Book a Week in 2012 - week 34

Robin M · August 19, 2012

Good Morning, Dolls! Today is the start of week 34 in our quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Welcome back to all our readers, welcome to all those just joining in and to all who are following our progress. Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 books blog to link to your reviews.

52 Books Blog - More Author Birthdays: Several authors having birthdays this week including Gene Roddenberry, Ray Bradbury, Orson Scott Card and more. Check out the links and add some books to your wishlist. :)

Love Stephen King or been meaning to check him out: Look into the Stephen King Epic Dark Tower Readalong.

Check out Publisher Weekly's best new books for week of August 20.

What are you reading this week?

Link to week 33

Robin M · August 19, 2012

Reading another debut novel which won't be available til October - The Bookseller: The First Hugo Marston Novel by Mark Pryor. Good airplane book - not hard to concentrate on. Plus listening to Divided in Death by J.D. Robb

Negin · August 19, 2012

Reading another debut novel which won't be available til October - The Bookseller: The First Hugo Marston Novel by Mark Pryor. Good airplane book - not hard to concentrate on.

Robin, this looks good. :)

Jen in PA · August 19, 2012

Oh my, I haven't posted in a LONG time.... First I had lots of weekends out of town or without internet (but I wasn't getting much reading done, so it wasn't a big deal). Then I kept procrastinating because I didn't feel like typing everything out, so here goes before the list snowballs even more:

76. Household Tales -- Grimm's Fairy Tale collection, read for my Coursera class.

77. I am Mordred by Nancy Springer. YA Arthurian novel, I really enjoyed this.

78. The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time. This was a lovely book, and tied in well with The Shallows and similar titles I read earlier in the year.

79. Slow Lightning -- a book of poetry by Eduardo Corral. I read and reread many of these poems -- not for kids, but I really enjoyed this.

80. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -- a reread for my Coursera class

81. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 2 -- I liked this even more than the first volume.

82. The Moustrap -- play by Agatha Christie, lots of fun.

83. On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art of Storytelling. My favorite sort of book -- a book about books. This was full of great ideas for further reading.

84. Zahrah the Windseeker -- YA fiction. Unusual sci fi/adventure novel, I really enjoyed this.

85. The Copper Peacock by Ruth Rendell. My first time reading Rendell's short fiction. I enjoyed most of the stories, but the last one (featuring characters from the Wexford novels) was disappointing.

Just Robyn · August 19, 2012

This week I finished 63.) The Illustrated Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking - What percent of information really sunk in? Probably not a huge one, but I enjoyed reading it and plan to read some more books by him eventually.

eaglei · August 19, 2012

Originally Posted by Negin in Grenada:
Good for you for being willing to give her another try. Do bear in mind that she's generally light and fluffy. I started reading her books when I was in my late teens and I've read them all. I just googled her page and am so sad to hear that she just passed away a few weeks ago. She was one of those authors that I always dreamed of meeting.

The first book I read by her was Echoes. Liked it a lot. Don't remember it much.

Loved Circle of Friends - even better than the movie, which is usually the case anyway.

Many of the characters in her books appear again and again, more so her later books, so it may help to read them in order, but you don't have to. That link lists her books in order.

As with any author, even the best ones, I wouldn't recommend reading them back-to-back. I would take a break and read a new one every few months or so or else it's overkill.

I can't remember which book I've loved the most. I haven't particularly disliked any of them, but some have been far better than others.

I'd probably go with Echoes, Firefly Summer, or Silver Wedding - probably because of order of publication. I also happen to have liked her earlier books more.

Negin,

Thank you for such a complete answer! I appreciate that! News of Maeve's death (posted here at the Hive) is what alerted me to this author and made me decide to try one of her books. I still marvel at all the authors I either wasn't aware of, or, have simply forgotten about, given that long ago I spent a goodly amount of time working in libraries, including heading up a small public library where books like these were continuously checked-out . . . But Maeve - I simply cannot recall ever hearing of her before a couple weeks ago . . . Next time I go to the library, I'll check out one of the titles you've mentioned. Sometimes I read books back-to-back by the same author and sometimes it is exactly what you said - overkill. Oh - "light and fluffy" is definitely okay these days! I am still mostly reading for escape while waiting (hoping) for life to ease up a bit. :001_smile:

BTW, how do you pronounce her first name? In my mind, I keep calling her Mave (long a sound, silent e). Maeve looks pretty in print . . .

