to like it. Morgantine, the dwarf, was the most interesting character, but then, there weren't that many: Henry, the king, Diane, his lover, Catharina, the queen, and Cornelius, a magician, who remains somehow colourless.

...And this is as far as I will get this month. I'm currently reading a couple of books from the library, a part of them for my thesis. As this will continue in February, I expect to climb at a very slow pace next month, maybe three books if I'm lucky.
But I'm satisfied with the outcome of January, especially since I haven't acquired any new books!

Jessika wrote: "Great job on not acquiring any new ones yet!"

It sounds more like an achievement when you don't know that I haven't had much opportunity to buy any books since I'm working on my thesis :)
Nonetheless I'm terribly happy with that side effect.

Iselin wrote: "...And this is as far as I will get this month. I'm currently reading a couple of books from the library, a part of them for my thesis. As this will continue in February, I expect to climb at a ver..."

Good job not acquiring any new ones...unfortunately, I can't say the same. This year, I'm being smart and keeping new purchases in a separate stack (or stacks...knowing me). So far...six new and ten read. So, I guess, I've really only knocked four off of the TBR stacks. LOL.

Bev wrote: "Iselin wrote: "...And this is as far as I will get this month. I'm currently reading a couple of books from the library, a part of them for my thesis. As this will continue in February, I expect to..."

:)
Four sounds good to me. And you've had the fun of bringing new and shiny books to your home. For me this always works like a mood lifter (I never took pills, but I imagine it must be like this light feeling in the stomach you get from buying books). I might buy one or two in February to fight the winter blues (why must I live in this climate zone, why?!).

Iselin wrote: "Bev wrote: " I might buy one or two in February to fight the winter blues (why must I live in this climate zone, why?!"

Yes, book therapy is always a good idea to drive the blues (of any sort) away!

Haha, Iselin, I too had to buy some books to fight my winter blues - and it was much worse when I was living in Luxembourg! So I do understand you!

Marina wrote: "Haha, Iselin, I too had to buy some books to fight my winter blues - and it was much worse when I was living in Luxembourg! So I do understand you!"

I'm living "next door" to Luxembourg, in Trier. I wish I was in Italy too! The book stores in Luxembourg City would be my doom too, there is one with beautiful BDs and Non Fiction books that I always visit when I'm there. Luckily my French isn't that good anymore, so I never buy anything.

Oh really? I used to visit Trier sometimes when I lived in Luxembourg. I really love your city! Also, many of my colleagues were from there or did live there.

I came here for university. Overall it's a little tranquil here, but it got much better in the last years, with more cultural events and a growing alternative scene. But since nomad blood flows in my veins, I still look forward to leaving Trier for a new, exciting place this summer. Hopefully Bonn, but we haven't settled that.

We seem to have quite a lot in common! I too tend to move house and city a lot, and I've always said that I'm a bit of a nomad :-) I'm moving this summer as well, though not going very far, just to another city in South-Central Italy.

Marina wrote: "We seem to have quite a lot in common! I too tend to move house and city a lot, and I've always said that I'm a bit of a nomad :-) I'm moving this summer as well, though not going very far, just to..."

;) I hope everything will go smoothly, moving can be so stressful. Especially when others drag and carry your favourite furniture around; I always fear they are handled carelessly. But I love the feeling of a fresh start. And the first morning in your new home, when most of the helpers are still there and you have a big breakfast. Oh my, there I'm reminiscing... I really need to move.

I got three new books for my birthday. Why am I so not feeling guilty ;)

One is a beautiful new German edition of Stardust by Neil Gaiman, the others are A Tale for the Time Being and Geek Love. They are all hardcovers and look gorgeous!

So I own 149 unread books now.

Iselin wrote: "I got three new books for my birthday. Why am I so not feeling guilty ;)

One is a beautiful new German edition of Stardust by Neil Gaiman, the others are [book:A Tale for the Time Bei..."

That's wonderful....love those hardbacks! And happy birthday (late), Iselin!

Zaara wrote: "Iselin wrote: "I got three new books for my birthday. Why am I so not feeling guilty ;)

One is a beautiful new German edition of Stardust by Neil Gaiman, the others are [book:A Tale f..."

Thanks, Zaara!

Jessika, thank you. I wouldn't dream of it!

Happy Birthday! And, yes, birthday books are automatically guilt-free.

Thank you, Bev! It would be a shame if they weren't. In fact I made my better half buy me the books so I wouldn't have to do it ;)

Iselin wrote: "Thank you, Bev! It would be a shame if they weren't. In fact I made my better half buy me the books so I wouldn't have to do it ;)"

Yes...I often make my better half buy the online ones as well (through ebay or whatever appropriate site) just so I can plead innocence. :-)

I just remembered new books aren't allowed for this challenge *sigh*
So, as a reminder for myself: Here is the list of books to choose from. Nothing else.

