Category: Reading Challenges

I failed pretty miserably with this challenge in 2018 (read my final update here) but I’m determined to do better in 2019.  The challenge is hosted by Adam at RoofBeamReader and its stated goal is to help you read 12 books from your “to be read” pile within 12 months.  We all need help with our TBR piles, right?

The Rules (courtesy of RoofBeamReader):

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 1/1/2018 or later (any book published in the year 2017 or earlier qualifies, as long as it has been on your TBR pile). 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 the Mr. Linky at RoofBeamReader. Link to your list (so create it ahead of time!) and add updated links to each book’s review. Books must be read 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”. 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). Your complete and final list must be posted by January 15th, 2019.
4. Leave comments on the challenge post as you go along, to update on your status. If/when you complete this challenge, leave a comment indicating that you CONQUERED YOUR 2019 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 before 2018! 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. Audiobooks count. Graphic novels count. Poetry collections? Essay collections? All good! As you complete a book – review it, go to your original list and turn that title into a link to the review.

I love putting together this kind of challenge list.  In fact, I sometimes wonder if I don’t enjoy it more than actually reading the books on the lists!  I’ve carried forward the eight books (well, I did say I failed miserably) that I didn’t read from my 2018 list and added four more from my TBR pile.  My plan is to add one from the list to my reading schedule for each month (in the same way as I would if I was reading a book for a blog tour commitment).

So, with fingers crossed, here is my list:

1. The Cleaner of Chartres by Salley Vickers
2. The Dog Walker (The Detective’s Daughter #5) by Lesley Thomson
3. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
4. Nor Will He Sleep by David Ashton
5. Everyone Brave Is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
6. This Must Be The Place by Maggie O’Farrell
7. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick
8. Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee
9. The Dark Isle by Clare Carson
10. The Summer House Party by Caro Fraser
11. Pompeii by Robert Harris
12. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Reserve 1       David Mitchell, The Bone Clocks
Reserve 2       Rosemary Sutcliff, The Flowers of Adonis

My reserves are both long ones which is to discourage me from DNF-ing any from my main list!