With Memorial Day coming up, and schools letting out soon, I thought it might be useful to put an entry together with people's favorite summer reading suggestions. So, drop on by this entry and add your recommendations.

Happy summer reading!

108. Norman Mailer, The Executioner's Song: This true crime novel is about the crime and punishment of Gary Gilmore, who was the first man to be executed in the US since the Supreme Court had suspended the death penalty several years before. The novel is extremely long and detailed, giving a myriad of perspectives on Gilmore's life and death. It's worth a read - if you can get through it! My full review is here.

109. Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes: In this Pulitzer-winning memoir, McCourt tells the story of his impoverished childhood in Limerick, Ireland. The events of the book are (for the most part) terribly sad, yet McCourt's sense of humor is evident. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in memoirs, Ireland, or the American immigrant experience. My review is here.

110. Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea: This might be the shortest novel ever to win the Pulitzer. :) An old man goes fishing off the coast of Cuba, hoping for a big catch after a long run of bad luck. He encounters the largest fish of his career, but he must figure out how to catch it and get it back to shore. The book is rather dull, but it's also very short, so it's worth a read in my opinion. Full review is here.

111. R. D. Blackmore, Lorna Doone: This 19th-century novel explores the romance between John Ridd, a simple yeoman farmer, and Lorna Doone, the daughter of a famous outlaw. The lovers' personal journey takes place amidst the political turmoil of the late 17th century in England. This novel is typical of the 19th century in that it's quite long-winded and digressive; however, fans of the classics should enjoy it. My review is here.

112. Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye: This novel examines race and culture in mid-20th-century America. Pecola Breedlove is a young black girl who desperately wants to have blue eyes, so she can be "beautiful" like the white girls in her town. Yet the futility of her dream, as well as the harsh experiences she must endure, eventually ends in tragedy. I thought this book was extremely good and thought-provoking; I would definitely recommend it. Full review is here.

113. Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner, Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties: This book is a collection of anecdotes from twentysomethings in the late 1990s, as they discuss the various problems they're facing. Issues include career choices, relationship anxiety, and the transition from college life to the "real world." I could relate to a lot of the experiences in this book, but I wouldn't call it groundbreaking. It's also not a very good sociological work, in the sense that there's no statistical evidence to back up the authors' claims.

114. Nancy Werlin, Impossible: This romantic fantasy was inspired by the Simon and Garfunkel song "Scarborough Fair." Seventeen-year-old Lucy Scarborough finds out that the women in her family are cursed; in order to break the curse, she must complete the impossible tasks mentioned in the ballad. The standard fairy tale ingredients are present - a curse, an evil fairy, a heroic quest, and true love - but with a modern twist. I enjoyed this book a lot and found it a very absorbing read. Reviews of #113 and 114 are here.

(Cross-posted to books and 100ormorebooks.)

Wren Valere has a problem. As a magic-wielding Retriver, she's known as the best at her job. Unfortunately, the Council seems to be poisoning clients against her, and the bills need paying. Even under dire financial straits, Wren and her partner Sergei are reluctant to take on the Silence's job offer: go to Italy and retrieve a missing old parchment that happens to make any readers vanish.

I enjoyed this book much more than the first book, but my feelings are still mixed. Wren and Sergei's chemistry really kicked in, and I enjoyed their relationship against the backdrop of magical political intrigue and deception. It still felt muddled at times, though, like there was too much plot development going on for future books; the viewpoint switches from Wren seemed unnecessary, too. I probably won't continue with the series from here.

Books 1-10
Books 11-20
Books 21-30


31. ( The Dream Quake )

32. ( Daylight )

33. ( Winter Wood )

34. ( Sorcery and Cecelia: or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot )

35. ( Princess Hynchatti and Some Other Surprises )

36. ( The Bell at Sealey Head )

37. ( Quirkology: The curious science of everyday lives )

38. ( Brat Farrar )

39. ( The Cabinet of Wonders )

40. ( Sum: Forty tales from the afterlives )

The end is nigh!

