Mount TBR Challenge host Bev of My Reader’s Block has posted some questions for our first quarterly checkpoint here. Here are my answers along with a list of what I’ve knocked off my pile so far.
Tell us how many miles you’ve made it up your mountain (# of books read).
I’m impressed that I’ve managed to keep up with my goal of 5 books a month, aiming at 60 total for the year. With 15 books read, I’m a quarter of the way up the mountain!
Post a picture of your favorite cover so far.
Who has been your favorite character so far?
Though I’ve enjoyed meeting many characters from different times and places, I think I felt closest to the thoughtful anarchist scientist Shevek in The Dispossessed.
Have any of the books you read surprised you?
Troy Chimneys surprised me by being more emotionally moving than I expected.
My Cousin Rachel surprised me with its cleverly ambiguous story of suspense.
What I’ve read so far:
- Bronze and Sunflower – Cao Wenxuan
- Carry On, Mister Bowditch – Jean Latham
- The Chemical Wedding by Christian Rosencreutz – John Crowley
- The Dispossessed – Ursula K. LeGuin
- A Fugue in Time – Rumer Godden
- Hell and High Water – Tanya Landman
- I Was a Stranger – John Haskett
- The King Must Die – Mary Renault
- Midnight Is a Place -Joan Aiken
- A Month in the Country – J. L. Carr
- The Morning Gift – Eva Ibbotson
- My Cousin Rachel – Daphne Du Maurier
- Sophie Someone – Hayley Long
- Troy Chimneys – Margaret Kennedy
- Wild Strawberries – Angela Thirkell
What I’m reading now:
I’m currently reading Towers in the Mist in preparation for Elizabeth Goudge Day. What else I will manage this month remains to be seen!
The Emerald City Book Review Archive 
We read Midnight is a Place for school and it made a real impact on me at the time. I recently found a second-hand copy so I’ll re-read again one day. I’m about to start The Dean’s Watch for EGD. 🙂
Well done on your mountain climb!
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Onward!!
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Im doing something similar though haven’t joined a challenge as such. Its quite liberating just to read from whats already in the house. How was A Month in the Country? i’d never heard of this until last month and then in the space of three weeks heard it mentioned about five times….
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A Month in the Country was beautiful and sad and very finely crafted — I think I need to read it again to appreciate it fully. I think you might really enjoy it.
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I’m thinking I would enjoy it Lory. Its lovely to discover something new ….
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And it’s also short — not a huge time commitment, which can be a plus! 🙂
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Oh, I want to know what you thought of Wild Strawberries! IIRC, that’s a pretty early one. (I love Thirkell, but only until around the time the war ends. After that, it seems like an endless round of catching up with people.)
I Just got Towers in the Mist myself — I splurged and bought a few used books! But I also ordered Valley of Song through ILL, and it arrived today, so I’ll do that for the big day.
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Hey Jean, I did get all your comments, not sure what happened there! I’m erasing the other two.
Anyway, Wild Strawberries was fun but somewhat forgettable…that’s how my Thirkell reading generally strikes me. I understand the wartime books got a bit more substantial.
Hope you enjoy Valley of Song!
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Oh thanks! I was just coming back to try again! I do like the wartime books best, but the fluff aspect is part of what I like about Thirkell.
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You’re doing great! Thanks for checking in.
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Thanks for hosting Bev!
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The Disspossed is really a book that draws you in. I can see how you relate to Shevek.
Five books a month is a worthy goal. So far this year, I have managed a pace of four a month. This is much more then I read last year. Thus I am happy 🙂
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I think our goals should be entirely individual and tailored to give us personal satisfaction. So if you’re happy with how your reading year is going, that’s great.
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Well done for sticking to your goal so far 🙂 Happy continued reading!
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Thanks Jessica!
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I just posted my own TBR checkpoint, and now I’m busy checking out where everyone else is. You’re doing great! Sounds like you’re right on track to finish your goal for the year. 🙂
Hey, I’m going to read My Cousin Rachel sometime this month! I was surprised to see another blogger talking about it, since De Maurier’s books aren’t always the most popular classics that everyone reads. 🙂
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It seems to be a hot one right now for some reason. And a good one!
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You’re killing it! I’m so impressed! I’ve managed to read, I think, two books that I already own? In the whole year? And one more that I bought and then read in quick succession, which naturally doesn’t count.
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This month has been a disaster so far – I’ve managed one. Your stats are very much like my usual record, so even if I get a bit ahead and then fizzle out I’ll still be glad.
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