Pick-a-Shelf discussion

Karen is our Master Game Creator and has created the following game to be played from January 10 - March 10, 2010:

A Mini Game to shave off the ever growing TBR... just something really simple.

Pick books from your TBR to read with the following criteria:
1. the oldest book (ie. the longest it has been in your TBR)
2. a book given to you for Christmas (if you didn't get one, read one of your most recent purchases however do NOT use this as an excuse to go out to buy one!)
3. a book where the author's first name starts with the same letter as yours (eg, if your name is Lisa then read a book whose author's first name starts with L. If there isn't one in your TBR, then go for the closest in alphabetical order, ie. K or M, etc)
4. As 3 but for surnames
5. Close your eyes and pick a random book from your TBR
6. a book first published in the last decade (2000-2009)
7. a book with a picture of a person / people on its cover
8. a book on your TBR that is also on the 1001 books to read before you die list (it could be the original or updated list)
9. a book which is a sequel or part of a series you've been reading
10. a book related to your New Year's resolution. If you haven't got a resolution, then read a book relating to something you are looking to do this year (ie. if you're planning to travel around Europe, then read something about Europe, it could be a historical work on a place you're planning to visit, etc)

Post your TBR list in this thread and then come back to cross off the titles as you read them. The first one to read all ten books on their list will be congratulated by all!

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TBR Shavers:
(Those who finished the game :)

Natasha - Feb. 2, 2010
BJ - Feb. 12, 2010
Karen - Feb. 14, 2010
Sam - Feb. 22, 2010
Sunflower - Feb. 26, 2010
Luann - Feb. 26, 2010
Amy - March 10, 2010

Sounds like fun! Can't wait to start! Here is my list..

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
2. The Help
3. Uglies
4. Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (Neil Gaimen is a co-author)
5. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass
6. My Sister's Keeper
7. Jazz
8. On the Road
9. Lost in a Good Book
10. Taking Care of the Me in Mommy Becoming a Better Mom - Spirit, Body & Soul

Sounds like a plan..

1. The Glass Castle
2. The Wild Things
3. The Lotus Eaters: A Novel Tatjana
4. And Then There Were None Christie
. The Surrogate A Novel
6. Mathilda Savitch
. The Weight of Silence
8. Watership Down
9. Lost in a Good Book
10. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle A Year of Food Life
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Had to change some books out, because although they are on my TBR I really did not want to read them and I had some other books on my shelves that worked.

This is the perfect challenge! My TBR pile is out of control.




1. Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley
2. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
3. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
4. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
5. The Sound of Blue A Novel by Holly Payne
6. Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
7. The Russlander aka Katya by Sandra Birdsell
8. Sula by Toni Morrison
9. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
10. The Tale of Despereaux Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillio

Oh, my. I can never resist a reading challenge. And anything that helps me chip away at my TBR list is a winner!

01/15/10 - 03/15/10
0/10 completed

1. Incubus Dreams
2. Cast in Shadow
3. Unshapely Things (Mark Del Franco)
4. Lean Mean Thirteen (Janet Evanovich)
5. Aphrodisiac
6. On the Edge
7. Poltergeist
8. To the Lighthouse
9. Wanderlust
10. The First Year Type 2 Diabetes An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed

This is a very good idea.

1. Oldest: A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut
2. Recent purchase: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
3. First name: Blackout by Connie Willis
4. Surname: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
5. Random: Perfume The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
6. Last decade: Bottomfeeder: A Novel by Bob Fingerman
7. Person on cover: Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
8. 1001 Books: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
9. Series: Paint It Black by Nancy A. Collins
10. Resolution: The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life

Tasks completed: 9/10




(I read a different book than I had intended for task 9, as I'm still on hold for CATCHING FIRE at the library and almost surely won't get it in time.)

