Mount TBR Mountaineering Checkpoint #2

 

1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain (# of books read).  If you're really ambitious, you can do some intricate math and figure out how the number of books you've read correlates to actual miles up Pike's Peak, Mt. Ararat, etc. And feel free to tell us about any particularly exciting adventures you've had along the way.

 

    At this point in the challenge I have read 20 out of 36 books. This is about 56% of the way. I will have no problem meeting my goal by the end of the year, though I am trying to do a few other challenges and review books for NetGalley. This is why I chose a somewhat low number for me. 
 

2. Complete ONE (or more if you like) of the following:

 A. Choose two titles from the books you've read so far that have a common link. You decide what the link is--both have strong female lead characters? Each focuses on a diabolical plot to take over the world? Blue covers? About weddings? Find your link and tell us what it is. 

What Elephants Know by Eric Dinerstein and A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord are both books that I read for summer reading with my youngest son, David. They are both winners of the Massachusetts Children's Book Award and both have a plot that heavily involves animals. In What Elephants Know, the main character, Nandu is training to become an elephant driver (a mahout). The story is set in Nepal so there are lots of animals you read about- elephants, tigers, rhinos and many types of birds. A Handful of Stars revolves partially around Lucky, a dog that is becoming blind. I also really liked these books.  Both books taught some good lessons about friendship and family. 

 B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way--new author, about a place you've never been, a genre you don't usually read...etc. 

  

Noir  by Christopher Moore was new for me. I had never read any noir nor any Moore. A friend of mine wanted to do a book club so I bought the book and read it. Then her other friends bailed and we didn't have the book club.  The book was pretty amusing to me. I would be willing to give more books like this a try. 
 

 C. Which book (read so far) has been on your TBR mountain the longest? Was it worth the wait? Or is it possible you should have tackled it back when you first put it on the pile? Or tossed it off the edge without reading it all?

Maybe The Hobbit? This book belonged to my husband's family so it's probably been laying around the house for about 20 years. Lol

I can't seem to get rid of the tan background, sorry. These are my answers. These have been read during the challenge but many are ARCs I read.

OR (Counts as both part 1

Use titles from your list to complete as many of the following sentences below as you can.  If you haven't read enough books to give you good choices, then feel free to use any books yet to be read from your piles. I've given my answers as examples. Feel free to add or change words (such as "a" or "the" or others that clarify) as needed.

 

My Life According to Books

1. My Ex is/was The Hobbit by JRR. Tolkien

2. My best friend is [a] Live Wire by Harlan Coben

3. Lately, at work [kids have gotten] Educated by Tara Westover

4. If I won the lottery, [I'd buy] Tiny Infinities by JH Diehl

5. My fashion sense [is] A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourne

6. My next ride [will bring me] Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

7. The one I love is The Prisoner in the Castle by Susan Ella Macneil

8. If I ruled the world, I would [change]  The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle

9. When I look out my window, I [see]  Quackery by

10. The best things in life are [heard in] The Song of a Captive Bird by Jasmin Darznik

Mountaineering Checkpoint #2 (even though I missed #1)

     One of the reading challenges I'm taking part in this year is called Mount TBR- and it is a challenge to reduce your "to be read" pile. In my bedroom,  I have a bookshelf of books I have yet to read. It is accompanied by a neat stack of books next to the shelf that just didn't fit on the bookcase. This is my first time participating in this particular challenge (and the Keyword Reading Challenge too.) My goal for this year is to reach the summit of Mount Blanc, by reading 24 books out of my piles.

1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain (# of books read).  If you're really ambitious, you can do some intricate math and figure out how the number of books you've read correlates to actual miles up Pike's Peak, Mt. Ararat, etc. And feel free to tell us about any particularly exciting adventures you've had along the way.

    I am currently at 13 books, a little more than halfway up Mount Blanc. I'm happy with this since I'm participating in 3 challenges and not all the books I'm reading are from my to be read pile.

2. Complete ONE (or more if you like) of the following:

 A. Choose two titles from the books you've read so far that have a common link. You decide what the link is--both have strong female lead characters? Each focuses on a diabolical plot to take over the world? Blue covers? About weddings? Find your link and tell us what it is.

Best. State. Ever. by Dave Barry, and A Field Guide to Awkward Silences by AlexandraPetri were both humorous books that I won in giveaways from Goodreads.

 B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way--new author, about a place you've never been, a genre you don't usually read...etc. 

        One of the books I enjoyed the most was Sparks and Shadows by Kendrick von Schiller. I have never read anything from that author before and I haven't really read too much fantasy. In addition, this was another Goodreads win and the author signed my book and wrote me a really nice note. I'm looking forward to her next book.