Sunday, December 21, 2008

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?

6 comments:

Brooke said...

I really enjoyed The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. She's such a wonderful writer. It was a relatively quick read too.

Angie Ledbetter said...

Loved the Lamb book so much, it's one of my favs. Good luck with the reading challenge!

Over Coffee - the green edition said...

Does it count if I reread all the Harry Potter books, twice? ;-)
On a serious note, the book about size 12 not being fat sounds like one I need to read because my mind and mirror tend to say something different.
Good Luck on your challenge!

Anonymous said...

Lou Stanek taught one of the most popular writing classes at The New School University in New York. She too was a country girl (Vandallia, Illinois) with the soul of a city girl. Read her book, Writing Your Life and you will learn about her and about writing your story in a natural, compelling way. I was her student for 10 years before she died in 2007 and without her I never would have wrote or published, Eight Days in Provence, a travel memoir. www.jennifer-huntley.com.
I'd also suggest Stephen King's, On Writing, part memoir, part writing tips served up in his entertaining, direct and yes, literate style. "The adverb is not your friend."

Anonymous said...

Lisey's story is good.

Now I can't remember the rest of the list *laughing*....my poor brain.

I'm facinated by titles right now because I can't seem to get the perfect one for mine...bleah.

THanks for the well-wishes you left on the YOG -- it's exciting news!

:)

Unknown said...

Wally Lamb rocks my world. I loved "I Know This Much Is True" as well as "She's Come Undone." Jodi Picoult is great (I just finished "Nineteen Minutes," which I really enjoyed) and who doesn't love Jennifer Weiner? Kite Runner and Thousand Splendid Suns are also on my favorites list. Sigh---being an avid reader is hard---too many good books, so little time! Really enjoying your blog!

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