Challenge: 50 Books discussion

This will be my first 50 challenge and I'm looking forward to it.
I currently read a lot of Crime/Thriller fiction (especially Nordic authors lately), and am in 3 different crime/mystery/thriller groups here at Goodreads (2 of them Nordic themed). I try to bust out of my favorite genres pretty often, though, reading historical fiction, cowboy/western, and edgy.
My first 3 books of the 50 will be what I'm currently reading:

Solo Faces: A Novel, by James Salter
The Executioner's Song, by Norman Mailer
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, byStieg Larsson
I look forward to getting to know some of you. Good luck, and Happy New Year!
Tom

I finished my first read of 2012 today, so I'll begin my list here in this post. I'll update the list as it grows, which you can also see in "shelf" format here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...


1 (06/01) Solo Faces: A Novel by James Salter
2 (16/01) The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson
3 (19/01) Mind's Eye by Hakan Nesser
4 (22/01) The Long Walk by Stephen King

I felt lucky to have found a good bit of time to read in January, and stayed on my 50-books-per-year pace.
This has been a great first week of February; I finished 2 books that I started in January, plus another cover-to-cover in a mere day and a half.
If I find myself this far out ahead of my pace, I should really get into a good, thick book that I've got on the back burner (maybe The Stand or Moby-Dick).
I'm also going to take this opportunity to set a few other goals for my 2012 project. As a part of my 50 projected books for the year, I'd like to include:
- 4 Pulitzer Prize winners
- 6 works of non-fiction
- 2 books in their original Spanish version
- 2 books published before 1900
- 6 books (1 from each decade) published between 1900-1960
- 4 books published in the current year 2012
OK, that should force me to branch out a bit from my usual tastes.

So here's my list-in-progress of reads completed in February:

5 (03/02) A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog by Dean Koontz
6 (05/02) Triptych by Karin Slaughter
7 (07/02) Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho

A quick update with more books finished in February:


8 (10/02) Micro by Michael Crichton
9 (13/02) Three-Ten to Yuma and Other Stories by Elmore Leonard
10 (15/02) The Litigators by John Grisham
11 (20/02) 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz
12 (22/02) Bleeding Hearts: A Novel by Ian Rankin
13 (24/02) The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

I got more reading done in February than I'd hoped for. The challenge now will be to keep the pace up!
So far in March, here's my progress:

14 (01/03) Life of Pi by Yann Martel
15 (05/03) Snow Angels by James Thompson

These have both been great reads, among my favorites in their respective genres.
I'll be travelling most of the rest of the month, so not sure if I'll have chances to update or not, but I will when opportunity presents itself.

I've been busy travelling most of the month (and reading, of course...), and just now getting a chance to post my list of books finished in March:

14 (01/03) Life of Pi by Yann Martel
15 (05/03) Snow Angels by James Thompson
16 (14/03) The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell
17 (17/03) Lucifer's Tears by James Thompson
18 (21/03) A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
19 (23/03) Along Came a Spider by James Patterson
20 (26/03) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Also, I started chipping away at my list of "special project" reads for the year. I'll hopefully get to fill in a few more slots each month, but at least I got a start this last month:

- 4 Pulitzer Prize winners
20 (26/03) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
- 6 works of non-fiction
- 2 books in their original Spanish version
- 2 books published before 1900
- 6 books (1 from each decade) published between 1900-1960
18 (21/03) A Passage to India by E.M. Forster (first published 1924)
- 4 books published in the current year 2012

We've been pretty involved in our travels and real-estate hunting, and I've been studying for an upcoming medical course. My recreational reading has been pretty slow this month.
Here's a quick update for my progress in the first half of April...

21 (05/04) The Final Solution by Michael Chabon
22 (12/04) Helsinki White by James Thompson

And a title to add to my list of "special project" reads for the year...

- 4 Pulitzer Prize winners
20 (26/03) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
- 6 works of non-fiction
- 2 books in their original Spanish version
- 2 books published before 1900
- 6 books (1 from each decade) published between 1900-1960
18 (21/03) A Passage to India by E.M. Forster (first published 1924)
- 4 books published in the current year 2012
22 (12/04) Helsinki White by James Thompson (published 15/03/2012)

With my studying and travels, I was only to squeeze in a couple final reads this month. Almost halfway to 50; I think after I hit 25 I'll try and tackle a big, thick "trophy" like The Stand or Moby-Dick.

23 (25/04) Kiss the Girls by James Patterson
24 (30/04) I'm No Monster: The Horrifying True Story of Josef Fritzl by Stefanie Marsh

And a title to add to my list of "special project" reads for the year. That brings me to 4 down, 20 more to go. Need to work on these a bit more...

- 4 Pulitzer Prize winners
20 (26/03) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
- 6 works of non-fiction
24 (30/04) I'm No Monster: The Horrifying True Story of Josef Fritzl by Stefanie Marsh
- 2 books in their original Spanish version
- 2 books published before 1900
- 6 books (1 from each decade) published between 1900-1960
18 (21/03) A Passage to India by E.M. Forster (first published 1924)
- 4 books published in the current year 2012
22 (12/04) Helsinki White by James Thompson (published 15/03/2012)

Did you like the books of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo??

