10 Oldest Books on My TBR
Last week I mentioned that one of my goals for 2024 is to read the 10 oldest books on my TBR. By this I do not mean the books that were published the longest ago. I mean the books that have been on my TBR the longest. According to Goodreads, I added all these books in the last 8-10 years.
I was going to add that I mean specifically books that I own physically, but it turns out that the Venn diagram of the 10 books on my TBR the longest and the 10 books on my owned shelves the longest is a single circle. This suggests that once I own a book I no longer feel pressured to read the book. It would appear that the first 33 books on my TBR are, in fact, books I own physically. Let's not look into that too closely. Carry on!
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides - In the interest of full transparency, this was only added to my actual shelves about a year ago. It has 454 pages and has been on my TBR since December 12, 2014.
Midnight In Siberia: A Train Journey Into the Heart of Russia by David Greene - I have been mildly obsessed with Siberia since I watched White Nights in 1985. This book was published in 2014 and added to my TBR on December 19, 2014. It contains 336 pages.
The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne - Goodreads says this was published in 2013. It can't possible be that old. Surely it's only 5 years old. Anyway, this 291 page book was added to my TBR on December 23, 2014.
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan - Another one that can't possibly be as old as it is. It was published in 2012? This is getting dire. It's another slim book at 250 pages. I added it to my TBR January 21, 2015.
To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn - Finally a novel! Oh Lord, it was published in 2010. I'm way behind on this series. 307 pages. Added March 1, 2015.
Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival by Peter Stark - This might have been a cover add. I love that picture. I also am a fan of the Astors. No, not the Astors. The story of the Astors. Rich people behaving badly. Anyway, this 366 page beauty was published in 2014 and added to my TBR on May 7, 2015.
The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck - All of us who played the first video games on our computers in the 80s remember the Oregon Trail Game: "You have died of dysentery." The book is 451 pages and was published in 2015. It made its way onto my TBR on May 8, 2015.
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton - I actually did start this once. It wasn't the right time. Also it has 850 pages. It was published in 2013. I added it May 13, 2015.
The Infographic Guide to Literature by Joanna Eliot - This book is small, but takes a surprisingly long time to read. The reader has to study each page carefully to grasp the message in the content. It is taxing. 160 pages. Published in 2014 and added to my TBR on June 15, 2015.
Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin - I love Gretchen Rubin. I follow her on Threads. And Instagram. I own most of her books. I've only read 2. This one came out March 17, 2015. I added it to my TBR on January 7, 2016.
There you have it. The 10 books that have been on my TBR the longest. You'll notice only two of them are fiction. In actuality, I read about 50/50 fiction and nonfiction, but apparently not from my TBR shelves. That will change this year! I will read these 10 books!