#8
I just finished Euclid's Window: The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace! Fantastic Non Fiction book that got me interested in one of the most hated fields of science: Mathematics. Okay, I didn't get most of the last few chapters of String Theory, but since it's a still being under construction, I'm content. I now even begin to grasp relativity. Highly enjoyable read thanks to an enjoyable writing style.

I also must report another two new books I got from my neighbour today (he has a habit to gift me his old books): A novella by Per Olov Enquist, and a signed copy of Vatertage by Günter Grass. I couldn't say no ;)

#9
Twelve Short Masterpieces contains 12 short stories that were really enjoyable, but it ended with a most wonderful story by Katherine Mansfield, my favourite short story author so far.

I own this book since around 1999! Back then I had only just begun to learn English. I was ten or eleven and already thirsty for new stories. It was the first time I voluntarily tried to read a book in English.

Wow, Iselin, you're doing great! At this rate, you'll reach the peak of Mount Blanc in no time, then maybe you can join me on Mount Ararat. =) Keep up the good reading!

You are whizzing on..I'm only on 3...!

Lisa wrote: "Wow, Iselin, you're doing great! At this rate, you'll reach the peak of Mount Blanc in no time, then maybe you can join me on Mount Ararat. =) Keep up the good reading!"

Thanks! I secretly hope to eventually set foot on Mt. Kilimanjaro! I just didn't know what my pace would be, so I started low. So, yeah, I'm content :D

I purged some books today, reducing my tbr down to 143 books. It's become a habit to reevaluate my interest in the books I own. Many of them were gifts from a neighbour; they are very old and used. Not the kind of books you see and want to read. There are some lesser known classics among them, but I'm not that interested in owning them. If I ever feel like reading one of them, I'll just do it online or borrow the audio.
I also ditched one book I got for free at my library and one book I actually bought, read the first twenty pages, and didn't enjoy it.
Two or three of them do look new. I'll put them on a swap platform I use and see if I can make someone else happy.

Do you purge books? And what do you end up doing with them?

I purge books once in a while (I tend to like to hang on to books just because they're...well..books. :-) ). When I do, they go in my prize box for challenges (if I think they're good enough that someone else might be interested) or I donate to our Friends of the Library bookstore or (rarely) I sell to Half-Price Books.

Jessika wrote: "I go through maybe once a year and get rid of some that I've decided I probably will never read, usually only 5 or so get cut. I either sell them, donate them to Goodwill or donate them to my new ..."

Oh, I didn't know Little Free Library! Adorable. How do you donate a book, Jessika? I would be interested in trying this.

I also can report a late birthday gift arrived today: Der König ist nackt by Sylvie Germain. Luckily I made some room in my bookcase before :)
Germain was a discovery for me when I picked up her Book of Nights over ten years ago, a mesmerizing fairy tale like family saga. Germain's not well known and it's not too easy to collect her books, but now I own four of them. Yes, this was a gift to myself, and I pat myself on the shoulder for the excellent choice ;)

I have gone through some purges, often when the occasion of moving comes up. I have relied on donating to various libraries as my go to place, and on rare occasion a used bookstore. Recently I've started a giveaway with my family at our annual summer BBQ, I just bring a box of books and let them choose what they may like. Since I'm the major reader in the family I'm always the go-to person for a good book, and now I just share the ones I've read and don't think I'll read again or want to keep on my bookshelves.

Jessika wrote: "Iselin wrote: "Oh, I didn't know Little Free Library! Adorable. How do you donate a book, Jessika? I would be interested in trying this."

Go to their website littlefreelibrary.org and look at thei..."

Alright, that was kind of obvious I guess :) The word "donate" somehow got me sidetracked. Mh, the next LFL is still a bit far-off. I'll keep it in mind, maybe for when I visit somewhere or I move closer to one.

Jessika wrote: "Iselin wrote: "Alright, that was kind of obvious I guess :) The word "donate" somehow got me sidetracked. Mh, the next LFL is still a bit far-off."

Keep checking back, there are new ones popping u..."

I will! I'd love to build one of those myself. So cute! Alas, no front garden.

#10
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

I love Dickens. The language of this historical fiction was a bit beyond my abilities at times, for I read it in English, but I warmed up to its' soap opera feel.

#11
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Wow. Intense. Great book. I'll give it four stars for the moment, because the first 3/4 were so different from the rest. But usually I come to think different after a couple of months, and this might become a 5 star rating after all.

#12
Too Far by Rich Shapero

Finally! I've had this book on my TBR since August 2011. The premise sounded so good: Two children spend more and more time in a fantasy world in the woods, escaping their family problems. But this was a bit weird sometimes. Does anyone know of a similar book - plotwise?

When I read the description, I was reminded a little bit of .

Rebecca NJ wrote: "When I read the description, I was reminded a little bit of ."

That was what I was thinking as well. But since I've only seen the film, I might just pick up that one and give it a go.

I read it a few years ago but I can only remember the movie. I'll be curious to hear what you think of the book.