Erika wrote: "Did you like the books of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo??"

I liked all 3, especially the first. I actually enjoyed reading the 3 James Thompson books more, though!

Here's a quick summary of my May progress. All of them pretty good reads, but nothing earth-shattering:

25 (03/05) Gone for Good by Harlan Coben
26 (12/05) Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly
27 (17/05) Lost Memory of Skin: A Novel by Russell Banks
28 (22/05) Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy
29 (31/05) Guilty Wives by James Patterson

And a couple titles to add to my list of "special project" reads for the year. That brings me to 6 down, 18 more to go. Need to work on these a bit more...

- 4 Pulitzer Prize winners
20 (26/03) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
- 6 works of non-fiction
24 (30/04) I'm No Monster: The Horrifying True Story of Josef Fritzl by Stefanie Marsh
26 (12/05) Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly
- 2 books in their original Spanish version
- 2 books published before 1900
- 6 books (1 from each decade) published between 1900-1960
18 (21/03) A Passage to India by E.M. Forster (first published 1924)
- 4 books published in the current year 2012
22 (12/04) Helsinki White by James Thompson (published 15/03/2012)]
29 (31/05) Guilty Wives by James Patterson (published 26/03/2012)

I haven't posted to this thread for 2 full months, so here's an update including my June and July progress:

30 (02/06) The Coffin Dancer by Jeffery Deaver
31 (08/06) The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
32 (11/06) Borkmann's Point by Håkan Nesser
33 (23/06) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
34 (07/07) Jack and Jill by James Patterson
35 (12/07) El Príncipe de la Niebla by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
36 (24/07) The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver
37 (27/07) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain


And some more titles to add to my list of "special project" reads for the year. That brings me to 10 down, 14 more to go. Need to work on these a bit more...

- 4 Pulitzer Prize winners
20 (26/03) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
33 (23/06) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry(1986 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
- 6 works of non-fiction
24 (30/04) I'm No Monster: The Horrifying True Story of Josef Fritzl by Stefanie Marsh
26 (12/05) Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly
- 2 books in their original Spanish version
35 (12/07) El Príncipe de la Niebla by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- 2 books published before 1900
37 (27/07) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- 6 books (1 from each decade) published between 1900-1960
18 (21/03) A Passage to India by E.M. Forster (first published 1924)
31 (08/06) The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham (first published 1944)
- 4 books published in the current year 2012
22 (12/04) Helsinki White by James Thompson (published 15/03/2012)
29 (31/05) Guilty Wives by James Patterson (published 26/03/2012)

OK, let me try and get this caught up before the end of the year rush...
I certainly haven't had as much time to read this second half of the year, and looks like I'll just maybe squeak in my 50 reads, and definitely fell short of my special project reading goal. Oh well, it is what it is. I'm going to try the same goals again for next year, I'm pretty sure of that already.
Here's the list as it is today, and I'll update this thread one last time when the year finishes. I'll count books I start in 2012 and finish in 2013 as next year's reads:

38 (03/08)Stay Close by Harlan Coben
39 (16/08)The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes by Joe McNally
40 (20/08)Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg
41 (02/09)Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver
42 (03/10)The Pyramid: And Four Other Kurt Wallander Mysteries by Henning Mankell
43 (11/10)The Road by Cormac McCarthy
44 (07/11)The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
45 (09/11)XO by Jeffery Deaver
46 (04/12)The Dark Half by Stephen King
47 (17/12)K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain by Ed Viesturs


And some more titles to add to my list of "special project" reads for the year. That brings me to 15 down, 9 more to go. I'll see if I can get at least one more before year's end...

- 4 Pulitzer Prize winners
20 (26/03) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
33 (23/06) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry(1986 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
43 (11/10)The Road by Cormac McCarthy(2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
- 6 works of non-fiction
24 (30/04) I'm No Monster: The Horrifying True Story of Josef Fritzl by Stefanie Marsh
26 (12/05) Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly
39 (16/08)The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes by Joe McNally
47 (17/12)K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain by Ed Viesturs
- 2 books in their original Spanish version
35 (12/07) El Príncipe de la Niebla by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- 2 books published before 1900
37 (27/07) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- 6 books (1 from each decade) published between 1900-1960
18 (21/03) A Passage to India by E.M. Forster (first published 1924)
31 (08/06) The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham (first published 1944)
- 4 books published in the current year 2012 YES, I GOT ALL 4!
22 (12/04) Helsinki White by James Thompson (published 15/03/2012)
29 (31/05) Guilty Wives by James Patterson (published 26/03/2012)
38 (03/08)Stay Close by Harlan Coben (published 20/03/2012
45 (09/11)XO by Jeffery Deaver(published 12/06/2012)