The 2019 TBR Challenge

Like many avid readers, I often find myself waiting eagerly for new pubs or library books to come in, despite piles of books waiting to be read at home that I already own. But the only time I tried to deal with this was during my last year of law school when I knew I would be moving back to Boston, so I tried to read only books already in my possession with the objective of reducing the quantity I’d have to pack.  It worked to some extent because once I have read a book I usually decide whether to keep it or donate it (sadly, I still had to donate hundreds in 2006 that I hadn't had time to read).   However, lately I realized I am missing out on some great books I already own as well as purchasing more books than I have space for (this only stops me when I am traveling with already heavy luggage).  Yesterday, when tidying up for a visiting puppy, I was newly aware of my (otherwise delightful) piles.  

When I read about Roof Beam Reader’s 2019 TBR Pile Challenge, where the goal is to read at least 12 books that have been on my “to be read” list for at least a year (thus published before 2018), I decided to join in:

2019 TBR Pile Challenge

1.     Avalon by Anya Seton (1965) - reviewed 10/27/19

2.     Niccolo Rising by Dorothy Dunnett (1986)

3.     The Crystal Snowstorm by Meriol Trevor (1997) - reviewed 8/26/19

4.     Set in Stone by Robert Goddard (1999) - reviewed 8/13/19

5.     Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum (2004) - reviewed 9/11/19

6.     Patriot Hearts by Barbara Hambry (2010) - reviewed 2/23/19

7.     The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin (2010) - reviewed 12/12/19

8.     Sisters of Fortune by Jehane Wake (2010)

9.     Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (2013) - reviewed 8/3/19

10.  Through the Evil Days by Julia Spencer-Fleming (2013) - reviewed 12/19/19

11.  A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner (2014) - reviewed 7/27/19

12.  The Travelers by Chris Pavone (2016) - reviewed 7/11/19

Alternates

13.  If You Go Away by Adele Parks (2015)

14.  The Gates of Bannerdale by Geoffrey Trease (1956)

Some of my TBR came from this windowsill pile.  Sometimes
it overbalances and comes crashing down.

For my Boston friends interested in finding a good home for their "read" books, I recommend donating to More Than Words, a youth development program that trains at risk young people to work in their two bookstores.


Girl Reading borrowed from this site: https://tinyurl.com/ycxv52lq

Someone is Watching

My younger sister gets an email from the school library every time her six year old checks out a book.  This would have infuriated me as a child because I liked reading books adults often thought were too old for me.   I remember three specific incidents:  in third grade I was reading The Fellowship of the Ring, and although my mother had read The Hobbit to my middle sister and me I suspected she might think this book was too scary or over my head[1] so I kept it tucked in my desk drawer with a red felt pen I used to write down an occasional vocabulary word.  On Teacher’s Night, Mrs. Freilich[2] exposed my secret to my parents!  I think my mother was amused and my father reclaimed his pen (which were apparently banned at school, although no one had told me) but I certainly never trusted her again.

The next year my parents were duly waiting their turn behind a husband and wife they knew very slightly.  These people were complaining that someone in the class had given their daughter an extremely unsuitable book.   Somehow my mother guessed it was me and waited apprehensively to see what it had been. Then Miss Barnes said audibly, “Maybe Suzanne wasn’t quite ready for The Secret Garden but it is a lovely book she will enjoy some day.”   See, I was just helping her improve her mind!   Miss Barnes and I did not always see eye to eye but she read aloud often and introduced me to some wonderful books:  On to Oregon, The Black Stallion, and The Phantom Tollbooth (this latter became such a favorite I chose it to giveaway in World Book Night last year.

Later, in seventh grade, at a new school where the library contained little new fiction but was full of Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, and religious-themed books like Miracle at Carville, I discovered Anya Seton and became entranced by her masterpiece, Katherine.   I must not have been very good at concealment because, thinking the book was very racy based on the cover, I hid it under my pillow where my mother, innocently changing the sheets, found it.  I came into my room to find her curled up with John of Gaunt, and she happily told me she had read that book the year she finished high school when it was serialized by the Ladies Home Journal.   The only remonstrations I ever got from her regarding my choice of books was her desire that I would not race through an author too quickly, denying myself the pleasure of anticipating a delightful read. 

