The TBR List is a Lie

I am a TBR Challenge failure. What's the point, really? Why shouldn't I just read whatever I want when I want? No reason. So that is what I will do.

Anyway, here's my literal "To Be Read" pile.



I think I will retrieve Down and Out in Paris and London from the abandoned TBR list and add it to the pile. The rest of them are either read, rejected, or on hiatus for the foreseeable future.

Here are the results of my very last ever TBR challenge.

The List!

The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

Read. It was good. I recommend.

Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men - Lundy Bancroft

Read. It was disturbing. I learned a lot. Recommend.

Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream - Barbara Ehrenreich

Read. Felt discouraged. I still think I recommend.

Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon

Attempted to read three times. Each time I get a bit further before I give up and skip to the dirty parts. Inspires incredible cravings for bananas.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maguire

Read. It was also good. Also recommend.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus: Volume 1 - Joss Whedon and Others

Read. It was good, although my expectations were awfully high, and a few parts seemed too goofy to me. However, all things Whedon and Whedon-adjacent are generally recommended.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Did not read. One of those things I continue to feel I should read so that I will be less ignert.

Pink Ribbons, Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy - Samantha King

Did not read. Skimmed a little bit and it wasn't as engaging as I thought it would be.

American Gods: A Novel - Neil Gaiman

Read. It was good. Recommend this one, too.

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Did not read. Probably will eventually.

Naked Lunch - William S. Burroughs

Rejected. Too much anal penetration while being hanged by the neck.

I, Robot - Isaac Asimov

Read. It was good. I can not imagine how they made a Will Smith movie out of this unless they just stole the title and ignored all the things that made it good.

The Alternates!

Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell

Did not read. Yet.

The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming - Shreve Stockton

Don't even own yet.

Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets - Sudhir Venkatesh

Don't even own yet.

The Call of the Cthulhu - H.P. Lovecraft

Um, not scary. Rejected.

On the Road - Jack Kerouac

Rejected. Casual misogyny. Pissed me off after about 10 pages.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream - Hunter S. Thompson

Read. Totally awesome. Will probably read again a couple of times. And watch the movie some more, too.

The Day the Earth Stood Still and other SF Novellas - Harry Bates

Read. Ridiculously boring and predictable. How in the world did this story spawn two movies and come to be considered a sci-fi classic?

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why - Bart D. Ehrman

Don't even own yet.

To Be Read Challenge 2009

It took me forever, but I've finalized my To Be Read Challenge 2009 list. I wasn't sure how to decide which would be on my actual list and which would be alternates since completing any twelve would fulfill the challenge, so I first included books I already have at home, then the ones I think I'm most likely to find and read, and then the rest are alternates.

The List!

The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men - Lundy Bancroft

Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream - Barbara Ehrenreich

Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maguire

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus: Volume 1 - Joss Whedon and Others

Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Pink Ribbons, Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy - Samantha King

American Gods: A Novel - Neil Gaiman

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Naked Lunch - William S. Burroughs

I, Robot - Isaac Asimov

The Alternates!

Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell

The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming - Shreve Stockton

Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets - Sudhir Venkatesh

The Call of the Cthulhu - H.P. Lovecraft

On the Road - Jack Kerouac

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream - Hunter S. Thompson

The Day the Earth Stood Still and other SF Novellas - Harry Bates

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why - Bart D. Ehrman

TBR Challenge 2008 = Fail

A recent comment on this post from Traivor reminded me about my sadly neglected To Be Read list for 2008. I guess it was actually only a 50% failure, since between the original list and my alternates I did read six of the twelve necessary to complete the challenge.

Actually, there may still be time in the year to knock out one more book, and bring myself above the halfway point. The Golden Compass is probably my best bet.

It's not that I didn't read a ton of books this year. I just got ridiculously fixated on Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. I read every one of those books this year (with the exception of the "young adult" novels) and most of them twice. You'll notice there are over 30 books on that list, so I was definitely reading my head off most of the time. I merely failed to branch out.

I tried putting only one Discworld book on my TBR list in an attempt to ensure diverse reading material throughout the year, but I do not have the discipline to enforce rules against myself. However, I'm at least going to post another list for 2009 and give myself a goal. None of the books I'm considering are part of a really awesome 30 book series, so maybe there won't be so much temptation to get sidetracked.

TBR Challenge: One Down

I finished reading Neverwhere: A Novel from my TBR Challenge 2008 list, and it was wonderful. Neil Gaiman invented a fantastical world whose characters are both creepy and beautiful, often at the same time. It has been a long time since I was so sad to come to the end of a story. Gaiman left the plot wide open for a sequel, however, although it's been about ten years since Neverwhere was released, it does not appear a follow up is forthcoming.

The next book I am tackling is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. So far it's a pretty entertaining read, but the plot is hanging on some pretty unlikely coincidences that the author seems to be glossing over. I'm sticking with it to see if these improbable threads are going to be tied up in the end, but my willing suspension of disbelief is being strained.

It's not on my list, but I also spent a few evenings reading Flipping Houses For Dummies. The verdict: I need more money in the bank before I pursue my dream of becoming a real estate mogul. Maybe I should seriously reconsider the whole quitting my job thing.

The TBR (To Be Read) Challenge 2008

I'm joining the TBR Challenge for 2008.



Below is my list of 12 books I had piling up around the house or languishing on my Amazon wish list or lying in wait on my book club's list that I'm committing to read in 2008. They're in no particular order as I can't be arsed to bother organizing them.

Neverwhere: A Novel - Neil Gaiman

A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. LeGuin

Pink Ribbons, Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy - Samantha King

The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman

The Giver - Lois Lowry

Salem Falls - Jodie Piccoult

The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova

The Missing Class: Portraits of the Near Poor in America - Katherine S. Newman

Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon

The Last Continent - Terry Pratchett

Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Alternates - The challenge allows you to name up to 12 alternates in case one of the books on the main list doesn't tickle your fancy. In my alternate list are the next two books in the The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K. LeGuin and the His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman, the first of which are in my main list. I didn't want to commit to the entire trilogies if I decided I didn't care for one of them.

The Tombs of Atuan - Ursula K. LeGuin

The Farthest Shore - Ursula K. LeGuin

The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman

The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

Wish me luck!