Challenge: 50 Books discussion

Here's to another year of great reading. I made it to 33 in 2010 and 42 in 2011. Hoping to make it to 50 this year!

Good luck!

Thank you, Susan!

1. Elephant Girl: A Human Story - Jane Devin
This was a free Kindle book, one I'm glad I stumbled upon. It's a beautiful example of strength and courage in the face of violence and despair. Well written, difficult at times to read. 5 stars.

2. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter - Tom Franklin
Great book! Expected it to be more of a crime novel/mystery, turned out to be a story of friendship and redemption. Excellent character development. 5 stars.

3. The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didon
Disappointing. Potentially powerful story of love and grief overshadowed by excessive details of her very privileged life. 3 stars.

4. Stories I Only Tell My Friends - Rob Lowe
My first audiobook. I normally have little interest in celebrities, but had heard good things about this book. Plus, it was free. And I really needed to get some projects done around the house on Monday, when I really just wanted to spend my holiday reading. Fast forward five days and I found myself wishing my commute tonight was just 18 minutes longer so I could finish it. I think this was probably more entertaining to listen to than it would have been to read. Now I want to read The Outsiders and then watch the movie. 4 stars.

5. The Outsiders - SE Hinton
So much for trying to read books I already own. Took my daughter to the library yesterday and came home with two books for myself. I enjoyed this one, yet another classic I did not read growing up. It would have made for good discussion. 4 stars.

Kristin wrote: "5. The Outsiders - SE Hinton
So much for trying to read books I already own. Took my daughter to the library yesterday and came home with two books for myself. I enjoyed this one, yet ..."

I love The Outsiders, both book and movie. I can not believe you have never seen the movie! Watch it immediately with a box of tissues. Sodapop was so dreamy!!!

Good sell, Natalie! I'll have to look for the movie. Thanks!

6. The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life - Ann Patchett.
I love Ann Patchett. This was a quick read, and interesting to learn how she writes. 4 stars.

7. Breaking Silence - Linda Castillo
I really enjoy this series of Amish murder mysteries. Easy to read, yet they hold my attention. 5 stars.

8. The Future of Us - Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
To me, this is stereotypical YA fiction. Uncomplicated and a little cheesy. I know there is great YA fiction out there, but this isn't it. 3 stars.

9. Running the Rift - Naomi Benaron
Excellent book! Story of a young man with dreams of being an Olympic runner, set during the genocide in Rwanda. Despite the unspeakable acts going on, his life is filled with so much hope. 5 stars.

10. The Girl She Used to Be - David Cristofano
Melody was 6 years old when her family witnessed a murder and entered the Witness Protection Program. Twenty years later, she willingly goes with the mafioso sent to find (and kill) her. It's a unique storyline, but more romance and less suspense than I expected. 4 stars.

11. The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes - Diane Chamberlain
I did not want to put this book down. I don't even know what to say about it. CeeCee made a decision at age 16 that forever changed her life, and spent the rest of her life trying to protect what was most important to her. I will definitely be reading more Diane Chamberlain. 5 stars.

12. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
So, one of my goals was to read Neil Gaiman this year. I read this slowly over ten weeks. It never really captured my interest, but I wasn't so disinterested to just give up. This is the story of people who fall through the cracks and inhabit London Below, where no one is quite the same as Above. 3 stars.

13. A Red Herring Without Mustard - Alan Bradley
I enjoy the Flavia de Luce mysteries. I think eleven-year-old-me would have loved to be Flavia. Chemistry, crime solving and sticking it to her big sisters....what's not to love? 4 stars.

the outsiders was a great book! dont remember the movie too well

14. The Midwife's Confession - Diane Chamberlain
Three best friends. When one of them dies, the other two realize how much of their friend's life was a mystery to them, and how intricately entwined in their lives she really was. Engaging story. 4 stars.

15. Little Bee Chris Cleave
I like this genre and there was a lot of hype, so I had high expectations. It started strong and fell flat. The beach scene was very well written. Apparently (per the back of the book), "the magic is in how the story unfolds", so I'll use that as my excuse not to say more. 4 stars (3 1/2 rounded up).

16. House of Thieves - Kaui Hart Hemmings
This was the first collection of short stories I've ever read. I really enjoy getting into a book, and I didn't feel like I could do that with nine shorts. My favorite was The Minor Wars, so I'll probably add The Descendants to my TBR-soon list. 3 stars.

