Robin M Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Today marks the start of week 10 and the start of book # 11. To recap the rules: Read an average of a book a week - 52 books in 52 weeks Re-reading a book counts--as long as you first read it before 2009 School related books don't count (unless you want them to. ******************************************* I'm still working on Seven Storey Mountain but realized it can't be my only read. I need something fictional and entertaining as well. I'm just about to start "Fireproof" by Eric Wilson. Just finished an advanced reader copy of The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristafano and will be reviewing on my blog and the 52 books blog soon. It is being released March 19th and is about a woman in the Witness protection program. It is written from first person point of view which I have a problem with because can't get into the story as much. Some writers do an excellent job with 1st pov and some don't. This one - 50/50. I think I didn't like the character more than anything. What are you all reading this week? Don't forget - you can post reviews on the 52 books in 52 weeks blog anytime. Email me if you want to be a contributor. Happy Reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 1. Bel Canto 2. In Cold Blood 3. Joy in the Morning, Sister Carrie 4. Sense and Sensibility 5. Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads 6. Before and After You Get Your Puppy 7. Assassination Vacation 8. Larklight 9. The Virgin Blue 10. Q & A I enjoyed Q&A more than I expected to. I found the writing kind of simplistic in some places, but the surprise at the end did get me. The only problem I had with it was that it's the kind of book that demands full attention for stretches of time. I wanted to lose myself in it, which is problematic given my current lifestyle. I kept waiting until I would have the peace and quiet to sit and read, which is why it took me more than two weeks to finish. I'm currently listening to The Book Thief and enjoying it a lot. I also just started Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey, by Allison Weir. My daughter caught sight of the cover while she was home and heaped scorn upon me. She said it looked like one of those cheesy romance novels dressed up as history. But I've read some of Weir's non-fiction, so I'm hoping it'll be a notch above the usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in Central TX Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I finished book #12, The Three Battlegrounds by Frangipane. Next up is What's So Great About Christianity by D'Souza. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 (edited) I'm still wading through a history of the Mediterranean and really enjoying it. It's touching on the Hospitallers and all sorts of people and kingdoms I'd not heard of before. :) Rosie Edited March 13, 2009 by Rosie_0801 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I posted what I was planning to read this week on last week's update thinking it was this week's because it was bumped forward on Monday. And the funny part was I was thinking to myself that the week had sure gone by fast. lol! Anyway, I'm reading Mahaney's book "Shopping for Time" this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 1. Bel Canto2. In Cold Blood 3. Joy in the Morning, Sister Carrie 4. Sense and Sensibility 5. Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads 6. Before and After You Get Your Puppy 7. Assassination Vacation 8. Larklight 9. The Virgin Blue 10. Q & A I enjoyed Q&A more than I expected to. I found the writing kind of simplistic in some places, but the surprise at the end did get me. The only problem I had with it was that it's the kind of book that demands full attention for stretches of time. I wanted to lose myself in it, which is problematic given my current lifestyle. I kept waiting until I would have the peace and quiet to sit and read, which is why it took me more than two weeks to finish. I'm currently listening to The Book Thief and enjoying it a lot. I also just started Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey, by Allison Weir. My daughter caught sight of the cover while she was home and heaped scorn upon me. She said it looked like one of those cheesy romance novels dressed up as history. But I've read some of Weir's non-fiction, so I'm hoping it'll be a notch above the usual. I enjoyed Innocent Traitor. I finished The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. It was...interesting. I am going to read Nights in Rodanthe. I don't usually read that kind of stuff, but it was on the shelf at the library and I grabbed it. We'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet in Toronto Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Last week's read was Edna O'Brien's The Country Girls. The version I got from the library is actually a trilogy with two more novels (novellas, really) so I'm reading those as well. Am on the third volume. Next up will be The Replacement Child, a first novel by Christin Barber and winner of the Tony Hillerman prize. My list to date: 1. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming – Joshilyn Jackson 2. The Genius – Jesse Kellerman 3. The End – Salvatore Scibona 4. The Diving Pool – Yoko Ogawa 5. The Man Who Was Thursday – G.K. Chesterton 6. Testimony – Anita Shreve 7. Blackout – Craig Boyko 8. The School of Essential Ingredients – Bauerstein 9. The Country Girls – Edna O’Brien 10. The Lonely Girl – Edna O’Brien 11. Girls in Their Married Bliss – Edna O’Brien (in progress) 12. The Replacement Child - Christine Barber (up next) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sojourner Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Just finished Body In The Bouillon by Katherine Hall Page. Another delightful Faith Fairchild saga. Recommend these mysteries. This week reading Turbulent Souls: A Catholic Son's Return to His Jewish Family by Stephen J. Dubner Week 9: Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah Week 8: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester Week 7: The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff Week 6: Shelf Life by Suzanne Stempek Shea Week 5: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Week 4: Mosaic by Amy Grant Week 3: The Faith Club by Idilby, Oliver and Warner Week 2:The Body in the Kelp by Katherine Hall Page Week 1: Nightingales: The Extraordinary Upbringing and Curious Life of Miss Florence Nightingale by Gillian Gill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoraida Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Week 1: The Nice and the Good by Iris Murdoch Week 2: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga Week 3: The Book and the Brotherhood by Iris Murdoch Week 4: The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie Week 5: The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie Week 6: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman Week 7: Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie Week 8: Paper Towns by John Green Week 9: Eva Trout by Elizabeth Bowen Week 10: Saville: David Storey Blessings Zoraida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 by Brooks, same person who wrote March. Lovely writing, fascinating plot, and interesting history about a medieval Jewish book and the people who treasure and protect it over the centuries. Now on The Mermaid Chair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I finished book #13 - an easy "fluff" read - Message in a Bottle, by Nicholas Sparks. I wasn't prepared for the ending. Real life is too heavy right now to do much heavy reading, so I may check out a few more of his books later. I am currently reading The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw and enjoying it immensely! It is my understanding that he wrote two sequels. I have one of them here, and am planning to read it next. Nakia, I was watching for your comments on The Mermaid Chair . . . I chuckled when I saw "interesting" . . . I'm thinking you were being kind in your evaluation . . . I don't remember much of the story as it's been awhile since I read it. What I do remember is being stunned that Sue Monk Kidd would write in the way she did (I'm sure you know what I mean) - my introduction to the author had been her articles in Guideposts magazine. I had no idea she would write SO differently. Afterwards, I was upset with myself that I had taken the time to read the book, especially since I had felt the same way about The Life of Bees! You would think I would have learned my lesson the first time!:glare: Anyway, my two cents . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult (And I also have a couple books going that are multi-weekers. :-)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Sonata for Miriam by Linda Olsson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I missed the thread last week. Here is my list: 1. Nine Days a Queen 2. Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist 3. Driving Over Lemons 4. Father Arseny: A Cloud of Witnesses 5. Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future 6. Grandma's Wartime Kitchen: World War II and the way we cooked 7. Vanity Fair 8. Spiritual Counsels of Father John of Kronstadt (still reading) 9. Les Miserables 10. Macy's, Gimbels and Me by Bernice Fitz-Gibbon 11. The Middle Ages by Morris Bishop (still reading) 12. The Scarlet Letter (still reading) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. I am still ahead - I'm working on my 14th book. Never had a chance to try to figure out my blog issues so I won't post there. Here's my list so far: Endless Night by Agatha Christie The Settlers by Vilhelm Moberg The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot Love Story by Erich Segal Last Letter Home by Vilhelm Moberg Oliver's Story by Erich Segal 1066: The Year of the Conquest by David Howarth Know Your Power by Nancy Pelosi Sleeping With Your Baby: A Parent's Guide to Cosleeping by James J. McKenna I Learn Better By Teaching Myself by Agnes Leistico The Attachment Connection: Parenting a Secure and Confident Child Using the Science of Attachment Theory by Ruth P. Newton, Ph.D. Language Logic: Practical and Effective Techniques to Learn Any Foreign Language by Robyn Matthew Language Logic would be good if you didn't really know anything about learning a foreign language and learn best by constant (and I do mean CONSTANT) repetition LOL. I don't think it contained anything I didn't know or hadn't thought of other than marking every word you look up in the dictionary. I regret spending so much money on it, but I thought it would be more helpful for an advanced language learner. I also thought it was organized poorly, because it discusses techniques for when you are studying abroad first, and then later goes through the skills necessary in learning a language, plus grammar and vocabulary (and somebody should clue the illustrator into the fact that it's not spelled "grammer"!). IME, few people begin studying a language by going abroad to learn it, and it's not really the best way to do so. Since this book was so long, it slowed my reading down (also I was getting annoyed at her saying the same things over and over, but was determined to hang in there!). I am currently reading Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius by Angeline Stoll Lillard, which is fascinating! It synthesizes the research that has been done that supports the ideas in the Montessori method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Sorry about the wacky fonts - I have no idea how to fix it or why they switched! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 How did you like Les Mis? :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I enjoyed Innocent Traitor. I finished The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. It was...interesting. I am going to read Nights in Rodanthe. I don't usually read that kind of stuff, but it was on the shelf at the library and I grabbed it. We'll see. Read through 4 books by Karen Kingsbury in 2 weeks. (The Firstborn Series) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amie Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I didn't get around to posting last week... The Bible Lessons of John Quincy Adams for His Son Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way (Susan McCutcheon) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 The start of book #11?! I'm still behind! But having a great time! This week's book was The Pluto Files: the Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet, by Neil DeGrasse Tyson whom you may know if you watch NOVA. He is an astrophysicist, the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC and a very engaging author. As directory of the planetarium, he oversaw the design and development of their exhibits in the new exhibit hall that opened in 2000, and was in the thick of the controversy over Pluto's status in the heavens. The book is a short, entertaining and enlightening read, filled with silly cartoons and letters from students who were very concerned about Pluto's fall from planethood. I highly recommend it for your middle school and high school students as it describes perfectly the real work of scientists as they wrestle with the perennially thorny topic of classification. I also read a complete and total guilty pleasure novel by Laurel B Hamilton, called Micah, part of her vampire hunter series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristiana Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Book #10 was Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. I still can't decide if I liked it or not. Now I'm reading The Door in the Wall, technically a school book and too easy for me, but I've been wanting to read it and my son just finished it, so I picked it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristineinKS Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 I'm WAY behind y'all, but just finished Week 2 - I, Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis and oh my goodness was it excellent! I could NOT put the book down & have already ordered more by this author. I highly recommend it, especially if you're teaching the Renaissance this year, because she really brings the time period and the characters (in Florence anyway) to life. It prompted me to do some additional research and reading immediately & I look forward to doing much more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeefreak Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 OK, so I finished "Then She Found Me," (excellent) and I finished my last Stephanie Plum book. Sigh. Oh wait! I can read all the "between the numbers books!":hurray: So, I'm done with 9 books, but I have two that I have to read this week because they're non-renewable from the library. "What I did For Love," and "Glitter Baby," by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. After those I'm thinking I might read something educational. Like "Pride and Prejudice" or I have the Jan Karon books and I've never read them:lol: I buy books and never read them. I just love books. Have a good week! Dorinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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