1. Oldest: Spirit Walker by Michelle Paver -- read 1/30/10 -- 4 stars
2. Most recent purchase: Forest Born by Shannon Hale -- read 1/20/10 -- 5 stars
3. First name: Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson -- read 1/22/10 -- 4 stars
4. Last name: Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L.A. Meyer -- read 2/22/10 -- 4.5 stars
5. Random: War Horse by Michael Morpurgo -- read 2/13/10 -- 3 stars
6. Pub. in last decade: Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton -- read 1/15/10 -- 3.5 stars
7. People on cover: Peter and the Sword of Mercy by Dave Barry -- read 1/24/10 -- 5 stars
8. 1001 book: Emma by Jane Austen -- read 2/4/10 -- 4 stars
9. Series: Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith -- read 1/11/10 -- 3 stars
10. Resolution: Downright Dencey by Caroline Dale Snedeker -- read 2/26/10 -- 4 stars

Click on my star rating above to read my review.
Completed: 10/10 on Feb. 26, 2010

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Sounds like fun :)

1. Jude the Obscure
2. The Other Boleyn Girl
3. Moon Called
4. Cold Hearted
5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
6. Wings
7. Rising Shadow
8. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
9. The Dead Girls' Dance
10. Size 12 Is Not Fat

I'm in. Gotta go find my books

This is a huge help since one of my goals this year was to read more off of my giant TBR list :0)

1. oldest: Violin by Anne Rice
2. most recent: Under the Dome by Stephen King
3. First name: The Lost World by Michael Crichton
4. Last name: Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K. Hamilton
5. Random: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
6. last decade: All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
7. person: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
8. 1001 books: American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
9. series: From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
10. resolution: The Ultimate Weight Solution The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom by Phillip C. McGraw

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This looks like fun - I love the idea of shaving a big stack of books off of my pile!

1. Some Days There's Pie: A Novel by Catherine Landis (In my physical TBR pile since 2007) (01.21.10)
2. Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti
3. Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office by Jen Lancaster
4. Invisible Lives by Anjali Bannerjee (01.15.10)
5. Four Spirits A Novel by Sana Jeter Naslund
6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson (01.31.10)
7. Time of My Life: A Novel by Allison Winn Scotch (02.15.10)
8. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
9. Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline (part of the Rosato & Associates series)
10. Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell (02.19.10)

Don't know how I'll go, but willing to have a crack at anything to make a dent in the pile of books that never ends beside the bed.

1. Oldest - Sun on the Stubble By Colin Thiele 04/02/10
2. Most Recent - The Wasp Factory By Iain Banks 28/02/10
3. First Name - Murder on the Eiffel Tower By Claude Izner
4. Last Name - Dark Places By Gillian Flynn 01/05/10
5. Random - Push: A Novel By Sapphire 17/03/10
6. Last Decade - Thirteen Reasons Why By Jay Asher 10/03/10
7. Person/People On Cover - Testimony By Anita Shrieve 13/02/10
8. 1001 Books - The Day of the Triffids By John Wyndham 02/04/10
9. Series - Scarpetta By Patricia Cornwell 29/01/10
10. Resolution - Rules By Cynthia Lord 04/04/10

Sounds like fun, I'll try to get these read...

1. The Line Between by Peter S. Beagle
2. Firebird by Mercedes Lackey
3. Katherine by Anya Seton
4. The Invisible Road by Elizabeth Knox
5. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
6. Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg
7. Jane Fairfax by Joan Aiken
8. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
9. Breath and Bone by Carol Berg
10. Nothing I have on my TBR fits this one

Natasha- I am so impressed! My TBR is crazy long! That should be my New Year's resolution to try to decrease my TBR list, although I know I will end up breaking it!

You know that I will be in for this. I never met a challenge I didn't like.

Here is my list:

1. Oldest - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
2. Most Recent - Witch and Wizard by James Patterson Completed 2/23 ***
3. First Name - The Xibalba Murders An Archeological Mystery by Lyn Hamilton Completed 1/14 ***
4. Last Name - Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
5. Random book - The Documents in the Case by Dorothy L. Sayers Completed 2/15 ***
6. Last Decade - The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey NiffeneggerCompleted 1/29 ****
7. People on Cover - The Girls from Ames A Story of Women and Friendship by Jeffrey Zaslow
8. 1001 - Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
9. Series - Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson
10. Resolution (eat out less) - Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant A Novel by Anne Tyler

Rora wrote: "Sounds like fun, I'll try to get these read...

1. The Line Between by Peter S. Beagle
2. Firebird by Mercedes Lackey
3. Katherine by Anya Seton
4. [boo..."

Natasha, I always have some library books going. My thought on it is that they are on my TBR and I am not buying them so they would be ok.

Natasha wrote: "I don't have a large TBR pile. I've only got like 4 books (one owned, three borrowed) that I need to read. I don't have any books on my tbr shelf either. I have some books that I want to read, but ..."