#42 - Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben Winters (2009, 340 pages)

The parodies of Jane Austen's works continue as Ben Winters helps the iconic author tackle sea monsters.

The sea has turned against humans, as all matter of sea creatures have a blood lust that can only be satiated by the destruction of human kind. The Dashwood sisters, Marianne and Elinor, only want to find love, but between dealing with meddlesome people and violent, and massively oversized, sea creatures, they find that true love is hard to find.

The story follows Austen's original but is set in an alternate universe, where The Alteration, a cryptic name that is never fully explained, has changed normal sea animals into blood-thirsty monstrocities. It follows in the same vein as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but at the Dashwood sisters do not often come into contact with the creatures, it does not quite work the way the first book did. Adding to my frustration was the fact that this book moves far slower than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, making me feel as though I had to force myself on at points.

It's not that it's a bad book; it's just not a great book, which is why I give it an okay two and a half out of five mermen.

Total Books Read: 42 / 50 (84 percent)
Total Pages Read: 12,092 / 15,000 (81 percent)

Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt – Oscar and the lady in pink

The name of the author sounds German, but he is French. I bought the book in Germany, but it has been translated to English. But whatever language, the message is clear, regardless where you’ve read it.

Oscar is ill, very ill. He is in a hospital, waiting to die. His parents are afraid to tell him so directly, so the only one he can confide in is a nurse he calls Granny Rose. She tells him to live the last days of his life as if a day is a decade. And Oscar listens to her and lives a whole life in a week.

The book can probably be seen as a children’s book, but it should be read by everybody. Who doesn’t know someone with cancer? Who doesn’t realise how bad this disease is? Buy this book somewhere and read it. A sad book, but also a book with a smile. Praise to the author who manages to put both into the story.

Quote: “They’re frightened of me. They can’t bring themselves to speak to me. And the less they speak to me, the more like a monster they make me feel. Why are they so scared of me?” (p. 68/69)

Number: 09-053
Title: Oscar and the lady in pink (Orig.: Oscar et la dame rose)
Author: Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Language: English (Orig.: French)
Year: 2002
# Pages: 88 (10705)
Category: Children’s books
ISBN: 1-84354-450-4

October:

52. O Império dos Pardais by João Paulo Oliveira e Costa [read in portuguese, 516 pages]
genre: historical fiction
rating: 4/5
The author was my Modern History teacher while I was in college and is known by his biography of King Manuel I. This was his first work of fiction and is set during King Manuel's reign. Thanks to the author's knowledge of the time, you can really feel like walking in the 16th century Lisbon, a city in which all the world converged and where foreign spies tried to get knowledge of the new lands discovered by the Portuguese. Full review at Goodreads, in portuguese.

53. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell [528 pages]
genre: romance
rating: 5/5
I learned of this book through the BBC series, which I loved it. I've tried it for two or three times but postponed it as I thought those weren't the best occasions to read it, but this year I decided that this was it. Apparently I wasn't wrong. What impressed me the most in this book was the writing style of the author. I confess I'm not usually aware of writing styles but Elizabeth Gaskell's was just delightful. A book more than recommended, a true classic. It is one of those books whose last page leaves a huge hole and it seems that no other book will fill it. It's one of those books that stay with us. It's one of those books to read again and again. Full review here.

November:

54. The Poyson Garden (Elizabeth I Mysteries, Book 1) by Karen Harper [320 pages]
genre: mystery
rating: 2/5
I decided to pick up this book because I thought it would be a lightweight reading. And it was light... too light and in a very bad way. I love mysteries, at least I love the mysteries by Agatha Christie, with interesting characters and even peculiar ones, as Poirot, with storylines that tie us from the first page to last due to all the suspense created around a particular event or character or because the twists are ingeniously introduced here and there. None of this happens in this book. Several times I felt like quitting the book but decided to continue the series as I hope that the following are better. Full review here.

55. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, Book 7) by J.K. Rowling, read by Stephen Fry [audiobook]
genre: fantasy
rating: 5/5
Again, for the second time, I get to the end of this saga. Having read this book for the first time not so long ago, just over two years ago, and having already left my opinion here I have nothing more to add except that, like the other audiobooks, Stephen Fry does a great job. It was certainly another way to enjoy one of the best stories I've ever had the pleasure to read.

56. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S. Lewis, read by Maurice Denham & Cast (BBC Radio Collection: Chronicles of Narnia) [audiobook]
genre: fantasy
rating: 4/5
This was the first book of this saga written by CS Lewis, but it's the second volume if one follows the chronology of Narnia (which I have done before, I'm now re-reading them following their publication order), a land to which Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter travel after finding a strange wardrobe. There they encounter ancient legends saying that two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve will defeat the White Witch of Narnia who bewitched the land so that it's always winter but never Christmas. It is considered one of the best books of the saga, but I confess that it isn't one of my favorites. It is certainly a book more geared to children but it is still interesting to read, delighting our inner child.

57. The Tidal Poole (Elizabeth I Mysteries, Book 2) by Karen Harper [336 pages]
genre: mystery
rating: 2/5
The previous volume of this series introduces us to Queen Elizabeth I of England who solves mysteries or murders that may or may not be connected to her royal self. It wasn't the best books I've read this year and this one follows its footsteps. This book will only be good for those who really like mysteries and this period of history, for those who have nothing to read, or those looking for a reading that does not require much of the reader. Full review here.

58. Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S. Lewis, read by Maurice Denham & Cast (BBC Radio Collection: Chronicles of Narnia) [audiobook]
genre: fantasy
rating: 4/5
Caspian is a young prince, heir to the throne of Narnia, but being very young is his uncle Miraz who rules. But Miraz wants to be more than Regent, he wants to be king and his sons to succeed him which forces Caspian to flee. Having grown up listening to the legends of Old Narnia, Caspian joins the Talking Animals and all the creatures that once inhabited the Old Narnia to regain his throne. But he also has the help of the kings of old, whom he calls with the magic horn of one of them. And this is how the four siblings Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter return to Narnia for another adventure. Another good book, we notice that some characters "grow" and, therefore, the perception of Narnia becomes a little more different. In this book one of my favorite characters makes its first appearance, the small Reepicheep.

59. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (The Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S. Lewis, read by Maurice Denham & Cast (BBC Radio Collection: Chronicles of Narnia) [audiobook]
genre: fantasy
rating: 5/5
Lucy and Edmund return to meet Caspian, this time not in Narnia but on board the vessel "Dawn Treader", and this time they arrive with their cousin Eustace, an unbearable child. The story takes the characters to great adventures, but Eustace and Reepicheep are the protagonists of some of the most exciting ones. This is one of my favorite books of this saga, particularly because of Eustace's growth (his story it is somewhat similar to that of Edmund's in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) and Reepicheep's bravery.

60. The Twylight Tower (Elizabeth I Mysteries, Book 3) by Karen Harper [352 pages]
genre: mystery
rating: 2/5
And it's more of the same. Another murder that seems to have nothing to do with the queen and in the end it has everything to do with her. It's all very predictable and I think the main character is so obnoxious that I couldn't care if the killer could reach her or not. I expected more from this series but it was a real disappointment so, after a brief glance over the other volumes I have, I think I'm done with this series. Full review here.

61. Loving Jack by Nora Roberts [read in portuguese, 320 pages]
genre: chick lit
rating: 2/5
I honestly don't know what was waiting for when I picked up this book. This month has been difficult and wanted something light but engaging and thrilling, but this book wasn't so. Full review here.

