Mount TBR 2021 discussion
Mount Everest (100 books)
>
KT's second climb: summit or BUST
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1.
My Life in Middlemarch - finished Jan-2First book of 2021! I very much enjoyed this one.
Review here.
2.
Where Does God Live?: Questions and Answers for Parents and Children - finished Jan-5Review here.
3.
A Christ-Centered Christmas: Seven Traditions to Lead Us Closer to the Savior - finished Jan-10This was okay. Would have been better to read this before I had kids (you know, when I acquired it...)
5.
Model Mormon: Fighting for Self-Worth on the Runway and as an Independent Woman - abandoned Jan-16Finally decided to give this one up today. That's one less book to worry about! :)
6.
Nicholas Nickleby - finished Jan-21Read this as part of a Classics book club I'm in. I've read a lot of Dickens but always seem to forget what fun his books are. I really enjoyed this one and will have to read Bleak House next year, I think!
7.
Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers - abandoned Jan-25I might skim through the rest of this but it was just such a slog and repetitive. I just can't do it anymore.
8.
Committed to Memory: 100 Best Poems to Memorize - finished Jan-31Just okay. Definitely a book to check out from the library rather than purchase.
9.
Dracula - finished Feb-3 So glad I did this as a buddy read as it was a little slow at the beginning; also not a favorite genre of mine. Definitely more gothic than horror, though (thankfully!).
10.
The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ - finished Feb-12Read this aloud as a family -- meant to finish in 2020 but it took 6 weeks longer—ha!
11.
Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World - finished Feb-13This was a breezy survey of material science. Kind of TED talk style, which isn't my favorite generally in book format, but still enjoyed it overall.
12.
The Shortest Day - finished Feb-17I got this via a GoodReads giveaway in 2020. I didn't realize it was a short story. It's more of an atmospheric story than plot-driven. I was impressed with the writer's skill and will look up more of his work.
Finally summited Pike's Peak and on to Mont Blanc!
13.
Edward Lear's Cats - finished Feb-18Another GoodReads giveaway from 2020. This is so weird. Some of the posts on giveaways are obviously self-published or through a vanity press and this is clearly in that camp. I did enjoy the Lear illustrations but there was no context given and strange platitudinal quotes interspersed... also it was about 18 pages on kindle?
15.
Cranford - finished Feb-21This was okay. Maybe I will enjoy it better on a re-read.
--Total Books Read / Abandoned in February: 8--
16.
Far from the Madding Crowd - finished Feb-25It's official: I love, love, love Thomas Hardy! Can't wait to read Jude the Obscure next month.
17.
Transcendent Kingdom - finished Mar-1I might re-read this at some point. The novel was focused on the inner life of the narrator, which I find very unusual. It was an interesting, restrained read.
18.
Spirit of 1787: The Making of Our Constitution - finished Mar-1A tiny morsel of a history book, but I thoroughly enjoyed this refresher on how the US constitution came to be. a good reminder that division in politics is what we do, whether we like it or not. Also, an interesting comment that the reason the electoral college was set up was to avoid foreign influence on elections. I found that fascinating... I will definitely keep this one around to reread down the road.
19.
Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life - finished Mar-3I don't think I could love Michael Dirda more at this point. The only problem is he makes my reading list explode. ah well...
20.
Black Beauty - (read aloud with my kids) - Mar-8We have been reading this FOR EVER it feels like. It was very episodic and while I appreciated the humane principles of how to treat horses, my husband couldn't stand the moralizing tone and would leave the room whenever we were reading it haha
My kids really liked it, but I think they were young enough to not be bothered by the moralizing. I would not read this again and I'm glad I read it with my kids as I think I appreciated it more since they liked it.
21.
Night - finished Mar-10Still on track for my summit goal!
Not sure what my second book for this week will be as I will only have a few days to finish it. I'm also working on a few longer reads (The Three Musketeers and Dune), so if I make good progress on those without getting my second book this week that might be okay, but I really would like to keep up my 2 books / week or get ahead on my pace..
22.
Songs of Innocence and of Experience - finished Mar-12This one will require revisiting and some critical study to understand. Not a very accessible poet, but I don't mind putting in the work to understand scripture and poetry, so this was good for a first reading.
23.
Does God Have a Big Toe?: Stories about Stories in the Bible - finished Mar-12I love Marc Gellman's midrashim.
24.
You Are the Mother Your Children Need- abandoned Mar-13The writing in this book is very blog-like. A quality I do not appreciate in books, so I'm not going to continue this one.
Planting my flag on Mont Blanc! Woohoo!
25.
For and In Behalf Of: Poems of Transition - finished Mar-13Very much enjoyed this little collection of poems from a post-Mormon perspective. Always good to try to understand another's perspective.
I'm hoping to finish a few books in the next day or two as I have a medical procedure on Thursday and I am not sure if I'll feel like reading (may just watch TV).Maybe I'll finish Lear and 3 Musketeers... Then I can focus on Dune next week!
28.
