TBR Challenge 2009 - It's That Time Again

I'm so glad I discovered the TBR (To Be Read) Challenge a few years ago, because it keeps me motivated to read those books I collect so compulsively. I'm glad to be a reader, but sometimes my love of books is bigger than the shelves I have to hold them.

The TBR Challenge for 2008 didn't go so well on my end. I got distracted by books for reviewing as well as new and used books hot off the shelves of the bookstore. I also seemed to have less time for reading this year, although I'm not exactly sure why. Priorities, I suppose. Anyway, I managed to read 7 wonderful books off my 2008 challenge list. I enjoyed every one of them and even added a few books by some of the same authors to my shelves. This is one of the benefits, as well as the curses of reading. As soon as I finish one book, I find I've added several more to my list of books I'd like to read. The more authors I find I enjoy, the more books I have to add to my shelves (physical or virtual).

Which brings me to my TBR List for 2009:

1. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb


2. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd


3. A Hand to Guide Me by Denzel Washington


4. Writing Your Life by Lou Willett Stanek


5. Hollywood Worldviews by Brian Godawa


6. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott


7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini


8. Nourishing Wisdom by Marc David (Finished 8/20/09)


9. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult (Finished 1/18/09)


10. Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner


11. American Girls About Town edited by


12. Girls' Night In edited by (Finished 3/11/09)

Several of these were on my list from last year (and the year before), but I'm hoping to plow through many of them this year. While 12 is the goal of this challenge, and 24 might be a miracle, 15 or so shouldn't be too high of a bar to set. So just in case I get through the 12 above, or I find I just can't get through some of them, here's this year's alternates list.

Alternates:

1. The Ha-Ha by David King


2. Writing Articles from the Heart by Marjorie Holmes


3. Writing Life Stories by Bill Roorbach


4. Trudy's Promise by Marcia Preston


5. Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult


6. The Well-Fed Writer by Peter Bowerman


7. The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler


8. Songs of a Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult (Finished 4/26/09)


9. Mercy by Jodi Picoult (Finished 2/22/09)


10. Lisey's Story by Stephen King


11. I'm Not the New Me by Wendy Mclure (Finished 10/29/09)


12. Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

If you want to join the challenge, visit the official challenge site and sign up. There's always room for more readers (if not for more books).

Have you read any of these books? Any suggestions on where I should start?