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These are the books I plan to read for the challenge, in no particular order:

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Tomato Rhapsody: A Novel of Love, Lust, and Forbidden Fruit by Adam Schell

Evelina by Fanny Burney

The Sylph by Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire

Detection Unlimited by Georgette Heyer

Royal Escape by Georgette Heyer

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

The Nebuly Coat by John Meade Faulkner

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

L'homme au ventre de plomb by J-F Parot

Mind you, when I look at my list and think of the other books I have on my Kindle and in my bedroom, it may well be that I will be upgrading to the 25 book list sooner rather than later!

Yes, come and join me over at Mt Vancouver :-).

Okay, of your list I'm interested in reading The Book Thief, Evelina, Detection Unlimited, Royal Escape and A Tale of Two Cities, so can you please add them to our buddy list?

All but The Book Thief qualify for this Challenge for me.

You actually found 2 Heyer novels you own but haven't read yet!?! I thought you had gone through all of them!

Hayes has called for a Tail of Two Cities buddy-read -- count me in, too!

Hey Kim, can you please also add The Sylph and The Nebuly Coat to the pile too. I'm not sure how I missed them the first time!

Jemidar wrote: "Hey Kim, can you please also add The Sylph and The Nebuly Coat to the pile too. I'm not sure how I missed them the first time!"

Will do, just as soon as I get a faster internet connection. This one is making me tap my foot with impatience!

It occurs to me that I have read a number of books so far this year which would qualify for the challenge, including:

The Floating Admiral

The Mill on the Floss

The Count of Monte Cristo

One Good Turn

O Jerusalem

Justice Hall

Georgette Heyer: Biography of a Bestseller

Jeannette wrote: "You actually found 2 Heyer novels you own but haven't read yet!?! I thought you had gone through all of them!

Hayes has called for a Tail of Two Cities buddy-read -- count me in, too!"

I own a few Heyer novels which I haven't read. Detection Unlimited is the last of the mysteries and I really should have read it last year in the Year of Heyer Mysteries. I own about three of the historical novels, none of which I've read. (Jenny and I plan to take them slowly; possibly only one per year). It's only the romances which I've read and re-read a million times!

I've never read a Heyer, but you have piqued my interest. They have The Black Moth over at Gutenberg, but it doesn't look like my kinda thing. I'll try it anyway... it's free!

Hayes, I suspect that The Black Moth won't be your kinda thing. It was Heyer's first novel, written when she was 17, published when she was 19. Her writing improved considerably thereafter. You have to like a bit of tame swash and buckle (not really in the Dumas style) to actually like it.

I'll read some of her other things first then and them come back to that one.

The Great Gatsby is one of those books I've been meaning to tackle one of these days. Look forward to seeing your take on it.

*aaacckkk*

(Can you tell I didn't like it?)

I'll be very interested to read your review too. It's one of those books that I feel guilty for hating because everyone thinks it's so swell... maybe I just didn't understand it in high school.

I didn't like it, either! :P

Hayes wrote: "*aaacckkk*

(Can you tell I didn't like it?)

I'll be very interested to read your review too. It's one of those books that I feel guilty for hating because everyone thinks it's so swell... maybe ..."

That's the way I feel about Hemingway, so I undertand completely :)

For some reason early to mid 20th century American writers have almost completely passed me by. I've been meaning to read Fitgerald for a while and two things have prompted me to do so sooner rather than later: the appearance of the Fitzgeralds in the movie Midnight in Paris and the fact that Baz Luhrmann is making a new film adaptation of The Great Gatsby. As some of the film has been filmed in the park I walk in every Sunday morning, I am bound to go and see it (even though I think Baz's work is a bit hit and miss).

I'm sure the film will be better than the book.

Well, with Baz you just never know. The film is likely to be highly stylised and pretty much over the top. So that may make it better. But maybe not.

At least the book is on the short side!

I guess I just didn't care for any of the characters: Daisy, or Gatsby, or Daisy's husband. I had a hard time connecting with any of them.

I think maybe I should read it sooner rather than later. There's every chance I won't like it, so it's better I get it over and done with!

Well, it is short, and easy to read.....

Jeannette wrote: "I guess I just didn't care for any of the characters: Daisy, or Gatsby, or Daisy's husband. I had a hard time connecting with any of them."

I really don't think you're supposed to like them. I think that's the whole point! LOL. In all their various ways they represent the worst of the time they lived in. (Or Fitzgerald's interpretation of it.) Both the Buchanan's in particular are vile. I did like Nick Carraway though, and felt sorry for him as he was almost an unwilling witness to the events.

It is mercifully short though :-).

Kim wrote: "Well, with Baz you just never know. The film is likely to be highly stylised and pretty much over the top. So that may make it better. But maybe not."

I agree Baz can be so hit and miss! The photos of it are looking good but I'm still not confident that he won't mess it up. The costuming looks to die for though :-).

I'm not concerned about not liking the characters. I've read plenty of books I've liked without liking any of the characters at all; Guy de Maupassant's Bel-Ami is one that comes to mind. However, if the characters are going to be more or less unlikeable, then it's best if the novel is relatively short!

