2012 To Be Read (TBR) Pile Challenge:
About:
Well, that special time of year has come around again! We are all scanning the book blog-o-sphere for those challenges we might want to compete in next year. I thought I had better post sign-ups for this challenge a bit earlier than I did last year, because last year was such a hit!
This is my third year hosting and participating in the annual "TBR Pile Challenge." It started after I realized I had such an issue buying books but never reading them (not because I don't read - but because I have so many!). So, year after year, books would sit on my shelf, untouched, and I would end up reading newer ones first. I realized I was missing out on a lot of great books because I let them sit there gathering dust instead of reading them as I bought them.
The Goal:
To finally read 12 books from your “to be read” pile (within 12 months).
Specifics:
1. Each of these 12 books must have been on your bookshelf or “To Be Read” list for AT LEAST one full year. This means the book cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2011 or later (any book published in the year 2010 or earlier qualifies, as long as it has been on your TBR pile – I WILL be checking publication dates). Caveat: Two (2) alternates are allowed, just in case one or two of the books end up in the “can’t get through” pile.
2. To be eligible, you must sign-up with Mr. Linky below – link to your list (so create it ahead of time!) and add updated links to each book’s review. Every listed book must be completed and must be reviewed (doesn't have to be too fancy) in order to count as completed.
3. The link you post in the Mr. Linky below must be to your "master list" (see mine below). This is where you will keep track of your books completed, crossing them out and/or dating them as you go along, and updating the list with the links to each review (so there's one easy, convenient way to find your list and all your reviews for the challenge). See THIS LINK for an idea of what I mean. Your list must be completed by December 31st, 2011.
4. Leave comments on this post as you go along, to update us on your status. Come back here if/when you complete this challenge and leave a comment indicating that you CONQUERED YOUR 2012 TBR LIST! Every person who successfully reads his/her 12 books and/or alternates (and who provides a working link to their list, which has links to the review locations) will be entered to win a $50 gift card from Amazon.com or The Book Depository!
5. Crossovers from other challenges are totally acceptable, as long as you have never read the book before and it was published pre-2011!
*Note – You can read the books on your list in any order; they do not need to be read in the order you have them listed. As you complete a book – review it, and go back to your original list and turn that title into a link to the review - that will keep the comments section here from getting ridiculously cluttered. For an example of what I mean, Click Here.
My 2012 TBR Pile Challenge List:
1. Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) by Victor Hugo
2. Islands in the Stream by Ernest Hemingway
3. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
4. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
5. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
6. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
7. Nova Express by William S. Burroughs
8. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
9. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
10. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
11. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
12. Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut
My Two Alternates:
1. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
2. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Last Year's Challenge (still going) can be found HERE. Remember, there is a $50 Gift Card (to Amazon.com or The Book Depository) at stake - so if you finish your challenge, be sure to go back to my original post and leave a link to your list, with something along the lines of "I'M DONE!" This will ensure you are entered into the giveaway, which will occur sometime in January.
SIGN UP! - Sign-Ups are Now Closed.
Remember: Create and post your list FIRST, then come back and link-up with Mr. Linky to that specific post (do NOT just link to your blog/goodreads page/live journal, etc.).
Also, I will be capturing and saving all lists - so be CERTAIN of your choices before posting your link. Once I save your list, any changes you make to it during the year will disqualify you.
The Participants:
list. Most book bloggers are probably familiar with the infamous: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list. I picked up a copy of this compilation a few years ago, and I have been plugging away at the list ever since. As I am getting close to scratching off my first set of "100 completed," I thought I would compile and post my list in an easily accessible place. Each time I scratch out another 100 books, starting with this first 100, I will offer up a Giveaway - deal?!