Kat's 2009 TBR list

Here's my list. It was hard to narrow it down to 24, even confining myself to books I physically own. My list is heavy on sci-fi/fantasy and classics, much like my library. I've already started Pride and Prejudice and it's going swimmingly. I actually hope to get through all 24 this year, but we'll see (I hope to not get seduced away from my TBR by the library this year!). Twelve should be an easily manageable goal, even with a few weightier classics thrown in the mix. I'm optimistic.

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (finished 2/20/09)
2. Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (finished 5/5/09)
3. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (finished 2/28/09)
4. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (finished 9/20/09)
5. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (finished 3/2/09)
6. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (finished 10/3/09)
7. Land’s Polaroid by Peter C. Wensberg
8. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
9. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (finished 9/10/09)
10. The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
11. Watership Down by Richard Adams
12. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

Alternates:
1. The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
2. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
3. Delta of Venus by Anais Nin
4. The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie
5. Light Years and Dark, edited by Michael Bishop
6. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
7. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
8. The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
9. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (finished 5/26/09)
10. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
11. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
12. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

You've got some interesting books on your list. I look forward to hearing about them as you read.

I've just finished Pride and Prejudice. That took me a good deal longer than I expected, so I may choose something correspondingly short to finish two by the end of February and thus stay on track (luckily my list has several to choose from, in anticipation of this problem).

I know not what to say about P&P. My opinion is generally favorable, but it's not really my kind of book. The wit was a little too sparse, but I did appreciate it when I found it. Much of the unfolding of the plot was predictable, but that's to be expected for a book often emulated. The characters were generally interesting and likable (and despicable, when that was the goal). I'm glad to have read it, but I doubt it'll ever be a favorite.

I have P&P on my list as well this year. I'm kind of nervous about it.

I did read Wuthering Heights and found it very interesting. You may like that one better.

Just finished Memoirs of a Geisha. Besides being one of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, I chose this book because I enjoyed the movie. I found the book to be just as enjoyable. Perhaps enjoyable isn't the right word--this book is filled with adversity and pain. Still, I would recommend it to those who are interested in Japanese culture or strong female characters.

I'm going te read Memoirs of a Geisha for my 999 challenge and also Watership Down.

I hope you enjoy reading them and good luck with your challenge! I considered doing the 999 challenge for a while, but I couldn't finish the 50 book challenge last year, so I knew 81 books would be out of reach. I am enjoying this challenge thus far, though. But at this rate, I won't get through my unread books for another 12 years (without buying any more!). Must... read... quicker....

I couldn't make up my mind what to read next, so I filled my time with something quick and easy to read: The Wizard of Oz. Like many others, my only exposure to Baum's classic work was the movie adaptation. The book has much the same charm, but is delightfully different. I could easily picture myself reading this to my future children.

I'm still not sure what to read next. Torn between The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, which my husband recently finished reading, A Tale of Two Cities, which a friend is currently reading, and Frankenstein, which is probably the gap in my science fiction reading I feel worst about. I suppose I should just pick one, since I'll get to them all before year's end. I love having all these wonderful choices, but it's just so hard to pick!

Finished Frankenstein today. It took me the longest time to pick a book to read--I started and stopped four different books in the past two months (3 being TBR and 1 a new acquisition). I didn't dislike anything I'd started; I just wasn't particularly engaged by anything. I finally decided it was getting ridiculous and that I would finish those four books before picking up another. So I started with Frankenstein.

There are some glaring technical problems with Frankenstein: information relayed to the reader in a very unrealistic manner for the characters (specifically how we learn about Justine's background) and coincidences that strain the acceptance of even the most acquiescent reader. Overlooking these, though, the novel is quite excellent. I will be digesting the themes for quite some time. Is Frankenstein's creation a sympathetic character? How much responsibility does he hold for his own misdeeds? How much does Frankenstein? Or society at large? Are humans capable of caring for that which their science can create? Or is science outstripping our humanity? This book stays with you, which--to me--is the mark of a truly good book.

As I said before, I'll be reading those 3 books I half-started before moving on to other books. Then I think I may take a break from the TBR challenge to read my Project Gutenberg texts. I'm moving in a few months and I'd like to read and recycle those texts to cut down on poundage we have to transport (Lord knows I have plenty more reading material to move).

Next up: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Nice list. You have a lot of books that I want to read, too.

