Challenge: 50 Books discussion

I barely made it to 70 in 2024, but I'm going for it again. With everything else going on, I still need to prioritize reading. It makes me happy!

Ann A wrote: "With everything else going on, I still need to prioritize reading. It makes me happy!"

Yay! What a nice sentiment :)

Good luck on your 2025 goal -- and if you don't make it to 70, hopefully you at least have a ton of reads that you enjoy :)

1 - The History of Sound
And...wonderful to start off the new year with a winner! I really loved this collection of "paired" stories all set in New England. 5*

2 - Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet
Technical, but accessible. Very interesting history of the internet and why blockchain networks are important for the future. 4*

3 - Beautyland
An alien "coming of age" story. Yeah, it sounds odd but it's well-written and it works! 4*

Tiffany wrote: "Ann A wrote: "With everything else going on, I still need to prioritize reading. It makes me happy!
Yay! What a nice sentiment :)

Good luck on your 2025 goal -- and if you don't make it to 70, h..."

Thank you, Tiffany. I've started off the year with 3 winners, so I'm highly encouraged!

Ann A wrote: "Thank you, Tiffany. I've started off the year with 3 winners, so I'm highly encouraged!"

What a great start! Here's hoping the rest of the year is as successful!!

4 - Headshot
Another Tournament of Books selection I was surprised to enjoy. Teenage female boxers! 4* (rounded up)

5 - Wandering Stars
Maybe not as good as "There, There", but as far as character development and plain beautiful writing on a tough subject, few can rival Tommy Orange for me. 4*

6 - Nutshell
This was a weird one, that I pretty much loved. McEwan is usually a hit for me. 4*

7 - Ballistics
Not my favorite Billy Collins collection, but I still love his work. 4*

8 - The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
Somewhat repetitive as most books like this are, but still very helpful with staying grounded and not letting things "get" to you. 4*

9 - Colored Television
I got frustrated with many of the main character's decisions, but I still really liked this deceptively complex novel. 4*

10 - After You
Not perfect, but I was thoroughly engrossed. 4*

11 - Nicholas Nickleby
My opinion of whoever else I'm reading alongside Dickens (I never have just one book going) is immediately lowered. Also, I accept my command of the English language is dismal. 4* (1001 Books)

12 - The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
I will read anything McBride writes, but I didn't love this one as much as The Good Lord Bird or Deacon King Kong. 4*

13 - Orbital
Loved this Booker winner, and I keep thinking about it. 4.5*

14 - Fourth Wing
My first foray into "new adult" fantasy. Entertaining enough, but I won't be continuing the series. 3*

15 - Gorky Park
Didn't love it - didn't hate it. Glad to get it if off my TBR, where it has languished for many years. 3*

16 - Billiards at Half-Past Nine
Interesting story of a German trying to live a normal life after WWII. 3 1/2* (1001 Books)

17 - Three Weeks in Paris
Thank goodness this is done and in the donate pile. Either I have outgrown Barbara Taylor Bradford, or this is one of her worst. 1*

18 - Erasure
I did like this, but may have enjoyed the movie more (American Fiction). 4*

19 - How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith
I'm not very religious, but I found practical advice here. It's still hard to believe the scathing remarks this woman was subjected to simply because she called for compassion. 4*

20 - Five Decembers
Hard Case Crime random library pick. A surprising solid 3.5* for me.

21 - North Woods
Beautiful nature writing and storytelling. It's books like this that literally keep me "grounded". 4.5*

22 - The Book Censor's Library
Enjoyable, but also unsettling as more and more book banning occurs. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. 4*

23 - The First State of Being
...And this is why I continue to read the Newbery winners. 5*!

24 - Let the Great World Spin
Had been on my TBR for years. Depressing and gritty, but you find yourself rooting for the characters despite their flaws. 4*

25 - The Body: A Guide for Occupants
I love Bill Bryson and am sad he has retired. No matter what he writes about, I feel informed and entertained. 5*

26 - The Wedding People
Soft pick. I found the plot mostly ridiculous, but the good writing and fun characters made me enjoy it anyway. 3.5*

27 - With No One as Witness
I love George's writing and get so engrossed in her novels that I'm hardly aware of time passing. However, I found this one so depressing I couldn't give it the usual 4 stars. Perhaps it's just my state of mind at the moment. 3*

28 - The Vicious Vet
Silly fluff, but fun. 3*

29 - My Friends
Beautifully written and moving novel about three friends and their relationship with their home country, Libya. 5*

30 - Time's Arrow
Well, that was certainly unique. A guy lives his life backwards. 3*
(1001 Books)

31 -My Friends
My second novel with this title in the last two weeks! I liked the characters and the idea of the story, but the delivery was awkward. I found some of the scenes and dialogue over-the-top. 3*

32 - Go Down, Moses
My 2nd Faulkner and this one was harder work, particularly the page-long sentences. 3* (1001 Books)

33 - Braiding Sweetgrass
Absolutely loved this wonderful book. 5*

Ann A wrote: "32 - Go Down, Moses
My 2nd Faulkner and this one was harder work, particularly the page-long sentences. 3* (1001 Books)..."

Indeed! You should get bonus points for making it through Faulkner. Extra bonus points for understanding the multi-page sentences!

