2019 TBR Cleanup Challenge

[Bobby]

Blinded by the Light? Just have to ask, Manfred Mann, or Bruce Springstein? "

Well I didn't even know Bruce Springstein originally wrote it until I just googled it. So the version I hear in my head is the Manfred Mann version.

[Dj]

CBRetriever wrote: "-
-
1. Oldest book: Les Misérables:
---- 1862 and I've been putting this one off for quite a while - maybe I'll finally read it
2. Work of art: [book:A History of English Food|129002..."

This might be one of the best choices for a book reminding of a song yet. Congrats.

[Dj]

Wen wrote: "Kaa wrote: "Wen wrote: "19. Words in title in alphabetical order — Calling Major Tom..."

This would also be perfect for #10!"

To be honest, I didn't know "Space Oddity" until later this year. Ok,..."

Relax the only thing my daughter knows by David Bowie comes fromLabyrinth. I am sure your safe.

[Dj]

Anna wrote: "Dj wrote: "Click on the link for the title, it shows the cover, and I might not call it ugly, but I was certianly unimpressed."

That wouldn't help since Gabi said that "unfortunately GR doesn’t gi..."

Really, hmm, maybe they just liked me enough to let me see it. Or maybe when I right clicked it shot me over to Amazon. No idea.

[Dj]

Monica wrote: "Dj wrote: "Wow. Left Hand of Darkness is your ugliest Cover. You must have a nice looking library."

Well to be fair, I only looked among the books I intend to read next year but honestly by any me..."

Maybe I am just a grim individual, but I actually always kind of liked it. Especially after reading the book and getting more of a grip on the symbolism.

[Dj]

So while I will post the whole list later, I can't resist mentioning my number ten pick. Since I have been enjoying all the books that remind people of song titles.

I have two that I was thinking of.
Ths first was: The Man who Sold the Moon
Very close to David Bowie's The Man Who Sold the World

The one I chose was Cat's Cradle
Which is close the to the Harry Chapin, Cats in the Cradle

I went with Cat's Cradle since I have that as a Kindle book. So I can read it at work. LOL.

[CBRetriever]

Cat's Cradle

It was pretty good. The book Thus Spoke Zarathustra is going to be tough for me as I'm not usually a reader of philosophy

[Becky]

Whew... This was a challenge to pre-plan! Here's my list (as it stands right now anyway)...

1. Oldest book -- Catch-22 (My oldest TBR book)
2. Work of art -- Words of Radiance
3. Novella or short story collection -- He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson
4. Title is a question -- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
5. Ugly cover (and please share it!) -- Land Under England (See below - I think it's pretty ugly.)
6. Has inspired other art forms -- The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: 14 Amazing Authors Tell the Tales (Art inspired the stories.)
7. Your initials are in the title -- Black Sun Rising (initials "BR")
8. A book recommended to you -- Dead Witch Walking
9. A book that intimidates you -- House of Leaves
10. Reminds you of a song -- Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson (In The Midnight Hour (Rebel Yell) - Billy Idol)
11. Buddy read (do not need to participate) -- The Gray House (Previous buddy read, this is OK, right?)
12. Book with a luck symbol -- Swamplandia! (Alligator teeth are considered a good luck charm for gamblers, apparently. Thanks, Google!)
13. The 6th book -- The Woods (6th randomized book from my combined TBR lists)
14. Last in a series -- Like Lions (Sequel to Bull Mountain)
15. One Hit Wonder -- One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment (Double interpretation! Has the word "One" in the title, and it's this author's only book.)
16. Hidden Gem -- The Cabin at the End of the World (I'm assuming. I recently read Tremblay's A Head Full of Ghosts and LOVED it, so I'm hoping this one is as good. *fingers crossed* )
17. Someplace you want to go -- Un Lun Dun
18. Get On the Bandwagon -- The Blade Itself (It is time.)
19. Words in title in alphabetical order -- Infinite Jest
20. Graphic or illustrated novel -- Adulthood Is a Myth

[Dj]

CBRetriever wrote: "Cat's Cradle

It was pretty good. The book Thus Spoke Zarathustra is going to be tough for me as I'm not usually a reader of philosophy"

And it is Friedrich Nietzsche, who I once heard a Pilosophy Prof say the most importatnt thing to remember was that he died of Syphilis. Which I believe was more a comment on his mental health than anything else, but I could have been wrong

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Lol DJ!

