Challenge: 50 Books discussion

So, here it is! My list for 2016!

My crazy reading scheme for the year will be to read 2 books from every letter of the alphabet, with (at least) 1 book being a book I already own. In the case that I don't have a book to read that starts with a particular letter, I can read a book that starts with a number. Books that begin with "The," "A," or "An" will be counted as read under the first letter of the following word (so "The Book" would be counted as a "B" book, not "T").

Furthermore, I'm going to try to keep chugging on my recommendations from Nancy Pearl and my "recommendedby-a" shelf, and I'll still try for 12 or more books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list.

Whew! So many rules! So many books!

What a fun reading plan! Good luck!

Ann A wrote: "What a fun reading plan! Good luck!"

Thanks! :)

Sounds like a plan! Happy reading!

Sarah wrote: "Sounds like a plan! Happy reading!"

Thank you :) And that reminds me that I have a book to add to my list!

1. A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines

This is a historical fiction story mainly about Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing, but also touching on Moritz Schlick, Otto and Olga Neurath, and Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Before starting this book, I had some knowledge of Gödel and Turing from previous readings. I've read Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, as well as Incompleteness: The Proof and Paradox of Kurt Godel, Alan Turing: The Enigma, and The Man Who Knew Too Much: Alan Turing and the Invention of the Computer (and if I remember correctly, Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid also mentions Turing).

While those readings gave me a basis for some of the theories discussed in this book, I don't think it's necessary to know background information about the people in the story, since Levin describes all the major aspects anyway, such as Turing's torment at boarding school, and relays some of the men's theories through conversations they have with others or in their own minds. I think if I hadn't read the books I've already read about them, Levin would be giving me the highlights of what those other books hold, and I'd be no worse for the wear not reading those other books beforehand. Reading those in-depth books gave me more knowledge than Levin gave me, but that extra knowledge wasn't necessary to get at least the gist of what goes on in the story.

Levin's prose is beautiful, and the characters' stories are all heartbreaking. However, I kept thinking that this book isn't *necessary*... It was a good story, and beautiful writing, but my life wouldn't be any less if I hadn't read it. Perhaps this would be a good introduction to Gödel's and Turing's philosophies if I hadn't already read those other books; if that were the case, this probably would have been a lovely and accessible doorway to that knowledge. Since I have read those books, though, this one just wasn't necessary, and was short, too! Thus, two stars -- it was okay. Better than didn't like it, less good than liked it.

And now, my year:

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z

Books owned: 0 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 0 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 0 read
Goodreads group reads: 1 read

2. The Americans

Oh my God. The series is over!

I'm serious, y'all. I just wept a little when I finished the book. We've followed the Kent family from back when they were the Charbonneaus in France in the 1750s, and now, as the U.S. is about to enter 1891, it's all over! It's. All. Over.

Such a good series. I would totally recommend it to anyone who's interested in a good story, and/or U.S. history. Start your high school kids on this series; pick it up in your twenties; read it in your retirement. It doesn't matter how old you are (other than some mature subjects in every book -- a fair amount of sex and violence!), it's such a good series!

(My full review is here.)

My year now:

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z

Books owned: 0 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 0 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 0 read
Goodreads group reads: 1 read

3. The Art of the Essay

(At this rate, I'll never hit 50 this year! But I think I say that at the beginning of most years.)

This ... This is an English textbook from 1958. Yes, I'm a geek. It even has exercise questions at the end, and while I didn't answer the questions on paper, I did read them and think about what my answers would be if I had been a student at the University of Washington (About 10 years ago, the UW was cleaning out offices, and had big boxes of free books for anyone to take, and this was one of about five that I took with me :) ) in the late 1950s/early 1960s.

My year:

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z

Books owned: 1 read (yay)
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 0 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 0 read
Goodreads group reads: 1 read

4. The Bartell Story: 125 Years of Service

This was a nice history of Bartell Drugs, one of the nation's longest-running drugstore companies, based in the Puget Sound region (still) by the Bartell family (still) since 1890.

I kept feeling like I should run down the street and shop at my nearest Bartell's. Maybe go buy some toothpaste or something, just to give this family-run business more of my money.

