Challenge: 50 Books discussion

I have lowered my goal a bit this year, because I need to devote some of my reading time to other projects. Also, I plan to tackle a few chunksters. Wishing a Happy New Year and many happy reading hours to all!

Happy new year!

("...plan to tackle a few chunksters" :D OMG, I love that!)

1 - Spider's Web
Fun novelization of a Christie play to start off the year. 4*

2 - The Collected Plays, Vol. 1 (in progress)
I needed to read a play for a challenge last year, so I thought "why not read all four volumes of Neil Simon plays"? Haha. I'm counting each volume as only one book, so I'll keep track of the individual plays under each book heading. Read so far:
- The Odd Couple (read last year, but didn't 'count' it)
- Come Blow Your Horn
- Barefoot in the Park
- The Star-Spangled Girl
- Promises, Promises
- Plaza Suite
- Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1/27/23 - finished the book)

3 - The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times
Just as inspiring as I expected it to be. 5*

4 - Evil Under the Sun
I've said it many times, but I'll say it again. I love Agatha Christie mysteries! 4.5*

5 - The Daily Show (The Audiobook): An Oral History as Told by Jon Stewart, the Correspondents, Staff and Guests
Recommended for fans of The Daily Show. 4*

6 - Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
I liked this a lot, although I couldn't quite grasp all the magical translation stuff. Also a tad long. 4*

75 books this year, that's a big challenge. I've only reached that number twice since joining Goodreads back in 2012. Good luck.

Exanimis wrote: "75 books this year, that's a big challenge. I've only reached that number twice since joining Goodreads back in 2012. Good luck."

Thanks! Hope 2023 is a great reading year for you, too.

7 - Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster
So good. 5*

8 - Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Great writing and character development. I thought the beginning and end were better than the middle. 4*

9- Writers & Lovers
EXACTLY the book I needed right now. I stayed awake half of last night finishing the audio. 5*

10 - The Poet X
Excellent young adult novel in verse. 4.5*

11 - The Hours
Lovely writing, but I never really got involved with the characters. 3*

12 - Now Is Not the Time to Panic
The perfect author for this quirky novel. Makes me want to read his short stories. 4*

13 - Half of a Yellow Sun
Stellar historical fiction. 5*

14 - Mercury Pictures Presents
A bit disjointed and overwritten in places, but I found the characters fascinating. 4*

15 - The Night Fire
I enjoy listening to this series on audio (esp. with Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch). 4*

16 - The Looking Glass War
Dark, but well-written and absorbing. 4*

17 - The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Uncomfortable, powerful, unique. I learned a lot about Sri Lanka. 3 1/2*

18 - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
I'm getting a little hooked on these stylish Smiley books. Hoping to finish the series this year. 4*

19 - The Violin Conspiracy
I really wanted to like this. I respect the author, and I loved the parts about music. The "mystery" and the character development...no. 2*

20 - The Collected Plays, Vol. 2
And it's on to Volume Two of Neil Simon plays. I will add each play here as I finish it:
- Little Me
- The Gingerbread Lady
- The Prisoner of Second Avenue
- The Sunshine Boys
- The Good Doctor
- God's Favorite
- California Suite
- Chapter Two (6/8/23 - Finally finished this volume!)

21 - The Return of Faraz Ali
Great characters and atmosphere. Historical fiction may be my favorite genre. 4*

22 - The Dark Hours
Another solid entry in the Bosch series, but I'm still deciding how much I like Renee Ballard. (view spoiler)[I thought the ending was a stretch, with her (or anyone) intentionally taking on the two serial rapists on her own. (hide spoiler)] 3 1/2*

23 - When Life Becomes Precious: The Essential Guide for Patients, Loved Ones, and Friends of Those Facing Serious Illnesses
Some good ideas, but dated and somewhat repetitive. 3*

24 - The Easy Life in Kamusari
Delightful, plus I learned a lot about sustainable forestry. 4*

25 - Life After Life
FINALLY got to this after 10 years on my TBR! It was very good, but by the end I was starting to get a little weary of the time jumping. 4*

26 - The Last Cuentista
Great middle-grade Dystopian thriller. Newbery winner 2022. 4*

27 - Stitches: A Memoir
Sad and lovely memoir. I was glad to happen upon this. 4*

28 - The Book of Goose
This year's winner of The Tournament of Books. I didn't love it - felt uncomfortable anticipation throughout, like something horrible was about to happen. 3*

Ann A wrote: "25 - Life After Life
FINALLY got to this after 10 years on my TBR! It..."

Woohoo!! Congrats! (hehehe) I know that can feel like quite an accomplishment!

