psutto's next challenge

My next challenge is to define the challenge!

It's going to involve Muriel Spark for sure https://petewsutton.com/2017/11/23/a-year-of-muriel-spark/

January

Winter Tales
The Bell Jar
Metrophilias
Shoot this one
Your writing coach
Damn Fine Story
The short fiction scenario
Memento Mori
Writing the Character-Centred Screenplay
Techniques of the selling writer
Grimm Tales
Landscape painted with tea
Art of dramatic writing
Dark Mountain 9
Release the bats
Of walking in ice
The Dramatist's toolkit
this year you write your novel
Daemon Voices
solving your script

February

scene and structure
Complete Ghost stories
The Ballad of Peckham Rye
Embers of war
Screenwriters workbook
The King's English
Notes of an anatomist
the viceroy of Ouidah
Screenplay
The court of broken knives
The fiction writer's handbook
Story
Doomsday Book
Lincoln in the bardo
Goat Man
Radical Technologies
the king in yellow
Remember, Body...
The war of art

March

Voices along the road
The fall of the house of Cabal
The Great Gatsby
Utz
Electronic Brains
The Hollow shore
Grendel
what it is
The strange bird
Dark Mountain volume 10
About writing, Delany
A line made by walking
We learn nothing
Object lessons paris review
Writing Subtext
Forensics
Radiance
Dreaming of Babylon

April

The forensic records society
The emotional craft of fiction
H(a)ppy
The Gracekeepers
the elements of style
writing 21st century fiction
Out in the open
The Lonely Londoners
God's Amateur
Sand County Almanac
If I fall, if I die
Fen
Writing without rules

May

Dark Mountain 11
Dark Mountain 12
The Far Empty
Martian Sands
Spaceman of Bohemia
Some will not sleep
Seven steps on the writer's path
After the end of the world
The art of character
Building Great Sentences
The feather thief
Conquest of the useless
A Scruffian Primer
Paralysed with fear
The PLoughmen
The singing fool
writing with style
Sunburnt faces
The secret library
Exercises in style
Thumping the table of mist
Q

June

The utopia of rules
Bear
The Bone Clocks
Life on air
Friend of my youth
imposter syndrome
The pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster
Dark Mountain Issue 13

July

2084
My name is Leon
Uncle Tungsten
God's War
Pacific Monsters
Breaking the rules
Everyday sexism
Edna Webster collection of undiscovered writings
Possessing genius
Roald Dahl collected stories
The blank screen

August

Blood Cruise
the mersey sound
Short Circuit
Write to the point
on editing
The fifth season
Selkirk's island
Humor, Stanley Donwood
The outsiders
A short history of myth
The obelisk gate
Coaching writing
The stone sky
Several short sentences about writing
In praise of the garrulous

September

write a book
Christ stopped in Eboli
Umbria
Shelter
The changeling
This is the summer of love
Born to be bad
writers in training
Normal
You are not human: how words kill

October

Contemporary essays in style
Ted Hughes selected by Simon Armitage
Ghosts of the desert
I'm a joke and so are you
The willow by your side
Howl, Kaddish and other poems

November

Bridge of Clay
How to be right
Horrorstor
Brexit and bandages
One million tiny cuts
Ariel

December

Rosewater
The Company Man
The night ocean
The mirage

Planning

Spare

Great to see you back for another year of the Challenge, Pete. :)

Right away and with an almost blank plan, you got me with a bullet (or two)!

I'm a Muriel Spark fan and just finished Aiding and Abetting. Although that one left me a tad underwhelmed, it won't stop me reading Spark's novels. I'll watch for your reviews.

Looking forward to seeing your reviews of Muriel Spark's work!

Great to see you back and looking forward to following your Spark's reading! I have read some of her books and I find her to have a wonderful barbed wit.

Thanks all

I've just finished the comforters which is a weirdly metafictional debut novel - can definitely see the writing talent although the book needed to be given more room to breathe (I think) - full review on the 2017 group (and my blog) soon

Yay! You're back for another year! I love seeing what books you choose.

>21 mamzel: - Thanks!

I have 286 books on my TBR so I need to work out a challenge that reduces that...

Good luck with that! Mine never seems to go down. It's particularly hard since so many are on my Kindle which are cached and I'm not tripping over piles of books.

