Mount TBR 2015 discussion

Well, I declared in mid-November to start small at Pike's Peak but why not go for a real challenge? I'm plodding up the top of Mt. Blanc for 2014 and think I can get there in the nick of time. Next year looks long and I really need to tackle the huge mountains I own, so I'm looking forward to Mt. Vancouver and hope to even go past if I can stay on track.

I'm not going to plot out anything in advance, just put on the trekking gear and go!

Happy Reading to everyone!

Good luck with Vancouver!

Book 1 is complete with Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.

I gave the book 4 stars. A fictional account of a family where the parents are of mix race and when women were expected to be in the home instead of working. Unfortunately for the wife of the story, she wanted more. Several other issues are touched on in the book as well, but I don't want to give anything away. It was a very good first book by author Ng.

In my library since October 2014, so a newer book. Love how everything I bought recently counts for this year!!

Book 2 is done with Walden 3.0: A Dystopian Romance by Phil Fragasso. Despite the title, this is about a utopian society. Unfortunately it was a dud, poorly written. I gave the book 2 stars. Here is my full review. I like utopian books, but was sorely disappointed. Had too high hopes I guess.

I owned the book since July 2014.

Book 3 is The Little World of Liz Climo by Liz Climo. It is a fun book of great animal characters and humor. I think of it as a book of art, some may say comics. I enjoy Climo's sense of humor. This is one of those books you can return to and still enjoy time and again. Rated the book 5 stars and worth it!

This was an easy book for me, and lately been getting through some of my recently acquired books. Not sure what's next yet, as I'm in the middle of some library books. Maybe I'll get to something I've owned for too many years.

I owned this book since December 2014.

Book 4 done! I read The Game We Play by Susan Hope Lanier. It's a small book of short stories. I wasn't too thrilled by them. A couple were decent, overall the writing was fine, but the subject matter just seemed immature somehow, even though it really wasn't. Anyway, I gave it three stars.

I've had this book in my library since September 2014.
Still in the middle of a couple of library books....then squeezed this one in. Knocking out these short ones quickly feels like I'm sprinting on up the mountain right now!

Right on target, Pamela!

Thanks Sophia. I feel like I discovered a short cut, those books under 200 pages. :-)

Book 5 done with The Martian by Andy Weir. Excellent science fiction book, highly recommended if you like technical SF. It's been compared to the Apollo 13 disaster. I gave the book 5 stars.

This book I've had since November 2014. Should try one of my older one soon.

I always like learning about good SF. Thanks!

The book is being made into a movie too...scheduled to be released this November and staring Matt Damon as the lead. Looking forward to it!!

Book 6 completed yesterday with In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson. I enjoyed the biography more than I expected. It's about an ambassador and his family in Germany, before WWII 1933 to 1937. I haven't written up any thoughts on the book yet, but will likely do so. I gave it four stars, and do recommend if anyone is interested in history or biography.

I owned the book since, well... maybe mid-2012.

Pamela wrote: "Book 6 completed yesterday with In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson. I enjoyed the biography more than I expected. It's a..."

Glad to hear that you recommend it. I've thought about reading it off and on...I kind of wish it were already on my TBR stack so I'd have an excuse to do so.

Next time you see a copy at a library sale you can pick it up and save for the following year Mt. TBR. :-)

Pamela wrote: "Next time you see a copy at a library sale you can pick it up and save for the following year Mt. TBR. :-)"

True.... :-)

Book 7 completed with Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie, and have. :-) Looking forward to the movie now. An incredible story! Give it five stars.

Owned the eBook since November 2013.

Finished book 8. I read Walking the Amazon: 860 Days. One Step at a Time. by Ed Stafford. A world first of someone walking through that frightening jungle, across the entire South America continent. Another incredible story! Stafford may not be the best of story tellers, but that's not what he does, and many times the story was quite interesting. I gave the book 4 stars.

Probably got this in Feb. 2013.

