After a successful 2008 challenge I have decided to do this again in 2009 but with a different slant. I am sick of looking at the same old books sitting on my TBR bookshelves so I have decided to basically 'close' those shelves and begin my journey in finishing all the books.

My 50 books for 2009 must all come from these shelves. If I want to read anything other than from those shelves I will record them but they can't be included in my 50 books. I have even gone so far as to choose the 50 books and keep them elsewhere (this clears up a shelf or two for any new books that enter my house). I have done it alphabetically again to ensure that I don't double up on authors. I do reserve the right however to change any of these books as the year goes on so long as they are swapped with another book from the existing shelves.

My list in no special order is as follows:

1. When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro Read
2. Unnatural Causes by P.D. James
3. Murder on The Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood
4. Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris Read
5. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver Read
6. The Last Resort by Alison Lurie Reading
7. The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason
8. Homeport by Nora Roberts
9. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
10. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
11. The Riders by Tim Winton
12. Mr Golightly's Holiday by Sally Vickers Read
13. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Read
14. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
15. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
16. Child of the Phoenix by Barbara Erskine
17. Angel's Rest by Charles Davis
18. Die Trying by Lee Child Read
19. Moral Disorder by Margaret Atwood
20. This Year It Will Be Different by Maeve Binchy
21. One False Move by Harlan Coben Read
22. Woman to Woman by Cathy Kelly Read
23. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer Reading
24. The Greatest Man in Cedar Hole by Stephanie Doyon
25. Midwives by Chris Bohjalian Read
26. That Certain Age by Elizabeth Buchan
27. The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory Read
28. Baker Towers by Jennifer Haigh
29. A Man's Got to Have a Hobby by William McInnes
30. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
31. Welcome to the World Baby Girl by Fannie Flagg
32. An Outrageous Affair by Penny Vincenzi
33. The Breaker by Minette Walters Read
34. Rococo by Adriana Trigiani
35. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
36. Twelve Times Blessed by Jacquelyn Mitchard
37. The World Below by Sue Miller Read
38. The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
39. The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble
40. Say When by Elizabeth Berg Read
41. The Dead of the Night by John Marsden Read
42. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt Read
43. Next of Kin by Joanna Trollope
44. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
45. Sophie's Choice by William Styron
46. Shroud For A Nightingale by P.D. James
47. If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler Read
48. The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor
49. Two For The Dough by Janet Evanovich
50. Blood and Circuses by Kerry Greenwood

After doing all that I am finding it exciting and daunting at the same time. Last year I read a lot of books that were quick and easy and I read a lot in my lunch break. This year I have a few larger books and I don't read so much in my lunch break, should be interesting.

Message edited by its author, May 27, 2009, 8:56am.

I like your idea of reading from your tbr shelves. Mind if I use your plan?

Go for it. I just feel that I'm so sick of seeing these books there that I never want to read them. There are some great books there though so I need a push.
It's too easy to put them off and keep buying more. I just hope I can fit some others in there too.

Good luck with your challenge.

What a good way to get through some of your book pile!... I loved Suite Francaise and Pride and Prejudice. I read the Poisonwood Bible at last this year and enjoyed it, mostly, but found it a bit overdone near the end.

Have fun!

The Poisonwood Bible is one of the main reasons I'm doing this. It's been on my bookshelf for years now. I have lent it out to several people who all raved about it, yet every time I go to read it I think neah so 2009 is the year I finally read it!

I read Pride and Prejudice years ago when I was a teenager but thought I needed to read it again to see whether I like it any better now. I remember liking it but not loving it as so many people seem to. I have just finished Jane Eyre which was another book that I read as a teenager and I loved it.

I am cheating a little with Suite Francaise as that has only been in my bookshelf in the last six months but oh well, I did say any book that was there now could be included.

I figure if I do this I might have that bookshelf clear in five years......sigh.

Jalinda, this is such a great idea! My plan this year was to buy fewer books and read the ones I own, but it didn't really work out. I've hardly bought any books in the second half of the year, but I've now discovered the library, where the books seem to be 'more exciting'. No, I don't know why either...

Anyway, I hope to follow your lead and have marked out a few of the books that I feel have been hanging around the longest. I don't think I can realistically hope to make much of a dent in my 100+ unread pile (and I know I'm getting more for Christmas), but I admire your discipline! Good luck!

Thanks. I am so undisciplined and I just hope I can at least get through most of those books. Maybe I should have said at least 30 of them need to be older books.

A couple of years ago I started borrowing books from the library and thought how silly when I have better books at home. I'm sure it's because they sit there for so long that I get sick of them.