Onceuponatime · August 19, 2012

I'm reading In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, just because I never have. It's a nice read.

eaglei · August 19, 2012

This week I finished:

#44 - Every Other Monday: Twenty Years of Life, Lunch, Faith and Friendship, by John Kasich. Overall, I was disappointed. I heard the author interviewed a couple years ago when his book first came out and decided then that I wanted to read it. The library didn't have it. I am very careful how often and which books I request at the library, as they will generally purchase them. (Only once have I ever had a book request turned down - in their search they determined that it was a text book; my search turned up a slightly more than 200-page nonfiction book - certainly not text book calibre. Anyway, I digress . . .). I am SO glad I didn't request Kasich's book! (I recently found a copy at a used book sale). He is, IMHO, not the best writer - it needed some editing. His personality peppered his writing way too much. There was also obvious repetition. As for content, it seemed to lack much substance. The reality of what these guys do (meet every other Monday to discuss Bible topics and the relationship to real life) and the serious dedication with which they study, discuss, argue, and ultimately work to activate their understanding in their individual lives, while being wholly available to one another as friends and mentors, is encouraging and inspiring; however, their story could have been told in far less words. (as probably should have my comments . . . :D)

Currently reading:

#45 - The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book I ever read by Tyler (The Amateur Marriage). ErinE, here on the Hive said her favorite was The Accidental Tourist. I was delighted to see that the library had it, so I started it last evening. It has already drawn me in!

Negin · August 19, 2012

Thank you for such a complete answer!

You're most welcome. :grouphug:

"light and fluffy" is definitely okay these days! I am still mostly reading for escape while waiting (hoping) for life to ease up a bit.

:iagree: and can fully relate.

BTW, how do you pronounce her first name? In my mind, I keep calling her Mave (long a sound, silent e). Maeve looks pretty in print . . .

That's how I pronounce it. I think that's how I heard it be pronounced on The Today Show or GMA years ago.

Negin · August 19, 2012

In the past few weeks while traveling I didn't get as much reading done as I had hoped I would, but that's okay. Had a great time anyway.

I started and gave up on a few books. They failed my 10% Rule.

I read the following:

The Enchanted April - which I liked a lot, even though I thought that it ended a bit abruptly. Liked it a lot nonetheless. 4 Stars

The Litigators - 2 Stars - Much prefer his older stuff

Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip - 4 Stars - I don't know much American history or about most of the Presidents, and barely knew anything at all about Truman. Enjoyed this one a lot. What really touched me was the incredible amount of love he had for his wife. Very sweet. Also loved the author's writing style. Very engaging.

I just started Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns - absolutely hilarious :smilielol5: - love it so far.

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

Rubbish – waste of my money and time

Edited August 19, 2012 by Negin in Grenada

Negin · August 19, 2012

#45 - The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book I ever read by Tyler (The Amateur Marriage). ErinE, here on the Hive said her favorite was The Accidental Tourist. I was delighted to see that the library had it, so I started it last evening. It has already drawn me in!

I've enjoyed some of her books. My problem is that I don't remember which ones I've read. I don't think that I'll read The Accidental Tourist since I saw the movie (many years ago). Would like to start reading some of her stuff again. :)

Stacia · August 19, 2012

I'm still working on (& enjoying) the steampunk book Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris.

[/indent]--------------------------

My Goodreads Page

Completed the Europa Challenge Cappuccino Level (at least 6 Europa books: #s 4, 9, 10, 11, 14, 19, & 21 on my list).

Completed Robin's Read a Russian Author in April Challenge (#24 & #26 on my list).

My rating system: 5 = Love; 4 = Pretty awesome; 3 = Decently good; 2 = Ok; 1 = Don't bother (I shouldn't have any 1s on my list as I would ditch them before finishing)...