29 - In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
An apt description from the cover "Richly textured stories reveal the complexities of Pakistani class and culture...". 4*

30 - The Lady in the Lake
I do enjoy Chandler's noir detective fiction. 4*

31 - Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations
A tad dated since it's from 2016, but I am always impressed with Friedman's research and analysis. 4*

32 - Finding Me
I can see why Viola Davis won an Audie for this. 4*

33 - The Green Mile
I'm not a big horror fan but I AM a fan of Stephen King's writing, so I appreciated this departure from his usual fare. 4*

34 - Lord of the Silent
Ok, parts of it were silly but it was so much fun I'm rounding up to 4*.

35 - The Quest of the Missing Map
I like to revisit Nancy every now and then. This wasn't one of the better visits. 2*

36 - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
I loved the first half, but then stopped caring who the next husband would be. It did pick up towards the end. Probably a 3 1/2 overall, but I gave it 4*.

37 - Demon Copperhead
LOVED it. Barbara Kingsolver rarely disappoints me. She has a unique way of combining sadness and beauty. 5*

38 - Go Tell It on the Mountain
My first Baldwin and it won't be the last. 4*

39 - Trust
I had to think about this for a while, and then decided the structure and all the layers were really kind of brilliant. 5*

40 - Nature, Love, Medicine: Essays on Wildness and Wellness
Lovely essays about maintaining our connection to the natural world. 5*

41 - Yellowface
I couldn't put this down. There were a few things that bothered me but after this and Babel: An Arcane History, I'm adding everything Kuang has written to my TBR. 4*

42 - The Honourable Schoolboy
Continuing with the Smiley novels. I like some more than others. 3*

43 - The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having—or Being Denied—an Abortion
Interesting in-depth study on...well, see the title. It turns out that women and their families do much better when they can make their own decisions about their bodies and their lives. Imagine that. I do wish the book had been a little more tightly edited. 4*

44 - Smiley's People 3*

45 - Tisha: The Wonderful True Love Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness 4*

46 - LaRose
Not my favorite by this author, but still a solid 4*. Native American culture fascinates me, and Erdrich is a masterful storyteller. (She also has a lovely reading voice.)

47 - The Crime at Black Dudley
I did NOT need to discover another mystery series I enjoy, but alas...4*

48 - The Diary of a Nobody
Fun little 19-century classic. 4*

49 - The Book of Strange New Things
This book was indeed a strange, new thing. I'm not sure how I feel about it. The narrator of the audiobook did a good job, but I'm afraid I'll have nightmares about his alien voice. 3*

50 - The Golden One
It's always fun spending time with Amelia Peabody and crew. Also, Barbara Rosenblat might be my favorite narrator. 4*

51 - The Secret Pilgrim
This is my favorite Smiley novel so far (I think I have one left). In addition to his stellar writing, I appreciate le Carré's unflinching look at the world of espionage. No sugar-coating here. 4*

52 - The Ambassadors
This was my 4th James and the toughest one to get through. Just too much work. 2.5*

53 - Miracle Cure
Just awful. 1*

54 - The Girl in His Shadow
I enjoyed this tale of a brilliant young woman fighting to practice medicine in the early 19th century. 4 1/2*

55 - The Covenant of Water
Swept me off my feet! I was also fortunate enough to hear Abraham Verghese speak - he's fascinating. 5*

56 - Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
Very good, but a depressing reminder of just how evil people can be. 4*

57 - Whereabouts
I will happily read anything Lahiri writes. This one was especially impressive given the fact she wrote it in Italian, then translated it into English. 4*

58 - Freewater
2023 Newbery Medal winner. 4*

59 - The Clue in the Jewel Box
I tend to revisit Nancy Drew a few times a year in fond memory of the books I loved as a child. This one is not a gem. Haha. 2*

60 - Children of the Storm
As usual, Amelia Peabody and crew are great fun. The audio is wonderful. 4*

61 - The Bandit Queens
Occasionally, I come across a book that most everyone seems to love (except me). Although I can appreciate dark humor, it didn't work for me here. I thought the light-hearted treatment of the serious subject matter crossed the line into silliness. 2 1/2*

62 - Tom Lake
Although a very good book, listening to Meryl Streep narrate was the best part! 4*

Ann A wrote: "59 - The Clue in the Jewel Box
I tend to revisit Nancy Drew a few times a year in fond memory of the books I loved as a child. This one is not a gem. Haha. 2*

:D

63 - The English Understand Wool
A short little gem. I'm going to look for more books from this publisher (Storybook ND). 4*

64 - The Shamshine Blind
Clever and entertaining, although slow at times. 4*

65 - The Circle
Pretty scary at how spot on Eggers was with the direction in which social media is going. There were enough eye-rolling moments, though, that it's just a soft pick. 3 1/2*

I finished the year 10 books short of my goal, but that's ok. I feel good about my efforts, and I read some great books. That's the main goal!