Mount TBR Mountaineering Checkpoint #2

The year is half-way over....Wait! How did that happen so quickly? I must have lost track of time just concentrating on the mountain trail ahead of me. But--it's that time again. Your mountaineering guide is calling for a second quarterly check-in post. Let us know how your climb has been so far. Seen any mountain goats? Any particularly pretty wildflowers? How about the abominable snowman? 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'm a little over half-way up Everest (my official goal) and not quite half-way up Olympus (my hoped-for final destination). I got distracted by a couple herds of mountain goats and that's slowed me up a bit. I still hope to finally plant my flag on Olympus this year.

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

 A. Choose two titles from the books you've read so far that have a common link. You decide what the link is--both have strong female lead characters? Each focuses on a diabolical plot to take over the world? Blue covers? About weddings? Find your link and tell us what it is.

The Litmore Snatch by Henry Wade and  Good Blood by Aaron Elkins--both of these mysteries focus on kidnapping rather than murder. There is a murder in the Elkins book--but a great deal of the detective work is aimed at getting to the bottom of the kidnapping.

 B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way--new author, about a place you've never been, a genre you don't usually read...etc. 

House of Darkness by Allan MacKinnon was a brand-new author for me. And it was a delightful surprise. One of the best mysteries I've read this year.

 C. Which book (read so far) has been on your TBR mountain the longest? Was it worth the wait? Or is it possible you should have tackled it back when you first put it on the pile? Or tossed it off the edge without reading it all?

 

I've read several that have been on the TBR stacks since at least 2011 (no precise dating for some reason). I'm going to go with A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear. I started reading the Maisie Dobbs series when it first came out and then got distracted by other books. It was nice to return to the series and see what Maisie was up to.

OR (Counts as both part 1 and 2)

 

Use titles from your list to complete as many of the following sentences below as you can.  If you haven't read enough books to give you good choices, then feel free to use any books yet to be read from your piles. I've given my answers as examples. Feel free to add or change words (such as "a" or "the" or others that clarify) as needed.

My Life According to Books

1. My Ex is/was The Platypus of Doom & Other Nihilists (by Arthur Byron Cove)

2. My best friend is The Girl in the Cellar (by Patricia Wentworth)

3. Lately, at work [I've had to deal] Gently with the Painters (by Alan Hunter)

4. If I won the lottery, I'd be The Fifth Passenger (by Edward Young) on a cruise.

5. My fashion sense [says to choose] The Black Rustle (by Constance & Gwenyth Little)  

6. My next ride [will take me on a] Hunt with the Hounds (by Mignon G. Eberhart)

7. The one I love is [behind] The Painted Veil (by W. Somerset Maugham)

8. If I ruled the world, everyone would [join] The Philomel Foundation (by James Golli) 

9. When I look out my window, I see [that] The Eagle Has Landed (by Jack Higgins)

10. The best things in life are [left to my] Imagination Unlimited (edited by Everett F. Bleiler & T. E. Dikty)  

Please post your answers on your blog and link up your post in the linky below. 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 Sunday, July 10.  On Monday, July 11,  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.