2012 Books Read:

Books I read January-June 2012

37. Clutter Busting Your Life by Brooks Palmer (3 stars)

38. The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje (5 stars)

39. The Colors of Infamy by Albert Cossery (3 stars)

40. Osa and Martin: For the Love of Adventure by Kelly Enright (3 stars)

41. Hexed by Kevin Hearne (4 stars)

42. Soulless by Gail Carriger (3 stars)

43. The Hoarder in You by Dr. Robin Zasio (3 stars)

44. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (3 stars)

45. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley (5 stars)

46. The Nazi SÃ©ance by Arthur J. Magida (2 stars)

Stacia · August 19, 2012

Check out Publisher Weekly's best new books for week of August 20.

I'm going to have to look for a couple of those -- Martin Amis' Lionel Asbo: State of England and Pankaj Mishra's From the Ruins of Empire: The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia. Both look like books I'd enjoy reading. Thanks for the link, Robin.

My favorite sort of book -- a book about books. This was full of great ideas for further reading.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a book about loving books. You might enjoy it, if you haven't already read it.

Zahrah the Windseeker sounds really neat.

This week I finished 63.) The Illustrated Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking - What percent of information really sunk in? Probably not a huge one, but I enjoyed reading it and plan to read some more books by him eventually.

:lol: I'm not sure I'd get a lot of his info either, but I wish I could!

BTW, how do you pronounce her first name? In my mind, I keep calling her Mave (long a sound, silent e). Maeve looks pretty in print . . .

That's how I've always heard it pronounced.

The Enchanted April - which I liked a lot, even though I thought that it ended a bit abruptly. Liked it a lot nonetheless. 4 Stars

The Litigators - 2 Stars - Much prefer his older stuff

Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip - 4 Stars - really don't know much American history or about most of the Presidents, and barely knew anything at all about Truman. Really enjoyed this one. What really touched me was the incredible amount of love he had for his wife. Very sweet. Also loved the author's writing style. Very engaging.

I just started Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns - absolutely hilarious :smilielol5: - love it so far.

Glad you enjoyed The Enchanted April. The Truman book & the one you're currently reading sound great. Will have to check my library for those....

Mom-ninja. · August 19, 2012

Welcome back, Negin. Missed you. :)

I finished Your Inner Fish the other day. I found it fascinating.

Negin · August 19, 2012

I'm still working on (& enjoying) the steampunk book Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris.

This looks really good and I love the cover. :D

Welcome back, Negin. Missed you. :)

Thank you. :grouphug: I missed you also. :grouphug:

I finished Your Inner Fish the other day. I found it fascinating.

This looks really interesting. :)

Lady Florida. · August 19, 2012

Hi all. I read this thread often and finally decided to jump in. I don't actually have a goal to read a certain number of books in a specified time. I just read. All. The. Time.

Most everything I read now is on my Kindle. I'm on the waiting list for the Kindle version of Gone Girl at my library. They have one copy and there are 54 people ahead of me! It's going to be a while before I read that one.

I finished A Regimental Murder by Ashley Gardner this afternoon, and picked up Anna Karenina. I will probably read it slowly while reading one my many mysteries at the same time. Mystery in general, cozy mystery, and historical mystery are my favorite genres.

My goodreads page

Books read in 2012 - in no particular order because I didn't join goodreads until a few months ago, and hadn't kept track of when I read each one