King Lear - finished Mar-23so good. I hurried to finish this tonight because I need to read another Shakespeare play for my book club—and it just got scheduled for Friday night! So wanted to wrap this one up. Now on to The Winter's Tale!
29.
The Winter's Tale - finished Mar-23This one and King Lear seemed more readable than some other plays (ahem. As You Like It) so these were quicker reads than I expected. I know I saw this in my teens at a Shakespeare in the Park production but I really didn't remember much beyond the mauling of the bear. This was excellently read after King Lear as Leontes shows some of his madness but is lucky in having better counselors.
30.
Don't Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life - finished Mar-24lots to think about here (har har har)
--Total Books Read / Abandoned in March: 15--
Decided to go through my shelves and get rid of books I started but know I'm not going to finish. 31. --Abandoned--
The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey - abandoned Apr-332. --Abandoned--
Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle - abandoned Apr-333. --Abandoned--
The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For - abandoned Apr-3
34.
Scoot Over, Skinny: The Fat Nonfiction Anthology - finished Apr-5This is a pretty high quality collection, though some of the essays were pretty explicit content-wise and some were extremely offensive / challenging to read. Not sure that I would recommend it, but it was interesting.
36.
Where Snow Angels Go - finished Apr-14Lovely and will give it to my sister this Christmas.
Planting my flag on Mt. Vancouver!
37.
Under the Greenwood Tree - finished Apr-18I read this about 10 years ago and it was fun to reread it.
38.
The Blue Sword - finished Apr-20I have read quite a few Robin McKinley books before, but this might be a favorite! Looking forward to reading The Hero and the Crown as well.
39.
The Prince - finished Apr-20Finally finished this after reading some of it in college. Very good!
41.
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi- finished Apr-24audiobook performed by Michael York. This was a childhood favorite
--Total Books Read / Abandoned in April: 11--
42.
Jude the Obscure - finished May-7ugh. this was so bleak but Hardy is so skillful. I'm still processing and I need to read something fluffy and happy now.
44.
Spellbreaker - finished May-14I have the sequel from the library which I'll start reading this weekend.
45.
Little Pink Taxi - finished May-19I read a short story by this author and liked it enough to try one of her romances. Not sure I'd recommend it particularly, but it had some unique plot elements.
46.
Among the Beasts & Briars - finished May-23This was okay. It was very predictable and not really anything special.
Mount TBR 2021
Books mentioned in this topic
Winter Morning Walks: 100 Postcards to Jim Harrison (other topics)The Big Milly-Molly-Mandy Story Book (other topics)
Comfort & Joy (other topics)
Winter Morning Walks: 100 Postcards to Jim Harrison (other topics)
The Big Milly-Molly-Mandy Story Book (other topics)
More...
2020 Physical Mount TBR Climb
Currently Reading:(view spoiler)[
The Hunger Games
The Birth of Britain
Don Quixote - (read aloud with my kids) / buddy read
Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor
The Lady of the Lake
(hide spoiler)]
Paused / to be continued(view spoiler)[
King Richard III
News of the World
Robinson Crusoe
A Walk in the Woods
Mudlark: In Search of London's Past Along the River Thames
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - buddy read
1984 - audiobook with Simon Prebble performing
Dune - buddy read
The Three Musketeers
Crime and Punishment - audiobook read by Anthony Heald - reread after 20+ years
The Hidden Girl and Other Stories - slowly working my way through this
Deacon King Kong - started in 2020
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman - started in 2020
(hide spoiler)]
In the queue...(view spoiler)[
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - had a false start a few years ago
Jane Austen: A Life - classics book club backlog
The Golem and the Jinni
(hide spoiler)]
Mt. Wycheproof (6 books) - summited Jan-21
(view spoiler)[1. My Life in Middlemarch - finished Jan-2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Where Does God Live? - finished Jan-5 ⭐⭐+
3. A Christ-Centered Christmas - finished Jan-10 ⭐⭐+
4. The Hummingbird's Daughter - finished Jan-13 ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
5. --Abandoned--Model Mormon - abandoned Jan-16 - no rating
6. Nicholas Nickleby - finished Jan-21 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
(hide spoiler)]
Pike's Peak (12 books) - summited Feb-17
(view spoiler)[7. --Abandoned--Hold On to Your Kids - abandoned Jan-25 - no rating
8. Committed to Memory: 100 Best Poems to Memorize - Jan-31 ⭐⭐⭐
9. Dracula - Feb-3 ⭐⭐⭐
10. The Book of Mormon - Feb-12 re-read
11. Stuff Matters - Feb-13 ⭐⭐⭐
12. The Shortest Day - Feb-17 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(hide spoiler)]
Mont Blanc (24 books) - summited Mar-13
(view spoiler)[13. Edward Lear's Cats - Feb-18 ⭐⭐
14. Garden Spells - Feb-20 ⭐⭐⭐+
15. Cranford - Feb-21 ⭐⭐⭐
16. Far from the Madding Crowd - Feb-25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
17. Transcendent Kingdom - Mar-1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
18. Spirit of 1787: The Making of Our Constitution - Mar-1 ⭐⭐⭐+
19. Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life - Mar-3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
20. Black Beauty - (read aloud with my kids) - Mar-8 ⭐⭐⭐
21. Night - Mar-10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
22. Songs of Innocence and of Experience - Mar-12 ⭐⭐⭐