Book 9 is The Game by Terry Shott. I enjoyed the premise of the book, but sometimes the writing got in the way. Three stars.

Got the eBook in March 2014.

Book 10 is Sherwood Nation by Benjamin Parzybok. A look at what a future of water scarcity might be like in one city. A folk hero arises, Maid Marion, and tries to start a new community since the old way wasn't working anymore. I gave the book 4 stars.

Another recent acquisition of mine from 2014. But I'm almost done (hoping today) with another book I've had for ages!

Book 11 now completed with I Married a Communist by Philip Roth. Having not read any of Roth's books before I wasn't sure what to expect. If they run the same, they are thick with ideas and seemingly unending sentences. If interested more of my thoughts are here about this book, along with a slight amount on the plot. I gave the book 4 stars.

I've owned the book since August 2000. Finally one that's been on the shelves a long while. :-)

Book 12 is done with Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West by Hampton Sides. A well done history, although a sad one, and framed on around a biography of Christopher "Kit" Carson.

Happy I finally moved off my last camping spot. Seemed to be there lingering awhile. Perhaps the next stop will be quicker.

April 22 edit: forgot to note when I got the book in my original post last Friday, likely due to the fact I'm not entirely sure. I think it was sometime in 2012. Maybe Spring-time. Sounds about right.

Yep, next stop was quicker. Pike's peak is past and book 13 was finished today with Sarah's Choice by Rebecca St. James and Nancy Rue. Not my usual fare and quite predictable. Overall it reminded me of a Hallmark Channel movie. (this actually was made into a movie.) Not great, barely watchable, but somehow you end up watching the whole thing even though you keep saying next break I'm going to turn it off. I gave the book 3 stars, but that's for rounding up. I would give it 2.5 if I could.

I got the book in late June 2014 and happy it's no longer on my shelves.

Congrats on making Pike's Peak!

Bev wrote: "Congrats on making Pike's Peak!"

Thanks Bev!

Book 14 is now finished with Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. A far future sci-fi mystery that I quite enjoyed, despite it being so gritty. I gave the book four stars.

I got this book just under the wire to count for this year's challenge as I bought it December 31, 2014, whew!

Been slow going for me lately, no progress in May with reading too may recently acquired or library books. I seem to have several more going at the moment and none count for here. Perhaps July will be a good month.

Yes! June is looking better. Book 15 just completed with Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. I quite enjoyed the intertwining stories, guess you'd call this gothic romance. Not really my typical type of book I read, but it was well done. And I had gotten carried away with Sedgwick books and own three total, so I'm quite happy this was enjoyable. Look forward to the others. I rated this 4 stars.

I bought the book last year in June.

Yay for a good start to May!

Well, have slowed down quite a bit and not that I was tearing through to begin with. In any case I got another book finished yesterday, book 16 with Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks. I didn't quite like it as much as the other book I read by him a few months ago. (That one was a library book.) Sacks is a neurologist that seems to have every brain problem. It's odd how much he puts himself into his books. I own at least one other of his, he does cover interesting topics, will see if this pattern continues.

I believe I bought this book in January or February of 2013.

Book 17 done yesterday with Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. I wonder why I waited so long for this one. Absolutely loved it. 5 stars.

I've had this so long I cannot remember where or when I got it. Just one of those long timers sitting around and now finally done. :-)

Pamela wrote: "Book 17 done yesterday with Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. I wonder why I waited so long for this one. Absolutely loved it. 5 stars.

I've had this so long I cannot remember where or when I got it. Just one of those long timers sitting around and now finally done. :-)"

It's always good to get those off the stacks. Glad you've knocked off another one! I tried very hard to log my books when I got them, but there are always some on the shelves that I have no clue how long they've been there (other than "forever").

I finished book#18 In America by Susan Sontag. Finally made some progress, after months but clearly I'm not going to make it very far this year. I have on more in progress, but that will be that. Got a little off-track this year, not reading as much as normal.