Mount TBR Challenge 2024 discussion

Hope to climb this mountain and perhaps more!

1. House of Many Ways Diana Wynne Jones I really enjoyed this series. I would have enjoyed them when young, but they hadn't been written yet!

2. "Here Are Your Gods": Faithful Discipleship in Idolatrous Times Christopher J.H. Wright Convicting, but hard to recommend because there are parts my most conservative friends would not like, and my more liberal friends would think it doesn't go far enough. Nevertheless, I thought it was both balanced and Biblical.

3. The Completion of C. S. Lewis: From War to Joy (1945–1963) Harry Lee Poe The conclusion of a three-part biography. I did learn a few more details about his life with Joy, and all in all I am happy to have read the set.

4. König's Fire Marc Schooley
I enjoyed the literary references, and the portrayal of evil was very effective. Although there were a few plot points I didn't like so much in the second half, the ending was very satisfactory.

5. Catfantastic: Nine Lives and Fifteen Tales Andre Norton Maybe it's just because I like cats, but for me there wasn't a weak story in the lot. I especially liked "It Must be Someplace" and was disappointed to not find any other works by the author, except maybe another short story in another collection. Now I want to collect the other books in this series of anthologies.

6. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader C.S. Lewis A re-read of one of my favorite Narnia books. It only takes a few pages to tell, but Eustace's dragon experience and his undragoning ring very true.

7. Redgauntlet Walter Scott My yearly dose of Sir Walter Scott. The story was good, and it was told partly epistolary, partly told through journal enteries, and part just regular narrative. Many characters come together in one place at the end and things get exciting. One pretty minor character had a tragic backstory that touched me.

8. Bookmarked for Death Lorna Barrett A pleasant if unremarkable read.

9. Red Rising Pierce Brown Wow! This book was intense, and some who have read the series say it becomes even more so. I do want to know what happens, but I have not yet decided if I want to make the commitment to six or seven more books. The author did such a good job writing complex characters and situations.

10. Cool Beans Erynn Mangum
So far I am liking her Miss Match series better, but this was still a nice light palate cleanser with occasional dips into important insights.
11.The Witches of Karres James H. Schmitz I remembered really liking this as a young teen, but didn't remember a lot of details. I didn't even remember the title, but was able to find it through description on the internet and picked it up for my Kindle--a few years ago. I finally re-read it, and yes, it has staying power! I really enjoyed it, and with some fear and trembling (because the original author died and the series was carried on by others) bought the next in the series.
12. Heartless Anne Elisabeth Stengl Another book that had been sitting on my Kindle for a while. This one was chosen for a book club I am in, and I'm glad it was. It is part of a series, but does come to a good stopping point. I have too many series, but I started the second in the series yesterday.
13. Bookplate Special Lorna Barrett Some of the interpersonal interactions felt more real than others, but there is a mystery, a bookstore, and a cat, so it was still a pleasant read.
14. In the Land of the Everliving Stephen R. Lawhead Middle book of a series. Well written, but as with the first, I didn't feel compelled to pick it back up when I put it down. I did really picture a battle scene the author was describing, because I found myself annoyed that it was dark and rainy and foggy and I couldn't see well!
15. Shattered Silk Barbara Michaels I enjoy many books by this author but mostly those written under her other pen name--Elizabeth Peters. Some of the ones written under this name are too spooky or evil-spirity for me, so I usually read the blurb on the back before picking one up. This one wasn't spooky. Besides some bad language, I liked it.
16. Naming the Elephant: Worldview as a[author:Agatha Christie Concept|432503]
James W. Sire Not what I was expecting. I thought it would be an expanded and updated description of different worldviews, like The Universe Next Door. But this was a pronlonged philosophic discussion about what worldview actually is. I made it through, and got some good out of it, but some of it was dense and technical and really didn't soak in.
17. Murder on the Orient ExpressAgatha Christie A re-read. I am trying to gradually work through all Agatha Christie mysteries, and I almost skipped this as I already read it and remembered who done it. I'm glad I didn't. It is not for nothing that this is a classic.
18. In the Kingdom of All Tomorrows Stephen R. Lawhead The last in the series, and by the time I was half-way through, I was finally eager to pick it back up and continue reading. However, I did not much like the epilogue.
19. Dead as a Scone Ron Benrey Not fantastic literature, but a pleasant read.
20. The Three-Body Problem Liu CixinOne character in particular had a foul mouth, but besides that, the book was excellent. I tried to start the TV series, but there were some changes I definitely do not like, and flashbacks from the other two books /which I have not yet read) are included chronologically. So read the books first!
21. The Final Crumpet Ron Benrey I got a little frustrated with the main characters a few times, but besides that, I enjoyed it.
22. Literary Landscapes: Charting the Worlds of Classic Literature John Sutherland Nice, full page illustrations. Many works I had never heard of, and from the descriptions, I don't think I will ever pick them up, but also many old favorites and some that are still on my TBR list.
23. The Eustace Diamonds Anthony Trollope Lizzy is quite a character. One is glad to see her receive her comeuppance. However, as much as I enjoy a good, long 19th century British novel, I feel this one could have been shorter.

