I've been thinking about what I hope to accomplish over the next twelve months, and what new adventures I'd like to embark on in 2017--from writing a novel, to trying something new every week, to possibly getting another stamp in my passport. But while setting New Year's goals and resolutions can be a little intimidating, deciding what my 2017 bookish goals will be is easy. See, I already have a list of books I want to read this year; a list that seems to grow with every book review I read. It's full of classics and other, more contemporary, works that I've been meaning to read for years, along with some recent non-fiction books, new authors, old favorites, unfinished series, unread books on my TBR shelf, and more books than I want to admit recommended to me by Goodreads. So, I have plenty to read in 2017. The only problem is that I'm easily distracted by the myriad of books I find at the library or in bookstores. Which is why I decided to sign up for the
Backlist Reader Challenge.
Hosted by Lark at
The Bookwyrm's Hoard, "the Backlist Reader Challenge is a year-long challenge for all those older books that have been piling up on your TBR pile and list--not just the ones you own, but the ones you've been wanting to read for awhile now." The great thing about this challenge is that I can set my own goal and choose whatever books I want to read from my own TBR list. Which makes it a perfect challenge for me; so, even though I originally wasn't going to sign up for
any reading challenges this year, I just couldn't resist this one.
My tentative goal: 10 books -- 5 that have been sitting on my TBR shelf for more than a year, and 5 that have been on my To Read list even longer than that. And what are those books?
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Dance Night by Dawn Powell
Less Than Angels by Barbara Pym
Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Wash This Blood Clean From My Hands by Fred Vargas
Ghost Song by Sarah Rayne
Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
We Hear the Dead by Dianne K. Salerni
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Radleys by Matt Haig
(With one alternate in case my mood changes: An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd)
Happy Reading!
(And Happy New Year!!)
Happy New Year! That is a great challenge. I really hope to pull more books off of my shelf this year.
ReplyDeleteRight? I mean, isn't that why we buy them in the first place? So why I then let them sit on my shelf, unread, sometimes for years, is a complete mystery to me. :)
DeleteI loved The Remains of the Day and The Secret History. Hope you do too.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Both books have been on my To Read list for so long it's high time I finally got around to actually reading them, don't you think? :)
DeleteGood luck with the challenge :) Happy New Year!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nadia! Same to you. :)
DeleteThis is a great list, Lark! I wish you luck with the challenge. I think this one sounds like a good one--a much needed one for many of us. I am not participating in any challenges this year, but if I was, this would be a good one for me to take part in. Have a great reading year!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't going to do any challenges this year either, but I got sucked into this one because it was kind of what I was planning to do anyway. Wish me luck! :)
DeleteHappy New Year! The Secret History is one of my favourite all-time books - I hope you love it :)
ReplyDeleteGood to know! That makes me want to read it even more. :)
DeleteThis sounds like a great challenge. Less Than Angels is the only Barbara Pym book I've read, but I really enjoyed it and hope you do too.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I've liked all the Pym books I've read so far and have high hopes for this one as well. :)
DeleteThe Remains of the Day is powerful. I am one of the few who was not as enchanted with The Secret History, but I read it when it was first published and sometimes I change my opinion. :)
ReplyDeleteIf I manage to read The Secret History this year I'll let you know how I like it. I'm in the middle of reading The Remains of the Day right now. :)
DeleteHave fun and good luck with the challenge, Lark! I'm one of those readers who accumulates books until I forgot they exist, lol. I'm blaming myself for having no self-control when new books and library books are concerned. And then there's more book recommendations, not that I mind them. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Lark!
I'm the same way with new books and library books. Which is why I'm only going to try and sneak a few of these older titles in amongst the new and see how it goes. :)
DeleteThat sounds like a very good challenge, and I know will probably do very well with it!
ReplyDeleteI love The secret history (but never liked any of her other books) and The prisoner of heaven is on my TBR list as well.
Good luck with it and enjoy!
I've had The Prisoner of Heaven for a couple of years now and I don't know why I haven't read it yet. I loved Carlos Ruiz Zafon's other books!
DeleteTBR challenges are always a good idea because you got those books for a reason! I really liked Remains of the Day and glad I finally read it on a TBR list a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the challenge.
Thanks! It felt like the right year for me for this challenge. We'll see how long I can stick with it. I always start off well, but then halfway through the year I tend to lose momentum. :)
DeleteI have Prisoner of Heaven on my shelf too. I liked The Shadow of the Wind well enough to continue. Hopefully we both will be able to knock it off our lists this year!
ReplyDeleteI hope so, too. :) He's a good writer, so I don't know why I keep putting it off.
Delete