To take another fond jab at my Melville connections, I also like to remember he was stoned all the time and drunk. I'm just saying.

Becky that is an exciting list! I have to say, I think my favorite prompts are turning out to be the One Hit Wonder, Song Titles and Luck Symbols. I"m learning so much and getting so many songs stuck in my head!

Y'all. I think I may make a spotify playlist of the songs we reference.

[CBRetriever]

true - this would have been a good one for the intimidated by category too. i only have it because from time to time, I have to prove to people I can download non-Amazon books to my Kindle(s) and it was on Gutenberg. I also have some book by a Mormon Elder , aha, here it is: Ox-Team Days on the Oregon Trail, and one about Petroleum for the same reason.

[Becky]

Allison wrote: "Becky that is an exciting list! I have to say, I think my favorite prompts are turning out to be the One Hit Wonder, Song Titles and Luck Symbols. I"m learning so much and getting so many songs stuck in my head!

Y'all. I think I may make a spotify playlist of the songs we reference."

Thanks, I'm looking forward to it! Should be an interesting year of reading, I think.

And yes please!

[Wen]

Dj wrote: "Anthony wrote: "1. Oldest Book — East of Eden (oldest of the books I’ve wanted to read for a long time)
2. Work of art — The Summer Tree (the first book in a series called...

Echo and the Bunnymen? Wow that is reaching deep into the pool of musical knowledge. "

I wonder where do you folks get your musical knowledge from? :) I don’t even know the basic one... And I guess I am in the same pool as your daughter(smile). I only know Space Oddity and Heroes.

[Alex]

Just reading all these lists gives me anxiety. I would struggle to put my own list together, let alone get through all the books. Kudos to you all for your focus!

[Soo]

The lists that people have made are nice because it's cool to see what people have put together, but that doesn't mean you have to make a list right this minute.

In my challenge thread, I haven't added any books as a possible read for the list. Not in a sure fire, this is what I'm going to read fashion. It's good to read the list & refresh my memory about it once in a while. That way, I'll make a little effort to get in books that may fit the requirements.

There's a few that will need a bit of work to get in and I try to put down ideas for them as I come across them. Either way, it's part pre-planning and random serendipity that will influence my final list. =)

[CBRetriever]

I've exported all my Goodreads listed book, imported them into a spreadsheet and there's a date of original publication for most of them (that's the date I'll use for the Space Travel contest and for #1 here) and then I can easily look through them and add to the list. It took a while but as I can't stand all the Xmas stuff on TV, I had plenty of time to fill the categories.

For the 2018 contest I only ended up changing out one book. It made me read some of the older books in my TBR pile plus some that I had been putting off for a while

[Kaa]

I just enjoy making lists. I think it's fun to look at the books I'm already planning to read and see how they might fit into the categories. Honestly, though, sometimes it's even better to take the books I've already finished and try to fit those into the challenge - less stress and still an opportunity to be creative. I make a lot of switches through the year, and it always feels very satisfying to swap in a book I've just read and instantly make progress.

Also, if anyone hasn't seen Chris Hadfield singing Space Oddity on the International Space Station, I highly recommend it.

[Dj]

Wen wrote: "Dj wrote: "Anthony wrote: "1. Oldest Book — East of Eden (oldest of the books I’ve wanted to read for a long time)
2. Work of art — The Summer Tree (the first book in a se..."

I don't know about anyone else, but I am something of a music nerd and worked for a Classic Rock Radio Station for about a year or so.

When you initials are DJ it just seems to be something you need to try at least once. LOL

[Dj]

Alex wrote: "Just reading all these lists gives me anxiety. I would struggle to put my own list together, let alone get through all the books. Kudos to you all for your focus!"

No stress. No one points a finger if you don't finish your list. I see it more as something to help me clean up my TBR list in places I might not normally look at.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Anxiety is probably at least 50% of the reason we have different sorts of challenges/games and is about 95% of why they're all entirely, blissfully optional.

So no fear, no stress! The real goal is to read and love what we're reading! That already takes plenty o' energy :)

[Bobby]

Alex wrote: "Just reading all these lists gives me anxiety. I would struggle to put my own list together, let alone get through all the books. Kudos to you all for your focus!"