I also just read Frankenstein. I thought that it was very timely and thought-provoking. Good luck with those next 3!
--BJ

>10 cal8769: Thanks! Good luck with your challenge. :)

>11 billiejean: That's the funny thing about LT. Every time I think about reading a book or have just finished one, I seem to find others doing the same thing. For example, I noticed earlier in the year there was a group read of The Blind Assassin, which is on my list for this year. I'm not sure if LT just has critical mass or there's some kind of weird group think going on. Still, it's fun. Thanks and good luck in your challenge, too. :)

Finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn today. It definitely captures a time and a place. The coming of age story is pretty standard, but I liked the pro-education bent. I could identify with the main character in a broad way. All in all, not the sort of thing I'd normally read, but I liked it.

Still have two half-started books in the queue, but I got a library book (Childhood's End) yesterday. I really can't resist libraries! And, with less than three months before I move, those Project Gutenberg texts are calling. Doesn't it always seem like there's more to read than you have time for? Anyway, I suspect it may be some time before I post here again. We'll see.

I finished The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes a couple of days ago, but forgot to update this list because I've been reading it so long I'd forgotten it was a TBR choice. Things had been a bit hectic for me in real life, but I don't think that's the only reason I took so long reading this. Overall, I liked the book and was surprised at the variety of stories (some from his early days, some working with the police, some not, even one where he was wrong!), but mystery just doesn't seem to be my thing. I have a copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which I will probably read at some point, but I suspect that will be the last Doyle I'll ever read.

Next up, I'm not sure. I'm tempted to read something short to "catch up" with the TBR challenge. Then again, my grandmother loaned me The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society months ago and it's been languishing on my bookshelves. Decisions, decisions....

I'm embarrassed to say that most of my TBR reads have been short. (less than 300 pages) I make myself feel better by the reasoning that they ARE TBRs that have been sitting on my shelves for a long time. :) I will kick myself next year when I have tons of long TBRs to read.

I was looking over my list and thinking too many were too long. Next time I will mix it up more. However, sometimes short ones can be harder to read. I had a book like that last year.
--BJ

Well, I gave in to the temptation to hurry up my TBR reading and started The Color of Magic. My copy is 183 pages long and I'm already up to page 150 or so. Once I'm finished with that (hopefully today or this weekend at least), I'll only be two books behind the one-book-a-month pace. I know why I got behind, but I'm afraid I might not finish the TBR challenge unless I pick the shorter books on my list from here on out. At least stick to the medium-sized books. I won't be tackling The Lord of the Rings (which probably should've been split into three books for my list anyway) this year.

I can already see what next year's TBR list should look like. I have a fair number of anthologies and series TBR, definitely enough to make up 12 selections. Of course, I will have to re-read the first couple of books in certain series (Dune, Foundation) to jog my memory for the later books I never got around to reading. Still, I've enjoyed the challenge this year and I'm already looking forward to next year.

Finished The Color of Magic today. Pretty enjoyable. Strongly reminded me of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy--satire with a huge helping of absurdity. I may read more Discworld books, if I get in the mood for light and fluffy reading.

Next up: I'm not sure. I'll probably keep to something short, since I'm still two books behind schedule, but I have several choices that fit the bill. Hmm... or I could leave the shortest options for the very end of the year if I get pinched for time. Maybe a non-fiction, since I haven't read many this year. There are so many good options on my list.

I had to laugh reading your comments about next year's tbrs! I'm the same, already compiling a list for 2010, when I am only just managing to keep up in 2009!

And your idea to make up your list with series has got me thinking again!!!!

Read The Blind Assassin. Excellent book, although it occasionally dragged. Atwood set up an intriguing mystery in the first few pages, then slowly unraveled the clues over the course of an entire family history. It's truly a heartbreaking story. I can see why this made the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list.

Well, I guess I should wrap up my challenge thread. I didn't read any more TBR books after The Blind Assassin. Actually, I didn't read ANY books after that one. I checked a few books out at the library, but couldn't get into them. I just hit a wall or something, which is a bit of a disappointment. Still, 8 out of 12 isn't too bad.

I liked everything I read, to varying degrees. There were no losers. I'm not sure if I'll join any challenges for 2010, but I'll always have a good backlog of books to dip into when the mood strikes. So what's the rush? :)