Here are some of the highlights:
# of books read: 55
- female authors: 17 / male authors: 19 (each other counted once - lots of repeats this year)
- nonfiction: 4 / fiction: 50
* general fiction: 12
* young adult: 1
* fantasy: 22
* mystery: 2
* historical fiction: 1
* romance: 3
* classic: 7
- Longest Book: The Other Boleyn Girl at 672pp
- Shortest Book: I Have The Right To Destroy Myself at 132pp
- Oldest Book: Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719
Set aside: 4 books this year. One of them I'll definitely go back to and finish.
Best Books
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The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
I resisted reding this book for a long time because of the gory subject matter. I mean, a little girl who is raped and killed and watches her family from Heaven? But Sebold manages to make this book touching without syrupy, and achieves a sense of hopefulness in the end, despite the difficult subject matter. Sometimes books make a bestseller list for a reason, and this is definitely one of them.
The Caliph's House by Tahir Shah
My favorite non-fiction author is Tahir Shah. In this book, he moves his entire family to Casablanca and into an old Caliph's House ... which they decide to restore and renovate. Hijinks, including the impossible search for help and the exorcism of a djinn ensue. Tahir Shah always mocks himself with dignitiy and finds the humor in his situations. He clearly respects all of the people around him and write about them in a way where the reader can see the amusement, but he never makes fun. I wish I had his job.
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
From the beginning, this book captivated me. Anne Boleyn is arguably the most famous of Henry the VIII's wives. Philippa Gregory managed to tell the story of that time period in a way that brings a fresh and interesting view. By using Catherine Boleyn as the narrator, we see Anne in a different way - ambitious, desperate and doing what she needed to do to stay ahead of the crowd.
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
If you've never read anything by Jodi Picoult, you should start here. I loved this book and passed it on to someone else who also loved it. About a school shooting, I especially loved the portions of the book that deal with the parents of the shooter. An excellent read.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Path
Classic feminist literature. I can't believe I didn't read this sooner.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
See above. A must-read for any women who has been questioned about not wanting to be a wife and a mother.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
A Handmaid's Tale-esque book the explores the relationships between friends and lovers, as well as touches upon larger social issues. Set in a world that both is and is not the world that we know, this book is disturbing in the way it hits close to home.
Most Disappointing
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Getting Stoned with Savages by J. Maarten Troost
I loved The Sex Lives of Cannibals , but this book was too much about politics and pot and not enough about going native.
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
I think Anderson understand women better than men. I loved Speak, but this felt overwrought.
House of the Tiger King by Tahir Shah
Instead of his usual jovial attitude, this book is as bogged down as his crew was on their trip up the amazon river. Good thing he moved to Morocco!
The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay
A mess of a novel with too much storylines stolen from other places.
Christy by Catherine Marshall
I loved this book as a young adult, but as an adult it had too much preaching in it for me. I don't know how I missed that when I was younger.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Defoe should stick to prostitutes. There was too much Bible in this for me.
50 Book Challenge 2008
Key:
italics = in prograss
Ratings:
* = poor
** = fair
*** = good
**** = very good
***** = READ THIS BOOK NOW!
Fiction/Classic Literature:
No Longer At Ease - Chinua Achebe *****
The Awakening - Kate Chopin *****
Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe ***
As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner ***
Grendel - John Gardner *****
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath *****
Fiction/Contemporary:
Bodily Harm - Margaret Atwood ***
The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory *****
Slam - Nick Hornby ****
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro *****
I Have The Right To Destroy Myself - Young-Ha Kim ***
Private Dancer - Stephen Leather ****
Christy - Catherine Marshall ****
Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk ****
Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult *****
Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold *****
Light in Snow - Anita Shreve ***
Magic Burns - Ilona Andrews ****
Dead Beat - Jim Butcher ****
Proven Guilty - Jim Butcher ****
Summer Knight - Jim Butcher ****
White Night - Jim Butcher ****
The Wind Witch - Susan Dexter ****
The Dark River - John Twelve Hawks ****
The Traveler - John Twelve Hawks ****
The Darkest Road - Guy Gavriel Kay ***
Song for Arbonne - Guy Gavriel Kay ****
The Summer Tree - Guy Gavriel Kay **
The Wandering Fire - Guy Gavriel Kay ***
Hands of Lyr - Andre Norton ****
Mirror of Destiny - Andre Norton ****
The Iron Dragon´s Daughter - Michael Stanwick ****
Caliban's Hour - Tad Williams ****
Fiction/Romance:
Silent Fall - Barbara Freely ***
Switcheroo - Olivia Goldsmith *
Accidentally Yours - Susan Mallery **
The Full Cupboard of Life - Alexander McCall Smith ***
The Kalahari Typing School for Men - Alexander McCall Smith ****
Twilight - Stephanie Meyers ***
Nonfiction/Travel Essay
House of the Tiger King - Tahir Shah ***
Nonfiction/Science
set aside:
Faery in Shadow - C.J. Cherryh
Gardens of the Moon - Steven Erikson
Under the Black Flag - David Cordingly
Freedom at Midnight - Dominique La Pierre
Wow, I am impressed! I really want to do this challenge...some day. First I need to get my library card here in TempCollege Village. :)
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