Books That Have Been On My TBR Pile Since the Dawn Of Time

Each of us has a pile of unread books. For some people this is a humbling pile on the couch table or near the night stand. For the next person it might be a whole part of the bookshelf. No matter which applies, there are always books that have not been touched ever since they have come into your possession.

These books looked great and tempting when you found them in the bookstore. Maybe they had a really special cover or the blurb sounded like the best story that had ever been written. Or maybe it was just 0,99€ on amazon. The reasons of seductions are varied but their power only goes as far as making it onto the forsaken pile. Once there, these books wait their turn .... which could take quite a long time ....

The book that has been on my TBR pile the longest, is in fact the oldest book I own. It is "War And Peace" by Leo Tolstoy.

This is a copy that was passed down to me by my grandmother. I wanted to have it because it is a classic, and maybe also because John Sheppard from Stargate Atlantis read it too. Sadly, my reading pace of this book is even worse than his: while he needed between three to four years, I have been reading it since the last 10 years. I have an average of roughly two pages per year.

Technically speaking, it is not on my TBR but rather on the"currently reading" shelf. However, my two pages per year had been set 10 years ago when I managed 20 pages and then put it aside to continue later .... which I haven't done yet.

Meanwhile, "The Midnight Line" by Lee Child is the "youngest" book that has been on my TBR pile since ages.

It is another Jack Reacher book and while I enjoy reading books from the series, I always have to be in a certain mood to crave that genre and writing in particular. After all, they are not the most complex plots, even if they they are written in an enjoyable way.

While Lee Child's books are a guilty pleasure of mine, you don't always indulge in your guilty pleasures. Furthermore, the book has a silly shape.

"Sharp Objects" by Gillian Flynn is another book that has been on my TBR since I can remember. I enjoyed "Gone Girl" very much and when I saw a different book by the same author I could not resist.

However, ever since it arrived at home I have been able to resist its calling. I always found another book to read instead. I never quite felt like picking up that story.

I disappoint myself by doing so because I really did enjoy "Gone Girl" and I am very curious how "Sharp Objects" stacks up against it. At the same time, there is always another book lying next to it which I end up reading instead.

A mini-review of "Sharp Objects" is available in my Spring Reading Round Up.

"Die Schützen" by Thomas Mohr is a book that fares a similar fate. I got it in a bulk order of queer literature. I had a phase where I wanted to read a queer romance that took place during a war or as I would call it: battle hardened love.

Then why did I not pick up this book as soon as it crossed my path? If I am honest, I am not quite sure. On the one hand, I have it in German - since this is its original language. On the other hand, German is my first language anyway. Still I find myself reading more books in English than in any other language.

The plot is also interesting and right up my street as well. So why this book ends up not being read, marks one of the universe's biggest mysteries.

As soon as I finish the book I am reading at the moment, I am going to pick up this fine piece of literature next!

.... possibly.