24. Guardian Cathy McCrumb
The last in the series. There are quite a few characters, and I had trouble keeping track of all of them. But the conclusion was quite satisfactory. The only thing I don't like is that the villain is still at large, although perhaps at least somewhat repentant.
25. The Spy Coast Tess Gerritsen A series starter, and a suspenseful, page-turning story. But because of language and a few scenes, I won't be continuing, even though I would like to know more about the characters.
26. Great Law &_Order Stories John Mortimer Not so sure about "great." Some were good, others more meh, and I had hoped for more courtroom drama. But I do not regret the time invested.
27. The Stroke of Eleven Kyle Robert Shultz This is part of another series I am in. I like the banter, the action, and the plot is getting more and more complicated with each passing book.
28. The Hound of Duville and Other Stories Kyle Robert Shultz Shorter episodes in the same series as the previous book. I enjoyed watching the author imitate different styles in some of the stories. I am really enjoying this series, but I am going to take a short break before finishing the last two so that I can appreciate them even more.

29. The Book of the Dun Cow Walter Wangerin Jr. This was a re-read, but with a book club this time. It may just be that it was a better time for me to read it, or it may have been the discussion, but I enjoyed it more and got more out of it this time.
30. Veiled Rose Anne Elisabeth Stengl The second in a series which I am enjoying very much. I had picked up the entire series on sale a while back but hadn't read any yet, and the first came up in book club last year. The books tell parts of the same story while advancing the action, but focus on a different character. That an author can do this without becoming repetetive and boring impresses me. The prose also has some beautiful moments.
31. The Keeper of Lost Causes Jussi Adler-Olsen There were things I didn't like--some of the language, some of the ways women were talked about--but the story kept me turning pages, and I will probably pick up the next book if it ever goes on sale just to find out more about Hazef el-Assad's background.
32. The Dark Monk Oliver Pötzsch Again, some language and it's earthier than I like, but I did feel transporte to an exciting story in 16th century Germany.
33. The Fifth Avenue Story Society Rachel Hauck Rather predictable, the story was okay but not great, and although I am sure that compared to other books it was very low-key, I found it a tiny bit spicy, especially for a Christian book.
34. The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes Nancy R. Pearcey Contains a lot of good historical and anectodal information and references many studies. I had a question about one historical point mentioned--not that it was false, but I think perhaps not limited to to the time period mentioned, from some other reading I've done. But that detail does not damage her most timely defense of true, not toxic, masculinity.
35. The Visitation Frank E. Peretti Another re-read with the book club. It resonated with me more than the first time I read it, due to probably almost 20 years more life experience. I even cried in a few places.
36. Going Loco: Further Adventures of a Scottish Country Doctor Tom Smith I liked the first book better, but this one improved as it went along.
37. The Invisible Library Genevieve Cogman This must be the year for re-reads. I wanted to continue the series, but felt I needed a refresher before moving on.
38. Paws, Claws, and Magic Tales Not as good as Catfantastic. There were two or three good stories and several okay ones. But it was a pleasant enough read that I will probably continue with the other collections in the series.
39. The Masked City Genevieve Cogman Continuing with the series. The world building is excellent and the dialog is snappy. Some regrettable language and some sensuality.
40. The Hound of Death and Other Stories Agatha Christie Most of these stories were more supernatural than mystery stories, and I do not particularly like ghost stories. But some, such as Witness for the Prosecution, were very good. I am slowly trying to read all the Agatha Christie books and story collections.
41. The Burning Page Genevieve Cogman The series is continuing strong.
42. Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson In general, a good analogy, although it took a lot of white space and big print to turn it into a book.
43. Korea: A Walk Through the Land of Miracles Simon Winchester I didn't like this nearly as much as The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary or The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary. It wasn't boring, but it is a bit out of date (my fault, not his, for not reading it until now), and some details of his time in Korea I didn't really need to know. I do wonder what the author would make of Kpop and the plethora of Korean shows on Netflix.
44. Moonblood Anne Elisabeth Stengl This entry in the series was particularly good. There is action, danger, romance that doesn't detract from the story, and some humor also.

45. Starships Science Fiction Stories Isaac Asimov Older science fiction stories, but most still held up pretty well. I liked the way the book was organized, with groups of about 4 stories about different aspects pertaining to starship travel like propulsion method, crew, etc.
46. In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner Elizabeth George She writes about such awful things, and uses such awful language, yet she seems to make it clear that the things indeed ARE awful. I had to skip some things, but evil was found out and was punished in the end.
47. The Beggar King Oliver Pötzsch I didn't like the first 50-75 percent very much--it seemed there was more bad language and bawdiness than ever, and the descriptions of torture weren't much fun either. Also, the beggar king stuff seemed borrowed from The Hunchback of Notre Dame at first. But the last quarter was much better.
48. Turncoat Aaron Elkins This is the way I like to pick up information about history--through story. It was pretty good, with a lot of twists concerning who was and who was not a collaborater.

I don't know if I will make it up the next mountain before the end of the year or no, but it is time to go try!

Congrats on making it up Mt. Ararat!