List of books read in:
January #1 - 7 / February #8 - 12 / March #13 - 19 / April #20 - 23 / May #24 - 27 / June #28 - 35 / July #36 - 40 / August & September #41 - 51

41 HEDDA GABLER Henrik Ibsen (Norway, 1890)


Class: Theatre History Part II

Hedda Gabler has just married Jorgen Tesman an ambitious but naive academic. As they move in their new house it becomes clear that she has not married him for love, but out of boredom and despair.

This is my first Ibsen and I'm very impressed by the quality of his writing and the depths of his characters. I know that depending on our reading of the play, Hedda can be analyzed in many different ways. To me she is the product of a clash between imagination and reality. Boredom is what she suffers from and this is what makes the play so powerful. At a time when women had very little options, Hedda has to struggle with a necessary marriage that somehow represents the end of her life. Only a dramatic event can save her from boredom.

3,5/5

Title: Lament: the faerie's queen deception
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Pages: 325
Genre: supernatural, young adult

Synopsis from inside cover: Sixteen-year old Deidre Monaghan is a prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand-one who can see faeries.
Unexpectedly, Deidre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy named Luke who enters her ordinarily life, seemingly out of thin air. But his interest in her might be something darker than summer romance. When a sinister faerie named Aodhan shows up with deadly orders from the Faerie Queen, it forces Dee right into the midst of Faerie. Caught in the crossfire with Deidre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend.
Deidre had been wishing her summer weren't so dull, but taking on a centuries-old Faerie Queen isn't exactly what she had in mind.

My thoughts: The story was good. The characters was also good even though I disliked a few of them. Overall, I enjoyed most of the book in my opinion.

Books read: 32 books
Pages read: 10,821 pages

40 JULIUS CAESAR William Shakespeare (England, 1599)



This is not one of Shakespeare's most powerful plays. I enjoyed the humor but it lacked the poetry I usually enjoy when I read one of his plays. The character of Brutus was clearly at the center of the play, but I still felt something was missing.

2/5

I have a lot of catch-up to do!!

39 MACBETH William Shakespeare (England, 1603)




Of all the plays I read by Shakespeare, this one is the best, along with Hamlet and Richard III. It is painfully poetic and the characters are haunting.

Here's a famous quote:

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

Do I need to say more?

5/5

At this point, I'm just posting to see how many I can read in a year. :D

94. Uncommon Grounds – Sandra Balzo (Mystery)
Rating: 3/5
This is the start of a new cozy mystery series where the protagonist owns a coffee shop with two friends, one of which is murdered on their opening day. She spends the whole book whining about her ex husband, and how her life USED to be, solves the murder and possibly starts a romance with the cop who had been investigating the murder. It wasn’t a *bad* read, but it could have been better, and the use in the plot of computers really dated the whole thing – having a fully functional adult who has no idea how to use EMAIL, and uses dial up and complains about the sound of the modem was a bit jarring, to be honest.

( Click for Reviews for Books 95-101 )

Book #86 -- Ann & Jeff VenderMeer, eds, Fast Ships, Black Sails, 241 pages.

An incredible collection of short stories featuring pirates. The definitions of piracy are as diverse as the settings: past, present, future and in a galaxies far far away. The one thing they all share is a great sense of adventure and freedom. It's a brilliant collection!



Progress toward goals: 333/365 = 91.2%

Books: 86/100 = 86.0%

Pages: 21728/25000 = 86.9%

2009 Book List

cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven

48) Spook by Mary Roach
Is the soul in the sperm? Or the toe? (my review)

49) Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
I've heard about True Blood and the Sookie Stackhouse series. Not a bad start (my review)

50) The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell
A better effort in this series. Still didn't buy the book, but did read it in just a few days (my review)

51) The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
As an audio book, this was really long and I couldn't skip the long winded explanations HOWEVER not a bad book (my review)

I didn't set out to do the 50 book challenge and am rather late to the party. I joined this com some weeks ago but never seemed to get around to posting my books - but here's my list so far this year with ratings and links to reviews on goodreads, where they exist (I'm a little behind on that, too).
( Books so far, 2009 )
I'm currently reading Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessel, The Guernsey Literary (etc) and Madame Verona by Dimitri Verhulst - anyone read/reading those? Thoughts...?

