2014 TBR Pile Challenge

In recent years I have gotten nearly all my books from the public library. This has saved me quite a lot in both money and shelf space. However, I do have a backlog of books that I got as gifts or bought at the library book sale or bought before I firmly established my library routine. In the interest of getting these read (and then probably given away) I am signing up for the 2014 TBR Pile Challenge hosted at Roof Beam Reader.

Basically you need to select 12 books (+ 2 alternates) that have been on your list/shelf for at least a year and commit to reading 12 of them during 2014. Your selected books need to be listed in a post that will be updated with your progress through the year. I went through various shelves around the house and chose a variety of books for this challenge. Some of the books are very old; one was a present last Christmas that I forgot about; a couple I don't even remember how I came to have but they looked interesting. My husband was kind enough to sort/shuffle his books and clear a shelf for me to use for this project so I can have the books easily accessible and in a place where I will see them regularly.

I commit to reading 12 of these books in 2014

• A History of Russia by Bernard Pares (c1953, 1991 ed.)
• The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (c2012)
• Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich (c2001)
• Princess by Jean P. Sasson (c1992)
• Our Little Secret by Kevin Flynn and Rebecca Lavoie (c2010)
• The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy (c1987)
• Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose (c2007)
• An Omelette and a Glass of Wine by Elizabeth David (c1952, 2010 ed.)
• The Best Mystery Short Stories 1997 edited by Robert B. Parker
• The Art of the Novel by Milan Kundera, translated by Linda Asher (c1988)
• Home Town by Tracy Kidder (c1999)
• The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje (c2011)
• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (c2003)
• Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee (c2007)