#VirtualMountTBR2025

It's year three of this challenge, for me. The Virtual Mount TBR (to-be-read) challenge is hosted by Bev at My Reader's Block. Participants start with a list of books they don't own but have been meaning to read, and the challenge is scaling a virtual mountain by either reading or deciding to remove them unfinished from the list. You can sign up here! (If you have a literal pile of books, #MountTBR2025 is for you.)

Guidelines (and feel free to adapt them if you'd like to challenge yourself!):

• Have a known list to begin the year. I have consolidated mine into the tool my library uses and have a list of ~50 titles here: TBR List.
• Try not to add anything new! But it's okay to read off-list. I left a little room for this by making a less challenging goal this year.
• Keep track of what I'm reading on my usual page: Reading List.
• Remove titles from the TBR list as I complete them, OR as I decide that I will be okay never reading/finishing them.

I am aiming for White Plume Mountain (48 books) and I have 57 on my TBR list + in-progress stack at the beginning of the year. I will be updating at the end of each month (and sporadically otherwise) with a running total and some commentary.

Reading List 2024

Here's an archived copy of my reading list for this year. I'll be keeping up the new list here: http://mlisunderstanding.blogspot.com/p/reading-list.html

I would recommend the bolded titles with enthusiasm, and I enjoyed the italicized titles but probably wouldn't read them again.

TBR List Update: December

              

I'm working my way through #VirtualMountTBR2024. Here's my current To-Be-Read List, and here's the list of titles I have read this year.

In December 2024

Books read: 8

Books I decided NOT to finish: 1

Wordslut: Like many on the list, it just doesn't rank as highly in reality once I have to weigh it against other books and all the life stuff on my plate.

Life Undercover

Books left on the TBR List: 56 (I added next year's)

Best book of the month: A Deadly Education

This author is new to me (sometimes I'm late to pick up trends) but I've liked everything far. I preferred the fairytale retelling from earlier this year. I've also placed an anthology of short stories from her various universes on hold for a treat in a couple of months. Close runner-up: A Sorceress Comes to Call.

Worst book of the month: How to Stand Up to a Dictator

From the title, it seemed timely. I saw the parallels. I learned a bit about world politics. But I was bored stiff.

Sum-up: There was a nice flurry of interesting, distracting fiction mid-month, just as I crested the peak of 60. I remember when all my reading used to be like that -- or so it seemed. That was why I liked it so much. Then I stocked up on library holds for our vacation days to end the year on a good reading vibe!

TBR List Update: November

             

I'm working my way through #VirtualMountTBR2024. Here's my current To-Be-Read List, and here's the list of titles I have read this year.

In November 2024

Books read: 3

Books I decided NOT to finish: 1

Stay Me, Oh Comfort Me: I think I want to read more food writings by MFK Fisher before attempting her journals/memoirs.

Life Undercover

Books left on the TBR List: 45

Best book of the month: Love Comes Softly

Kind of a funny choice, but it was a soothing bit of fluff.

Worst book of the month: None. They were all okay.

I don't think I'm going to summit Mount TBR this year. Too much disruption and too little reading time. But I'll keep swimming, just keep swimming.

TBR List Update: October

            

I'm working my way through #VirtualMountTBR2024. Here's my current To-Be-Read List, and here's the list of titles I have read this year.

In October 2024

Books read: 7

Books I decided NOT to finish: 3

Low-Demand Parenting: This is useful info in general, especially for parents and people who work with kids, but it was most relevant to the foster kiddo who's recently left our house. I'm going to let it go.

Model Home: See below about Rivers Solomon.

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat: I realized that my library system only had one volume available, and it wasn't the first one. I didn't want to read this manga badly enough to seek it out from interlibrary loan.

Brown Girl in the Ring: I don't know why. I've previously read excerpts and it just doesn't sound so appealing anymore.

Life Undercover

Books left on the TBR List: 45

Best book of the month: Bloodchild and Other Stories

Yummy, chewy morsels of Octavia Butler's work, with an accompanying author's note on each one.

Worst book of the month: An Unkindness of Ghosts

*sigh* This is the second Solomon book I've not connected with, and at this point I'm not up for reading another. There's so much character development and interesting worlds/life circumstances, and you start to really care about the characters' choices, but then what happens in terms of plot? Is there resolution? No! Very unfulfilling.