1. To Kill a Mockingbird (re-read it because I assigned it to ds and wanted it to be fresh in my mind).

2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer

3. The Poet and the Murderer, Simon Worrall

4. Nearly Departed in Deadwood, Ann Charles

5. Swan Song, Lee Hanson (not the famous one of the same title, but a mystery set in the Orlando area)

6. The Broken Token, Chris Nickson

7. The Count of Monte Cristo

8. I'd Listen To My Parents If They'd Just Shut Up: What to Say and Not to Say When Parenting Teens, Anthony E. Wolf

9. Gone, Michael Grant

10. Murder in Mykonos, Jeffrey Siger

11. The Hanover Square Affair, Ashley Gardner

12. Murder Behind the Scenes: A Victorian Mystery, Isabella Macready

13. Uneasy Spirits: A Victorian San Francisco Mystery, Louisa Locke

14. Murder in a Mill Town, P.B. Ryan

15. The Sign of the Four (Sherlock Holmes)

16. Accomplished in Murder, Dara England

17. Maids of Misfortune, Louisa Locke

18. The Butterfly Forest, Tom Lowe

19. Chasing China: A Daughter's Quest for Truth, Kay Bratt

20. Immortal in Death, J.D. Robb

21. Rapture in Death, J.D. Robb

22. The Well Educated Mind, SWB

23. Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living, Tsh Oxenreider

24. Castle Cay, Lee Hanson

25. The Cater Street Hangman, Anne Perry

26. Callander Square, Anne Perry

27. Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague, Geraldine Brooks

28. Cold Cruel Winter, Chris Nickson

29. Watching Jeopardy, Norm Foster

30. To the Grave: A Genealogical Mystery, Steve Robinson

31. Florida Heat, Rainy Kirkland

32. A Regimental Murder, Ashley Gardner

33. The One Minute Organizer, Donna Smallin

34. In the Blood, Steve Robinson

35. The Hangman's Daughter, Oliver Potzsch

36. Etsy 101 Sell Your Crafts on Etsy, Steve Weber

Zebra · August 19, 2012

I just started Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns - absolutely hilarious :smilielol5: - love it so far.

I read this a few months ago and enjoyed it too.

I didn't finish anything this week...I'm still working through The History of the Ancient World.

dangermom · August 19, 2012

This week we have--

The Sufferings of Young Werther, by Goethe. A new translation that was really good! Werther himself is a self-absorbed young man who needs a smack upside the head and a job in construction.

Periodic Tales by Hugh Aldersey-Williams. Loved this one! He sort of meanders around the periodic table and talks about elements, especially historical and cultural aspects.

Peer Gynt, by Henrik Ibsen--interesting play, half fairy-tale and half sort of realistic. Peer Gynt is a rascal, and I don't understand why Solveig waits for him. Any ideas?

Paisley Hedgehog · August 19, 2012

.

Rosyl · August 19, 2012

I haven't checked in for about 1o weeks and have slowed way down on my reading. i have been busy with summer and school planning.

52) Wizard of Oz (to my dc) Baum

51) The waiting Susan Woods Fisher\

50) Need You Now by Beth Wiseman

49) Haven by Susan Woods Fisher

48) Cottage By The Sea by Robin Jones Gunn

47) Missing by Shelley Shepard Gray

46) Finally and Forever Robin Jones Gunn

45) Love Story by Erich Segal which is from my birthmonth, week and year. I really liked it.

44) The Wounded Heart Adina Senft

43) The Keeper by Suzanne Woods Fisher

42) Home Another Way Christa Parrish I liked this one alot.

41) The 1/2 Stitched Quilting Club Wanda Brunstetter

40) The Choice Suzanne Fisher Woods

39) Love on the Line Deeann Gist

38) Love Finds You in Sunset Beach, Hawaii Robin Jones Gunn

37) Coming Attractions Robin Jones Gunn

36) On a whim Robin Jones Gunn

35) Peculiar treasures Robin Jones Gunn

34) Loving by Karen Kingsbury

33) Watch Over Me by Christa Parrish

32) The Core by Leigh Bortins

31) Breaking Intimidation by John Bevere This was a little charasmatic for my taste, but good.

30) Big Decisions Linda Byler

29) Mockingjay Collins

28) Catching Fire Collins

27) I walk in Dread the Diary of Deliverance Trembley A Dear America Book

26) A Hope For Hannah by Jerry Eicher

25) A Year of Living Biblically A.J. Jacobs

24) Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow on audio

23) A Dream For Hannah by Jerry Eicher.

22) Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare on audio

21) A Love That Multiplies, Duggars on Audio

20) Ella Finds Love, Eicher

19) Hunger Games bySuzanne Collins

18) The Duggars 20 and counting by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar

17) Emotionally Healthy Spiritually by Peter Scazarro

16) Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider

15) The Survivor by Beth Wiseman (yet another amish book)

14) The Art of Mingling by Jeanne Martinet audio book

13) Growing up Amish by Beth Wiseman

12) Ella's Wish By Jerry Eicher

11) Growing up Amish by Ira Wagler

10) The Healing by Wanda Brunstetter

9) Christmas in Sugarcreek by Shelley Shepard Gray

8) The Dark Tide

7) Little Men, Louisa May Alcott on Audio

6) Winter of the Red Snow.

