Nova's TBR Challenge

These twelve (and their alternates) have been on my mental or physical TBR list for a very long time. Hopefully this year I'll get to them!

Twelve TBRs for 2018
1. COMPLETED - Murder on the Orient Express 1/2/17, 4 stars
2. planned - Without Reservations: Travels of an Independent Woman
3. planned - Every Living Thing
4. planned - The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
5.planned - 1Q84
6.planned - A Room with a View
7. planned - A is for Alibi
8. planned - The Impossible Bird
9. planned - Glitz
10. planned - Louisiana Longshot
11.planned - Very Valentine
12.planned - Conspiracy of Paper

Alternates List
1. Man in the High Castle
2. Two for the Dough
3. It Had to be You
4. Year of Pleasures
5. Dressmaker of Khair Khana
6. Game Changer
7. Threads of Evidence
8. The Summer Before the Dark
9. The Art of Learning
10. No Angel
11. The Hangman's Daughter
12. The Xibalba Murders

A neat mix of crime, litfic, cozies and historical fiction. Seems like an entertaining year is awaiting you!

Interesting to see The Man in the High Castle on your alternates list. This title was my only DNF this year, so I'm very interested to hear what you think of it. Please don't let my bad opinion of it influence you in any way!

I read The man in the High Castle as a teenager and thought it a very shoddy, unbelievable, almost first-draft attempt at alternate history. But I was 16 and uneducated with generally rubbish taste. I've often idly thought it deserved a reread.

Murder on the Orient Express is a popular pick this year, can't imagine why :) Happy reading!

>4 Petroglyph: Don't take my word for it, but I wouldn't bother; I suggest you spend your precious reading time on a more worthwhile book. Dick throws so many ideas at the reader that any semblance to plot was completely lost on me, and I never developed any rapport to any of the characters. As you say, shoddy and unbelievable.

>3 passion4reading:, >4 Petroglyph: - thanks for the input on The Man in the High Castle. I've been watching the show and I've been curious if the book makes as little sense as the show... turns out it might be even crazier! It's on my alternates list so we'll see if I get to it or not but if I do I'll let you both know how it goes!
>5 Narilka: - Yes, I was influenced by the movie coming out :) but it has been on my physical bookshelf for almost a decade! Seems like a good time to read it

Nice lists! I'm interested in 1Q84.

Ooh, what does "planned" mean? Just when I think I've seen every way of listing 24 titles, someone does something new. :)

Hurrah for Agatha Christie, Haruki Murakami, E.M. Forster. I note your propsal to potentially engage in the very long Grafton alphabet. I'd like to sample Doris Lessing at some point, I think I have her in the TBR. I've not read Philip K. Dick, but I know his work has inspired a lot of recent Hollywood sci-fi.

Edit: I just, just found out that Sue Grafton has died. Did this news prompt you?

>9 Cecrow: - I guess I was trying to distinguish between the ones I'd planned and the ones I'd read (which I'm going to mark with completed) - nothing too exciting! I've had all these books on my list for a very long time and I'm really hoping I can do all 24 this year! And I just found out myself about Sue Grafton so my choice had nothing to do with hearing about her death although now I'm a little torn. I almost don't want to start the series - not sure why! Have you read any of the Grafton books?

No, I'm not a Grafton fan myself and haven't read her work, but I do have a tendency to dig out the work of authors who've recently died from my TBR pile. Suddenly makes them timely. Something morbid about that, maybe, lol

Echoing the cheers for Agatha Christie - always one of my favorites. I'm a big fan of Sue Grafton and was heartbroken when I found out she died. I've read all by Y and have that ready to read later this year. It's not only losing a favorite author but losing the favorite characters too. They will forever be in limbo.