Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2016

I am so excited to sign up for my very first reading challenge! I came across this one somewhere in the blogosphere and it is perfect for me. The Mount TBR Reading Challenge is hosted by My Reader's Block and I absolutely love the idea. There are eight levels from which to choose and there is one doable for everyone. Check these out:

Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancouver: Read 36 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR piles/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 60 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Everest: Read 100 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Olympus (Mars): Read 150+ books from your TBR pile/s

The whole idea is to finally make my way through all those books I've had for so long that I've never gotten around to reading. Last year I tried so hard to work my way through my TBR list by forbidding myself from purchasing new books. While that was a worthy goal, all it really accomplished was making me a more frequent patron of our library. While I love libraries, I really need to do something about those boxes of unread books that I don't want to have to move again. This challenge allows for the reading of paper books as well as e-books and I have quite the backlog of those as well, though they are much easier to store and move.

My favorite thing about this challenge is that it allows for DNFs or Did Not Finish books. Often I will go to my TBR pile and nothing really looks good to me (I don't know why because they certainly looked good when I bought them). The point of the challenge is to clear off (or at least greatly reduce) that pile. If I start a book and give it a real try and it turns out it's a book I will never really want to read, I can count it toward my total as long as I donate, sell, or give it away. Book removed, mission accomplished.

I'd really like to aim high with my goal, but I want to keep this realistic and also fun. I don't ever want reading to feel like a chore. That is why I am planning to start with Mt. Ararat. If I make it to 48 books and still have time in the year, I can always upgrade my goal to the next level.

Join me, won't you? This is going to be a lot of fun and it will help me make room for new books! How high can you climb?