Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2012 discussion

World Without End
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Villette
Brideshead Revisited
1Q84
Bunner Sisters
The Remains
Homer & Langley All the above read in January 2012
In Cold Blood
Matterhorn
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur
The Drifters read half and CNF
The Children's Book whew that was long 2/24/12
Possession July 7 Brilliant, but not for poetical me!
Me Talk Pretty One Day
Vanity Fair March 27
The Night Circus
Einstein: His Life and Universe March 23
Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie March 25
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
[[book:The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao|297673] February 16
A Game of Thrones
The Graveyard Book March 6
Tess of the d'Urbervilles March 19
[book:Wives and Daughters|383206] March 11
Cloud Atlas March 28 loved this one, got to read more of his books...
The Virgin Suicides March 9
The God of Small Things March 20

Great going Marialyce, and some interesting non-fiction coming up too.

Impressive list! You're a power reader, I see. I read so slowly....

Thank you, ladies....:)
I think non fiction is becoming a favorite of mine.

Marialyce wrote: "Thank you, ladies....:)
I think non fiction is becoming a favorite of mine."

I think I'm rather pleased to be thought of as one of the girls! Just off to tell my wife that I've been accepted into the top echelon :)

Geevee wrote: "Marialyce wrote: "Thank you, ladies....:)
I think non fiction is becoming a favorite of mine."

I think I'm rather pleased to be thought of as one of the girls! Just off to tell my wife that I'v..."

Sorry, but I am glad that I hopefully made you smile.

No need to apologise you certainly did - does my membership still hold...LOL

Absolutely! :)

That's too funny! I'm glad your wife is such a good sport. :D

Hi, Marialyce. Great list! I have some of the same books on my TBR. In fact, I've started the Hardy book a bit early but I'm only a few pages in. Tess is my first Hardy so I'm looking forward to it.

Good luck!

Sera wrote: "Hi, Marialyce. Great list! I have some of the same books on my TBR. In fact, I've started the Hardy book a bit early but I'm only a few pages in. Tess is my first Hardy so I'm looking forward t..."

Thanks, Sera, I heard it is a good one.....will start it tomorrow.

30. Ulysses Ugh..unending drivel
31. Elizabeth and Her German Garden April 5 loved it!
32. A House to Let April 20 blah!
33. The Red Tent June 30 Better second half than first!
34. The Solitude of Prime Numbers March 24
35. Who Got Einstein's Office?: Eccentricity And Genius At The Institute For Advanced Study
36. A Confederacy of Dunces April 3 ugh disliked this one a lot...
37 Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World April 7 Love when I learn new things, great book!
38 The Age of Innocence April 11
39. The Marriage Plot April 26 Disappointing
40 Angle of Repose

I just read your update, Marialyce, and that is a very impressive list! Did you enjoy Vanity Fair, or are you just happy to have finished it? I never was able to get through it.

Jeannette wrote: "I just read your update, Marialyce, and that is a very impressive list! Did you enjoy Vanity Fair, or are you just happy to have finished it? I never was able to get through it."

It took me quite some time, Jeannette, and I pushed it aside many a time. Once I passed the halfway point though, I have to admit, it was great.....It also helped that it is on my iPad, so when I couldn't sleep, I was reading that book.

I loved Vanity Fair and have read it several times :-).

Jemidar wrote: "I loved Vanity Fair and have read it several times :-)."

I could see myself rereading it someday too!

I'll keep in on my list, then.

I have it on my list, as well, and will keep it there.

I'll put it back on mine! I didn't take it off it the end... I feel a buddy read coming on... Thanksgiving?

Maybe?

I'm in!

41. Ghostwritten April 13 it was weirdly terrific!
42. The Enchanted April April 15 A lovely sweet story!
43. Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War April 16 A wonderfully moving story.
44. number9dream another good one by Mitchell
45. Embassytown May 3 brilliant but not for me
46. Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life May 31 Thought I would never finish!
47. No Name May 21 Collins is fabulous!
48. Neverwhere May 6 Loved it!
49. I Am Half Sick Of Shadows May 20 love Flavia!
50. Margaret Mitchell & John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone with the Wind June 20 some good parts but long and drawn out
51. A Tale of Two Cities June 12 Wonderful ending!

I loved The Enchanted April! Did you post a review? I'd love to read it.

Hayes wrote: "I loved The Enchanted April! Did you post a review? I'd love to read it."

Not yet, I just started it yesterday, but it is wonderful so far.

Hayes wrote: "I loved The Enchanted April! Did you post a review? I'd love to read it."

The review is up...

I loved Birdsong! It's one of those that has stayed with me all these years later. Hope you do a review for this one.

Dawn (& Ron) wrote: "I loved Birdsong! It's one of those that has stayed with me all these years later. Hope you do a review for this one."

I will.....it was wonderfully tragic although, I liked the first half better than the second.

I liked Stephen's storyline more than his granddaughters. I rather rushed through those in an effort to get back to the WWI storyline. "Wonderfully tragic" is a very apt description.

