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Taking the plunge with the TBR

2015tbrbuttonI didn’t join in any challenges last year despite multiple temptations because I wanted to focus on my own projects. As the new year beckons however I’m feeling that I need a bit of a nudge to clear some of the backlog of books on my shelves. The 2015 TBR challenge run by Adam at Roof Beam Reader came just at the right time so I’ve signed up.

It’s a very doable challenge since I can combine it with my projects (we’re allowed to double count books we read). Of the 12 books I’ve listed, four are from my Classics Club list, four from my Booker Prize winners list and the remainder from my world literature reading list.

And for once I know what I’ll be reading first – Daisy Miller/Washington Square by Henry Miller.

BookerTalk

What do you need to know about me? 1. I'm from Wales which is one of the countries in the UK and must never be confused with England. 2. My life has always revolved around the written and spoken word. I worked as a journalist for nine years then in international corporate communications 3. My tastes in books are eclectic. I love realism and hate science fiction and science fantasy. 4. I am trying to broaden my reading horizons geographically by reading more books in translation

16 thoughts on “Taking the plunge with the TBR

  • I’m afraid to nudge anything for fear my TBR piles will come falling down upon me 🙂 I remove books from the pile carefully like a game of Jenga. Good luck with the challenge!

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    • I don’t know that particular game Stefanie but I do know the one which consists of constantly re-arranging the shelves in the hope the number of unread books will be reduced.

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    • thanks, I’m hoping I set my own ground rules in such a way that I shouldn’t fail (or maybe that is speaking too soon??)

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  • I’m opting out of this challenge this year, because I need to de-clutter my reading life. But it’s a great challenge, and I enjoyed my reading for it.

    You list looks wonderful! I love how culturally wide-ranging it is. As a person of Hungarian heritage, I am especially keen to read your thoughts on Satantango once you’ve finished it. It’s been on my to-read list forever, and the film adaptation is on my to-watch list. I previously watched the film Werckmeister Harmonies, which is an adaptation of Krasznahorkai’s book The Melancholy of Resistance, and thought it very impressive yet very slow and long. Krasznahorkai’s more recent book Seiobo There Below is at the very top of my wish list.

    Best of luck to you with your challenge!

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    • I didn’t know there was a film of Satantango but then my knowledge of Hungarian literature is miniscule. Any chance you might be interested in doing a guest blog for me about Hungarian literature???

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      • I’m sorry to take so long to reply to your question. I managed to miss it until I was combing through my emails to look at WordPress notices I missed over the holiday season.

        I’m certainly no expert on Hungarian literature but am always enthusiastic when I encounter it. I would have to do some research, of course, and I won’t be able to commit to it until after January due to schedule. But I’d be game to try writing something up after that time.

        For convenience, if you like: kandake (at) gmail (dot) com

        Reply
        • thats ok Candiss, its easy to miss something. Let me send you some questions via email and you can tell me what you think. After January is perfectly fine

  • I only read 5 books from this year’s challenge. Not a stellar result, but still 5 books of the pile. 🙂 I’ll be joining again for next year, and like you, I’m planning to read from some of my personal challenges.I only know The English Patient from your list, but I liked that one.

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    • I enjoyed the film! If I read even half of the list I will count it as success. Have you done your list yet??

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  • I’m signing up for this too! It’s just the thing for someone who’s always distracted by the latest shiny (or worse, by actual work, ugh).

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    • We just can’t resist can we?? I’ll hop over to your site to take a look at your list shortly

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  • I love the TBR challenge! It keeps me reading more literary books throughout the year.

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    • its my first time but I’m expecting great things since so many bloggers talk about how good it is

      Reply

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