I'm committed; 2012 TBR Pile Challenge

Sometimes Groovy Girl and I do story time in my room instead of hers.  This happens when her room gets messy what with Barbie and American Girl parties all the time and her complete and utter pleasure in a play-filled room-except when it’s story time.  Then she wants to lay with me in my clean room (yes, I have book stacks), in my big bed, with my warm blankie turned to high.  I know you’re thinking-a heating blanket-how eco-friendly is that??  I love my electric blanket and it lets me keep our gas heat at a low, low temp.  Each of us have them.

I digress.  After Groovy Girl and I finished reading and as she was falling asleep in my bed (yes, I know she’s nine and probably should be in her own bed but very soon she’s going to be a teen and not want to read with me AT ALL so I let her snuggle) while I was quietly reading Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursa, which is such a good book but after she fell asleep I disengaged myself (from her and the book) and perched beside my bed where 3 tall stacks of books live and I made a list; a list of 14 books that have been sitting in a stack for over a year, waiting to be read by me (or anyone, I’m sure)  and I’m using them to join Adam at Roof Beam Reader in his TBR Pile Challenge.  I could do this challenge probably 10 more times and still have another stack.  If you have stacks like I have stacks perhaps you should take the challenge like me.

Here’s my list.

1. Abarat by Clive Barker
2. While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky
3. When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
4. A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
5. Flying Changes by Sara Gruen
6. Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
7. Postcards from No Man’s Land by Aidan Chambers
8. Losing Charlotte by Heather Clay
9. Joy School by Elizabeth Berg
10. Outside the Ordinary World by Dori Ostermiller
11. Me and Emma by Elizabeth Flock
12. I Don’t Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson

Two Honorable Mentions:

1. Twilight by Stephanie Perkins (I had to brush some cobwebs off this one)
2. Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw

I can think of a story for just about every one of these books; like that my stepdaughter told me #1 was her favorite book and that was like 5 years ago, or that #6 has an inscription from my stepmother in 2009 and that I asked my mom to buy #10  for me at the book store like 3 years ago.  So I’ve dusted them off, put them all in a “new” pile and plan to work my way through.  Thank you Allen! I’m committed!

2011 Reading from my shelves project

    Last year I took on 50 books and did not finish the list so this year I’ve kept some of the unfinished and added a few. I’ve picked 24 specifically so I can read two each month,which seems like an easy way to stay on track. Thanks to Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea for rehosting this helpful challenge.
  1. Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska
  2. Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
  3. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
  4. The Snipesville Chronicles; Don’t Know Where, Don’t Know When by Annette Laing
  5. A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
  6. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass
  7. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
  8. We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg
  9. Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Jiang
  10. The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman
  11. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
  12. The Toughest Indian in the World by Sherman Alexie
  13. The Reluctant Tuscan; How I Discovered my Inner Italian by Phil Doran
  14. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
  15. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
  16. The Shadow Catcher by Marianne Wiggins
  17. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
  18. Inheritance by Natalie Danford
  19. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing; Traitor to the Nation by M.T. Anderson
  20. Every Sunday by Peter Pezzelli
  21. I don’t want to be crazy by Samantha Schutz
  22. Lamb by Christopher Moore
  23. Austenland by Shannon Hale
  24. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

This year I will succeed at this challenge, This year I will succeed at this challenge, This year I will suceed at this challenge, This year I will, I will, I will….
***To join this challenge click here to sign up:  Reading From My Shelves Project/2011