Making the list was fun because you can be creative. I actually don't even have a fraction of the books I want to read on my Goodreads TBR, so this challenge is more about the puzzle of fitting books into the prompts for me. I actually added several to my TBR when making my list. The ones I added were books I had already decided I wanted to read, but I hadn't gotten around to putting them on my TBR.

[Dj]

Bobby wrote: "Alex wrote: "Just reading all these lists gives me anxiety. I would struggle to put my own list together, let alone get through all the books. Kudos to you all for your focus!"

Making the list was..."

I have to agree with that puzzle bit as well. It is kind of fun. Sort of like the bit about a good luck symbol. Not something I usually look for in a book cover. Worse while I have a whole bunch of good luck symbols for a tribe in the southwest, Germany preempted it and it isn't considered such a lucky symbol now days.

I also have the kindle vs. physical thing going I read my Kindle books faster since they are easier to read at work.

So lots of pieces to juggle, but it is fun, since I am looking at parts of the TBR that I might not look over at other times. So I love the whole concept.

[CBRetriever]

it didn't say a luck symbol on the cover, it just said a luck symbol

[Dj]

CBRetriever wrote: "it didn't say a luck symbol on the cover, it just said a luck symbol"

It worked out in the end, so I am going with what I choose. LOL. And I am sure that the symbol in the book I choose will come up in the book all things considered.

[Dj]

1. Oldest book

Miracle at Midway
I have about six books that could be classified as the oldest in my TBR list by the date that I entered them. I went with this one. I have been wanting to read it for some time now.

2. Work of art


Heart of Darkness

I suppose I could have put this in either of the Art choices, but I put it here. I have read it in the dim and dusty path, but I have been wanting to have another look at it.


3. Novella or short story collection

Beginnings


This is a collection of Honor Harrington stories. Well, set in the same universe at any rate. I think this is the sixth set of short stories. Some are by Weber, but many are by other authors.

4. Title is a question


You Said What?: Lies and Propaganda Throughout History

I have so few books that are an actual question that I thought that this one might have found its time.


5. Ugly cover (and please share it!)

Triplanetary


dusty old sci-fi. I am still hoping to finish it.


6. Has inspired other art forms


Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

Another classic I have been hoping to get around to reading. This is a great opportunity for that. I know I will be getting in for some disappointment during the Tea Party.
Since the Door Mouse doesn't say, 'Feed Your head', or 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat.'

7. Your initials are in the title

Dark, Witch & Creamy


This is one that I picked up for free along the line. Mostly due to the title. So now I guess I have to reward it for having initials for my first and last name.

8. A book recommended to you

Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto

Not usually in my wheelhouse, but it was recommended and I did put it on the list. So...

9. A book that intimidates you

Crime and Punishment


Okay, so it is massive and supposed to be somewhat depressive.
What's not to be intimidated by?

10. Reminds you of a song


Cat's Cradle

Here's to hoping this book aged better than the song did.


11. Buddy read (do not need to participate)

I am holding off on this one.


12. Book with a luck symbol

Seven Days In January: With the 6th SS Mountain Division in Operation Nordwind


The luck symbol is on the cover, it is the white flower, called an Edelweiss.

13. The 6th book


The Path to Victory: The Mediterranean Theater in World War II

So this is about Allied Opertions in the Med During World War II. So far it has been gathering dust on a bookshelf since I bought it.

14. Last in a series

The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945


The last of a trilogy of books written on US involvement in WWII. Actually been looking to read this one for some time.

15. One Hit Wonder


Panzer Commander: The Memoirs of Colonel Hans von Luck

He only ever wrote the one book, so that made it somewhat easy

16. Hidden Gem

The Cult of Unicorns


It only has 57 reviews on Goodreads, seems a little hidden

17. Someplace you want to go


Company Commander: The Classic Infantry Memoir of World War II

The Battle of the Bulge, the main focus of this book was fought in the Ardennes Forest, which while I would like to go a tour the battlefield, is also a honeymoon destination in Europe, The scenary is suposed to be fantastic.

Although recently I did hear someone compare it favorably to Oregon where I live. I sort of hope not.

18. Get On the Bandwagon

Old Man's War


So I am not sure how much of a Bandwagon this is, but I have only read one other book by the author and they do seem to be fairly popular here.