Title: Labyrinth
Author: Kate Mosse
Year: 2005
# of pages: 694
Date read: 10/13/2009
Rating: 3*/5 = good


Description:

"July 1209: in Carcassonne a seventeen-year-old girl is given a mysterious book by her father which he claims contains the secret of the true Grail. Although Alais cannot understand the strange words and symbols hidden within, she knows that her destiny lies in keeping the secret of the labyrinth safe. . .

July 2005: Alice Tanner discovers two skeletons in a forgotten cave in the French Pyrenees. Puzzled by the labyrinth symbol carved into the rock, she realises she's disturbed something that was meant to remain hidden. Somehow a link to a horrific past - her past - has been disturbed." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a good fictional account of the 13th century Albigensian Crusade (also known as the Cathar Crusade) in which the French Catholics in the northern part of France attacked the Cathars, a Christian sect, in the Languedoc in the south. I liked how these events were portrayed in the lives of Alais, her sister Orianne, her husband Guilhelm, and her father, Bertrand.

The 21st century scenes were not as good as the 13th century ones. I wanted to know more about how various characters were counterparts to the 13th century ones and many characters had similar names which added to the confusion. Still, I liked how Alice discovers the truth about her ancestor, Alais.

Still need to update books 89-95.

This is 96, Better Not Cry by Augusten Burroughs. A collection of stories about the author's tumultous history with Christmas. Stories range throughout his life - from childhood, young 20-something alcoholic and recovered 40-something living with his domestic partner in a home in Massachusetts. With funny and touching moments it was a great read. Any other holiday reading suggestions? So happy that I only have 4 books left to reach my goal of 100!

On a side note, I'm looking for input about The Bible Illuminated. I posted a question here that was xposted to booktards and encounterd someone whose scroll button must be broken and who doesn't want to leave the policing of the community to the mods. So rather than have my post hijacked by drama, I deleted it. Here's a link to the other post: http://community.livejournal.com/booktards/2820128.html if you have any input.

#40 - Ghosts/Aliens by Trey Hamburger (2008, 249 pages)

Trey Hamburger is just a normal guy from Leonard, Michigan, who finds himself embroiled in some weird stuff - unexplained gurgling sounds, a missing friend, a neighbor who may or may not be an alien, and a floating Hot Pocket, just to name a few. Trey, along with his friend Mike, team up to get to the bottom of things.

The story is...well, it's very unique. The narration itself is something I've not seen before, but I loved it for its difference. Trey's narration was blunt and crass and reminiscent of a person with a high level of ADD. When Mike adds his two cents, he does so using a picture of a car to set himself apart. And of course, spattered throughout the book are historical facts and suggestions for how to deal with ghosts and aliens.

As bizarre as the setup is and as sporadic as the narrative is, I could not put this book down. It's a lot of great fun and gives a unique perspective of the male psyche. I give this four out of five levitating sandwiches.

#41 - The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore (2004, 306 pages)

The townspeople of Pine Cove have experienced some unique situations, like being under attack by a giant lizard. But this Christmas, they will face their greatest horror - the destruction of Christmas.

The first step is the death of Santa Claus, followed by a visit from a bizarre angel who isn't all there, and finally by an attack from a group of Christmas zombie. That alone should make this an awesome book. What helps make this book even better, though, is the cast, most of whom have been featured in previous Moore books, including Lamb, Practical Demon Keeping, and The Island of the Sequined Love Nun. I really loved reading about Roberto, the talking and very fashionable bat.

