I signed up to read only books from my TBR for 6 weeks.  No point trying for the full 3 months as March is the Glasgow AyeWrite literary festival and there is bound to be something new that I’ll want to read in preparation for that.  The programme is due any time now.  I hope it is more enticing than this list of hotly anticipated books.  Right now, I’m inclined only to pick up the Mankell.

At this moment my TBR is definitely more exciting and it can stay that way – for the next 5 weeks, at least!  The less temptation, the better. TBR Dare week 1 was  a full reading week as I wasn’t at work and  I read quality aplenty.    2 five-star and 1 four-star read!  I’ve already reviewed The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and will review Hotel Du Lac following tomorrow’s book group.

The third book, incidentally the first read of 2011,  was the subject of a special book discussion.  My group “Well-Read in Motherwell” (we’re ambitious)  were invited by The Book Cafe to discuss Tessa Hadley’s The London Train.  Most of the group were (and I find this hard to believe) too shy to “appear” but here are the brave few discussing the book  in Motherwell Library last Thursday.  (That’s me,  bottom left.)

The programme will be aired tomorrow on the BBC Book Cafe (Radio Scotland 1.15 pm, available on iplayer for seven days thereafter) and while I wasn’t at all nervous during the recording, I am now.  I know I’ve put my big plain-talking Lancastrian mouth in it somewhere! And if not, I’ve definitely dropped my haitches!

Other reading pleasures this week included the transcript of Alaistair Gray’s demolition of Andrew Marr on live radio.  (Naughty of me to include ths link, but Andrew Marr doesn’t like bloggers anyway, so what is there to lose?)  I also had a good chuckle at the tweeting of less ambitious book titles.

Finally, which books have you chosen for me from my TBR mountain range?  In the end, there was a four-way tie.  I was going to ignore Jackie’s shameless triplicate  4’s.   But seeing as book 4 is written by a female (the other 3 are by male authors) and it involves Scotland, I shall let the choice stand. Here are the Blogger Choices of 2010 that are to be added to my immediate TBR. Coincidentally all four are British blogger choices even though the original longlist of 18 were chosen by a global group.

From bottom up:

#4  Corrag – Susan Fletcher – chosen by The Book Whisperer

#9 The City and The City – China Mieville chosen by Chasing Bawa

#11 Stone’s Fall – Iain Pears – chosen by Farm Lane Books

#17 Brecht at Night – Mati Unt – chosen by Winston’s Dad