With the new year upon us it is time to conquer new challenges, and here is another book related on for me: The 2014 TBR Pile Challenge brought to you by the Roof Beam Reader. One of the reasons I’ve signed up for this challenge is because sometimes i get too caught up in all the new books out there and I forget to read the ones that have been sitting on my shelves for year (some that even journeyed from Canada to Scotland with us!).
In accordance with the rule of the TBR Pile Challenge, I have selected 12 books and two alternates just in case one or two of the twelve don’t appeal to me.
- The Magic of Saida by M.G. Vassanji
- The Missing Shade of Blue by Jennie Erdal
- The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell
- The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
- The Registrar’s Manual for Detecting Forced Marriages by Sophia Hardach
- The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli
- The Beauty of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb
- In The Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner
- Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
- White Teeth by Zadie Smit
Alternates
- The Prime of Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
- The Lost Girls by Jennifer Baggett et al.
52 books or bust 
In the Shadow of the Banyan is one that’s been sitting on my shelf for quite some time, too. Behind the Beautiful Forevers is such a heartbreaking book, but is really wonderful. Looks like you have a great list!
Ok, so here’s the deal. You read Shadow of the Banyan and I will read the ones off your list that should be on my list. That way we can compare notes. I hate reading in a vacuum!
Great list! Quite a few there that I’ve had my eye on. Looking forward to reading your posts about them! Good luck with the challenge 🙂
I don’t think I’ve read any of these books! Looking forward to hearing about them. I have a big TBR pile of my own, and was thinking about signing up for this challenge. It would be my first one.
You should sign up. It’s fun to see what other bloggers are reading and also a great way to meet them!
Great choices! I really should’ve probably put White Teeth on my list too since I’ve had it forever.
What is our problem? It’s supposed to be a great book. I read On Beauty and loved it. Time to get off my butt and read Smith’s other stuff.
Oh! Those covers all look so beautiful. And I can tell you a little secret: both The Death of Bees and The Beauty of Humanity Movement are two of my favorite books. They’re so good!
I own a copy of Weird Sisters but haven’t read it yet. Maybe next year…
i have heard only so-so things about the Weird Sisters, but it was on sale, and i had to buy it. The other two i can’t wait to read. I love Camilla Gibb. And Death of Bees sounds so great. Can’t wait to get started.
This is a fun challenge! I’ve tried and failed the last two years, but always think it looks like such a great plan for getting through some long-forgotten books. Good luck!
I should have put White Teeth on my list, too! I wanted to put NW by Zadie Smith on, but it wasn’t quite old enough, I thought, during my rush to put my list together. I’ve read a few on your list…loved Behind the Beautiful Forevers, liked The Death of Bees, and was disappointed in The Weird Sisters. Hadn’t heard of The Registrar’s Manual for Detecting Forced Marriages before, but great title!
I haven’t heard great things about The Weird Sisters, but it was sitting on my shelf and therefore should be read. My expectations are low going in, so maybe it will turn out being ok.
Yes, I read it close to when it came out and my expectations were very high!
I just added so many books to my to read list from this post! I’m looking forward to this challenge, I’m terrible at buying books but not reading them.
I’ve loved looking at everyone else’s lists too. It’s nice to know that buying books but not reading them seems to afflict many of us.
I read The Lotus Eaters before! Enjoy 😉
I’ve listed down the books here and I’ll check them out soon. I have The Death of Bees but I haven’t read it yet. I started reading one of the books in my TBR pile for this challenge today. I hope I get to finish all the challenges I signed up for. Have a great reading year! 🙂
What a marvelous list! Banyon Tree is gorgeous and I’ve wanted to read Beatutiful Forevers- can’t wait for your review!