Top Ten Tuesday--Fall TBR Top Ten

Now this...this is a Top Ten listing I can get behind...perhaps because 

I am sooooooo far behind on my TBR "schedule." :)
Thank you, The Broke and the Bookish! 

You might be muttering to yourself or perhaps even exclaiming aloud, 

"Schedule?!? A TBR 'SCHEDULE'?!?"

Yep! You read that right! :)

In reality, I do these things to myself, don't I?

Much as I would love to 'blame' someone else...<sigh> 

However, I am 'ahead' in that I have already read The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison for the October 5 Literary Wives post. At least that gives me 2 weeks or so to work on the blog post/review and I needed that time since we are traveling over the next two weekends! BONUS! I am 'on schedule' with my 'self-imposed' schedule for Literary Wives! And it was a great read! I was fearful it would be scary (since I am quite the wuss), but I didn't find it to be! BONUS!! This one will also count toward the RIP X challenge! :)

Oh, but wait! I am to list the Top Ten from my TBR listing the I really want to read, not the books I've already read... <AHEM!> 

No problem...here we go! But honestly, I do love to celebrate my victories! 

(They sometimes seem so few and far between!)

#1 The most important (to me) book to complete reading NOW/FIRST!! (No, it is not Gone With the Wind...but it should be! lol) Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin! The Socratic Salon already posted their book breakdown this past Sunday, but my hold on this one through my local library system didn't arrive until Monday (yesterday), so I am now 70 pages into this and hope to finish it tomorrow evening. (I would love to complete it tonight...but at some point in time reality should insert itself into my reading goals!) This morning, though I had planned to get another hour's reading done in this, I really needed to take a break to further 'digest' those first 70 pages. Wowzers! Shocking betrayal! Glad I read Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. (Whom I saw in person 3 years ago! If you ever get the opportunity to hear him speak--"Do it!" He was quite humorous and very engaging!)

#2 This one must be my next read because another 3 chapters are due by this Saturday as Check-In #3 for the Joy Luck Club Read-Along hosted by Rachelle at The Reading Wench! This is a heartrending read! These poor girls! How are they to ever live productive even halfway happy lives after these childhoods? Unbelievable to me! I can only hope that even in the outlying small villages of China things have improved mightily for females. I have mentioned previously that I tend to be an 'eternal optimist,' right?!? :) This is my first Amy Tan--definitely NOT my last! :) Another Classic and Historical Fiction! 

#3 Still savoring one of my favorite reads EVER!! Gone With the Wind!! And...yes, I am well aware this Read-Along was scheduled to end August 1st! But I am a rebel, after all, setting my own schedule! :) Seriously, I do love this book so very much! Although it is historical fiction and a Pulitzer-Prize-winning Classic, this is at least the 6th time I've read it in this particular lifetime and I just love it more every single time! Mitchell's writing...well, it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! Not a single unnecessary word or syllable, in my humble opinion! 

#4 X by Sue Grafton 

I love mysteries! Kinsey Milhone is one of my absolute favorite protagonists...ever! If I could grant immortality to one author, Grafton would be among several at the top of my list for consideration! :) If you haven't read this series, I would definitely recommend you start with A is for Alibi! I have reread that one several times. It is classic, in my opinion and no better introduction to Kinsey! This will also count toward RIP X! I also loved Kinsey and Me. 

#5 Another mystery for RIPX and Classics Club! The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne! I had no idea the author of the adorable Winnie-the-Pooh books ever wrote a mystery! I just have to try it out! 

#6 And speaking of mysteries, I have yet to read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier! That will change by the end of RIP X at the end of October! :) And, of course, this will also count as a Classics Club read! 

#7 Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl! A good friend of mine recommended this as a MUST-READ almost 20 years ago! I am ashamed to note that I have yet to read it, but that will change this month! I will review it as my Classics Club Spin #10! Review to be posted by Friday, October 23! I'm fairly certain I really need to be in the correct frame of mind for this one. I expect it to be I-N-T-E-N-S-E!! And emotional! Definitely qualifies as a Classics Club read! 

#8 Season of the Dragonflies by Sarah Creech! I am so anxious to read this one! We are discussing it on October 24th for the Borders Book Club! Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains and what I expect to be an engaging read! And who doesn't love dragonflies?!? They have always fascinated me! And a debut novel! I always marvel that a first published work can be breathtakingly beautiful!  

#9 After Her by Joyce Maynard! I LOVED Labor Day and own several others of her books, but have yet to read them, then was fascinated by the premise for this one! It will count for RIP X and Historical Fiction! I have faith it will be fabulous! 

And...#10! Last, but by no means least...The Girl in the Spider's Web 

by David Lagercrantz, Stieg Larsson (creator), 

George Goulding (translator)

Yes, I adore Lisbeth and the Millennium Series! 

Definitely a RIP X book, though I don't need another!