It's one of those books that you don't necessarily enjoy but leaves you with a lot to think about. That's how I found it anyway.

I've finished The Great Gatsby. Here's my review.

I'm currently reading Detection Unlimited with Jemidar.

Kim, you're definitely going to have to upgrade to Mt. Vancouver!

Hmmm ... that idea scares me a bit. What if I don't even get through the books I've listed here! lol

But you're already nine down so nearly halfway to 25. plus the ten or so you have left to read is almost 25 anyway :-).

Nice review, Kim. I'll have to slap that one on the re-read list a little sooner than I expected.

Detection Unlimited read and reviewed.

Almost finished Caleb's Crossing.

Way to go Kim!! That makes 11 from your Mt TBR this year, doesn't it?

Good going!

Caleb's Crossing read and reviewed.

Now reading Tomato Rhapsody: A Novel of Love, Lust, and Forbidden Fruit and A Civil Contract. While the latter book is not on the list I posted in my first message, it still counts for the challenge and is a buddy read with my good friend Jemidar. *waves to Jemidar*

ETA: Jemidar, do you own The Book Thief? I've put it on our list of buddy reads, but I don't know whether it would count as part of the challenge for you.

I've finished and reviewed A Civil Contract. Still reading and enjoying Tomato Rhapsody: A Novel of Love, Lust, and Forbidden Fruit.

I pulled a few books off the shelf the other day which are not on my GR TBR list but should be, in that they are books I've purchased or which have been given to me and which I've not got around to reading. I'm planning to add them soon and probably make them part of this challenge.

Yes Kim, I do own The Book Thief but as I bought it fairly recently it wont count as part of this challenge for me. Doesn't matter though as I think I'm traveling okay at the moment :-).

Kim wrote: "I've finished and reviewed A Civil Contract. Still reading and enjoying Tomato Rhapsody: A Novel of Love, Lust, and Forbidden Fruit.

I pulled a few books off the shelf the other da..."

Doesn't that make it 12 you've read off Mt TBR now and the mastering of Pike's Peak?

Not to worry. We can leave it for a while. Let's check some time which ones on our buddy read list will qualify for our respective challenge lists.

Will do. I'll send you a list later.

ETA: I'm not greatly fussed about it though because to reach the summit of Mt Vancouver only half of my reads need to come from Mt TBR.

I wish I could read the Book Thief and Agnes Grey for the first time again.

Chris wrote: "I wish I could read the Book Thief and Agnes Grey for the first time again."

That sounds like a good recommendation. I don't quite know why I haven't got around to reading The Book Thief until now. It seems that for ages, every time I went to the bookshop I would pick it up and then put it down again, un-purchased. I might have been put off because there was a lot of hype about the book here, the author being a local boy.

As for Agnes Grey, I have avoided reading Bronte (with the exception of Jane Eyre, which I love) ever since detesting Wuthering Heights when I was a a teenager and failing to finish Villette and The Professor, also when I was in my teens. However, last year I listened to an audiobook of Villette, which I loved. So this year I'm going to continue with the Bronte project. It may take a while for me to build up to giving Wuthering Heights another go, such was my desire to slap all of its characters!

Oh, don't do it, Kim. I re-read WH last year thinking that my loathing of it was a Bad Thing (I mean, so many people love it, right?) Well, I'm here to tell you that you can keep on loathing it with a clear conscience! Useless book, IMHO. And I wanted to slap all the characters too.

Don't know Agnes Grey, will go research. And I thought the Book Thief was very good, but it didn't blow me away.

ETA: Agnes Grey received very mixed stars among my friends from 2 to 5

Hayes wrote: "Well, I'm here to tell you that you can keep on loathing it with a clear conscience! Useless book, IMHO...."

Good to know, Hayes, and so nice of you to take one for the team (or at least for me)! I've just discovered that I downloaded an audiobook of Agnes Grey last year. I thought I only had it in book form. It's narrated by Juliet Stevenson who is truly my favourite audiobook narrator. If she can't make me like it, no one can!

Glad to help :-)

Sorry -- I'm on Camp Heathcliff! The book improved on later readings for me. Sure, I still want to throttle those ninnies, but I think there's a great story underneath all the histrionics.

Does this mean I have to remove Wuthering Heights from our buddy read pile Kim? I know you said it would take a while for you to work up to it but I had hoped we'd be able to read it together. I may need someone to whine to because although I loved it in my early twenties I'm suspecting I'll have a different opinion second time around.

I'll read it again, gladly, if that helps. :)

But will you want me to whine at you when I decide that Heathcliff just doesn't do it for me any more? Ask Kim, if I don't like something I b!tch about it! LOL.

I don't mind. I might agree with you in places! ;)

I'm still willing to read it with you, J. Maybe we could leave it for little while? I'm not feeling strong enough yet! And given Hayes' experience, you will probably be hearing me whinge - quite a lot!

Great, we can have combined mutual support and a b!tchfest. LOL. I'm not worried about how far in the future we read it as it's not like I'm short of reading matter, it's just that I'm curious what my old and jaded self makes of it compared to my young and romantic self.

If you think you can stand it Jeanette, you're welcome to read along with us whenever we get to it. Heathcliff might need someone on his side ;-).