5) The Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory.

4) A Wedding Quilt for Ella by Jerry Eicher

3) Longing by Karen Kingsbury.

2) Little Women by Alcott

1) Midummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare

Edited August 19, 2012 by Rosyl

Lady Florida. · August 19, 2012

Several of these are re-reads and ALL are fluff, but I don't care :D

I usually read a few classics and several non-fiction books each year. The rest are fluff. I prefer to get my entertainment from books than tv or movies, so I don't care if they're fluff. They're fun. :D

KnitWit · August 20, 2012

I'm working on finishing "Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jaime Ford. I'm enjoying it, but we have had quite a bit of company lately.

Violet Crown · August 20, 2012

I have had a miserable head cold this week that has made school a nightmare. BUT, the up-side to a miserable head cold is that I finished the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge! Yea, me ! :hurray:

#45-49 Club Dead, Living Dead in Dallas, Dead As A Doornail, Definitely Dead, All Together Dead (Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris)

#50 Towards Zero (Agatha Christie)

#51 The Hobbit

#52 The Night Season (Gretchen Lowell serial killer #3 series by Chelsea Cain)

Several of these are re-reads and ALL are fluff, but I don't care :D Last year I didn't hit #52 until the end of November so I have improved my totals. From now on it's gravy ;)

:hurray::hurray::hurray:

Influenced by Maus's recent reading, I just ordered Freeing Your Child From Anxiety. Tell me that it's good for small children.

I'm still of course on City of God, and am also starting Gogol's Dead Souls. We'll see which one is done first!

Jen in PA · August 20, 2012

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a book about loving books. You might enjoy it, if you haven't already read it.

That looks good!

Ali in OR · August 20, 2012

Since I last checked in I finished a couple more Jane Austen mysteries. I'm enjoying all of them--nice easy summer reading. I am now reading All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot since I will assign it to dd this fall. It is beautiful and often humorous. The girls and I are also almost done with The Hobbit--also beautifully written. I read it as a teenager and remembered very little of it. It's nice to read aloud--the sentences just roll off the tongue.

Books Read in 2012 (* = contenders for my 2012 Top Ten)

