Bev’s Comments (group member since Feb 10, 2012)

Bev’s comments from the Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2012 group.

I'd be willing to stretch a point for books that were "owned" (paid for) by you in December. It's not your fault if Amazon (or whoever) couldn't ship it to you by January 1. ;-) Let's say no new purchases in 2012 may count.

Jeannette wrote: "I read iit this year, but purchased it last year. It would still be unread if I hadn't been in the challenge. I have to say I'm glad I got to it, even though I did not enjoy it."

Ah...got it. I didn't get that the first time--certainly, if you read most of it this year and had to skim bits to finish it, then you may definitely count it.

Jeannette wrote: "Can I count a book that I mostly read, but skimmed to the ending? It was a book I own, but would never have picked up but for the challenge?"

I will go with the same answer I gave for books started, but not finished before January 2012: If the book you are talking about had 50% or more left unread, then I would be willing to count it. I would think that "mostly" and "skimmed to the end" probably means that you read more than 50% of the book previously. You know how much you already read--if you feel like it was enough of a new read to count, then go ahead.

It's hard to believe that we're approaching the end of the second quarter and it's time for Mountaineering Checkpoint #2. I'm calling for the second quarterly check-in post. [Imagine me in Alpine mountain gear with one of those long horns tootling away.] Let's see how our challengers are doing after 6 months are under the ol' mountain-climbing belt. Made it a couple of miles? Camping out in a cave 1/3 of the way up the mountain face? Taking refuge in a mountain hut along the way? Let us know how you're doing. Checkpoint participation is absolutely voluntary and is not considered necessary for challenge completion.

For those who would like to participate in this checkpoint post, I'd like you to do two things:

1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain (# of books read). If you're really ambitious, you can do some intricate math and figure out how the number of books you've read correlates to actual miles up Pike's Peak, Mt. Ararat, etc.

2. Complete ONE (or more if you like) of the following:
A. Using any number of titles from your conquered list, compose a poem. You may add extra words, if needed, up to the number of titles used. (I thought this was really cool when another blogger used it as a mini-challenge for a read-a-thon that I participated in.) Here's my contribution to that mini-challenge as an example (I added 6 words--not capitalized--for 7 titles):

Sweet, Adelaide
Surprised By Joy,
contemplates
The Love Songs Of Sappho
in The Distant Hours

after A Long Fatal Love Chase
it's just
A Question of Time
before
The Lady Vanishes


B. Who has been your favorite character so far? Why?
C. Have any of the books you read surprised you--if so, in what way (not as good as anticipated? unexpected ending? Best thing you've read all year? Etc.)


And what do you get for all that hard work (and distraction from the actual climb)? The link will close at 11:59 pm on Saturday, June 30. On Sunday night (or possibly Monday) I will crank up the Custom Random Number Generator and pick a winning climber. He or she will have the chance to add to their TBR stack via my gently-used book vault (prize list will be sent). Just think, if you win a book you can start up a pile for next year's Mount TBR Challenge.

Even if you're not in the mood for a prize or if you've only got one leg of the journey under your belt, I'd love to have you check in and tell us how your climb is going!

***Please note--This topic is intended for Checkpoint posts only. One post per participant, please. Comments that are not Checkpoint-specific, by which I mean your Checkpoint post, will be removed (this also means any responses to others' Checkpoint posts that only comment on their post will be removed). This is an effort to make it easier for me to track a winner. Thanks!

Finished O' Artful Death by Sarah Stewart Taylor!

Welcome, Julia, Sylvia and Margaret...and anyone else I've missed in my poor challenge-management moments. Glad to have you all aboard!

Sabrina wrote: "Can you count audio books?"

Yes. All books (except ARCs--advance reading copies) count provided they were owned by you prior to 2012. Audio, e-books, graphic novels, children's books--as long as they were on your TBR stacks, not your child's.

Another one down! Last one listed....

And...I've just realized...June is the end of the 2nd quarter. Checkpoint coming soon!

Another one down: The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu

Another step up the mountain: New Graves at Great Norne (last on the list so far).

One more: #11 So Many Steps to Death by Agatha Christie. That's makes 46 so far...almost half-way up the Mt. Everest. I think the air's getting a bit thin.... :-)

Another book down! Such Friends Are Dangerous by Walter Tyrer.

Jeannette...that's a good thing! I was just used to being pretty involved--last year I hosted two challenges on my blogs and visited everybody's reviews and interacted and all that.....Not happening as much this year (of course between the blog version and the GR version of this challenge, I've about 100 or so fellow mountain-climbers out there.....). :-)

New review going up...A Dram of Poison.

Glad to have helped everyone get together and wishing I could figure out what happened to the several hours of blogging/Goodreading time that seem to have lost per week in 2012. I can't keep up with any of the challenge groups I'm supposed to be shepherding.....

Dawn (& Ron) wrote: "Bev, that makes sense, I was just curious. Is your blog new? I have seen a lot of people starting them within the last year.

I started my blog two years ago in April 2010 (oh my gosh, I missed my blog birthday!)--so not brand new. I still feel like a newbie, though. I keep learning so many new things. (like the Hayes's secret weapon)

I do have my reviews here on GR and on my blog. I'm linking to my blog so y'all here on GR might take a peek.

New one going up!

Conquered another portion of the mountain--The Devil to Pay by Ellery Queen. And...thanks to Hayes & Dawn(&Ron)...I did the linky thingy so y'all can go peek at my review (and my blog, 'cause I'm shameless about trying to get visitors there :-) ).

Woo Hoo! Just managed my first linky thingy. I feel all techy now. :-) Will work on the others.

Hayes wrote: "Here's how it's supposed to look with the spaces taken out. You have to leave a space between 'a' and 'href' and take them out everywhere else.

Your text herewhere xxx is the URL that you want to ..."

I actually liked The Yellow Room...once I get a minute, I'll link my review and you can check it out.