My year:

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z

Books owned: 2 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 0 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 0 read
Goodreads group reads: 1 read

Tiffany wrote: "4. The Bartell Story: 125 Years of Service

This was a nice history of Bartell Drugs, one of the nation's longest-running drugstore companies, based in the Puget Sound region (still..."

Sweet! My mother's cousin owned a pharmacy. I got the biggest tickle telling the pharmacist to say "Hi!" to Cousin Artie from Bernie's rose whenever they called my office for a refill.

5. A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1001 Books book #1)

Meh. For me, it was kind of a waste of time. The only redemption of reading this book was that I can mark it off my list of 1001 Books to read. (My review is here.)

So now, my year: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 2 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 1 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 0 read
Goodreads group reads: 2 read 

6. Between the Acts (1001 Books book #2)

My year: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 2 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 2 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 0 read
Goodreads group reads: 2 read 

7. Confessions of an English Opium Eater

Beautiful prose, but not at all what I expected. (Review is here.)

So now my year: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 2 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 2 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 1 read
Goodreads group reads: 3 read 

8. Scott and Ernest: The Authority of Failure and the Authority of Success

Meh. I wasn't as pleased as I thought I'd be by this book. (My review is here.)

So now my year stands at:

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 3 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 2 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 1 read
Goodreads group reads: 3 read 

9. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice

This was a nice introduction/overview to various schools of literary criticism: Russian Formalism / New Criticism, Reader-Oriented, Structuralism, Poststructuralism, Deconstruction, Psychoanalytic, Feminism, Marxism, New Historicism, Postcolonialism, African-American, Queer Theory, and Ecocriticism.

So now my year is: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 4 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 2 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 1 read
Goodreads group reads: 3 read 

10. Cocaine Blues

The beginning started out a little rough for me, but it got better about halfway through the book.

I'm not counting this as one of my C books for the year, since I'm currently working on a C book I own, so this becomes an extra C book. And I didn't own it, it wasn't a 1001 Books book, Nancy Pearl didn't suggest it, etc., so it doesn't add to any of my totals, other than the 50-for-the-year total.

11. King County Collects: Treasures of Our Historical Organizations

A lovely sampler of items held in King County museums and historical organizations. It's like a quick tour of a museum plus a history of King County plus an appreciation builder for what those organizations do.

So now my year:

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 5 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 2 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 1 read
Goodreads group reads: 3 read 

12. The Gospel According to Lost

This book was a let down. I think I expected it to be more like the Philosophy & Pop Culture series, where the authors really find connections (well, usually. Sometimes the connections are kind of weak.) between the pop culture reference and philosophy. This book, on the other hand, was more like "Oh, well, people get second chances on the island. Jesus and the Bible talk about second chances" and "There's good vs. evil on the island, just like in the Bible." Each chapter is so short (with a big font and wide margins) and the majority of the chapter is spent summarizing characters and plot, that there's no real substance in the book, other than a few short passages, and maybe one or two chapters.

But even with that disappointment, I made progress in my reading year (Yay!). So my year now stands at:

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 6 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 2 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 1 read
Goodreads group reads: 3 read 

But even with that disappointment, I made progress in my reading year (Yay!).
There has to be some reward for a spending time with a mediocre read.

Donna wrote: "There has to be some reward for a spending time with a mediocre read."

Exactly! So even though there wasn't the joy of having read a good book, there was the joy of "One more book removed from the bookshelf!" :)

13. The Little Book Room

A sweet little collection of fairy tale-type stories for kids.

14. The Mathematical Experience

Surprisingly, I didn't love this book. It just wasn't what I expected, so it ended up being 411 pages of zzzzzzzz. There were some interesting parts, so maybe it was only 350 pages of zzzzzzzz, and 61 pages of "Oh." (But it's another book off my bookshelf!)

So now my year is: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 7 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 2 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 4 read 

15. Thirty Frames Per Second: The Visionary Art of the Music Video

Surprisingly, I didn't love this book, either.

It starts with an interview with Michael Stipe about R.E.M.'s videos, then moves into an interesting 20-ish page introduction about the history of music videos. So far, so good.