50. Jane and the Stillroom Maid-Stephanie Barron

49. Jane and the Genius of the Place-Stephanie Barron

48. Jane and the Wandering Eye-Stephanie Barron

47. The Power of Habit-Charles Duhigg*

46. Anna Karenina-Leo Tolstoy*

45. Jane and the Man of the Cloth-Stephanie Barron

44. The House of the Seven Gables-Nathaniel Hawthorne

43. Mockingjay-Suzanne Collins

42. The Vitamin D Solution-Michael F. Holick

41. Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor-Stephanie Barron

40. Suspense and Sensibility-Carrie Bebris

39. Catching Fire-Suzanne Collins

38. Pride and Prescience-Carrie Bebris

37. The Night Circus-Erin Morgenstern*

36. Houskeeping-Marilynne Robinson

35. Death Comes to Pemberley-P.D. James

34. The Language of Flowers-Vanessa Diffenbaugh*

33. The Peach Keeper-Sarah Addison Allen

32. 11/22/63-Stephen King*

31. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer-Mark Twain

30. Quiet-Susan Cain*

29. The Paris Wife-Paula McLain

28. The Girl Who Chased the Moon-Sarah Addison Allen

27. The Feast Nearby-Robin Mather

26. The Sugar Queen-Sarah Addison Allen

25. The Invention of Hugo Cabret-Brian Selznick

24. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks-Rebecca Skloot*

23. The Hunger Games-Suzanne Collins

22. Not a Fan-Kyle Idleman

21. Wildwood-Colin Meloy

20. Miss Peregrineâ€™s Home for Peculiar Children-Ransom Riggs

19. The Mysterious Affair at Styles-Agatha Christie

18. A String in the Harp-Nancy Bond

17. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats-Jan-Philipp Sendker*

16. The Lacuna-Barbara Kingsolver*

15. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows-Alan Bradley

14. Garden Spells-Sarah Addison Allen

13. The Prince and the Pauper-Mark Twain

12. Romeo and Juliet-William Shakespeare

11. The Shallows-Nicholas Carr

10. The Handmaidâ€™s Tale-Margaret Atwood

9. Mudbound-Hillary Jordan*

8. The Other Wind-Ursula Le Guin

7. What the Dog Saw-Malcolm Gladwell

6. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall-Anne Bronte

5. Tehanu-Ursula Le Guin

4. The Scarlet Pimpernel-Baroness Orczy

3. The Paleo Diet-Loren Cordain

2. Peter Pan-James Barrie

1. The Farthest Shore-Ursula Le Guin

Stacia · August 20, 2012

I finished Your Inner Fish the other day. I found it fascinating.

That looks good! Another one to add to my list....

Hi all. I read this thread often and finally decided to jump in.

Hi, Kathy. It's good to see you on this thread. :001_smile:

I have had a miserable head cold this week that has made school a nightmare. BUT, the up-side to a miserable head cold is that I finished the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge!

Awesome! :party:

also starting Gogol's Dead Souls. We'll see which one is done first!

Looking forward to your review of Gogol. I thought of reading him during Robin's Russian challenge, but ultimately decided on Bulgakov instead (& a modern author, Olga Grushin)....

Maus · August 20, 2012

Completed:

Book #46 - "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City" by Greg Witt. I've done a few of the hikes he describes, but was surprised by how many I've never heard of. This was a library book, but I ought to buy it just so I can tell my son the names of the mountains that surround us. He's always asking, and I only know a few.

Book #45 - "Freeing Your Child From Anxiety" by Tamar Chansky.

Book #44 - "A Nation Rising" by Kenneth C. Davis.

Book #43 - "The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan.

Book #42 - "The School for the Insanely Gifted" by Dan Elish.

Book #41 - "The Eye of the Sun - Part One of Blackwood: Legends of the Forest" by Les Moyes.

Book #40 - "The Fallacy Detective" by Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn.

Book #39 - "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes. Translated by John Ormsby.

Book #38 - "Organizing Solutions for People with Attention Deficit Disorder" by Susan C. Pinsky.

Book #37 - "Growing Up: A Classic American Childhood" by Marilyn vos Savant.

Book #36 -"A Young People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn.

Book #35 - "Organizing the Disorganized Child: Simple Strategies to Succeed in School" by Martin L. Kutscher & Marcella Moran.

Book #34 - "Turn Right at Machu Picchu" by Mark Adams.

Book #33 - "The Lightening Thief" by Rick Riordan.

Book #32 - "Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, And the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero" by Michael Hingson.

Book #31 - "America's Hidden History" by Kenneth C. Davis.

Book #30 - "The Diamond of Darkholdâ€ by Jeanne DuPrau.

Book #29 - "The People of Sparksâ€ by Jeanne DuPrau.

Book #28 - "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins.

Book #27 - "Well-Educated Mind" by Susan Wise Bauer.

Book #26 - "The Prophet of Yonwood" by Jeanne Duprau.

Book #25 - "City of Ember" by Jeanne Duprau.

Book #24 - "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch.

Book #23 - "Who Moved My Cheese" by Spencer Johnson.

Book #22 - "Deconstructing Penguins" by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone.

Book #21 - "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli.

Book #20 - "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins.

Book #19 - "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins.

Book #18 - "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Book #17 - "Frozen Assets: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month" by Deborah Taylor-Hough.

Book #16 - "Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy" by Jonni McCoy.

Book #15 - "The Highly Sensitive Person" by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D.

Book #14 - "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain.

Book #13 - "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett.

Book #12 - "The Highly Sensitive Person" by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D.

Book #11 - "Extraordinary, Ordinary People" by Condoleezza Rice.

Book #10 - "The Pig in the Pantry" by Rose Godfrey.

Book #9 - "The Virgin in the Ice" by Ellis Peters.

Book #8 - "The Leper of St. Giles" by Ellis Peters.

Book #7 - "St. Peter's Fair" by Ellis Peters.

Book #6 - "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua.

Book #5 - "Monk's Hood" by Ellis Peters.

