The TBR list that grew and grew
Looking back at a year of reading, I noticed that many of my choices in 2008 were older books.
When I headed to Colorado on vacation, I read Willa Cather’s My Antonia. I also filled some glaring holes in my reading list; that led me (at last) to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Other favorites from my 2008 list included: Deadwood by Pete Dexter, Autobiography of My Mother by Jamaica Kincaid and Foreskin’s Lament by Shalom Auslander.
I also noticed that my To-Be-Read list grew and grew and grew in 2008 -- I've run out of shelves and bookcases at home. So for 2009, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to cut the TBR list down to size. Instead of feeling guilty and conflicted about the 15 or 20 books lying around my office, den and bedroom, I'm going to be more selective. If it doesn't make my Top 10 got-to-read-this list, I'm going to leave it alone. Easier said than done? We'll see.
What’s at the top of your TBR list? And do you limit its size, or let it grow?
p.s. Happy Holidays to everyone!
Comments
I recently read "Exit Music," the 17th (and perhaps the final) Inspector Rebus mystery novel by the Scottish author Ian Rankin. Eureka! I loved it! Where has this guy been all my life? Now I plan to go back and read the first 16 books in the series. I feel like a pirate who has just unearthed a treasure chest.
Happy holidays and happy 2009.
Posted by: Gail Farrelly | December 21, 2008 8:50 PM
I couldn't resist putting in my two cents worth. Among the best books I read in 2008: Hardly Knew Her by our own Laura Lippman; Home by Marilynn Robinson (a companion piece to her Pulitzer-winning Gilead); The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss; Molto Agitato by Johanna Fiedler (a personality-filled history of the Metropolitan Opera written by the daughter of Arthur Fiedler); Gatsby's Girl by Caroline Preston (especially if you're a fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald); and almost anything published by Charles Ardai's imprint Hard Case Crime.
As for how to cut down your TBR list, let me say that I don't have one. Instead, I go to the library on a regular basis, check out the newly-purchased books list at the information desk, and reserve the ones by my favorite authors, and anything else that catches my fancy. After that, I cruise the the shelves (especially new releases) and borrow anything that looks interesting. No law says that I have to finish any book that proves otherwise. A great deal of my pleasure in reading comes from not planning it out ahead of time.
Lastly, let me wish you a happy holiday season, and also a healthy and happy 2009.
Posted by: Herman Meyer | December 22, 2008 11:02 AM
In the spirit of the season:
Let it grow!
Let it grow!
Let it grow!
If I see a book that catches my eye, I pick it up (if the budget allows!). I may not read it for a week, a month, or a year, but I'll get to it eventually.
We were stuck at home with SNOW this weekend. I had my choice of comedy, tragedy, drama, mystery, a new book, or re-reading an old favorite. We love our ever-growing home library!
Posted by: Dawn - She Is Too Fond Of Books | December 22, 2008 9:54 PM
My BTR list is 3 1/2 pages long alphabetized by author so the top at the moment is The Extra Man by Jonathan Ames. I started the list 8 years ago and I read them in the order that I find them in the Baltimore City or County library . The selections come from ads, book reviews, and best seller lists; in some cases the review is the best part of the book.
Two of my favorite books are A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz which I read just before going to an Elderhostel in New Mexico and Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack by Charles Osgood (we were the same age in the same city).
Posted by: Helen | December 30, 2008 10:57 AM