---

[1] My mother would not have been totally wrong.  I had read Carolyn Haywood’s book, Primrose Day, the previous year, which features an English girl named Merry (and inspired my interest in evacuation stories).  As a result, I thought Tolkien’s hobbit Merry was a female hobbit.  There were plenty of male possessive pronouns but I airily dismissed those as typos and wondered about a possible romance between Merry and Pippin for some time.   I paused in my reading when Gandalf fell in the Mines of Moira and did not return to the Lord of the Rings until I turned 11 or 12.

[2] She already had a conflict of interest issue that had been unaddressed.  She had previously taught the other first grade section and one of her students, Laura Rabinowitz, who later attended Brown, was a flower girl at her wedding.  Fourteen months later, Mrs. Freilich began to teach third grade and Laura was in our class!  Favoritism resulted.

Mystery Reader

My nephew James' first grade has a tradition for periodic visitors (usually a family member) to come incognito read a picture book to the class. I was thrilled to be invited and spent a lot of time examining books, trying to choose the right one. I read a lot of pirate books but was disappointed in most of those I read, although I had thought that topic would appeal to boys and girls. Finally I narrowed my choice to three: one about a princess, one about a dog going to school, and one I had not read but had heard good things about, Miss Nelson is Missing. I brought them all with me to New York in case the librarian had his own idea about what I should read. Librarians don't always appreciate a know-it-all like me, but the two librarians at this school were very nice (despite the absence of Betsy-Tacy from their shelves, which I rectified). I was told that although Miss Nelson was popular it would be more effective to read a book the children weren't familiar with, so I went with The Princess and the Pig. It is not a typical princess book at all but is humorous and has a quirky ending. I didn't want to run the risk of losing the boys in the audience or shaming my nephew by an uncool choice of book. Thanks to Elizabeth Bird for her review which sent me right to the library.
The children arrived in the library at 11 and halfway through their session, they all sat down at tables and put their heads down. I came out of the office where I had been hiding with my sister, sat down and read the first two pages of the book while they listened attentively. Then the librarian asked if anyone recognized the reader. Two hands shot up, only one of which was my nephew. When called upon, still with his eyes covered, he said in a voice of pleased surprise, "It's my aunt!" I was also gratified by two little girls in his class who came up at the end to admire the book.
I liked this bear with his own Dewey Decimal classification that was in the library!

Downton Abbey Reading List

Friends who know my love of this period have been asking for my recommendations of great books set around World War I, so I have compiled a list. I also include a few favorites outside this time frame likely to be enjoyed by those who share my taste. Some are out of print and may be hard to find – try your library or bookfinder.com!

WWI Era Adult Fiction

Ever After, The Light Heart and Kissing Kin / Elswyth Thane (Are you familiar with Thane’s beloved Williamsburg novels? She is one of my all time favorite authors, and if you don’t mind starting mid-series, I will let you start with books 3, 4 and 5 above which involve the Day (from Virginia) and Campion families in England prior to and during WWI. As Thane was American, you won’t need to worry about the unflattering depiction of Americans often encountered).
Sabrina / Polland (Set in Ireland before WWI, this is the story of an aristocratic family not unlike the Crawleys. I wish someone would make a miniseries of this book!)

Favorite Reads of 2010

According to Goodreads, I read 145 books in 2010, primarily fiction. My four favorites were from very different genres: a haunting timeslip set in Scotland, primarily historical fiction; a semi-autobiographical novel about a famous English vet; contemporary fiction about an irritable retired English officer; and a YA about a spoiled teen who doesn’t value her family and friends until she loses them.

5 stars

The Winter Sea/Susanna KearsleyKearsley mingles the present-day story of a writer searching for inspiration in Scotland with a compelling and very romantic 18th-century tale of love and heartbreak, which I could barely put aside to sleep. It’s not the first time I have tried to get people excited about this author but this is by far her best book and I think readers are beginning to catch on.

It's Not You, It's Your Books

While this essay certainly rings true, I think women are often impressed by men who read books, especially fiction. Like Time And Again... And I much prefer someone who sincerely enjoyed the DaVinci Code or P.G. Wodehouse than someone who carries Proust around.