Natasha, how do you do it!?! I've been trying to keep my TBR pile under 400 so that it will fit on just two pages here - but I've recently broken over the limit with no going back. And it seems like every book I read from my TBR just causes me to add at least two more - other books by that same other, books mentioned in that book, etc. But, to answer your question, I would say that you can definitely use library books. The TBR list is just books you plan to read, so anything you've checked out of the library fits that same definition.

I'm stuck on number 8. Where can I find a list of the 1001 books?

Stephanie, we are doing a similar task in another group and this is the link we are using on that group. Hope it helps.
http://www.listology.com/list/1001-bo...

Mini-Game: Shave the TBR
Duration: January 15 - March 15, 2010

1. Oldest: Captives of the Night by Loretta Chase
2. Christmas Gift: The Elegant Gathering of White Snows by Kris Radish
3. 1st Name: Brenda Joyce: The Perfect Bride
4. Last Name: Feehan, Christine: Street Game
5. Random Pick: Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer
6. Published 2000-09: Tempt Me at Twilight
7. Person/People on Cover: Loving A Lost Lord
8. 1001 Books to Read: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
9. Part of Series: The Irresistible MacRae Book Three of The Highland Lords by Karen Ranney
10. NY Resolution: Read more classics: Gilgamesh

Now if I can just keep from reading any of these for 2 weeks!

Natasha - the TBR list I use is my "to-read" list on Goodreads, which is 1200 books long. I by no means own all of these books, but I intend to read as many as possible. Most of them I check out from the library as I have a very limited book buying budget myself, so I know how you feel. But I think library books would definitely qualify as TBR.

So, like, what if u don't have a book for number 8?

Ok, I'm in.
1. Oldest: The Post-Birthday Worldby Lionel Shriver [read 27/01:]
2. Xmas: An Equal Stillnessby Francesca Kay [read 7/02:]
3. First name: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson [read 3/2/10:]
4. Surname: The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. [read 21/01:]
5. Random: The Girl on the Landing by Paul Torday. [read 19/2/10:]
6. Last decade: The Help by Kathryn Stockett. [read 26/2/10:]
7. Person on cover: Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris. [read 14/2/10:]
8. 1001 books: At Swim Two Boys by Jamie O'Neill [Read 17/01:]
9. Series: High Five by Janet Evanovich [read 29/01:]
10 Something I'm doing this year: Istanbul Encounter [read 07/02:]

Won't be easy, though, some of these have been languishing for a while because I've started and stopped them.... [image error]

stephanie wrote: "So, like, what if u don't have a book for number 8?"

Sara, Thanks for posting that link! That's a much easier list to scroll through than the one I used.

Stephanie, do you see anything on the list that you have been meaning to read but just haven't added yet to your TBR?

BJ Rose wrote: "Now if I can just keep from reading any of these for 2 weeks!"

BJ, you could "pull a Lynne" and get started early. That is, if you are brave enough to take the resulting feedback. :)
(Sorry, Lynne! Couldn't resist! :)

Luann,
Glad I had the link. I have looked for a few and that one is the best I could find.
As for BJ, thanks for making the comment you did b/c I actually started early and didn't catch it until you said something, so I switched a book. ;-)

Same here Sara. I actually already finished a book I had listed, but when I saw BJ's comment, I went and switched to another book. Which means, of course, that it doesn't run in the family, lol(the jumping the gun thing, that is).

Lyn M wrote: "Same here Sara. I actually already finished a book I had listed, but when I saw BJ's comment, I went and switched to another book. Which means, of course, that it doesn't run in the family, lol(t..."

You could just adopt me as an honorary sibling ;-)

Sara - works for me, although you are probably getting the worst end of the deal, lol!

Natasha, when you go to the add book/author, at the bottom of the book tab there are two options, link and cover. Link is the default, but you can change it to cover if you want the cover to show up.

The 15th does seem like a long time to wait! If most everyone is ready, why don't we bump up the starting day to the 10th? That will give anyone else who still wants to join a few more days to post their list, but then we can get started. Does anyone object?

I love that idea since I am ready to go now.

Sara☺ wrote: "As for BJ, thanks for making the comment you did b/c I actually started early and didn't catch it until you said something..."

Yay! I got my good deed for the year done early!! Now I can relax!!!

Luann, the 10th sounds good to me as well.