My son has just started work at a book shop and last year I didn't buy many new books at all so this year will be difficult. There are so many good new books out there that I'd like to read.

1. Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I loved it! Talk about a story of revenge. I loved the way Harris kept going back to the past which meant not only did I see the present unfolding but also the past, it was like there were two mysteries happening, the second as a consequence of the first.

I found the beginning of the book (in the past) a great yarn, to think that a child could be part of a school without actually even being enrolled there, what a giggle. As the book went on though the revenge got nastier and nastier and about two thirds of the way through I started to think 'whoa, get over it'. At this point though the book changed for me from a light hearted yarn to a mystery so still kept me engaged.

A book that I have put off reading for so long, what a great start to my reading year, so glad I finally got around to reading it.

What a shocking start to this challenge, I just don't seem able to get into any book. I have finally managed to finish a short book and am hoping now that I am back at work and commuting I might get more read.

2. If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler

An enjoyable story about a rather unconventional family. I often find Tyler's characters unlikeable but I liked just about every character in this book regardless of their idiosyncracies (sp?)

oh Jalinda, I wish I was determined enough to do the same! My old books keep sitting there on their shelves looking sad while I keep buying more and more and almost exclusively read from the ones I recently bought/mooched. :( For example, I've been meaning to read the Rabbit novels by John Updike for ages - I think I bought the books three years ago, and still haven't managed to start them. Maybe this year. (Just maybe, I'm not promising myself anything) Good luck with your (incredibly difficult) challenge!

Yes, I am beginning to wish that I had just said 20 but oh well. I doubt I'll succeed in this challenge but it should certainly move a fair few off my shelves. My son just started working at a book shop and he has brought home some great books for me. I guess 12 months isn't so long to wait to read most of them but I would like to read at least some of them.

3. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Finally finished this book. I loved it and wish I hadn't held off reading it for so long. It lived up to every one of the recommendations that I had heard. I had thought it would be a difficult slog but it was interesting enough to keep me involved.

I am so far behind in this challenge so I need to really knuckle down and read more.

You've got a great looking list to work from this year! Glad you ended up loving The Poisonwood Bible, it's one of my favourites and really hard to forget. If you haven't read anything else by Barbara Kingsolver, I recommend Prodigal Summer and Animal Vegetable Miracle. She's such a beautiful writer and storyteller.

Thanks for that, I have Prodigal Summer on my TBR too.

4. The World Below by Sue Miller

I like Sue Miller's books. Just books about fairly ordinary people. This was a relatively quick and easy read about a woman's crossroad in life I guess.

Most of the characters were easy to like and it flipped back and forth between the woman and her grandmother as she made parallels between their lives.

5. Bel Canto by Anne Patchett

Another book that I have heard so much about yet for some reason thought I would find it a slog.

I loved this book. Hostage stories can be very tedious but this one flew (even though it took me far too long to read it), I liked most of the characters. A little unbelievable but the relationships between all the people were wonderful.

I am so glad that I finally read this book. I am taking longer with this challenge than I expected and I have just enrolled for an on line course so I can't see me getting through 50 books from my current TBR. I will plod along though and read as many as I can. This challenge has already paid off, I'm so glad I started it.

6. The Breaker by Minette Walters

I always enjoy a Minette Walters mystery. I love the depth of her characters and the way she seems to find something good in even the worst of her characters and boy does she have some awful ones.

I have read some great books this year but this one was purely relaxation and I found myself picking up the book at every opportunity so I could find out what happened to these people and of course who committed the murder.

Now maybe I can get some studying done before I start a new book tomorrow morning on my train trip to work.

Happy Reading!

7. Mr Golightly's Holiday by Salley Vickers

An interesting slant on life in a small town I can't say I really enjoyed this book overly. I nearly gave up after 60 pages but decided to read to 100. Every time I wanted to give up I would make myself read a little more and suddenly I would start enjoying it more. As it's only a short book I eventually ended up reading the whole book.

I have read a spoiler about this book so I knew who Mr Golightly was. I don't think this ruined the book for me, in fact, I think it possibly was the reason I kept reading. Split into four months I found the ends of each chapter always left me wanting more.

Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for it or maybe the really descriptive parts just annoyed me. I can see why people like this book but it just bored me mostly.

8. The Book Thief

I loved this book. Although very sad in places and with a terribly sad ending it was a lovely story. I have heard that this book is considered YA and I would have to agree. I think an adult book would have been a lot harsher and this was written so as not to be too full on for the younger reader. I'd like to read an adult version as you don't really hear much about every day life in Germany during World War II.