This isn't Moore's greatest book - I honestly don't know if anything can top Lamb - but it is a great, heartwarming tale. It's a little slow at first, but once the story gets rolling, readers should find themselves loving it. That's why I give this four out of five Christmas braaaaaaains.

Total Books Read: 41 / 50 (82 percent)
Total Pages Read: 11,752 / 15,000 (78 percent)

Title: The Fellowship of the Ring
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Rating: 5/5
Book: 52
Pages: 531 pgs
Total Pages 18,743
Next up: Tempted by P.C Cast & Kristin Cast

This was a great read! It was a slow read for me, mostly because they throw a lot of names and places at you but I enjoyed every minute of it. I will admit, I am very surprised I liked this book. I have tried this one before and gave up. I am glad that I stuck through it and I can't wait to continue on in the series.

xposted to 50bookchallenge, 15000pages and bookworm84

( Book Description from book jacket or back of the book: )

City of Illusion by Ursula K. LeGuin

A grown man with no memory and strange oval-irised amber eyes wanders out of the Forest near Zove's House. The people take him in, name him Falk and teach him of the world - how the alien Shing conquered Earth centuries before and continue to suppress human society. Finally, he decides to set off for the Shing city of Es Toch to discover who he really is and what happened to him.

( Cut for spoilers )

At one stage I thought I would not get to 50 books, but there is nothing like learning that my contract wouldn't be renewed to make me spend fewer weekends working. So my last couple of books are:

50: Ed McBain's Cop Hater (188 pages). Not really my type of book, but we had a copy and I thought I would see if it was as simplistic as when I first read McBain's stuff 30 years ago. It was.
49: Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid (375 pages). I found this at my wife's friend's aunt's house. Another excellent book from Bill Bryson, this time recounting his upbringing in Des Moines, Iowa.
48: Terry Pratchett's Making Money (349 pages). I borrowed this from the Port Chalmers library and enjoyed it. I particularly was struck by the similarity between the financial machine in the bank and the economic models of the circular flow of income. Perhaps a university could construct such a model, with water flowing in and out?
47: Yann Martell's The Life of Pi (428 pages). I loved this the first time I read it, and loved it again, though I was watching out for the story more expectantly, and picked up on something in relation to the floating island. I missed it the first time.
46: Terry Pratchett's Wintersmith (399 pages). Another excellent Pratchett.
45: Terry Pratchett's Thud (439 pages). Ever enjoyable.

So that makes 50 books, I have the month of December to go, and have nearly finished three books. And that makes 17,256 pages.

67. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat - Oliver Sacks - 256 pages (8/10)

I like how the cover matches my usericon, hah. Yay, Magritte.

I've been meaning to read this book for years. How could you not with a title like that? Dr. Oliver Sacks is a guest star on a podcast I regularly listen to, Radio Lab, and after hearing certain cases, I knew it was long past time I read his book. Sacks has been a neurologist for many years, and this book was his first. Published in 1985, it details the strange and amazing cases he's come across during his career. This book is amusing, fascinating, and touching.

One interesting case was a man who had alcohol amnesia. He was in his late fifties, but he thought he was 19 in 1945. Whenever he mentioned his brother, he mentioned that he was in accountancy school and was engaged to a nice girl, even though at the time of the book his brother had been an accountant for thirty years. Up until the age of 19 he could remember his life perfectly, but everything after that was a blur. Sacks would see the man one day and the next day the patient would introduce himself again. Each case detailed in this book is unique and varied.

The book is well-organized: "The book comprises 24 essays split into 4 sections which each deal with a particular aspect of brain function such as deficits and excesses in the first two sections (with particular emphasis on the right hemisphere of the brain) while the third and fourth describe phenomenological manifestations with reference to spontaneous reminiscences, altered perceptions, and extraordinary qualities of mind found in "retardates" (Sacks, 163)

I always took advantage what it was like to go through day-to-day life with no neurological disorders. I can't fathom what it must be like to not be able to trust your sight, or to not be sure where your body parts are, or to not remember ten minutes ago. Sack's main thesis of the book is that human identity is still preserved, no matter how debilitating a disorder an individual has. A person with severe amnesia can still recognize someone he or she loves. A person with severe mental disabilities can still love deeply and find passion in past times. Identity persists.