Added the few books I got for Xmas onto my TBR
Books I get for my birthday (Wednesday 3rd) will be counted as "acquired in 2018"
Out of the Xmas books I've read White Ravens and counted it against 2017 challenge & just finished The Bell Jar which will count against this challenge - so that's 1 from my TBR already :-)
I also finished Winter Tales which I think I got as an ARC last year/year before - still it counts as a TBR book too

My 'category' will be the a diversity priority really:

Is it a TBR book?
Is it Hardback (I aim to clear the hardbacks at least)?
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour?
Is it by a non-English speaker?
Is it by a non-UK author?

of course I'll break these rules. Probably often. But I aim to do as per the previous dversity challenge in 2017 which was one a month. However to spice it up I aim to collect 15 points per month - a point to each question answered positively - some books will answer Yes to each question above and that'll be an easy month to hit... others won't...

So far then:

Winter Tales - 4 points

Is it a TBR book? Yes
Is it Hardback? No
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? Edited by a woman so Yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? Edited by Norweigian so Yes
Is it by a non-UK author? Edited by Norweigian so Yes

The Bell Jar - 3 points

Is it a TBR book? Yes
Is it Hardback? No
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? Woman so Yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? No
Is it by a non-UK author? USA so Yes

so have already hit 7 points for this month... maybe I should make it harder? Although looking at what's on the shelf I may not have to. Hmm I'll probably adjust after I've done a couple of months reading

Book Haul Birthday & Xmas:

Shoot this one
metrophilias
the world turned upside down
hollow shores
daemon voices
Landscape painted with tea
white ravens
running hare
the bell jar
the refugees
Thackery T Lambshead Cabinet of curiosity

Which are all on the challenge - can't let them be unread by the end of the year!

Hi Pete! Nice book haul. Your list reminds me that I wanted to add The Bell Jar to a list of books I want to re-read.
Hope you have a good reading year.

I am quite taken with the idea of counting points in a handful of categories, and having point totals each month being the "category challenge"! That encourages wider ranging reading without putting us into the situation we were a few years ago where we needed at least k books in each category.

I really enjoyed the bell jar I'd like to re-read it one day

>28 pammab: Points just seemed like the way to go

I'm going to amend the points thing though - since I read a lot of US authors I think I'll change it to non-UK or Non-US to get that point making the Bell Jar 2 points

Metrophilias - 0 points

Is it a TBR book? No
Is it Hardback? No
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? No
Is it by a non-English speaker? No
Is it by a non-UK, Non-US author? No

But is was a birthday present so I don't feel bad about reading it. It's a weird book of vignettes. There's a nice review of it here: http://www.theshortreview.com/reviews/BrendanConnellMetrophilias.htm that I can't really add to...

I love the point system, it should encourage you to pick up some books that you may want to pass over. So, good luck and "may the points be with you"!

>30 DeltaQueen50: - Thanks!

shoot this one 0 points

Is it a TBR book? No
Is it Hardback? No
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? Not sure - this is where POC is difficult - he is Hispanic (being Puerto Rican) but also white - so I'm going to say No
Is it by a non-English speaker? No
Is it by a non-UK, Non-US author? No

Another birthday present

Your writing coach 0 points

Is it a TBR book? No
Is it Hardback? No
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? No
Is it by a non-English speaker? No
Is it by a non-UK, Non-US author? No

I bought a few 2nd hand books as my other half (clfisha) took me to Hay-On-Wye:

Your writing coach
The dramatist's toolkit
Solving your script
Writing the character-centred screenplay
Forensics
The viceroy of Ouidah
Utz
Notes of an anatomist
The Great Gatsby
Grendel
The King's English
The Anubis Gates

So, although they were kind of a present (and I'll therefore read as a priority) they aren't TBR... ah well most of them are short!

Oh, and I also bought What Editors do in the London Review bookshop which is a great shop to visit if you're ever in London...

Yay, a Hay haul! Excellent!

Will be interested to hear your thoughts on What Editors Do. Making a mental note to plan another UK trip around the bookshops of London, with London Review on the list.

>39 psutto: - I'm about half way through - it's aimed at people who don't know what editors do (naturally) but the essays are generally well-written and entertaining if not massively informative for me (I have a publishing qualification and have worked at a small press and run my own small press in the past) - The interesting part for me is seeing how different parts of the industry I don't know about (academic, kid's publishing, general non-fiction etc) work but it's pretty comprehensive so far and worth reading if you're interested in what editors do :-)

>36 psutto: I am an editor myself (of technical publications), so I'm always interested in what other editors do :)

>37 rabbitprincess: -oh cool :-) Yep finished it now & it was really good - I bet you'll like the middle section best then when editors of different genres and types of publishing write about what makes their editing different - literarary fiction, genre, general non-fiction, childrens, academic etc. Worth a read for sure

What editors do 0 points

Is it a TBR book? No
Is it Hardback? No
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? No
Is it by a non-English speaker? No
Is it by a non-UK, Non-US author? No

It's difficult as there are women and people of colour in the book but I think that shouldn't earn it points as it is edited by a white man...

