Sunday, December 27, 2015

Mount TBR Reading Challenge Book List


In addition to my own Victorian Reading Challenge, I'm really looking forward to the Mount TBR Reading Challenge from My Reader's Block---the challenge that encourages us to read from our already-established To Be Read shelves. I'm going all out this year and attempting the Mt. Vancouver level at 36 books. 

Here are the 36 books I'm planning to read from Mount TBR to fulfill the challenge. Some of these will also fulfill my Victorian Reading Challenge. (update Jan. 19th--I'll be replacing some of these titles with others as I'm trying to clean up my reading a bit...)

  1. Eiffel's Tower by Jill Jonnes
  2. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
  3. Rise Above by Peg Willis
  4. The Blessed by Ann H. Gabhart
  5. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
  6. The Little Book for Girls by M. L. Stratton
  7. Villette by Charlotte Bronte
  8. Tesla: The Life and Times of the Electric Messiah by Nigel Cawthorne
  9. Dickens' Fur Coat and Charlotte's Unanswered Letters by Daniel Pool
10. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.
11. The Illustrated Queen Victoria by Lytton Strachey
12. The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales by Franz Xaver von Schoenwerth
13.
14. The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer
15. 
16. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
17. When Others Shuddered by Jamie Janosz--read 1/2 and abandoned 1/3/16
18. 
19. 
20. Prairie City by Angie Debo
21. Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss
22. Evangeline and Selected Tales and Poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
23. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
24. Laura: The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Donald Zochert
25. 
26. Emma Brown by Charlotte Bronte and Clare Boylan
27. How to Think Like Sherlock by Daniel Smith
28. At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald
29. 
30. The Covered Deep by Brandy Vallance
31. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
32. A Passion for the Impossible by Miriam Huffman Rockness
33. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
34. 
35. A Chainless Soul: A Life of Emily Bronte by Katherine Frank
36. An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

Do you have a Mount TBR that's ready to erupt? Consider joining a Reading Challenge!

2016 Reading Challenges

At the beginning of 2015, I was feeling relaxed and peaceful and ready to take on loads of reading. I did great up until about May or so...then preparations for my England trip got crazy and I didn't read very much. I'm really hoping to commit to that relaxation and peacefulness for 2016 and am excited to join the following reading challenges.


First, there's my own Victorian Reading Challenge. Super excited about this one! Here are the books from my To Be Read shelf, as well as my permanent collection, that I plan to read this year: Victorian Reading Challenge Book List.

There's another Victorian Reading Challenge at Becky's Book Reviews---a Bingo style!

Next, the Women's Fiction Reading Challenge from Book Date. I'm choosing the Savvy level at 6-10 books. 

Also from Book Date is the Full House Reading Challenge. I did this one last year and really had fun with it!

I'm really looking forward to the Mount TBR Reading Challenge from My Reader's Block---the challenge that encourages us to read from our already-established To Be Read shelves. I'm going all out this year and attempting the Mt. Vancouver level at 36 books. I've listed the books I'm challenging myself with here: 2016 Mount TBR Reading Challenge Book List.

There you have it! My 2016 Reading Challenge goals. I'm excited to hear about the goals you all have for your 2016 reading!

Monday, December 21, 2015

2016 Victorian Reading Challenge --- Join Us!

More than any other time in modern history, in my opinion, the Victorian Age saw the most change to European and American societies. Many agrarian, rural communities transitioned to urban centers of industry. Men and women began to talk about and take steps toward redefining their traditional roles. Theories about God, the origin of man, and the practice of religion began to be publicly put forth, challenged, refuted, or solidified. The Victorian Age saw a great revolution in the western world and it's a topic that fascinates me endlessly.

Over the past few months, I've collected a good stack of Victorian novels and have several on my Christmas list. With an upcoming trip to England, including a visit to the Brontes old stomping grounds, I've got Victoriana on the brain. This year's reading challenge will be all about the Victorians.

The Rules
  • Books published during the Victorian age (1837-1901) are acceptable. 
  • Books written about the Victorian age are acceptable, no matter what year they were published. (Here are some ideas)
  • Stories are not limited to Victorian Britain. Read about what was going on in other parts of the world during this time!
  • Challenge is open to everyone everywhere---you don't have to have a blog or site to join. Just enter the link to your online review (Amazon, Goodreads, BookCrossing, or elsewhere)---or just participate by leaving comments on this post.


How to Join
  • Leave a comment below letting me know you're in and add your blog link if you have one. You can link directly to your home page or to a post you've written about the challenge.
  • Add the button below to your site so your friends can join up too!
Belle's Library
Please direct all questions to sarah@classicalhomemaking.com.