Booksforfood is my book reviewing journal. I like new friends :)

97. Picture Show- Siegfried Sassoon, 55 pages, 5/5
My husband bought me this for Christmas but gave it to me early when I was a bit down in the dumps one day. I absolutely love it because it contains what is, to my mind, the best of Sassoon's poems that aren't about WW1 and some of the best that are.

98. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, 1006 page, 5/5
Mr Norrell and his pupil Jonathan Strange bring practical magic back to Britain. I loved this and it slipped by, despite being a thousand pages long. There’s a lot going on and many great characters, including cameos of Wellington and Lord Byron. Definitely recommended if you like magical fantasy.

99. Home In Time For Breakfast- Stuart Chapman, 180 pages, 5/5
WW1 war diary of Stuart Chapman who was a gunner and served on the Western Front from 1916-1919. Fascinating account of every day life there at the time. I have previously only read accounts of the officer class and it was interesting to read about it from the ranks perspective.

100. Trustee From the Toolromm- Nevil Shute, 311 pages, 4/5
This was the sweetest story about a good man who travels around the world to salvage his niece's inheritance. It's a real feel good book with a happy ending.

Books: 100 Pages: 27388

Up next: The Ghost Road- Pat Barker

One could tell that I was getting some rest, yesterday, in that by today, I finished not one, not two, but three books.

First was a wonderful travel/geography/history book about China, called The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time by Simon Winchester. Delightful, and recommended.

The others were both from the Osprey Men-At-Arms series of illustrated books. The first that I finished was #395: Tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy, which gave a much clearer picture to me of their history and status, which I found very interesting.

The last was #396: Medieval Scandinavian Armies (1): 1100 - 1300, a period of time following that of the Vikings, which gave me some insight into the differences of the history of the region. Not bad.

66. Pirate Latitudes - (11/20) - Michael Crichton 320p

3/5 review behind the link

65. New World Monkeys - (10/09) - Nancy Mauro 304p

5/5 review behind the link


64. The Girl With No Shadow - (9/23) - Joanne Harris 480p

1/5 review behind the link (ugh!)


63. I Capture the Castle - (9/7) - Dodie Smith 352p

5/5

Ohmygosh this is a good book. Cassandra is a brilliant character, the writing is top notch, observations are keen, and there was so much unexpected humor.

I can't imagine anybody not liking this book. Definitely will hit my top 10 for 2009.

62. The Maze Runner - 9/4 - James Dashner 384p

3.5/5 review behind the link

My complete list can be found here

Tales of Beetle the Bard by JK Rowling
Genre: Children's
Pages: 111

B&N Synopsis

Fans of Harry Potter will already have a few associations with the title of this book by J. K. Rowling. The first is that The Tales of Beedle the Bard is Dumbledore's bequest to Hermione Granger in the last book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The book is a collection of Grimm-like fairy tales wizarding parents tell their children that both amuse­ and instruct -- or at least keep the listeners occupied. The second is that originally Rowling produced only seven copies, each one lettered and illustrated by herself, with gorgeous jewel-encrusted leather bindings. Six were intended as thank-you gifts to friends who had supported her through the series. The seventh, inset with moonstones, was put up for auction by Sotheby's and bought by Amazon for $4 million. Tantalizing tidbits have come out, but now we all get to read the five stories ourselves: "The Fountain of Fair Fortune," "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot," "Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump," "The Warlock's Hairy Heart," and the story that proved so important in Deathly Hallows, "The Tale of the Three Brothers."

