Monday, January 07, 2013

The TBR Double Dog Dare

I am committed, folks, to making it all the way to April this time round. Of course, last year I found The Wesleyan Anthology of Science Fiction on the New Books Shelves at the library in late January and mentally said the hell with any silly dares that might require me not to start such a book immediately, but this year, this year I have a strategy: I will not take casual strolls through the New Book Shelves, or at least not on a daily basis, and particularly not when I'm bored.

Plus, I have caveats: Book club choices, anything to do with Iceland and Scotland that I might need to absorb before traveling there midyear, anything already preordered from a library or a store that has yet to make its way into my hands. That means I get to read the new George Saunders, the new Liz Jensen, and possibly, the new Kate Atkinson, if the universe decides to play nice for a change and send my autographed copy early, which I doubt it will, knowing the universe like I do.

Otherwise, all reading between now and April falls under the dictates of the TBR Double Dog Dare and my Eschew the New! guiding principles. I'm reading what's already in the stockpile and ignoring the rest.

I spent New Year's Day rereading Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions (a high school favorite) and started Anthony Trollope's The Eustace Diamonds over the weekend. (I should have read Phineas Finn first, I know, but I'll have to loop back for it.)

I have some book club commitments after that, but then its on to Brazzaville Beach, a book I've wanted to read ever since I read a local review for it back in 1990. Back in those days, I was too poor to buy but a scant few of the books desired and online library holds didn't exist; this book and I never crossed paths. And now I've had a stockpiled copy for eight years. Time to read it.
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3 comments:

  1. Danielle9:23 AM

    I have returned all but one or two library books and taken my name off any requests in the hopes of reading from my shelves. I'm afraid, though, that might just mean I buy more new books (and it doesn't help that right now Amazon seems to be deeply discounting lots of new hardcovers), but I am determined to read more of my own books rather than check out every new book that looks good on a whim. How cool that you are going to Iceland and Scotland--I'm envious! :)

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  2. Kat1:38 PM

    I try to commit to books I already have, and do a pretty good job of sticking to what's on the shelf. I find that reading blogs as opposed to reading new book reviews and Amazon's book page is more calming and helps me stay on track.

    But, yes, some new books are on the way. If only I would stop reading about books, but I tried it for a short time, and soon had to get back to my book pages.

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  3. Kathleen7:53 PM

    I really, really need to focus on reading from my TBR on my shelves at home. I just can't resist going to the library and checking out books though!

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