19. Words in Title in Alphabetical Order


Ensign Flandry

Seems about time to knuckle down and finish this.

20. Graphic or illustrated novel

[Sarah]

Cat’s cradle is a great pic for reminds you of a song!

[Dj]

Sarah wrote: "Cat’s cradle is a great pic for reminds you of a song!"

Thank you. I was kind of proud of it myself. LOL

[Wen]

Update:
8. A book recommended to you — The Goblin Emperor Thank you, Allison!
13. The 6th book — Her Smoke Rose up Forever This is will be my first Tiptree book. The 6th one from the library checked out.
17. Someplace you want to go — Summers at Castle Auburn I'm not sure I want to go but I want to fit this one in:) Again, thanks to Allison
18. Get on the bandwagon — Ninefox Gambit I copied this from Anthony.

[Dj]

Wen wrote: "Update:
8. A book recommended to you — The Goblin Emperor Thank you, Allison!
13. The 6th book — Her Smoke Rose up Forever This is will be my first Tiptree book. The..."

Auburn? Maybe I am just trying to find a dead brain cell, but I am not sure where that is.

[Wen]

@Dj I hope it’s a beautiful castle with WiFi(haha).

[Jemppu]

Wen wrote: "I hope it’s a beautiful castle with WiFi(haha)."

:D Priorities in order 👍

[Dj]

Wen wrote: "@Dj I hope it’s a beautiful castle with WiFi(haha)."

Well if I win the lottery (which would imply that I have to start playing it) I would build this one on the Coast in Oregon.

http://www.destination360.com/asia/ja...

[Saar The Book owl]

Yay, the 2019 Challenge! I've never finished this year's challenge, but this one I'll try. Just need to think on what fits for every task.

[David]

Loved this challenge past 2 years, so definitely going to try again this year. These categories were tricky, so here it goes:

1. Oldest book
The Worst Journey in the World
It was published in 1922, was the oldest book I had on my list.
2. Work of art
The State of the Art
Its got "Art" in the title! Gonna be a tough one since I have been unable to find it in ebook for years. Guess I have to go paperback like I did years ago...
3. Novella or short story collection
Zima Blue and Other Stories
Not much to say here. I love Alistair Reynolds stories
4. Title is a question
The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life
Didn't have an actual question in any title in my list, but this was pretty close.
5. Ugly cover (and please share it!)
Dark Matter
I just think the cover is fairly bland.
6. Has inspired other art forms
Leonardo da Vinci
The subject of the book literally inspired new forms of art.
7. Your initials are in the title
The Accidental Time Machine
This was not a great one for this category, but it has D, L, and N in the title.
8. A book recommended to you
Wool Omnibus
Came highly recommended by a co-worker
9. A book that intimidates you
The Color of Magic
Only intimidates me because I've never read any Discworld books and I know if I like it I have a huge huge list of books I'm going to feel compelled to finish.
10. Reminds you of a song
Faster, Higher, Farther: How One of the World's Largest Automakers Committed a Massive and Stunning Fraud
Reminds me of that Daft Punk song: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
11. Buddy read (do not need to participate)
Rise and Kill First: The Inside Story and Secret Operations of Israel's Assassination Program
May read it with a friend who added it very soon after I did to my TBR list.
12. Book with a luck symbol
Six of Crows
Bad luck symbols count right...like Crows?
13. The 6th book
Fatal North: Murder and Survival on the First North Pole Expedition
Added when I was in a survival story kick.
14. Last in a series
The Stone Sky
Perfect timing since I just finished the 2nd book and will probably start this in a few days.
15. One Hit Wonder
Man's Search for Meaning
Hard category, but this book is hugely popular and since its a memoir, its pretty much the author's main "hit".
16. Hidden Gem
The Perfect Machine: Building the Palomar Telescope
Its only got 20 reviews, but its rated a 4.55. Forget how I found this but it looked interested and is probably a hidden gem based on the reviews.
17. Someplace you want to go
Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets
Unlikely to happen, but anywhere in space will do.
18. Get On the Bandwagon
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
I keep seeing this series and books on it appear in lists. Figure I might as well join the bandwagon.
19. Words in title in alphabetical order
At Home: A Short History of Private Life
The main title is alphabetical
20. Graphic or illustrated novel
Hellboy, Vol. 1: Seed of Destruction
Didn't have any graphic novels on my list, so I added this one. Probably influenced by the latest movie trailer that came out.

