Mount TBR Reading Challenge

If you are a bookaholic like me, then you can't let a bookstore (used or new, it doesn't matter) go by without stopping in ("just to look") and walking out with at least something--if not an armload. I wait all year for the Red Cross Book Sale in October so I can cart them out by the bagful. And, well, that means that I wind up with gigantic piles of TBR books stacked up around my backroom. I don't have a TBR shelf. Oh, no. I have "Mount TBR"...possibly a whole mountain range.

With that in mind, and having read Susan Hill's Howards End Is on the Landing (where she spent a year just reading from her own shelves, I've decided to create my own TBR reading challenge and plan to concentrate on reading primarily from my own books this year. And you're invited to join me in knocking out some of those books that have been waiting in the wings for weeks....months...even years.

Challenge Levels

Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancouver: Read 25 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 40 books from your TBR piles/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 50 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Everest: Read 100+ books from your TBR pile/s

And the rules:
*Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you're on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a taller mountain, then you are certainly welcome to upgrade.

*Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2012.

*You may sign up anytime from now until November 30th, 2012.

*Books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2012. No ARCs (none), no library books. No rereads. [To clarify--based on a question raised--the intention is to reduce the stack of books that you have bought for yourself or received as presents {birthday, Christmas, "just because," etc.}. Audiobooks may count if they are yours and they are one of your primary sources of backlogged books.]

*Books may be used to count for other challenges as well.

*Feel free to submit your list in advance (as incentive to really get those books taken care of) or to tally them as you climb.

*A blog and reviews are not necessary to participate. If you have a blog, then please post a challenge sign up and link THAT post (not your home page) into the linky below. Non-bloggers, please leave a comment declaring your challenge level--OR, if you are a member of Goodreads, I have just put together a group for the challenge there. Feel free to sign up HERE.

*A progress site for reviews will go up in January and I will post the link in my sidebar for easy access.

UPDATE: I had NO idea that there would be so many people out there with TBR mountains to tackle (and what mountains!). There is no possible way I could keep up with the reviews for almost 200 of you. Not that I'm upset with the number of challengers. Wow! I love it. But--the overwhelming support for this challenge has made me rethink the progress thing. SO, instead of a review posting, I plan on doing quarterly check-ins. Keep your eyes peeled in March, June and September for the Check-Point posts. Rumor has there may be Progress Prizes.

***Addendum (2/20/12): From a question...You may count any "currently reading" book that you began pre-January 1, provided that you had 50% or more of the book left to finish in 2012. I will trust you all on that.




Oh and in case you're wondering how I decided on the mountains....I just went with those I recognized and built up to Mt. Everest. My apologies if I missed using your favorite mountain.