Tiffany wrote: "Ann A wrote: "32 - Go Down, Moses
My 2nd Faulkner and this one was harder work, particularly the page-long sentences. 3* (1001 Books)..."

Extra bonus points for understanding the multi-page sentences! ..."

Alas, I did try but the understanding part didn't always happen. *sigh*

34 - The Underground Library
I can overlook the cheesy parts because I hadn't known about the "underground" life during WWII. I love learning new stuff from historical fiction. 3.5*

35 - The Safekeep
This started off as a promising psychological thriller, but didn't keep the pace for me as I got further in. 3*

36 - Telling Tales
Vera Stanhope is yet another mystery series I really enjoy. 4*

37 - Franny and Zooey
Didn't like this as much as Catcher in the Rye. 3*
(1001 Books)

38 - Camilla
Nothing like good old-fashioned 1000-page 18th century melodrama where reputation was everything! 4*
(1001 Books)

39 - Atmosphere
It was a decent, but I'm not much of a romance reader. I wanted more of the space stuff. 3*

40 - The Black Prince
A wild ride. My eyes glazed over at some of the philosophical bits, but the drama built until I couldn't put it down near the end. 4*
(1001 Books)

41 - Antony and Cleopatra
My annual Shakespeare read before I see the play. (I go to a Shakespeare festival every summer.) This one was just ok. 3*

42 - Hidden Depths
I've become a big Ann Cleeves fan. The TV shows from her books are also great. 4*

43 - The Adventures of Sally
More fun from P.G. Wodehouse. His humo(u)r is right up my alley. 4*

44 - The Housemaid
Wow, I am an outlier on this one since most everyone seems to love it. Amongst all the clever twists and turns, I didn't find ANY of it believable. 1*

45 - The Golden Bowl
Not sure why I keep reading Henry James. The old joke "Why did the boy keep hitting himself in the head with a hammer? (Because it felt so good when he stopped)" comes to mind. 3* for the parts that didn't wander off into the nether reaches.

46 - The Correspondent
Just wonderful. 5*!

47 - The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World
Beautiful, thoughtful writing, and wise advice. 4*

48 - Martyr!
I liked this a lot at first, but it started to lose steam and become less believable as it went along. 3*

49 - Audition
Well, that was a weird one. I liked Intimacies by this author much better. 3*

50 - A Little Life
I probably should have continued to let the cover scare me off. Absorbing, beautiful writing in much of it, but I just don't have the energy to delve into the aspects of it that bothered me. I'm basing my rating on something I read from another reviewer and comparing how much time I spent on this book to how I felt upon finishing it. 2.5*

51 - The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Malcolm Gladwell is always interesting, but I now take some of his conclusions based on "studies" with a grain of salt. 4*

52 - Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir
Excellent memoir of a Chinese-American woman and her relationships with her mother, grandmother, and birth country. The author obviously put her heart and soul into this book, and I'm wondering if she'll ever write another one. 4*

53 - Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran
Autobio of an Iranian-American journalist. Very good. 4*

54 - The Law of Innocence
The Lincoln Lawyer is my favorite Connelly series. 4*

55 - The Case of the Velvet Claws
Perry is a tough cookie. I prefer the Raymond Burr version. 4*

56 - Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show
This isn't so much about the TV show as it is about a REAL cult. I thought it was a fantastic audiobook. 5*

57 - Swamplandia!
Weird, but engrossing and well-written. 4*

58 - Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard
I love Desai's writing, but the story was meh. 3*

59 - Resurrection Walk
Riveting courtroom scenes. 4*

60 - Small Mercies
I loved the first 2/3 of this, but then it started to feel like a movie wannabe. 3.5*

61 - Fury
I don't know what to say about this book. I kind of hated it, but Rushdie's writing is so ridiculously good and the ending was interesting, so I guess it's rounded up to 3*. (Includes a partial star just because he wrote one of my favs, Midnight's Children.)

62 - Riding The Transcontinental Rails: Overland Travel On The Pacific Railroad, 1865-1881
It's a long story how I ended up with this ARC from 2004, but the various essays regarding travel on the new coast-to-coast railroad were mostly interesting. 4*

63 - This Strange Eventful History
Too long and too much jumping around. 3*

64 - Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again
3.25*

65 - A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck
Amazing story. 4*

66 - The Once and Future King
Happy my knowledge of the legend of King Arthur is no longer restricted to Camelot (the musical). 4*

67 - Evergreen
This had been on my shelf for many years. I used to read family saga stuff like this all the time, but never any Belva Plain. I quite enjoyed it but again, too long (698 pgs!) 4*

68 - Messenger of Truth
Another solid visit with Maisie Dobbs. 4*

69 - Abundance
I respect Ezra Klein and his ideas a lot. I wish this book had left me a little more hopeful. 4*

Ann A wrote: "68 - Messenger of Truth
Another solid visit with Maisie Dobbs. 4*"

Yay! Maisie Dobbs!

Ann A wrote: "66 - The Once and Future King
Happy my knowledge of the legend of King Arthur is no longer restricted to Camelot (the musical). 4*"

:D

Ann A wrote: "62 - Riding The Transcontinental Rails: Overland Travel On The Pacific Railroad, 1865-1881
It's a long story how I ended up with this ARC from 2004, but the various essays regarding ..."

Ooh, that sounds interesting!