Damn Fine Story 0 points

Is it a TBR book? No
Is it Hardback? No
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? No
Is it by a non-English speaker? No
Is it by a non-UK/US author? No

I'd best start earning points!

The short fiction scenario 2 points

Is it a TBR book? No
Is it Hardback? No
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? No
Is it by a non-English speaker? Yes
Is it by a non-UK/US author? Yes

With the possibility that I won't reach 15 points in a month I've decided that if that happens I'll have to make those points up in the next month...

Writing the Character-Centred Screenplay 0 points

Is it a TBR book? No
Is it Hardback? No
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? No
Is it by a non-English speaker? No
Is it by a non-UK/US author? No

Memento Mori 3 points

Is it a TBR book? Yes
Is it Hardback? Yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? Yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? No
Is it by a non-UK/US author? No

Techniques of the selling writer 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? No
Is it by a non-UK/US author? No

Grimm Tales 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? No
Is it by a non-UK/US author? No

Read this as research as have been commissioned to write a 'new' fairy tale

Late birthday haul

The king in yellow
Release the bats
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Screenplay
The Screenwriter's Workbook

Landscape painted with Tea 3 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? yes
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

Art of dramatic writing 3 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? yes
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

I'm 1 point away from 15 for January... :-)

Dark Mountain 9 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Release the bats 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no (I assume -he was brought up in Mexico but his parents were Australian)
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

Of walking in ice 2 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? yes
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

The dramatist's toolkit 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

This year you write your novel 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Daemon Voices 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Solving your script 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Score for January = 25

Onto February!

>58 psutto: Woo hoo!!

scene and structure 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Collected Ghost Stories 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The Ballad of Peckham Rye 3 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Screenplay 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Congrats on over-achieving your points for January!

>64 DeltaQueen50: - Thanks! I just need to keep that up for the rest of the year :-o

Embers of war 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

notes of an anatomist 2 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? yes
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

Screenwriters workbook 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The King's English 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

the viceroy of Ouidah 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The court of broken knives 3 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The fiction writer's handbook 1 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Story 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Doomsday book 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

This one was pretty dull till the last 100 or so pages - doing it for book group so had to soldier on, but boy there's a lot of repetition and pointless scene in this book!

Lincoln in the bardo 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Very strange book!

Goat Man 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Radical Technologies 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The king in yellow 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Remember, Body... 2 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? yes
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

Got given this at an event - small book of poetry

The war of art 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

I'm not likely to finish the book I'm reading - The fall of the house of cabal by tomorrow so my score for February is likely to be 18 (if I do finish it it'd only increase that to 19 anyway...

The Fall of the house of cabal 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

This is definitely me

https://www.theguardian.com/books/picture/2018/feb/23/tom-gauld-on-the-archaeolo...

>79 psutto: Me too, only the pile is on a low bookshelf in the living room rather than on my bedside table!

The great gatsby 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Oddly had never read it but spotted it in a secondhand bookshop and decided to give it a try since it's so short

>79 psutto: Ha, love it! Tom Gauld is so fun.

Ooh, I'm liking your points-system. I should device something similar myself to push myself out of the box!

Utz 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

>83 -Eva-: - It is much more flexible than my old system :-) and so far seems to be working

The hollow shore 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

I am shocked that no-one else has this book, I was 1st member to add to library. It's really good. I guess it's an unknown author with an obscure publisher? I picked it up at a Con

Electronic brains 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

This has been on mt TBR for soooo long - since a trip to Bletchley park about 5 years ago! It wasn't worth the wait :-o

Grendel 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

What it is 2 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The strange bird 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Dark Mountain Vol 10 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

About writing, Delany 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

A line made by walking 4 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

We learn nothing 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Object lessons paris review 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

writing subtext 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Forensics 2 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Radiance 3 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Dreaming of Babylon 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The forensic records society 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Total score for March = 21

The emotional craft of fiction 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

H(a)ppy 3 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The Gracekeepers 3 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

the elements of style 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

writing 21st century fiction 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Out in the open 4 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? yes
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

The Lonely Londoners

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

God's Amateur 1 point

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Sand County Almanac 1 point

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

If I fall, if I die 3 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

Fen 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Writing without Rules 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Dark Mountain 11 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Dark Mountain vol 12 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The Far Empty 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Martian Sands 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Spaceman of Bohemia 4 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? yes
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

Some will not sleep 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Seven steps on the writer's path 1 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

After the end of the world 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Total score for April = 18

Done a lot of reading last few days as I've been ill with a chest ifection and off work -and not doing any writing... so I think I've basically hit my points for the month already. Also have made a good dent in the Hardback TBR - under double figure now! (still in triple figures on the paperbacks though)

I've just started a brand new hardback Claire picked up for me at a bookshop event yesterday -really intriguing real life crime book The feather thief

After that it's back to the hardback TBR

Hope you feel better soon, Pete.