Did you happen to see my latest read Regeneration and review? It has that same heartbreaking quality but based on real people, focused on more characters and no scenes at the front. I have a feeling it will stay with me like Birdsong has.

Dawn (& Ron) wrote: "I liked Stephen's storyline more than his granddaughters. I rather rushed through those in an effort to get back to the WWI storyline. "Wonderfully tragic" is a very apt description.

Did you happ..."

I just read your review. How could I not want to read that book after what you wrote? Library visit tomorrow is the plan....

I would have given Birdsong a solid 5 stars, but I felt it lost a bit of its impetus with the granddaughter's part. It just did not seem to "fit."

Marialyce wrote: "Hayes wrote: "I loved The Enchanted April! Did you post a review? I'd love to read it."

The review is up..."

I can't find it, Marialyce. If you open your review and copy and post that link it will take me directly to it. (If you just link to the book your review gets lost with the 800 other reviews.) Thanks. :-)

Hayes wrote: "Marialyce wrote: "Hayes wrote: "I loved The Enchanted April! Did you post a review? I'd love to read it."

The review is up..."

I can't find it, Marialyce. If you open your review and copy and pos..."

Here it is (I hope)

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

That worked... thank you!

Dawn (& Ron) wrote: "I loved Birdsong! It's one of those that has stayed with me all these years later. Hope you do a review for this one."

I did and here it is:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Marialyce, I didn't see your responses until today, just hate it when GR notifications don't work correctly. I just read your review and couldn't agree more on so many point but especially on what distracted from the read. The granddaughter's story interrupted and really didn't add to the overall story for me and Isabelle ending up stalling out as a character.

Some of those front line descriptions have stayed with me, over a decade later, due to the gut wrenching realities and heartbreak, especially (view spoiler)[ when Stephen is left for dead amongst all the bodies. (hide spoiler)] Did you know PBS just aired a two-part Masterpiece Classic version of Birdsong? I believe it is still being streamed on their web site.

If you do read Regeneration, please let me know. I have the next two of the trilogy and would love to do a buddy read of them, if you are interested.

I did not even know it was a trilogy.....but yes, I would love to do a buddy read...just need to get the book from the library.

so glad you felt the same way. It was an awesome story though even with these minor distractions. I did know that there was a TV show based on the book, but I do not watch TV. In fact, we do not even have one, but I can and do occasionally watch a Netflix rental/streaming. So, I just might weaken and watch this one. Thanks, Dawn....

Great, I will pencil you in for a buddy read on book #2, The Eye in the Door, for some time in the future. No rush, you need time to absorb the first one before jumping into the next, IMO anyway.

I loved Regeneration Trilogy, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Laura wrote: "I loved Regeneration Trilogy, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did."

Thanks, Laura!

52. Headhunters June 12 A quick twisty murder/mayhem novel
53. Ireland CNF dull boring, good grief type stuf

Most of my books are packed away in our new home in VA, so I am hoping that when we go down there for a week's vacation, I can pull out the ones from above and add the others...
I am pretty much scraping the barrel of what I have here in NY.

Summer home or permanent move, Marialyce?

It will eventually be a permanent move although we are keeping the house in NY to rent.

What part of VA, may I ask? In the mountains somewhere?

Nope, near the ocean. We are sea loving people.

I love being near the water, too (hard to do in Iowa). But, I have visited the Blue Ridge Mtns. several times and love that area.

My daughter went to UVA which is in the Shendoah valley. Going through Sky Line Drive to visit her was a wonderfully beautiful experience. We, however, wanted to be near the grandchildren and we do sail so the Chesapeake Bay is where we will be.

I've been there once, but never sailed the water. Such a nice place to retire! (I'm assuming this is your retirement spot?)

Yes, it is and also a place for the kids and their kids to come to for R and R. While many downsize, we actually bought a bigger house than we have now. We were just not ready yet for the condo life or those 55+ communities. We have lots of room so all four kids and their families and their future families can come and stay comfortably.

Would you consider adopting me? ;) My husband and I are just in the "talking about what we'll do in retirement" phase. He's not quite old enough yet, and our daughter is still in college, so we'll stay put for a few years yet. I'm very excited for you!

Oh, that sounds gorgeous, Marialyce. You can adopt me too! Retirement... in Italy they keep upping the age before you are allowed to retire. So my husband and I can't even begin to formulate an idea.

I was Very lucky.....I was able to retire at 55. Being a teacher certainly has/ had that as one of its advantages. We had finished putting our fourth through college and had finished with a wedding so.....I grabbed the chance and left. My husband still works, but he will try to find "something" to do down in VA. He is not one to sit for long, whereas I can be a real slug! Funny, he put out his resume and got a call for an interview. Didn't go bc the job involved lots of traveling......been there done that before....

We think it is gorgeous....the house, as my one daughter says is a peaceful house. It is on a cul de sac and backs up on woods so no traffic, no noise. Can't wait to get there, but we still have another wedding to throw this July and then the weddings are done.

You will get there too, and when you do, you will wonder, with all the things that need doing how you ever fit work into your schedule.