23. Does God Have a Big Toe?: Stories about Stories in the Bible - Mar-12 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
24. --Abandoned--You Are the Mother Your Children Need - abandoned Mar-13
(hide spoiler)]
Mt. Vancouver (36 books) - summited April-14
(view spoiler)[25. For and In Behalf Of: Poems of Transition -Mar-13 ⭐⭐⭐+
26. --Abandoned--Becoming - (audiobook read by the author) - abandoned Mar-17
27. How to Read and Why - finished Mar-22 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
28. King Lear - finished Mar-23 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
29. The Winter's Tale - finished Mar-23 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
30. Don't Overthink It - finished Mar-24 ⭐⭐⭐+
31. --Abandoned--The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey - abandoned Apr-3
32. --Abandoned--Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle - abandoned Apr-3
33. --Abandoned--The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For - abandoned Apr-3
34. Scoot Over, Skinny: The Fat Nonfiction Anthology - finished Apr-5 ⭐⭐⭐
35. The Little Broomstick - finished Apr-9 ⭐⭐⭐
36. Where Snow Angels Go - finished Apr-14 ⭐⭐⭐
(hide spoiler)]
Mt. Ararat (48 books) - summited May-24
(view spoiler)[37. Under the Greenwood Tree - finished Apr-18 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
38. The Blue Sword - finished Apr-20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
39. The Prince - finished Apr-20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
40. Dog Songs - finished Apr-26 ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
41. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi - finished Apr-24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
42. Jude the Obscure - finished May-7
43. The Dutch House - finished May-12 ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
44. Spellbreaker - finished May-14 ⭐⭐⭐
45. Little Pink Taxi - finished May-19 ⭐⭐+
46. Among the Beasts & Briars - finished May-23 ⭐⭐
47. The Hero and the Crown - finished May-24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
48.--Abandoned--My Calamity Jane--abandoned May-24
(hide spoiler)]
Mt. Kilimanjaro (60 books) - summited Aug-14
(view spoiler)[49. The Christmas Project - reread ⭐⭐⭐⭐
50. The Epic Crush of Genie Lo - finished Jun-10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
51. The Wind In The Willows - finished Jun-15 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
52. Charlotte's Web - finished Jun-16 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
53.--Abandoned--The Death of Vivek Oji--abandoned Jun-29
54.--Abandoned--The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue--abandoned Jun-29
55.--Abandoned--This Close to Okay--abandoned Jun-29
56. War and Peace - finished July-11 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
57. These Old Shades - finished July-20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
58. --Abandoned--Delicately--abandoned July-21
59. Their Eyes Were Watching God--finished Aug-22 (reread) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
60. Regency Buck--finished July-14 (reread)⭐⭐⭐+
(hide spoiler)]
El Toro (75 books) - summited Sept-23
(view spoiler)[61. The Black Moth - finished Aug-18 (reread) ⭐⭐⭐+
62. Beowulf: A New Translation - finished Aug-18 (reread) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
63. The Romancers - finished Aug-18 (reread) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
64. Through the Looking-Glass - finished Aug-24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
65. Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures - finished Aug-25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
66. The Unknown Ajax (reread)- finished Aug-27 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
67. The Quiet Gentleman (reread) - finished Aug-28 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
68. Medea - finished Aug-28 ⭐⭐⭐+
69. Moby-Dick; or, the Whale - finished Aug-31 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
70. The Fantasticks - finished Sep-11 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
71. Sylvester or The Wicked Uncle - finished Sept-14 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
72. A Room with a View - finished Sept-16 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
73. Dark Moon, Lost Lady - finished Sept-18 ⭐⭐+
74. Listening Valley - finished Sept-20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
75. Evvie Drake Starts Over (reread) - finished Sept-23 ⭐⭐⭐+
(hide spoiler)]
Mt. Everest (100 books) - summit goal Dec-31
76. Venetia - finished Sept-28 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
77. This Time Next Year (reread) - finished Oct-2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
78. Mr. Popper's Penguins - finished Oct-3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
79. Letters to Children - finished Oct-14 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
80. The Thing About Jane Spring - finished Oct-18 ⭐⭐⭐+
81. 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up - finished Oct-23 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
82. The Great Stone Face - finished Oct-25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
83. The Wee Free Men - finished Oct-27 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
84. The House of the Seven Gables - finished Nov-19 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
85. The Twelve Terrors of Christmas - finished Nov-
86. The Splendid and the Vile - finished Dec-13
87. Comfort & Joy - finished Dec-19
88. The Big Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook - finished Dec-19
89. Winter Morning Walks: 100 Postcards to Jim Harrison - finished Dec-20
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