I am very sad for Larsson's partner and the fact that she was legally shut out of his estate and I mourn the death of what I consider to be a literary genius, but I am at the same time thrilled that someone is continuing Larsson's legacy.

My husband thought it was well done and I am so very anxious to re-enter Lisbeth and Blomkvist's world!

I was lucky enough to catch an NPR interview with Lagercrantz and I was so very impressed with his thoughtful approach to writing this book! He is, of course, hopeful that readers like his work, but he is even more excited by the fact that this release is motivating those who have never before read the first three books in the series to do so! Now that is cool! 

Have you read any of these? Do you have any thoughts about any of them? 

The seemingly endless TBR pile(s)! :)

There is a challenge of sorts working its way through many book bloggers' posts.

This involves answering the following questions and then tagging others to do the same!

Naomi of Consumed by Ink posted an open-ended tag for anyone interested in doing this! 

So...here we go!

1. How do you keep track of your TBR pile? Uhm...piles...trust me on this...piles! :) Although I admit it is irritating to me that is it now owned by Amazon, I find goodreads an indispensable organizational tool for books...period! In addition, I can connect to many authors and other readers, and perhaps most importantly, read others' reviews...all in one place. And it is always with me, 'cause my phone is virtually always with me! Yay Smartphones!!

2. Is your TBR mostly print or e-book? PRINT! :) As my mother's eyesight failed, I purchased a Kobo e-reader for her so she could enlarge the font, etc., which gave me access to e-books for the first time. As I sat with her in many doctor's offices...waiting...I downloaded The Confession by John Grisham and read it. The plan was for both of us to read it and then discuss it. However, this proved to be confirmation for me that she could no longer "understand" (her word, not mine) what she'd read. :( I have not read another full-length novel in e-format, nor do I intend to; it just doesn't resonate as well for me as holding onto a physical book! I do, however, read e-short stories released by my favorite authors since there is no other way to read them.

3. How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next? This answer could go far in explaining why my TBR list keeps growing... I participate in many different reading challenges, read-alongs, and book clubs, so I literally have a "Reading Schedule" to which I must adhere to keep current with these reading commitments. Given the fact that I must work full-time, my reading time is limited. Additionally, I am making a concerted effort to post more reviews to my blog in a timely manner for each book read...well, it is challenging...to say the least! Every once in awhile I just say "Screw it!" and pick one up and read it! :) As a matter of fact, I just did that with The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and now I want to complete a blog post of that review! 

4. A book that's been on your TBR the longest? According to goodreads, Gold by Chris Cleave is the first book I added to my TBR listing. However, that is only because I started using goodreads at that time. Many older "classics" are among the longest TBR place holders in my mind. Many of them that are the most compelling for me? The rereads from 40+ years ago: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter, Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, etc. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was one of these, but I just reread it! :)

5. A book you recently added to your TBR? Just today: Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout by Philip Connors.

6. A TBR on your list strictly because of it's beautiful cover? None. I never ever select a book to read just because of its cover or title, though I may initially be attracted by either or both of these, the only way a book lands on my TBR list is if I review at least one synopsis and decide I really want to read it.

7. A book on your TBR that you never plan on reading? Reference above answer: none. No book is ever listed on my TBR that I don't honestly want to read.

8. An unpublished book on your TBR that you're excited for? Honestly, all of them! I'm such a book nerd, or perhaps "book junkie" is a more accurate term! :) Here are some I intend to add to my collection just as soon as they are published: 

The Precious One by Marisa de los Santos 

(Love Walked In, Belong to Me, Falling Together, Saving Lucas Biggs)

At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen

(Water for Elephants)

The Second Sister by Marie Bostwick 

(The Cobbled Court Quilt series)

The Dream Lover: A Novel of George Sand by Elizabeth Berg

(Open House, What We Keep, Home Safe)

The Dog Who Saved Me by Susan Wilson

(One Good Dog, The Dog Who Danced)
Wicked Charms (Lizzy & Diesel #3) by Janet Evanovich
--And when is the next Stephanie Plum novel to be released?!? I wish there could be a new one at least every 6 months! :) 
Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule by Jennifer Chiaverini
And I'm sure there are many more! 

9. A book on your TBR list that basically everyone has read but you? That was how I felt about The Fault in Our Stars by John Green! Until I finally read it! 

10. A book on your TBR list that everyone recommends to you? The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown.

11. A book on your TBR list that you're dying to read? All the upcoming releases in my answer to #8 as well as a book I just read about today: The Drowning of Stephan Jones by Bette Greene. 

12. How many books are on your goodreads TBR shelf? 3603...I did mention piles earlier, right?!? :)

Like Naomi, I am choosing to leave an open-ended tag to anyone else who would like to respond to this! Kinda fun and it really does make you think about those books listed on your TBR list and which are the most important to you!

How do YOU track TBRs?