Ready to make a dent in Mount TBR

Hi all!

I have just found this group and really love the threads here with everyone's progress! I too have a bad habit of buying books upon books and never getting them read. I have three full bookshelves (two with five shelves, one with three shelves) and I think there is only one shelf on each that contains "read" books.

I am not committing to totally stop book shopping or borrowing from the library when the spirit moves, but this will be a great way to remind myself of my goals to actually read some of those I already own.

Thanks in advance for your encouragement! :)

I am currently reading from my TBR stack Larry's Party by Carol Sheilds for my Orange July challenge...

"Off the Shelf" book #1
Larry's Party by Carol Shields. Winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 1998.

Read for: Orange July

Destination: heading to my stack of books that I will eventually take to my local used book store for credits on other books

Good luck! I'm failing miserably in my own challenge. :)

Trying is the important part though... Right? :)

"Off the Shelf" book #2 is

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Read for: Driving distraction (via audio book)

Destination: have offered to a friend who is into Holmes; if she doesn't accept this will be heading into my book store trade in pile

Review located here:
http://www.librarything.com/work/19809/reviews/87135623

"Off the Shelf" #3 is

We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Read for: Orange July

Destination: I'm keeping this one since it won the Orange Prize

Hi Tina,

Glad you found this list! I read "Larry's Party" ages ago and only remember that it wasn't my favourite book by Shields. Have you read anything else by her? I remember loving The Stone Diaries when it first came out. Maybe time for a reread...

I'm fond of "We Need..." because it's one of the few books I managed to get my husband to read (he's not much of a book person but devoured that one) and discuss with me.

#7 Thanks so much! I haven't read anything else by Shields. Maybe I should give The Stone Diaries a try? I'm glad you found one your husband would discuss! I don't have any "real life" friends who love to read and discuss like I do, so LT has been a wonderful find for me :)

Off the Shelf #4 is

The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett

Read for: Orange July

Destination: Keeping it! I loved it!

I loved The Magician's Assistant, too, and also Patchett's earlier novel Bel Canto. Something's keeping me from trying State of Wonder, however, not sure what! I have Run somewhere, so probably will read that one first anyway.

Agree about the wonderfulness of LT. It's nice to have a place where there are other crazy book people.:)

Amen to that (other crazy book people!!)

I've not really been moved by the descriptions of State of Wonder either; although I loved Bel Canto. Haven't heard of Run... That's the one drawback of LT for me -- my "to be read" list is growing exponentially!

Off the Shelf #5 ....

All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn.

Read for: quick, easy read - simply for fun

Destination: Any young reader with a glint towards the horror end of things will love this one, so I'm going to put it in my book store exchange pile and hope a tween finds it spooky, memorable, and fun.

Off the Shelf #6

Fat Girl by Judith Moore

Read for: fun and enlightenment were the goals -- got little of either with this one

Destination: Off to the trade in pile

Further thoughts about Fat Girl? I had started it, but I was really turned off by the b!tchy tone of the first couple of pages, and accidentally left it at my mother's house. Is it worth picking back up?

> 14 I hate to say this about any book, but it doesn't really get any better than your initial impressions...

I'm glad I finished it, as I've had it in my TBR stack forever. I was expecting some growth or enlightenment. But there wasn't much of that. There is undoubtedly a LOT of dysfunction in the memoir, but as she says in the beginning pages, she doesn't ask you to feel sorry for her. And I didn't. I wanted to... As a fellow 'fat girl' but I didn't like her.

I'd say skip it :)
There are many other books better deserving of your reading time. IMHO anyway.

Off the Shelf #7

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Read for: Fun

Destination: Not sure... this was a light and quick read and I may keep it to re-read after I see the movie.

My review link:
http://www.librarything.com/work/10482/reviews/90406383

Off the Shelf #8

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Read for: Fun

Destination: I really liked this YA fantasy, so I will probably keep it...

For anyone who is following this, I have not fallen off the face of the planet. I've been a bad girl lately and have not been reading 'off the shelf' as much as I had intended. I have been reading several off my nook but I don't count those since they don't take up shelf space.

Off the Shelf #9 (but a very recent aquisition)
At the Mountains of Madness and other Tales of Terror by HP Lovecraft.

Read for: Fun and for spooky October reading

Destination: Off to the trade in pile

Review Link:
http://www.librarything.com/work/8948127/reviews/90837061

Off the Shelf #10 (another recently purchased book, but I'm counting this!)

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

I LOVED this!!

Read for: October / Halloween challenge

Destination: I'm keeping this one! I will definitely re-read this creepy, fun, suspenseful gem!

My thoughts / review:
http://www.librarything.com/work/1507/reviews/91383038

Off the Shelf #11

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Read for: Fun ~ another LT'er recently suggested I move it up in the TBR. It has been sitting on my shelf for YEARS!

Destination: I'm keeping this one. It was a funny and lighthearted take at the "end times" .... I think of it as science fiction meets fantasy meets satire.

Off the Shelf #12

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

Read for: Fun

Destination: I'm keeping -- I save all my Harris books because I read them too fast and sometimes need a re-read before I get to the next in her series. :)

Off the Shelf #13

Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

Read for: fun

Destination: keeping it for my collection

Off the Shelf #14

The Magical Christmas Cat

Read for: fun, and because it was Christmas themed

Destination: Off to the trade in pile. This was a short story collection of paranormal romances. All but one of the stories had a bit too much sex for me.... Others have reviewed and loved it, but I wasn't thrilled.

Off the Shelf #15

The Summer Without Men

Read for: A more literary angle to my recent reading -- and because it was recommended by a friend and fellow LT'er.

Destination: To the trade in pile she goes. I liked it okay, but it didn't knock my socks off. I was a bit disappointed not to have connected with the narrator / heroine.

Off the Shelf #16
Speak

Read for: it has been on my shelf forever. Just saw it on a friend's bookshelf of her "favorites" and decided to move it up the line. Glad I did.

Destination: keeping for my YA collection

Review at http://www.librarything.com/work/2298201/reviews/92425814

Sounds like a really intense book...

It was pretty intense, littlegreycloud but totally worth it.