From there it goes into the actual meat of the book, which apparently is a 1/2 page on each director, followed by 1-5 pages of beautiful full-color still frames from a selection of each director's videos. But it's just so... not worth it. I hate to say that; I hate to say that about any book. But it's true. I think I'd get as much (probably more) just by looking at the table of contents, then looking up each of those directors on Wikipedia. Yes, the pictures are striking so the book gets points for combining those images in one place, but ... meh. Read Wikipedia then watch the videos on YouTube full screen.

So then, now I stand at:

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 8 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 2 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 4 read 

16. The Egg and I

Meh. This book had two things really going for it: 1) It gave me a taste of pioneer life on chicken farms out in our part of the country in the early decades of the 1900s; 2) MacDonald at times uses really fabulous language to describe events and people, and I loved the way she anthropomorphized things like the stove ("Stove") and the mountains.

On the downside, though, I kind of felt like she was SO negative at times, especially about the people she met. I get that out in the rural country in the early 1900s, not everyone was "civilized" and "cultured," but I find it hard to believe that EVERYONE was wacky and batty and country-bumpkins, and that she was the only "normal" person out there. So I got a little fed up with that.

So, it got two stars from me -- it was fun to read about chicken farming and pioneer life in our region, but it's not like my life was missing anything before I read this, and I would have been just as fine living the rest of my life without reading it.

So now my year is:

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z  +1C

Books owned: 8 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 2 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 4 read 

17. Where Angels Fear to Tread (1001 Books book #3)

It was okay.

So my year: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 8 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 3 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 4 read 

+1C

18. Watership Down

My first time reading this book. I'm not sure how I never read it before, other than it's pretty large for a young audience, so maybe they didn't have it in my school and teachers didn't want to read it to their class. (My review is here.)

So now my year stands at: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 8 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 3 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 5 read 

+1C

19. Jazz (1001 Books book #4)

So now my year: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 8 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 5 read 

+1C

20. Flying Too High

The second book in the Phryne Fisher Mysteries (or the "Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries," as PBS calls them). The first book in the series is Cocaine Blues, which was my #10 book for the year. I bought these two books for my dad for his birthday because he said he wanted "Miss Fisher" for his birthday. I asked "The DVDs, or the books?" and he said "Either." So I bought the first two books, and then a week before his birthday, he decided he wanted something else instead, and that was "the only thing" he wanted for his birthday. So then I had these two books lying around, so I decided to read them myself :)

They're not bad. I didn't like the first one that much, but this second one is better. Phryne is a bawdy lady of the 1920s: she likes men and sex (gasp!), she likes to drink, she likes being scandalous; she's a pilot, knows defense techniques, has travelled the world... As I said, this second one struck me as better than the first: Perhaps the author was just too clumsy with introducing Phryne, her personality, and why she was a British gal in Australia, but by the second book had found her groove. I only read the second book because it was sitting there, but now based on the second one, I'd be willing to read more in the series. I won't run to the store and buy all of them, but it's a series I'll keep in mind if I ever need a book to read (like I ever don't have books to read!) and want a little period-piece mystery with a kick-ass gal.

So now my year is: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 8 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 5 read 

+1C

21. Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World

This book wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it was a good read, anyway. I thought it was going to be about the science of climate change, and proof that it's happening. Nye does spend some time on those things, but the focus of the book is more about possible solutions to climate change, and a way to inspire "The Next Great Generation" to go forth and fix the Earth.

I felt like this should be required reading for science classes of all levels (start them young!), and PoliSci/Government classes in middle school or high school. This could be the basis of great science projects, government projects, and the future healing of Earth.

So now my year is: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 9 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 5 read 

+1C

22. The Canterville Ghost

The version I read contains 5 short stories: "The Canterville Ghost," "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime," "The Sphinx without a Secret," "The Model Millionaire," and "The Portrait of Mr. W.H." (My review is here.)

