laughing lioness Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 I know there's a couple of reading challenges going on this year. I thought it would be fun to see where everyone is at, what great books you've found and if you've posted reviews for those of us adding to our lists. Here's Mine: Challenge: 52 Books in a Year (hosted by Robin at My Two Blessings: http://www.read52booksin52weeks.com/) How I'm doing: 37/52 (after the year I've had, it is a great comfort to me to know that I'm actually accomplishing something tangible!) Fav Books: Econ: The Post American World Ed: Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire (though admittedly I read TWTM most years). Memoir: Living a Year of Kaddish Fiction: Tuck Non-Fiction: Outliers Big Surprise: Hunger Games and Catching Fire- loved them and can't wait for #3! Reviews: My blog under 52 books in a Year What about you?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 Challenge: 52 Books in a Year (hosted by Robin at My Two Blessings: http://www.read52booksin52weeks.com/) How I'm doing: I'm working on 26 & 27 out of 52 (or 33 & 34 out of 52 if you count the YA books I've read this year). I'm stunned that I've managed to read this many so far this year as I finished fewer than 20 last year (& far fewer in the years when my dc were really young). Favorite books out of the ones I've read this year: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Good Omens Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World The Remains of the Day City of Thieves Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen The Wee Free Men Big Surprise: Finding Life of Pi so profoundly disturbing that I felt it killed off a piece of my soul. It actually put me off reading for a couple of weeks. (I still love the cover art, though -- my favorite cover art of all the books I have read.) I also found The Hunger Games premise so disturbing that I quit reading it. Reviews: Generally posted in the book-a-week thread. (I don't blog, so I can't post reviews there, lol.) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Books I've read in 2010: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; Good Omens; The Palace of Dreams; Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World; Lying Awake; The Remains of the Day; Iron & Silk; Lottery; The City of Dreaming Books; Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel; Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What's Holding You Back; The Power of Less; Stop Clutter from Stealing Your Life; The Bonesetter's Daughter; Life of Pi; Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express; Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide; Waiting for Snow in Havana; The Happiness Project; Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable; The Dante Club; Conquering Chronic Disorganization; City of Thieves; Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life; Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen YA Books I've read in 2010: The Anybodies; The Wee Free Men; The Nobodies; Something Wickedly Weird: The Wooden Mile; Zorgamazoo; A Hat Full of Sky; Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Books I couldn't tolerate (so I quit reading them before finishing) in 2010: Bicycle Diaries; The Illuminator; The Elegance of the Hedgehog; Three Cups of Tea (YA version); The Hunger Games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 I'm doing 52 books in 52 weeks. Progress - I've completed 31/52 books that I actually listed. The books I didn't finish because I hated them so much, I didn't bother to list. I've reviewed 19/52 books. (I have no time to review while taking care of my hubby post-surgery). Here's the link to my reviews. Favorites have been The Cellist of Sarajevo, In the Land of Invisible Women, Waiting for Snow in Havana, and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Big Surprise - The Twilight series. I thought they would bore me out of my mind but they were good fun reads especially while sitting in the hospital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaissezFaire Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 Challenge: 52 Books in a Year How I'm doing: I am at 34 books so far this year so I am a little ahead of the game. I am beginning to work through the Great Books per The Well Educated Mind. Favorite books out of the ones I've read this year: The Book Thief The Well Educated Mind The Hunger Games The Kite Runner Water For Elephants Stacia- Was it the ending of Life of Pi? I was loving that book until the ending after which I felt ripped off and broken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 Stacia- Was it the ending of Life of Pi? I was loving that book until the ending after which I felt ripped off and broken. Well, I figured out the ending before he reached the floating island. The strange thing is that I found parts of the book absolutely lovely. The writing style was wonderful, I loved the main character (esp. when he was actively practicing three different religions at once), and who couldn't love a tiger named Richard Jenkins, ya know? But, the horror, the bleakness, the savageness, the cruelty of it all just did.me.in. I just felt like a little piece of my soul was ripped away. (And, I *still* don't get the promise at the beginning of the book that this story will make you believe in God. :confused:) If you're talking about the ending w/ the investigators, that part didn't bother me. Just another example of the irony of life, imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaissezFaire Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 I felt like the early part of the book and the later part were two different stories entirely. And Yes, I don't understand how it is supposed to make you 'believe in God'. I love survival stories and it was a great story for me right up until the floating island. That was when the story started losing it's credibility and I realized that it couldn't be possible (even in fiction). I was disappointed because up until the island I really liked it. I didn't so much mean the investigators as much as what the actual story was. I probably just spoiled the whole book for some people. oops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 I love survival stories and it was a great story for me right up until the floating island. That was when the story started losing it's credibility and I realized that it couldn't be possible (even in fiction). Well, I understand the protagonist would have to construct something to endure what happened to him. (I'm trying to be vague here so as not to give too many spoilers, lol.) All I can keep thinking of is a quote from "Heart of Darkness": "The horror! The horror!" Anyhow.... Speaking of survival stories, have you read "Into Thin Air"? I thought it was excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 Challenge: 52 Books in a Year (hosted by Robin at My Two Blessings) How I'm doing: Here's my blog about it. I've put about 40 books up, am now on week 27. Fav Books: Gosh, um. In Search of London! Death from the Skies! and the Kage Baker books have all been good ones recently. The first one, Undress me in the Temple of Heaven, was also great. Big Surprise: sorry, don't know. Reviews: Check out the blog. I'm not much good at reviews though. Challenge: Medieval Tournament of Books (hosted by the Medieval Bookworm) How I'm doing: Only four books so far, which puts me a little above peasant level. I need to read a bunch more literature! Am trying to read the Alexiad but it's huge and dull. Perhaps Margery of Kempe would be better? Fav Books: SWB's History of the Medieval World! Big Surprise: Thomas Mann's Holy Sinner. I had no idea what I was getting into. Reviews: Here they are. Challenge: Classics Bookclub at 5 Minutes for Books. How I'm doing: Great the 1st quarter, not so hot the 2nd. Fav Books: The Woman in White. Big Surprise: I got nothing. I have a hard time picking favorites. Reviews: Here's some. My definition of 'classic' may be a little broad. :) Lastly, I went slightly mad and started my own reading challenge, of American history, because I'm bad at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted July 6, 2010 Author Share Posted July 6, 2010 Wow, ya'll just gave me a whole bunch more to do, namely check out more books and challenges:001_smile: I just couldn't get into the Life of Pi but it sounds like how I felt about The Road. Creeped out. I did really love Hunger Games- didn't think I would at all, but the characters are intriguing and once I got over the creep factor, there is actually hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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