As I browsed my massively over-sized TBR pile at the start of 2020, I realised that many of the books that have been sitting on it longest are the ones with the biggest page count.
It seems my what-do-I-read-next? choices have been unconsciously sizeist. My eye tends to fall more often on the cute 250-350 pages books that bounce on my virtual shelves, offering to give me their all in six to eight hours rather than on the lengthier tomes that want a commitment of twelve to twenty-four hours (or more) but promise me that they’ll be worth it.
So I’ve decided to redress the balance and start the new decade with a 20 For 20 Reading Challenge where SIZE MATTERS.
The 20 for 20 Reading Challenge
To Read twenty books from my TBR pile that are 600 pages/20 hours long or more.
Here are the books I’ve chosen:
I’ll keep you posted on my progress as I go.
Mike Finn's Fiction 
Hi Mike, I’ve been reading your reviews for a couple of years now, because (a) when you review books I’ve already read, I agree with you 100%, and therefore (b) I pay attention to your recommendations of books I haven’t read. So, ahem, just wanted to say: if “Cyteen” is your first CJ Cherryh book (??), I’d recommend you start with “Foreigner” or “Pride of Chanur” instead. I’ve read a lot of her books, and those two series are big favorites. Good reading to you in 2020!
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Hi Kyra, thanks for dropping by and for reading my reviews. I loved the Chanur series. I read them as they came out in the eighties. Back then, I had to order them as imports to the UK bookshop I used. I still remember the puzzled look on the bookseller’s face when he realised I’d gone to the trouble of importing a book with cats on the front call “The Kiff Strike Back”. I read the first three Foreigner books. I’ve only recently discovered there are more and I’m considering going back to the beginning and starting again.
Thanks for the heads up on Cyteen I’m going to be merciless in deciding Life’s Too Short when reading these longer books, so if it doesn’t fly I’ll move on.
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I noticed the same problem with my reading, so when we moved to a new apartment last year I put all the scary long books on one bookshelf. This way I feel sorry for them and guilt makes me chip away at them. Slowly, granted, but surely 😉 From your list, I read The Luminaries and the Goldfinch, I personally thoroughly enjoyed both of them, but I know opinions are divided on them. Special Topics in Calamity Physics was one of my favorite books when I was 17, I re-read it again few years ago, worried I may not enjoy it, but it was still lots of fun. Good luck with the challenge!
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Thank you.
My wife read “The Luninaries” and thought it too long but quite like “The Goldfinch.”
It’s good to hear yoo enjoyed “Special Tooics”. I have it planned as soon as I finish “The Nix”..
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