So now my year is: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 9 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 6 read 

+2C

23. Timequake

I don't know why I keep doing this to myself. Vonnegut is an author that so many people love, and a one-time good friend of mine loved him, but I just don't get him. And yet, I keep reading all of the books that the former friend recommended. I don't know why. I think that means I'm a fool.

So now my year stands at: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 9 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 6 read 

+2C

24. A Stranger In My Grave

A good thriller, but I wasn't so happy with the ending. The way all of the threads were tied together wasn't completely satisfying.

So now my year is: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 9 read (I really need to start focusing on my bookshelf more. I'm going to try REALLY hard to read a lot of books from my bookshelf for the rest of the year, but the silly little alphabet challenge will make that difficult.)
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 6 read 

+2C

25. Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation

I had expected this book to be really focused on the evolution vs. creationism debate, with evidence of why evolution is the correct theory, or why creationism is the incorrect theory. Instead, this book is more about evolution and how life evolves, rather than a defense of the theory of evolution.

It's still an interesting book, it just wasn't as hard-hitting as I was expecting. And I suppose that talking about how life evolves is, in a way, a defense of the evolution theory, but the "I'm defending evolution. It *obviously* exists!" wasn't as in-your-face as I expected. There were a couple of places where he started to be "In your face, sucka!" certainly, but not nearly as often as I had thought there would be.

So now my year: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 10 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 6 read 

+2C

26. The Penguin Dictionary of Classical Mythology

It was an okay book. I mean, it's basically a dictionary/encyclopedia, so it's not the most engaging read when you're reading it straight through. It's informative, so that's good.

One thing that got me, though, was that there were lots of confusing sentences, either because of the wording or punctuation, like commas in strange places or no commas where I was expecting them.

I also didn't love some of the cross-referencing, or lack of it. There might be entries that referred to a person with an alternative name, but if you looked up that alternative name, in some cases there was nothing to refer you back to the first version of the name. For example, if there were a person Bob, also known as John, as named by Mythographer X: in some cases, you could look up both Bob and John and get *some* sort of information (either the full story, or a cross reference to the other name); in other cases, though, you could look up Bob and see the story there, but there'd be nothing under John to tell you to go look up Bob.

So now my year (this book is listed on Goodreads as "Penguin Dictionary of..." but the book itself just says "Dictionary of..." so I counted it as a D book): 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 11 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 6 read 

+2C

27. Genesis and the Big Bang Theory: The Discovery Of Harmony Between Modern Science And The Bible

I feel like this is probably a good book showing how science and the Big Bang actually do (or can) go hand-in-hand, or back each other up, or at least that they don't contradict each other. There were some parts, though, that I wasn't completely convinced by his argument, and other points where I thought his argument wasn't backed up with enough evidence (sort of grasping at straws), and some points where I just don't know enough about the science to be able to tell if he's making his case correctly and interpreting science correctly, or if he's misinterpreting findings. But it was at least a good start at the "Science and the Bible don't contradict each other" thesis.

So now my year stands at: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 12 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 6 read 

+2C

28. The Lost Bank: The Story of Washington Mutual-The Biggest Bank Failure in American History

Holy crap, the Great Recession of 2008 and all of the failed mortgages and bank bailouts was just a messed up situation. I don't fully understand it, but Grind's book certainly helped explain what happened, at least what happened to Washington Mutual.

So now my year: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 12 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 6 read 

+2C +1L

29. Rowan of Rin

An okay children's book. When I read children's books as an adult, I try to rate the book both from my adult side and my child side. Some books are good books both for an adult and child. This isn't one of those. I think I see the value in this for a kid: the moral is basically "Even the smallest, seemingly weakest person has value and can be the brave hero." Okay, good moral for kids. And for the intended audience (2nd grade), it might be a suspenseful page-turner. For an adult, though, meh.

So now my year stands at: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 12 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 7 read 

+2C +1L

30. PR!: A Social History Of Spin

So now my year: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 13 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 7 read 

+2C +1L

31. It Happened in Seattle: Remarkable Events That Shaped History

Now my year is: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 14 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 7 read 

+2C +1L

32. The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II

This book reminds me a bit of The Debs of Bletchley Park and Other Stories, mostly because it's a story of women doing work on secret war projects (so secret that not even the women working on the projects know what they're working on) that would end up winning the war for their side.