Book #4 - "Flash and Bones" by Kathy Reichs.

Book #3 - "Spider Bones" by Kathy Reichs.

Book #2 - "One Corpse Too Many" by Ellis Peters.

Book #1 - "A Morbid Taste for Bones" by Ellis Peters

Negin · August 20, 2012

I read this a few months ago and enjoyed it too.

Yes, it's getting more and more enjoyable. :D

I don't care if they're fluff. They're fun. :D

:iagree:

I think fluff is perfectly fine. :)

Night Elf · August 20, 2012

I'm continuing my fluffy reading: :tongue_smilie:

46. CASTLE by Hunter J. Keane

47. The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly

Kelly1730 · August 20, 2012

I started and finished http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13580001-the-guest-book this week. It was a very easy read but that's about all I could accomplish considering how full my week was. It was enjoyable, probably 3.5 stars;)

VeganCupcake · August 20, 2012

I just finished listening to Coming Out of the Ice by Victor Herman. It was difficult to listen to a lot of it--very disturbing. But I was so drawn to the story and Victor's writing style, which was kind of hypnotic and poetic that I could not stop listening, even though I really wanted to quit many times.

I'm still reading The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan and really enjoying that.

aggieamy · August 21, 2012

Haven't made any progress on Emma but I did finish The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler. Gritty in almost a comical way. You know, the bad cops are oh so bad and the good guys, well, they aren't much better. :001_smile: I dig that type of book though so I enjoyed it.

I really need an awesome read aloud suggestion for an 8 year old little girl. Anyone reading anything fantastic for your kids lately?

In progress:

Emma by Jane Austen

Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman (for ladies book club and recommended here)

Surviving Hitler by Andrea Warren

The Cat SWho Played Brahms by Lillian Jackson Braum (audiobook)

2012 finished books:

93. The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler (***)

92. Playful Learning by Mariah Bruehl (***)

91. The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern by Lillian Jackson Braun - audiobook (****)

90. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie (***)

89. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman - YA (****)

88. The Mirror Cracked Side to Side by Agatha Christie (***)

87. The Princess Bride by William Goldman (*****)

86. Crocodiles on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (***)

86. The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues by Ellen Raskin - YA (***)

84. Supermarket by Satoshi Azuchi (**)

83. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (*****)

82. Stein on Writing by Sol Stein (****)

81. Order from Chaos by Liz Davenport (**)

Books 41 - 80

Books 1 - 40

Amy's Rating System:

***** - Fantastic, couldn't put it down

**** - Very good

*** - Enjoyable but nothing special

** - Not recommended

* - Horrible

Stacia · August 21, 2012

I really need an awesome read aloud suggestion for an 8 year old little girl. Anyone reading anything fantastic for your kids lately?

Have you read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin?

Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander is also fun (esp. if you enjoy cats &/or history).

-M- · August 21, 2012

#90 Three Sisters (Anton Chekhov; play) With the Misses. We have tickets to see Tracey Letts' adaptation at the Steppenwolf.

Reading The Year of Learning Dangerously (Quinn Cummings) and Reality: An Introduction (Jan Westerhoff).

My list of Books Read in 2012.

Rosie_0801 · August 21, 2012

I finished 'Beyond the Black Stump' by Nevil Shute, who also wrote 'A Town Like Alice.'

:)

Rosie

NanceXToo · August 22, 2012

COMPLETE

1. Envy, by J.R. Ward (Fallen Angels series)

2. Kiss of the Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning (Highlander series)

3. The Ramayana, A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic, by R.K. Narayan (with my daughter for school reading)

