Challenge Update

My progress in the Mount TBR Challenge hasn’t been quite as good this month, but I did still manage to read another 5 books from my backlist:

• Devil’s Day by Andrew Michael Hurley – a brilliantly creepy novel that is heavy on atmosphere
• The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz – with it’s premise of a woman being murdered within hours of arranging her own funeral this novel has a great hook, and is a crime novel with a bit of a twist
• A Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys – I loved this novel featuring a journey from the UK to Australia by ocean liner at the outset of the Second World War
• Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding – not my usual kind of read, but I really enjoyed this novel
• Zodiac by Sam Wilson – I… didn’t get on with this novel.  I’ll leave it at that.

So, I’m three quarters of the way up Mount Blanc, which I hope to have completed by the end of April.  Wish me luck!

TBR Watch

• Total: 53
• Backlist: 31
• ARCs: 9
• New: 13

Challenge Update

We’re another month into 2018 (seriously, where does the time go?!) and so it’s time to catch up on my progress in my Mount TBR Challenge.

I initially signed up for Pike’s Peak, which I’m delighted to say that I have already completed!

The books from my backlist that I read this month included:

• Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood – a wonderful retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest
• Even the Dogs by Jon McGregor – I found this novel a little difficult to get into, and I didn’t get around to reviewing it.  Whilst it wasn’t entirely to my tastes, it does successfully portray the lives of those living with substance addiction
• Skitter by Ezekiel Boone – in preparation for the third instalment next March!
• I, Robot by Isaac Asimov – not what I expected, but I really enjoyed this collection of linked stories chart the development of robots and AI
• Zero K by Don Delillo – DNF
• Devotion by Ros Barber – another book that I didn’t get around to reviewing, but this looks at a society in which religious fundamentalism is considered a form of mental illness
• Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters – an absolutely brilliant portrayal of how the world might look if slavery had been allowed to continue
• The 7th Function of Language by Laurent Binet – review to follow

So, I’ve now read 16 books from my backlist, which, from a challenge perspective, means that I’ve completed Pike’s Peak, and I’m currently a third of the way up Mount Blanc:

TBR Watch

I was doing really well at reducing my TBR, and then I went to the Orenda Books Roadshow on 27th February.  This was an absolutely wonderful evening, and whilst I did manage to show some self-restraint (I only bought three books!!!), it did mean that my TBR didn’t go down as much this month:

• Total: 56
• Backlist: 36
• ARCs: 11
• New: 9

In keeping with last year’s Beat the Backlist challenge updates, I’ve decided to do a monthly Mount TBR Challenge Update to share my progress in the challenge.  It will also include some funky graphs because, as I’m sure you’ve realised by now, I do like a funky graph.

I initially signed up for Pike’s Peak – which is to read 12 books that have been on your TBR from before 1 Jan 2018.  My intention is to read more than this, but I thought I’d start with a small goal, and then move onto the next level.

And, in January, I read a HUGE 8 books from my TBR!!! OK, this does include two DNFs, but these do count towards the rules of the challenge.

These include:

• The Power by Naomi Alderman
• Tony & Susan (aka Nocturnal Animals) by Austin Wright
• Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck
• The Lost Time Accidents by John Wray – DNF
• Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain by Barney Norris
• What is Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi – DNF
• The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis – review to come
• The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson – review to come

So, I’m well on my way to completing Pike’s Peak:

I started the year with 52 books eligible for this challenge, so I am hoping to at least make a start on Mt. Vancouver, if not Mt. Ararat further down the line, but we’ll see how it goes.

I enjoy a reading challenge that encourages you to read through some of your own titles – you know, the ones that have been sat waiting patiently for far too long, and this year I’ve decided to take part in the Mount TBR Challenge hosted by My Reader’s Block.

The idea is simple – you choose a mountain to climb, the difficulty corresponding to the number of books you’re committing to.

Challenge Levels

• Pike’s Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile
• Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your TBR pile
• Mt. Vancouver: Read 36 books from your TBR pile
• Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR piles
• Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 60 books from your TBR pile
• El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile
• Mt. Everest: Read 100 books from your TBR pile
• Mount Olympus (Mars): Read 150+ books from your TBR pile

I’ve added a summary of the key rules below (for full details, follow the link above), but I’ve decided that rather than trying to tackle my whole TBR, that I’m going to sign up for Pike’s Peak initially.  Obviously I’m hoping to read more than 12 from my TBR, but I think that achieving the initial 12 may spur me on to do another 12, and so on.  That’s the theory, at least!

You can sign up at the link above, if this is something that you’re interested in taking part in!

The (Main) Rules

• Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books.  If you find that you’re on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a taller mountain, then you are certainly welcome to upgrade.  All books counted for lower mountains carry over towards the new peak
• Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2018
• You may sign up anytime from now until November 1st, 2018
• Books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2018
• You may count “Did Not Finish” books provided they meet your own standard for such things

There are a few other rules, but I see these as the key points.

Wish me luck! 🙂