So now my year: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 14 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 8 read 

+2C +1G +1L

33. Ten Little Indians

A collection of great short stories.

My year: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 14 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 8 read 

+2C +1G +1L +1T

34. Sesame Street: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street

This is part coffee table book, and part in-depth history of Sesame Street. The book is HUGE, the pages are glossy, and there are LOTS of brilliant-color photographs of Muppets, performers, more Muppets, guest stars, behind-the-scenes, Muppets, scripts, storyboards, lyric sheets, and Muppets. And more Muppets.

This is a great book for different audiences: if you're a fan of the Street, you want to read this because it has so many great stories about different aspects of the show, and brings you a TON of memories about growing up (I can't stop singing the theme song, or even the "Elmo's World" song, and I'm too old for "Elmo's World"!); if you have merely a casual interest in the show, the pages actually have very little text (LOTS of pictures!), so it can be a quick read, but they give a nice overview of the show and its history. Something for everyone! (My full review is here.)

So now my year stands at: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 15 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 8 read 

+2C +1G +1L +1S +1T

35. How to Read the Bible

Meh. He touches on a number of topics, but it doesn't often feel like he actually says anything. I did like that he talks in the introduction about not reading Bible stories and asking if they *literally* happened, but rather looking at the *meaning* of the stories. But then in the meat of the book, it feels like he strayed from that plan of attack, but also didn't really say much of substance. Don't get me wrong: he does explain the history of some of the Bible books, and does talk about some history, or explains some of the stories as parables, but just not to the extent I'd expect. So... eh. It was an okay book, with a few good sections.

So now my year stands at: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 16 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 8 read 

+2C +1G +1L +1S +1T

36. You Know You're in Washington When...: 101 Quintessential Places, People, Events, Customs, Lingo, and Eats of the Evergreen State

So now my year is: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 17 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 4 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 8 read 

+2C +1G +1L +1S +1T

37. Fury

So now my year is: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 17 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 5 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 8 read 

+2C +1G +1L +1S +1T

38. The Old Devils

One of the greatest (as in horrifying) aspects of this novel is Amis' descriptions of the lives of old people! The bodily functions, or lack of them, the ordeal that getting dressed becomes, etc. Those passages are so detailed and so well written that I was enthralled at his wordsmithing, and yet appalled at the thought of becoming old.

So now my year stands at: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 17 read (doing okay, but not as well as I'd like)
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 6 read (making a strong push for a couple of months)
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 8 read 

+2C +1G +1L +1S +1T

39. Fathers and Sons

So now my year stands at:

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z

Books owned: 17 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 7 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 8 read

+2C +1F +1G +1L +1S +1T

40. Claudia and the Bad Joke

I wanted a nice, easy, breezy read while I was working out on the treadmill. The only problem with reading a short, kid's book is that it only lasts one treadmill session!

So my year is: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 17 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 7 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 8 read 

+3C +1F +1G +1L +1S +1T

41. Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her

Books owned: 18 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 7 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 8 read 

+3C +1F +2G +1L +1S +1T

42. How Maps Change Things: A Conversation about the Maps We Choose and the World We Want

So now my year: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 19 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 7 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 8 read 

+3C +1F +2G +1L +1S +1T

43. The Candy Bombers

This is a fine book, but there's SO much more backstory than I expected that sometimes I felt like I was just treading water, and not getting to the actual main story of the book.

However, the main story was good. I hadn't heard about the Candy Bombers until the author was on The Colbert Report promoting this book, and the book gives a ton of info about the blockade in Germany and the airlifts that got food (including candy) and other supplies to the people in Berlin after WWII.

So now my year is: 

A A B B C C D D E E F F G G H H I I J J K K L L M M N N O O P P Q Q R R S S T T U U V V W W X X Y Y Z Z 

Books owned: 19 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list: 7 read
Books from Nancy Pearl reviews/suggestions: 0 read
Books from my "recommendedby-a" shelf: 2 read
Goodreads group reads: 8 read 

+3C +1F +2G +1L +1S +1T