This is the 10th year of Roof Beam Readers’ TBR Pile Challenge and the third time I’m giving it a go. In 2013 I read & reviewed 3 of 12 books and in 2018 I think I may have read one of the books on my list but there are no links to reviews. The third time is the charm, right?
The gist of the challenge is simple: commit to reading and reviewing 12 books that have been on your TBR (to be read) list for more than a year. You do not have to have a blog to participate — check out Adam’s sign-up post for details.
My list:
- Mary Stuart (1801) by Freidrich Schiller (German/play)
- Hobomok (1824) by Lydia Maria Child (American/fiction)
- The Warden (1855) by Anthony Trollope (English/fiction)
- How Green Was My Valley (1939) by Richard Llewellyn (Welsh/fiction)
- The Narrows (1953) by Ann Petry (American/fiction)
- The Dud Avocado (1958) by Elaine Dundy (American/fiction)
- Jane-Emily (1969) by Patricia Clapp (American/ghost story)
- People of the Book (2008) by Geraldine Brooks (Australian/historical fiction)
- Nobody Cries at Bingo (2011) by Dawn Dumont (Canadian/fiction)
- The Winter People (2014) by Jennifer McMahon (American/horror)
- A Head Full of Ghosts (2015) by Paul Tremblay (American/horror)
- In the Dark (2016) by Andreas Pflüger (German/thriller)
Alternates:
- A Master of Djinn (2021) by P. Djèlí Clark (American/fantasy)
- She Who Became the Sun (2021) Shelley Parker-Chan (Asian-Australian/historical fiction)
My track record with most reading challenges is not the best. Actually, it is horrendous, but I don’t think my high hopes for this year’s TBR Pile Challenge are delusional. Time will tell.
Now, to decide which one to read first! Any suggestions?
P.s. Robin and I plan to do a buddy read of The Warden in early March. Let me know if you’re interested in joining us.
The Warden is delightful. I’ve read it twice so won’t join your buddy read but hope you end up enjoying it as much as I did.
By the way people often believe that Richard Llewellyn hailed from Wales – though How Green Is My Valley is set in Wales he was English through and through
It’s nice to hear you speak so highly of The Warden. This will be my first Trollope. Thanks for clarifying Llewellyn’s nationality. How fascinating that there’s confusion around that. I just read via the BBC that it came out after his death that he was born in England, not Wales. Wikipedia labels him “an English-born novelist of Welsh descent.” Encyclopedia Britannica still lists him as a Welsh writer.
Woohoo! Let’s do this! 😁
Hw Green Was My Valley is a beautiful book. I read it at least a couple of times in high school. I should read it again to see if I still love it as much.
Wow, that’s high praise indeed! My mom recommended I read it when we were talking about books set in Wales.
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon is a must! FYI I have had People Of The Book by Geraldine Brooks on my physical TBR shelf since it’s publication date.
I am determined to read Winter People this winter! Maybe this is the year you read People of the Book???
Good wishes for 2023 and happy Reading Challenge!
Thank you, Gretchen! Wishing you the same!