This book was written with 'Death' as the narrator and was about a young girl fostered out when her parents were branded Communists. It's the story of her coming of age during a time of war.

9. Woman to Woman by Cathy Kelly

Pure chick lit. Whilst I enjoy the occasional chick lit book I found this to be very much like a Mills and Boon. The good thing about Mills and Boon books are that they are quick easy to read books. Cathy Kelly tends to write two or three M&B books rolled into one which means they are at least twice the length.

I'm not sorry I read it but I'm glad it's finished and I can move on.

Today I finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

What a wonderful book, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and didn't want it to end. I have to say though that I didn't like the ending much, it left me feeling very flat. I would still highly recommend this book.

Unfortunately I can't include this book in my 50 book challenge as it was a Christmas gift and not part of my TBR pile when I started.

10/51

10. The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory

I enjoyed this book like I have enjoyed her other books. I find them extremely easy to read and like learning a little about history at the same time (my history knowledge is shocking).

I wonder what Princess Katherine was really like. I'm so glad I live in these days and don't have to look over my shoulder wondering what enemy, friend or relative is plotting to have me killed.

11/51

11. Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

A Story about a midwife who performed a cessarean (sp?) on a woman who died in childbirth, or was it the operation that killed her. The story takes up the following law suit and how it affects her and those she loves.

I found it interesting and it raised some difficult questions.

12/51

I really liked Midwives and I love Bohjalian's style of writing. The theme seemed to be well researched and thought out. I liked how the characters were drawn out and I really came to care about them. I wanted the story to go on and see how they interrelated with each other down the road.
I too found that it raised some very difficult questions and thoughts but the best books usually do.

12. Say When by Elizabeth Berg

I realised I had already read this book and am so annoyed that I wasted my time re-reading a book that I wasn't overly keen on the first time I read it. Luckily it was a short book. My reading has slowed down so much it's frightening.

13/51

13. Die Trying by Lee Child

The 2nd book in the Jack Reacher series. I enjoyed this one as I enjoyed the first. I do find something that Lee Child can take four pages to tell us something that could easily have been said in one paragraph. I don't really need a description of the ins and outs of bullets and how to fire all the different guns.

I look forward, however, to the next in the series, although I won't be able to add it to my 50 for this year.

14/51

Message edited by its author, Apr 30, 2009, 11:12pm.

14. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt

Interesting and amusing memoir of McCourt's teaching years.

15/51

16. One False Move by Harlan Coben

Unfortunately I thought this was the first book in the Myron Bolitar series. It's actually the 5th. Silly me. I did enjoy it though and will be going back and starting from book one eventually.

16/51

>27 Have you read McCourt's other 2 memoirs? I found that Teacher Man covered a lot of the same ground that Angela's Ashes did but I felt like it was in Teacher Man where we really got to see how profoundly those experiences affected him.

No, I haven't read either of them. I did see the movie Angela's Ashes but don't remember much about it. I am pretty sure I have both the books somewhere, and I will definitely hunt them out and read them too. I was under the impression that Teacher Man was more of a memoir of his adult life. I have to admit that I thought Angela's Ashes was fiction but based loosely on his life. Shows I should take more attention.

The Women in Black by Madeleine St John

My son bought me this for Mothers' Day and I thought, why is he buying me chick lit? As it can't be included in my challenge for this year I didn't really want to read it but thought as it was a short book I'd give it a go. Wow, was I wrong. I loved the book.

A story about women who work in the dress section of a David Jones style shop in Sydney during the 60's (I think, maybe the 50's). I lovely book, well written and it just kept you wanting to find out what happened to them and hoped that they would be all right.

Unfortunately Madeleine St John died a few years ago. I shall definitely look out her other three novels.

17/52

Message edited by its author, May 21, 2009, 6:50am.

18. When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

I'm not sure what to think of this book. I enjoyed it up until halfway through. I still enjoyed the second half but not as much. I couldn't quite work a lot of it out. It seemed to skip something and all of a sudden there were 'facts' there that I don't remember being explained. I couldn't work out why he (and others) assumed his parents were still alive and living in this house somewhere.

Anyway, it was an enjoyable read and mostly I liked the character of Christopher, although he had his moments. I even learnt to like Sarah.

As you can see, I'm not sure.

Read it yourself and you decide.

18. When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

I'm not sure what to think of this book. I enjoyed it up until halfway through. I still enjoyed the second half but not as much. I couldn't quite work a lot of it out. It seemed to skip something and all of a sudden there were 'facts' there that I don't remember being explained. I couldn't work out why he (and others) assumed his parents were still alive and living in this house somewhere.