>112 DeltaQueen50: Thanks!

The art of character 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Building Great Sentences 1 point

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The feather thief 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Conquest of the useless 4 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? yes
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

A Scruffian Primer 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Paralysed with fear 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

>111 psutto: Hope you are feeling better by now. Glad you found a silver lining and got lots of reading done!

>118 VivienneR: - Thanks!

The Ploughmen 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The singing fool 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

writing with style 0 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Sunburnt Faces 4 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? yes (translated from Hebrew)
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

quite a strange book - half coming of age, half character study, some speculative elements but mostly realistic, includes a 'wonderland' critique and a second world stroy (novella length) at the end... I enjoyed it but it was a meander so don't tackle if you're looking for plot!

The secret library 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Exercises in style 2 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? n0
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? yes
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

Thumping the table of mist 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? n0
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Picked this up at the laucnh of a new publisher in my home town - a handmade book of poetry

Q

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? yes
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

Just slipping in under the wire last night was Q - at around 600 pages long it took me a while to finish it...

Scores for May = 38!

The utopia of rules 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

I'm currently reading The bone clocks which is another chunkster (around 600 pages) that is a copy from an event when we went to see the author in Bath. So it's signed. And dated - 2014. It's taken me 4 years to get round to reading this hardback, which is the last hardback on the TBR that was not added this year, is not non-fiction or a short story collection (still 6 hardbacks left on there before I finish my hardback challenge!)

I saw this on Twitter (I'm @suttope btw -although be aware that I post a lot about the parlous state of UK politics amongst the book-related tweets)

TBR Book pile levels:
▪️Level 1: there are a few I’d like to read
▪️Level 2: I maintain a reasonable Goodreads account
▪️Level 3: I have a problem
▪️Level 4: behold, I hath made my house out of books
▪️Level 5: don’t move any of those, they contain the Minotaur

>127 psutto: My BF would argue that I am at least Level 3, whereas I think I'm just Level 2. Having 300-ish TBR books is pretty reasonable I think ;)

>127 psutto: Congratulations on your success with the hardback challenge!

In all honesty, I think I'm a Level 4, heading towards Level 5. I might need to review my book-buying habits.

>128 rabbitprincess: Yes, a TBR in the 300-ish is perfectly reasonable. I don't tell anyone how many TBR I have. Fortunately ebooks are invisible to all but me.

I believe that I'm at Level 3 and am only still there because I realised it was a problem a few years ago...

IF I didn't buy any books at all for the next 4 years I'd be able to get through my entire TBR...

Bear 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

picked this up at an event after hearing the poet read a few of her poems - really good, recommended to people who like genre and poetry

The Bone Clocks 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Our downstairs definitely looks like level 4.

Life on Air 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Friend of my youth 3 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Imposter Syndrome 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Dark Mountain Issue 13 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

2084

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

June score: 9

First failed month - hmmm may need to add a 'flash challenge' to July to bring that to double points. Will ponder that one

Next book is Gods war which is a book group one so not TBR, but is by a woman

Good luck in getting back on track in July. Being away on holiday has already de-railed my July reading plans. I always think I am going to read a lot on holidays but then I never do!

God's War 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

>141 DeltaQueen50: - Thanks, looking at previous years I read a lot more in colder months... so probably won't make it up this month!

>143 psutto: Interesting! But it makes sense -- nothing better than cozying up to a good book when it's cold outside!

My name is Leon 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Uncle Tungsten 1 point

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Pacific Monsters 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

I can now reveal that I'm one of the judges for this year's British Fantasy Award in the anthology category - 2084, pacific monsters, dark satanic mills, imposter syndrome and New Fears are all shortlisted

Congratulations, Pete, it looks like there are some good ones in that group.

>127 psutto:
I'm at level 1. If by "a few" i can mean ~2000. :D

Everyday sexism 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

>149 -Eva-: - I'm sure a "few" can mean whatever you want it to mean before the "I've made my house out of books" level ;-)

>151 psutto:
Haha, true.