[Saar The Book owl]

Is it only SciFi and fantasy or are other genres also allowed?

[Saar The Book owl]

1. Oldest book: Blankets
My oldest book on my TBR - list.
2. Work of art
3. Novella or short story collection
4. Title is a question
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
5. Ugly cover (and please share it!)
6. Has inspired other art forms
7. Your initials are in the title
8. A book recommended to you The Scorpio Races Finished 01/10/'19

9. A book that intimidates you
10. Reminds you of a song
11. Buddy read (do not need to participate)
12. Book with a luck symbol
13. The 6th book: Victory of Eagles
The 6th book on my TBR - list.
14. Last in a series
15. One Hit Wonder
16. Hidden Gem Gardens of the Moon Finished 01/17/'19
17. Someplace you want to go
18. Get On the Bandwagon
19. Words in Title in Alphabetical Order
20. Graphic or illustrated novel

[Anna]

Saar The Book owl wrote: "Is it only SciFi and fantasy or are other genres also allowed?"

All books are eligible, not just genre books!

[Dj]

David wrote: "Loved this challenge past 2 years, so definitely going to try again this year. These categories were tricky, so here it goes:

1. Oldest book
The Worst Journey in the World
It was publ..."

Interesting reason to be intimidated. True, but still interesting.

Daft Punk writes songs? I just thought they did music. LOL

[Dj]

Saar The Book owl wrote: "Is it only SciFi and fantasy or are other genres also allowed?"

I bleieve it is anything on your TBR list, so other genres are allowed. After all most of my TBR list is WWII books.

[Leticia]

Can you use the same book for different challenges, like for example, for the Read all the book and Seven Kingdoms Challenge?

[Anna]

Yes!

[CBRetriever]

I'm going to do so

Les Misérables for oldest book in the 2019 TBR Challenge and for the decade of the 1860s in the 2019 Time Travel challenge

[Anna]

CBRetriever wrote: "Les Misérables for oldest book in the 2019 TBR Challenge and for the decade of the 1860s in the 2019 Time Travel challenge"

With another challenge that would be totally OK, but Les Misérables isn't speculative fiction, so it's not eligible for the Time Traveler challenge.

Read All the Books and Time Traveler are about reading SFF, but you can read any books for TBR cleanup and Seven Kingdoms vs. Heptarchate.

My first year in the group I tried to populate my TBR cleanup challenge list with only group books, so my two lists had a lot of overlap.

[CBRetriever]

Anna wrote: "CBRetriever wrote: "Les Misérables for oldest book in the 2019 TBR Challenge and for the decade of the 1860s in the 2019 Time Travel challenge"

With another challenge that would be to..."

Eeks, I missed that part, so that means Fantasy doesn't count either, correct? I'll have to dig into my H.G. Wells or Jules Verne Delphi Collections. Plus that leaves out the Dunsany Lord books as those are almost all fantasy

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Fantasy counts! It's the fancy cumulative title for science fiction and fantasy. Aka genre fiction.

[CBRetriever]

thanks, Dunsany is back in then which is good since he covers 1900s, 1910s and 1920s

[Wen]

Update:

7. Your initials are in the title — Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day It is like a diary.
9. A book that intimidates you — Robots and Empire It is because that Elijah is no longer part of the story… so I refuse to read this book.
15. One Hit Wonder — Foundation

[DivaDiane]

But Wen! Asimov wrote tons of books. I think a one-hit wonder is supposed to be basically the only book an author wrote, or at least the only one that is remembered at all. But then the mods have said we have creative leeway with our interpretation....

[Anna]

I was about to ask for the thinking behind Foundation as a one hit wonder! I want to know why you picked it! We'll allow it, but the explanation better be amazing! :D

[Dj]

Wen wrote: "Update:

7. Your initials are in the title — Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day It is like a diary.
9. A book that intimidates you — Robots and Empire It i..."


Classical Music for Every Day of the Year. Well that isn't hard, just one song can do that.
Ein Klien Nacht Musik
See A year of wonder and foot taping. LOL