Anyway, it was an enjoyable read and mostly I liked the character of Christopher, although he had his moments. I even learnt to like Sarah.

As you can see, I'm not sure.

Read it yourself and you decide.

18/52

19. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

I still think the Twilight series is overrated and I don't get why adults would rave about it. I can see why a teenage girl might. They are, however, easy to read and as I bought all four I shall read them all.

A girl at work is reading them after me and she is very addicted so it's pushed me to read them quicker than I would have. I had no intention of reading the last couple this year but it looks like I shall. Oh well, they are large books and take up a lot of space, so all is good.

19/52

20. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

I enjoyed this more than New Moon. It's almost like the first two in the series were just setting the stage for this book. This one moved quicker and seemed to have a bit more guts about it.

As I'm on a roll with this series I may as well read on and see where it ends up.

20/52

21. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Loved the first part of this book but felt the beginning of the second part was just getting a bit too silly. I managed to get over this feeling and actually enjoyed the usual confrontation that all these books have near the end.

I will miss these books but am glad to have them off my shelves. I can see why people enjoy reading them.

21/52

Once in a Lifetime by Cathy Kelly

The latest of Kelly's books. Easy to read chick lit with a bit of romance and magic in it. I enjoyed this one.

This was a gift from my son this year so can't be included in my 2009 challenge.

22/53

23. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

I loved this book. I loved most of the characters in it and I really enjoyed the whole storyline. I have several more Gaskells on my bookshelves and I can't wait to read them.

23/53

24. Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood

I did it again! I knew I had started reading this book a couple of times before, but I thought I didn't get very far. Halfway in I still remember reading this, mind you the book is so short that halfway in isn't all that far in. I kept on reading thinking new stuff would happen but it didn't. Luckily it's a very short read and I read it in one day. What a waste.

I do like the Phryne Fisher novels though. They are short and humorous and I love that they are based around where I grew up. I love hearing about places that I know of.

I think I still have two more of this series before I run out.

25. An Outrageous Affair by Penny Vincenzi

Fairly typical of this author. This book is far too long, there really was no need for it to be 850 odd pages. I can't believe I spent a month on one book. I did enjoy it apart from that, I usually do.

I am halfway through my challenge and it's already mid August so I am not going to make my goal. That's ok though, I have moved a lot of previously stagnant books off my shelves and I'm happy with that. I will probably lighten up even more and read some of my newer books for now.

25/53

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

I loved this book. I had no idea what to expect but I loved it. A story told through a series of letters, about a town in Guernsey and the people who formed a reading society during World War II when their town was occupied by the Germans.

This was so cleverly written and you couldn't help but love the people. I feel like I made some nice new friends. I think I will probably read this again one day which is something I don't do often.

26/54

Ooh, another thread I now have to keep an eye on! Liking the choices and the succinct thoughts on each one - and looking forward to what comes next! What a fantastic way to choose your books too... I wish I had the self discipline to do that but working in my own bookshop with free reign over the shelves I don't know if I could!

I love it when I don't know very much about a book and it turns out to be so good. Glad this one was a winner for you. I'm going to simplify my reading goal next year by making one much like yours. I don't know how people can own hundreds of books that they haven't read yet. The few dozen that look out at me already weigh on me something awful.

27. The Third Day, The Frost by John Marsden

The third book in the Tomorrow When the War Began series. Young adult and I'm embarrassed to say I'm a little hooked at the moment. At least they are quick reads and I have had them for a while so they can be included in my 50 book count.

These are books I would recommend to any teenager. They have a bit of everything and I think would make anyone think and wonder about what they would do if they were in a similar situation. I know I certainly wouldn't have done what these kids did.

Fast moving and gripping reading.

27/54

28. Darkness, Be My Friend by John Marsden

Even more embarrassing to admit that I just had to read the next one. Sadly this is the last one that I actually own at the moment. Note the 'at the moment'! I just know I am going to have to get my hands on the next ones and read them too. I want to know what happens to these kids. I want to know that Australians get their land back!!

I really do need to move on though and read something a bit more adult, just what I don't know.

28/54

29. The Rose Labyrinth by Titania Hardie

A book that had a lot more potential than it realised. The idea was good and I quickly got into this book but it panned out to be not much more than a love story to me.

A man inherits a key from his mother and starts to look into the background of it. From that moment on, his life and that of all those closest to him changes and they are all in danger. His family and friends work to put the pieces of the puzzle together and find out what this key opens and what meaning there is behind it.

I found that I lost the plot of the puzzles quite quickly and really just had to ignore a lot of that side of the book. Others may not have that problem, maybe it was just me.

29/55