The TBR20 Challenge

So I was just reading one of my favourite book blogs this morning (as one does on a Saturday morning), and came across, via this post, a project called #TBR20.

One link led to another – see this post by Eva Stalker on how it started – and so I found myself contemplating participating.

In short, how it works is, and I’ll quote Eva: “Strength in simplicity! One rule: I will read 20 books I own before buying more.”

Could I participate, I wondered? Do I have twenty books on the shelves which I haven’t read?

What a stupid question, Con!

I’m not sure I need another challenge in my life right now, but when’s that ever stopped me? #TBR20 pic.twitter.com/xONOHadqdK

— Constance Wiebrands (@flexnib) January 31, 2015

A quick look around the house found these titles.

My picture’s not the best, so in case you want the full list:

Always Coming Home by Ursula Le Guin

杀人音乐 “Murder Music” (my translation) by Jirō Akagawa 赤川次郎
This is a Japanese author whose works haven’t been translated into English, but have been translated into Chinese. I have a few of his Calico Cat series, and have only read a couple of them. They’re a bit twee in my opinion – a police detective whose cat helps him solve crimes – but they’re relatively easy to read vocabulary-wise. There’s an additional challenge for me reading these books, apart from the fact they’re in Chinese, is that these books are printed in traditional characters and I learned Chinese in simplified characters. I can read both versions, it just takes me longer to read traditional characters…

Earthfasts by William Mayne

The Wanderground by Sally M. Gearhart

Tiga Orang Perempuan “Three Women” by Maria A. Sardjono
This is an Indonesian language novel, a library discard. From the blurb: “Three women from different generations living in a patriarchal culture. The turmoil in their lives stops them from expressing their love for the men they love…” (My translation, excuse the clumsiness. I never read romances in English, but will do in Chinese or Indonesian or Malaysian…)

King Lear by William Shakespeare
I plan to read read only King Lear and not the other plays (Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth) in this book, because I’ve read the others. I don’t know why or how I’ve not read King Lear until now. I suppose if I get into the swing of things I could re-read the others.

Age of Iron by J.M. Coetzee

A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor

In the Wake by Per Petterson

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

The Ghost Road by Pat Barker
(started the challenge with this one!)

The Iliad by Homer (Robert Fagles translation)

Middlemarch by George Eliot
Started, then stopped. Shall try again.

Poetry Notebook 2006-2014 by Clive James
I bough this just a couple of weeks ago!

Being Strategic by Erika Andersen
I am slightly cheating on this one, because I started reading it last year. I want to finish it as it’s been helpful so far in helping me think about how to develop strategies at work.

Home by Marilynne Robinson
I have to read this one before I read her latest, Lila.

Red Dirt Talking by Jacqueline Wright
A friend gave this to me a few birthdays back and I still haven’t read it. Naughty!

Inferno by Dante Alighieri (Mary Jo Bangs translation)
How many people have picked their books for their challenge based on how pretty the book is, and how nice it feels in the hand?

Kayang and Me by Kim Scott

Reinventing Bach by Paul Elie

I admit I’ve tried to give myself a bit of variety. My entire twenty could have consisted of other classics (e.g. Odyssey, the next two parts of Dante, Herodotus’ Histories, Don Quixote), but then I would have been more likely to quit.

I don’t know if I’ll manage to just read from this list until it’s all done and not add other books from the rest of my shelves (electronic and physical), but the main thing is that I won’t buy (or borrow) any other books until I’ve read these.

I wonder if I’ll really be able to restrain myself and not buy any books until I’ve read these twenty titles. It probably means no visits to any bookshops until I’m done…

I think Eva is aiming to complete her challenge by April. I won’t set myself an end date, but I suspect if this challenge means no bookshop trips until I’m done, I’ll have an incentive!

To keep myself honest I’ll try and post brief reviews on these books as I finish them.