Now just to be absolutely clear, we don't have to read them in order, do we? (Might be tricky for those that are using the library)

Sunflower wrote: "Now just to be absolutely clear, we don't have to read them in order, do we? (Might be tricky for those that are using the library)"

Right, read books from your list in any order you like.

Here's my list:

1 - The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid
2 - Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
3 - The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury
4 - The Coming Global Superstorm by Art Bell and Whitley Streiber
5 - The Devil's Larder: A Feast by Jim Crace
6 - Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
7 - Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange
8 - War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
9 - Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
10 - My Kingdom of Books by Richard Booth

Lyn M wrote: "Sara - works for me, although you are probably getting the worst end of the deal, lol!"

Nah, I get the best end of the deal. All I have is crazy and insane step-sisters, so this is better ;-)

I'm in for the 10th too!! I have books sitting on my shelf from the library waiting and have started others around them.

The 10th sounds good. That gives me time to finish at least one of the two non-challenge-related books I'm currently reading.

Candiss wrote: "The 10th sounds good. That gives me time to finish at least one of the two non-challenge-related books I'm currently reading."

1.the secret fire - martin langfield
2.the alchemist - paulo coelhoFinished Jan 12
3.the memory keeper's daughter - kim edwards Finished Jan 12
4.bone collector - jeffrey deaverFinished Jan 16
5.martyr - rory clements
6.the information officer - mark millsFinished Jan 17
7.the secrets of the lazarus club - tony pollard
8.the hound of the baskervilles - arthur conan doyle finished jan 14
9.the girl who played with fire - stieg larsson Finished Jan 13
10.don't have one yet but it will be about ancient egypt as i'm going to egypt for my holiday

number 8 i have seen so many versions of this that it is about time that i read the book,number 7 i have started twice so hopefully by putting it on this list i will actually read it

Luann wrote: "stephanie wrote: "So, like, what if u don't have a book for number 8?"

Sara, Thanks for posting that link! That's a much easier list to scroll through than the one I used.

Stephanie, do you see a..."

I have some on my wish list. The ones on my TBR list are ones that are already in my house. My husband band me from going to any bookstore or even the library, which is next door, until spring the earliest!!!! (even the threat of a divorce didn't change his mind. He said it's for my own good. What does he know?). I'm gonna go thru the list again and see if my mom has anything. But what if I don't find anything? Can I not participate?

You can do all of the others, and keep working on number 8. I may not even finish all of mine in the time allotted as I have so many other books to read also. Then you can keep working on Number 8 and come up with something late?

ahhh crap...I just noticed I finished reading one of my books too.
Going to go update my list by adding a new book, and trying not to read anything else from it until the 10th. :0)
Moving up the date is an awesome idea *giggle*

Slayermel wrote: "ahhh crap...I just noticed I finished reading one of my books too.
Going to go update my list by adding a new book, and trying not to read anything else from it until the 10th. :0)
Moving up the ..."

I did the same thing, I had to change out a book as well.

Now I feel even better to know that many of us finished one of our books early and had to change one out ;-)

Ya - for me, I just assumed that the challenge started on the first. That's what I get for not reading the directions!!

stephanie wrote: "I'm gonna go thru the list again and see if my mom has anything. But what if I don't find anything? Can I not participate?"

Stephanie, definitely participate with the other nine, if you want to! Just leave that one blank on your list. You can always add a title during the game if you find one on the 1001 list you want to read. The point is to have fun with the group reading a variety of books from your TBR.

I've edited the game rules to reflect a new starting date of January 10. If you still haven't posted your list but want to participate, you still have time!

I'm all for moving up the start date.

Stephanie,banned from the bookstore and the library I'm afraid that is grounds for divorce or justifiable homicide

Stephanie, if you look under Goodreads e-books, there are quite a few of the classics that are on the 1001 books to read before you die list, and they are all Free and you don't have to leave the house, Just download! :0)

Slayermel wrote: "Stephanie, if you look under Goodreads e-books, there are quite a few of the classics that are on the 1001 books to read before you die list, and they are all Free and you don't have to leave the h..."

Brilliant! I don't know why I didn't think of that - especially since I'm doing nearly the same thing for mine! I'm going to listen to Emma in audio format which I downloaded free from Librivox. There would be many on the 1001 list available free at Librivox although the audio quality varies from reader to reader.