Mount TBR Check Point #1

Wow!  Three months into the year already. Well, you know what that means...Your mountaineering guide is calling for the first quarterly check-in post. Let's see how our challengers are doing. Made it a couple of miles? Camping out in a cave 1/3 of the way up the mountain face? Taking refuge in a mountain hut along the way? Let us know how you're doing. For those who would like to participate in this checkpoint post, I'd like you to do two things:
 

1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain (# of books read).  If you're really ambitious, you can do some intricate math and figure out how the number of books you've read correlates to actual miles up Pike's Peak, Mt. Ararat, etc. And feel free to tell us about any particularly exciting adventures you've had along the way.

I have read 39 of my pledged 100 books for Mt. Everest. I am (according to Goodreads) on track to hit 150 by the end of the year, which would enable me to finally (after three years trying) plant my flag on the top of Olympus as a bonus.

2. Complete ONE (or more if you like) of the following:

 A. Post a picture of your favorite cover so far.  Here's mine (one of my vintage mysteries)

 B. Who has been your favorite character so far? And tell us why, if you like.

Mine: Dr. William Blow, Professor Gideon Manciple, and Simonetta Blunt in Dead Against My Principles. This trio of elderly sleuths are a real treat--wacky and bumbling, but they do help the police get their man.

 C. Have any of the books you read surprised you--if so, in what way (not as good as anticipated? unexpected ending? Best thing you've read ever? Etc.)

 D. Title Scrabble: See if you can spell a word using the first letter of the first word in the titles of some/all of the books you have read so far. Feel free to consider "A," "An," or "The" as the first word or not as it helps you with your word hunt.

 

My word: Prowl

(The) Purple Cloud by M. P. Shiel

Red for Murder by Harold Kemp 

Oh Myyy! by George Takei

Who's Calling by Helen McCloy

(A) Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

And what do you get for all that hard work (and distraction from the actual climb)? The link will close at 11:59 pm on Saturday, April 9.  On Sunday, April 10,  I will crank up the Custom Random Number Generator and pick a winning climber. He or she will have the chance to add to their TBR stack via my gently-used book vault (prize list will be sent). Just think, if you win a book you can start up a pile for next year's Mount TBR Challenge. 

Even if you're not in the mood for a prize or if you've only got one leg of the journey under your belt, I'd love to have you check in and tell us how your climb is going!

***Please note--the linky is for Checkpoint posts only.  The link must be to a specific Checkpoint post (not your blog's home page in general). Links that are not Checkpoint-specific will be removed--to make it easier for me to track a winner.

Sign in below with your Checkpoint post.