Challenge: 50 Books discussion
Finish Line 2014
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Karen B will read 120 in 2014
#2 The Eagle Of The Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff. I hope to read the entire trilogy, which I started when I was 11. I love Sutcliff's rendering of Roman British history, and I am looking forward to a re-read of the Silver Branch.
#5 The Alto Wore Tweedby Mark Schweizer. This is the funniest murder mystery I have ever read. Lucky for me there are at least 11 other books in the series.
#6 John McCain: An American Odyssey by Robert Timberg. I enjoyed the discussion on McCain's time in Vietnam, but struggled through the chapters on his political career.
#7 Gulag by Anne Applebaum. This book was a very detailed account about the Prison system in Russia particularly under Stalin.
#8 The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I didn't love this book, because so much of the book had a hopeless feel to it (I felt the same with Secret History). The beginning and ending were wonderful, the middle, not so much.
#10 Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers I had read other books by Travers, when I was a kid, but not this series.
Karen wrote: "#2 The Eagle Of The Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff. I hope to read the entire trilogy, which I started when I was 11. I love Sutcliff's rendering of Roman British history, and I am look..."Hi Karen. I noticed your comment about The Eagle of the Ninth and was just curious if you have read Ben Kane's Roman series: The Forgotten Legion, The Road to Rome, and the Silver Eagle...and if so, what your thoughts of them are compared to The Eagle of the Ninth.
@Kim, no I haven't but I will definitely look into the books, thank you for the information!
@Karen - I'll be checking into Rosemary Sutcliff's trilogy as well. Thanks for review.
@Kim, I downloaded the first book in the forgotten legion. I'll try to start it this week.
@Karen, I'm very curious to know how they compare. I've got a pile to read over the next few weeks but I think I'll go ahead and buy The Eagle of the Ninth so I can add it to my stack.
#14 The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. This was a re-read for me. I read his short stories recently, and I liked them a lot. I had hoped that I would fall in love with Catcher in the Rye. I didn't, but I think I understand it better.
# 15 Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo#16 Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
# 17 The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
#18 Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton#19 Sputnik Sweetheartby Haruki Murakami
#20 Tears of the Giraffeby Alexander McCall Smith
#23 Lord of All Things by Andreas Eschbach#24 The Summoner by Gail Z. Martin
#25 The Blood King by Gail Z. Martin
#31 The Way of Kings by Brandon SandersonSanderson is proving himself to be the best Fantasy writer out there. The Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set was very good, showing that he could write three books with the same level of good writing, but I believe Sanderson is just outstanding with the Stormlight Archive series.
#35 Inkheart by Cornelia Funke#36 The Bargain from the Bazaar: A Family's Day of Reckoning in Lahore by Haroon Ullah
#38 Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. I bought this book at an author signing event. It was wonderful hearing Sanderson speak about his books and career. Once I started this, Sanderson's debut novel, I couldn't put it down.
#40 Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia#41 Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia
#42 Iberia by James A. Michener
#43 Divergent by Veronica Roth
#44 Insurgent by Veronica Roth
#45 Allegiant by Veronica Roth
#46Ice Forged by Gail Z. Martin#47Reign of Ash by Gail Z. Martin
#48 Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
#49 Portrait of Jennie by Robert Nathan
#50 Eragon by Christopher Paolini. This was a re-read to prepare myself for reading the rest of the series. I've had trouble getting into Eldest, the 2nd book in the series, but I am determined to try.
#51 Eldest, by Christopher Paolini# 52 Brisingr! By Christopher Paolini
#53Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. A wonderfully gentle coming of age story#54The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
#57 After Dark by Haruki MurakamiI love Murakami's books. I am trying to read all of his writings to date, because He is coming out with a new book in August.
#58 Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I believe this book will be a favorite for 2014. If nothing else, it has encouraged me to read the diaries and memoirs of key players in the Civil War.
Mod
#16 Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
# 17 The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith"
Dang, you're moving right along! What did you think of "Norwegian Wood"? I read it a couple years ago and keep meaning to revisit it.
Mackenzie wrote: "Karen wrote: "# 15 Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo#16 Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
# 17 The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith"..."
@ Mackenzie, I think I didn't like Norwegian Wood as much as Murakami's other works, because it didn't have any fantasy aspects to it. The main themes seemed to be weak women, suicide and sex. Having said that, I think Murakami is a good writer, this book included. I gave it 3 stars.
#60 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck#61 The Pearl John Steinbeck
These were both re-reads. I had forgotten so much.
Challenge: 50 Books
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#1 Naked in Death by J.D. Robb. This is the first time I have read this series. Not bad.