Books completed: 38/50
Pages completed: 12,275/20,000


Cary Grant
Genre: Entertainment
Pages: 192

B&N Synopsis

He's the most self-invented man in movies, this side of Charlie Chaplin. Like Chapin, Cary Grant grew up poor, trained as an acrobat, and brims with confidence, romance, and a spirit of merry larceny--he just has a better tailor. His impeccable timing and light, cat burglar's touch at stealing women's hearts were perfect for the jaunty heroics and romantic farce of such classic films as An Affair to Remember, Notorious, His Girl Friday, North By Northwest, Bringing Up Baby, and To Catch a Thief. In the end, the role became the man--he had ceased to play "Cary Grant" and simply was Cary Grant. One could wish no man any greater happiness than that. The Hollywood Icon series: People talk about Hollywood glamour, about studios that had more stars than there are in heaven, about actors who weren't actors but were icons. Other people talk about these things, Taschen shows you. Hollywood Icons is a series of photo books that feature the most famous movie icons in the history of cinema. These 192-page books are visual biographies of the stars. For each title, series editor Paul Duncan has painstaking selected approximately 150 high quality enigmatic and sumptuous portraits, colorful posters and lobby cards, rare film stills, and previously unpublished candid photos showing the stars as they really are. These images are accompanied by concise introductory essays by leading film writers; each book also includes a chronology, a filmography, and a bibliography, and is peppered with apposite quotes from the movies and from life.

Books completed: 39/50
Pages completed: 12,467/20,000

Title: Fallen
Author: David Maine
Year: 2005
# of Pages: 244
Date read: 10/12/2009
Rating: 4*/5 = great


Description:

"Once expelled from the Garden, Eve and Adam have to find their way past recriminations and bitterness to construct a new life together in a harsh land. But the challenges are many for the world's first family. Among their children are Abel and Cain, and soon the adults must discover how to be parents to one son who is everything they could hope for and another who is sullen, difficult, and rife with insecurities and jealousies. In the background, always, is the incomprehensibility of God's motives as He watches over their faltering attempts to build a life. In Fallen, David Maine has drawn a convincing, wryly observant, and enthralling portrait of a family -- one driven (and riven) by passions, jealousies, irrationality, and love. The result is an intimate, in-depth story of brothers, a husband, anda wife -- people whose struggles are both completely familiar and yet utterly original." -- from the inside flap

My thoughts:

This was a compelling story about Cain, Abel, Adam, Eve and the rest of the family. I liked how the story went backwards in time starting with Cain's imminent death and ending with Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden. I also liked how David Maine stretched out the story line so that Cain's offering being rejected isn't followed immediately by his murdering Abel.

Progress:

50 / 100 books. 50% done!

16248 / 30000 pages. 54% done!

Wren is a Retriever, using her magic electrical-current talent to find missing objects. She's good at her job, and has the reputation to prove it. Sergei, her partner, sets her up with a new gig: find the missing cornerstone of a fifty-year-old building. The case ends up more complicated than expected, involving an insane wizard, a few secret organizations with a bit too much interest in the matter, a demon, and a not-so-business-like interest in Sergei.

I read through this book on a long drive yesterday. It's a true urban fantasy, and not a bad read but it didn't completely snare me, either.

I already have the second book and will read it in a few days.

A couple of days back, I finished reading Osprey New Vanguard #150: War Elephants, which I found very interesting, having all the information about their use throughout history in one piece. Good for a history buff, like me.

Title: Hush Hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Pages: 391
Genre: angels, supernatural

High school sophomore Nora has always been very cautious in her relationships, but when Patch, who has a dark side she can sense, enrolls at her school, she is mysteriously and strongly drawn to him, despite warnings from her best friend, the school counselor, and her own instincts.

My thoughta: 2 words: Loved it! I loved the PatchxNora pairing very much in this book! I cannot wait until the next one, Crescendo comes out! I hear that will be the sequel to Hush Hush by reading the back of the Hush Hush book itself!

Books read so far: 31 books
Pages read: 10,496 pages