The Next Best Book Club discussion

I'm a busy person, but not so busy I don't have time to read. Essentially, this year I would prefer to better utilize my free time for reading books not related to school. I'm hoping to read at least 50 books this year!

Anyways here is what I have so far:
January:
1.The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
February
2. People's History of the United States 1492 to Present by Howard Zinn
3. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
4. Jessica Z. by Shawn Klomparens
5.Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien
6. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
7. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
8.Uglies by Scott Westerfield
9. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
10. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
March:
11.Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery

yay, I like your list!

Did you like Uglies?

Allison wrote: "yay, I like your list!

Did you like Uglies?"

I felt Uglies was pretty simplistic. I definately enjoyed the concept since body image is something so many people around my age (21) deal with. It wasn't the best book I've read, but certainly not the worst. I'd recommend it for the 12-15 yrs old set, or if you need a bit of brain candy.

12. Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery

ReadORama.. i like it!
Looks like you are chugging along already, good luck with the list!

Thanks! I'm definately making more of an effort to read and every day it seems a new book gets added to the TBR.

April wrote: "I'm a busy person, but not so busy I don't have time to read. Essentially, this year I would prefer to better utilize my free time for reading books not related to school. I'm hoping to read at lea..."

What did you think about the historian and jonathan strange?

I really enjoyed The Historian, I felt once I got into it and was aquainted with the characters the pages just flew by. With Jonathan Strange, I felt it was slow reading, at first I really enjoyed it, but it just seemed to drag out and I really wanted to get to the end.

13. Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery

14. Watchmen by Alan Moore

I'm really looking forward to The Historian, April.

What did you think of the People's History....I was hoping to read that to get a little grip on all the history classes I didn't pay attn. to in school.

I'm such a history nerd, so I loved it. The book though, is fairly slanted left, which was fine by me. It took a long time to read, but it's not really one of those light books. It's interesting to read about history from the points of view of the marginalized.

Fine by me too! Great, def. have to check it out then.

15. Bright Lights, Big Ass A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? by Jen Lancaster

16. Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

17. Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

18. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

19. Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown

Sounds like you're doing well with your goal already. Also, I really like your thread title!

20. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

21. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

22. Eat, Pray, Love One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

April (the month)

23. 1984 by George Orwell

24. Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

25. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
26. Sex with Kings 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge by Eleanor Herman

27. Sex with the Queen 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics by Eleanor Herman

28. Anne Frank The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

29. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

30. Greenwitch by Susan Cooper

How did you like Eat, Pray, Love? I bought it a couple of months ago.

I really enjoyed Eat Pray Love. I thought Gilbert made some interesting observations, and I like learning about spirituality in a non-kooky new-age way, so Gilbert fit the bill. I know some found her to be self-serving, but it's a memoir, so I let it slide. I think you should definately delve into ASAP, plus it's a fairly quick enjoyable read.

31. The Lioness Tamer by Rebecca Brandewyne - I'm interspersing Walden with some trashy reads...

32. Dirty Jokes and Beer by Drew Carey

33. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen

13,036 pages read!

You're doing pretty well yourself if I do say so! What did you think of Water For Elephants?

Thanks Becky! I really enjoyed Water For Elephants. Gruen's writing style pulled me in. Granted, I didn't care much for the animal abuse, poor Rosie, I thought it was interesting.

34. Walden, or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau

13,366 pages read!

35. Daughter of Fortune A Novel by Isabel Allende

13,765 pages read!

36. The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

13,877 pages read!

April, you're making great progress! I think you could even hit 100 books by the end of the year since it looks like you'll hit 50 like in a month or even less.

Alisha wrote: "April, you're making great progress! I think you could even hit 100 books by the end of the year since it looks like you'll hit 50 like in a month or even less."


Thanks! Yeah, I may have to update my goal, but not until 50 has been achieved ;-)

37. Mercy by Jodi Piccoult

14,277 pages read!

38. Amazing and Death Defying Diary of Eugene Dingman by Paul Zindel

14,485 pages read!

My goodness, you are just zipping through those books!

Wow!! You're moving right along there, April.

Thanks, I read instead of doing things I actually should do...it's one of my personal flaws.

April wrote: "Thanks, I read instead of doing things I actually should do...it's one of my personal flaws."

Haha - whoops! Me too. When people ask me how I manage to fit so much reading in, I tell them it's because I put it in front of everything else - work, cleaning, personal relationships ... :D

We should form a support group. I do the same thing.

39. The Grey King by Susan Cooper
14,677 pages read

40. She's Not There A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan

14,977 pages read!