4. Dark Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning (Highlander series)

5. The Immortal Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning (Highlander series)

6. Spell of the Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning (Highlander series)

7. 11/22/63, by Stephen King

8. The Traveler, by John Twelve Hawks (Fourth Realm Trilogy, Book 1)

9. Into the Dreaming, by Karen Marie Moning (Highlander series)

10. A Judgement In Stone, by Ruth Rendel

11. The Dark River, by John Twelve Hawks (Fourth Realm Trilogy, Book 2)

12. The Golden City, by John Twelve Hawks (Fourth Realm Trilogy, Book 3)

13. Forbidden Pleasure, by Lora Leigh

14. Relic, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

15. House Rules, by Jodi Picoult

16. Midwives, by Chris Bohjalian

17. Wind Through the Keyhole, by Stephen King

18. The High Flyer, by Susan Howatch.

19. Daughter of the Blood, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels Trilogy, Book 1)

20. Heir to the Shadows, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels Trilogy, Book 2)

21. The Host, by Stephenie Meyer

22. Queen of the Darkness, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels Trilogy, Book 3)

23. The Invisible Ring, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels series)

24. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James

25. Fifty Shades Darker, by E.L. James

26. Fifty Shades Freed, by E.L. James

27. Dreams Made Flesh, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels series)

28. Tangled Webs, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels series)

29. Goodnight Nobody, by Jennifer Weiner

30. Kiss the Dead, by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series)

31. The Shadow Queen, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels series)

32. The Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease

33. Ahab's Wife, by Sena Jeter Naslund

CURRENT

34. The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende, translated by Ralph Manheim, aloud to my son.

35. Shalador's Queen, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels series)

...Yeah, I'm all for fluff, too!

LostSurprise · August 22, 2012

85. Doc by Mary Doria Russell~historical fiction, American plains, Doc Holliday. Good. I liked this historical fiction about Doc Holliday's time in Dodge. It does not cover Tombstone and the OK Corral. Russell does a good job feeling for the characters and giving them reasons to be who they are. She also doesn't fall into the trap where all good people act modern and enlightened. That made me happy. This didn't strike me as much as her earlier novels (The Sparrow, Thread of Grace), sometimes it seemed to try too hard (maybe I'm getting old? these forced places where the characters erupt in hilarity), but it was enjoyable and I learned a lot more about the settling of Kansas, the Southern sensibility, consumption, and women's economics.

86. Swedish Cakes and Cookies, Melody Favish, translator~cooking, baking, Swedish/Scandinavian. I got this one from the library. Really good. Lots of photos at the beginning and end (each labeled). Many photos with recipes. We made Brown Sugar Cookies with cardamom and everyone enjoyed them.

Best of the Year

*Top 5

**Number 1

84. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card~science fiction, children, war, politics.

83. Fruit Trees in Small Places by Colby Elderman~gardening, fruit, pruning strategies.

82. Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota by Lynn Steiner~gardening, native plants.

81. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa~mathematics, friendship, family, baseball.

79. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette ~memoir, biography, southwest

78. The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder~science fiction, alternate history, Richard Burton, steampunk.

68. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall~children's fiction, sisters, adventure. *

61. The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum~non-fiction, forensic science, chemistry, New York, Prohibition. *

59. The Green Mile by Stephen King~supernatural, prison, 1930s. *

51. North by Northanger by Carrie Bebis~Jane Austen, mystery

50. The Essential Garden Design Workbook by Rosemary Alexander~non-fiction, gardening, landscape design.

47. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi~memoir, Italy, criminal case, serial killer.

41. Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris~fiction, France, WWII, food. *

36. Superfudge by Judy Blume~fiction, classic children's book.

30. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen~classic literature.

28. Divergent by Veronica Roth~youth fiction, dystopian.

23. Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood by Oliver Sacks~non-fiction, memoir, history of chemistry.

18. A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell~fiction, WWII **

16. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card~classic science fiction, read aloud.

11. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson~mystery

7. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman~non-fiction/medical

2. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton~Fiction

1. The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt~Fiction

Working on:

Blood Meridian (McCarthy) ~I will finish this, I will.

The Zookeeper's Wife (Ackerman)

Crossing (Yoors)

Delta Wedding (Welty)

My French Kitchen (Harris)

Edited August 22, 2012 by LostSurprise

Rosie_0801 · August 22, 2012

We made Brown Sugar Cookies with cardamom and everyone enjoyed them.

Mmm. Cardamom. :drool5:

Maus · August 22, 2012

Completed:

Book #47 - "What to Read When" by Pam Allyn. I'll have to get my own copy. I like how it's organized into topic, like what to read when your child has encountered a bully.

Book #46 - "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City" by Greg Witt.