New Fears 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Breaking the rules 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Edna Webster Collection of undiscovered writings 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Possessing genius 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Roald Dahl collected stories 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The blank screen 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Blood Cruise 3 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? Yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? Yes
Is it by a non-UK/US author? Yes

Got this as an ARC and it's he best horror I've read for ages - seriously if you're a fan of John Ajvide Lindqvist and/or Stephen King you should read it. A vampire tale set aboard a booze cruise between Sweden and Finland involving an ex-Eurovision star. Brilliant!

The mersey sound

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Short Circuit 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Write to the point 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

on editing 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The fifth season 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Coming late to this series and it's as good as people told me it was! If you haven't read it, you should!

Selkirk's island 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Humor, Stanley Donwood 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The Outsiders 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

A short history of myth 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

seemed very basic - maybe if you knew nothing at all about world myths it'd be an OK read

The obelisk gate 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Coaching writing 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The stone sky 2 points

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Several short sentences about writing 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Write a book - 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Christ stopped in Eboli 2 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? yes
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

Umbria 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Shelter 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The changeling 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

This is the summer of love

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Born to be bad 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

writers in training 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Normal 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

You are not human 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Contemporary essays in style 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Ted hughes selected by simon armitage 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

ghosts of the desert 1 point

Is it a TBR book? yes
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

My review of this one -

If you're into reading about rape then this book is definitely for you.

I'm not. One for the bin. Not often I just dispose of a book without passing it on - this is one of those times.

My latest book Seven Deadly Swords will be published later this month: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seven-Deadly-Swords-Peter-Sutton-ebook/dp/B07HLBZRHV/re...

In the US: https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Deadly-Swords-Peter-Sutton-ebook/dp/B07HLBZRHV/ref=...

I'm a joke and so are you 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

picked this up at an event with Robin Ince - he gave up stand up after an existential crisis and then wrote this book and is now back doing stand up - interesting book, more a loose collection of essays on the theme of why do stand up with some psychological, psychiatric and neurological details thrown in.

The willow by your side

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Howl, Kaddish and other powems 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

I always slow down in October - it's odd (although October is my busiest month usually so not that odd)

Juy 9 points
Aug 16 points
Sep 7 points
Oct 2 points

Hmm afer June it all went to pieces (apart from August!)

I've also bought too many books this year (no surprise there!) and the TBR is large now than it was when I started this challenge :-o

So next year (and I've toyed with doing this before but never been brave enough to try) I'm only going to read (for the 2019 challenge) TBR books - 5 a month - I will no doubt read non-TBR books as well (and next year is going to be busy in the day job and I have two books, one already partially written, to deliver so will definitely be reading less I think) so will have to think of a mechanism where reading a non-TBR needs to be cancelled out somehow...

60 books off the TBR is a small dent at this stage - but will be a dent!

>182 psutto: Ah yes, the neverending quest to reduce Mount TBR! I'll be experimenting with a new approach myself, next year.

Every little bit counts!

Congrats on 60 books off the TBR!

>182 psutto: 60 books off Mount TBR sounds pretty impressive to me! I am far behind my TBR goal myself.

I've done 55 books off the TBR so far this year... so 60 seems doable

How to be right 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

I've seen a few viral clips of James O'Brien on social media where he is patiently (but sometimes acrimoniously) dismantling people's erroneous beliefs. I was a bit disappointed to find that this book was basically a gloss and the same clips but in text. It's not a well-named book. Saying that though it is a fun read.

Bridge of Clay 2 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? yes
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? yes

I loved Book Thief This is a good read but a little too saccharine/deliberately and obviously manipulatve I feel. It's worth a read though & I got to meet Markus Zusak and get the book signed which is a big bonus

Horrorstor

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

(A re-read for book club)

Brexit and bandages

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

One million tiny cuts

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Ariel 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

>189 psutto: - I really enjoyed Horrorstor! First book to come to mind whenever I drive past/enter an Ikea store.

I really enjoyed it second time around too :-)

November has been a quiet/busy month and already into December!

Rosewater 1 point

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? yes
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

The company man 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Not sure how many books, if any, I'll finish by the end of the year - but as usual I'll do wrap up of this thread beginning of next year when I have my Xmas & birthday books...

The Night Ocean 0 points

Is it a TBR book? no
Is it Hardback? no
Is it by a woman or Person of Colour? no
Is it by a non-English speaker? no
Is it by a non-UK/US author? no

Books received for Xmas:

The Mirage
Weird Bristol
Ghosts of my life
Technological slavery

Last day of the year, last book of the challenge (155th book read this year) was The mirage -I'm usually a big fan of Matt Ruff but this book didn't really hit the spot for me, which is a shame.

I'll probably do a round up post next week and close this thread...

Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with good health and good reading.