17. I Am Half Sick Of Shadows - Alan Bradley
The fourth Flavia de Luce mystery. This one might be my favorite. I can't wait for my girls to be old enough to enjoy Flavia! 5 stars.

18. The Paris Wife - Paula McLain
Great writing. I could imagine bring in Paris, could feel the excitement of Pamplona. Similarly, I also felt like I was hanging out with friends that I just wanted to smack for being ridiculous. Have never read any Hemingway, but now I want to. 4 stars.

19. On the Island - Tracey Garvis-Graves
A lighter read for up at the cabin. A sixteen year old and his tutor survive a plane crash and are stranded on an uninhabited island for three and a half years. Better than I expected. 4 stars.

20. Fifty Shades of Grey - EL James
My sister is reading this trilogy and passed the first book on to me. Everyone is talking about these books right now and I guess curiosity got the best of me. This is the first romance I have ever read, and despite being a little uncomfortable at times (especially thinking - my little sister just read this), the storyline held my interest. I will probably read the other two in the series. 4 stars.

Kristin wrote: "3. The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didon
Disappointing. Potentially powerful story of love and grief overshadowed by excessive details of her very privileged life. 3 stars."

Oh darn. I was hoping there would be a rave review of this here! I just picked it up a few days ago for the same potential love story and the awful tragedies of her family. I had a small nagging feeling that it might end up being more about privilege.. sigh

Tiffani, would be interested to hear your thoughts on The Year of Magical Thinking, if I didn't scare you off from it. Sometimes I think I might focus too much on the obvious and annoying, and completely miss the good stuff. Happy reading!

21. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green and David Levithan
I forget just how much angst and apathy goes into being a teenager. And drama. Oh, the drama. I liked this book, and loved John Green's Will Grayson's rules for life: 1) don't care too much and 2) shut up. I actually laughed out loud a few times, something I don't often do when reading. 4 stars.

Kristin wrote: "Tiffani, would be interested to hear your thoughts on The Year of Magical Thinking, if I didn't scare you off from it. Sometimes I think I might focus too much on the obvious and annoying, and comp..."

I think what we can take from this is that even if a person is privileged (whatever that may mean), they are not immune from great tragedy, loss, and deep pain. She deserved her privilege, in my opinion. She is a talented, aware, and caring person. I don't resent her having a privileged life. I feel great sympathy for her, and appreciate her willingness to open her heart and experience to the world, and its judgment. She is no different from anyone else who has lost a husband, and even more profoundly, a daughter. What difference does her privilege make when weighed against those losses? That was the truth of her life, and I appreciate her sharing it with me.

Kathleen, thank you for your comments! I wasn't in any way trying to diminish her loss or pain, and I certainly do not resent her for the life she (and John) worked so hard to build. I just felt like there was a lot more name, place, etc dropping in this book than needed and that she could have instead dug deeper into her relationships, grief and healing.

22. Child 44 - Tom Rob Smith
War hero and recently demoted MGB officer is trying to track down a serial killer in Stalinist Russia, where there is no crime. I was surprised first when the killer was revealed (which is funny, because in hindsight, the clues were all there), and then even more by the motivation. Will definitely read the others in the trilogy. 5 stars (4 1/2 rounded up).

Kristin wrote: "Kathleen, thank you for your comments! I wasn't in any way trying to diminish her loss or pain, and I certainly do not resent her for the life she (and John) worked so hard to build. I just felt li..."

I may have a different perspective, because I'm old enough to remember when her name was the one other people would drop! Her book Play It as It Lays was a sensation in its time, and is on the 1001 Books list, along with her book Democracy. Showing my age, I'm afraid, but she certainly didn't have to drop names or places to make herself look more important than she was.

23. Daughters for a Time - Jennifer Handford
Helen's dad leaves when she's twelve, her mom dies of cancer when she's thirteen, leaving her older sister to raise her. As an adult, she struggles with infertility for four years before considering adoption. As soon as she has her baby, another tragedy turns her life upside down again. The ending ties everything up a little too neatly. I never know how to rate books that I get so sucked into, but feel like I didn't really enjoy. 3 stars?

24. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris
My second audiobook (ever). Still not convinced they're for me. I expected this to be so much funnier. Will have to give David Sedaris another shot, next time on paper. 3 stars.

25. Then We Came to the End - Joshua Ferris
Funny. He really nailed corporate cube-dwelling life. 4 stars.

26. If I Stay - Gayle Forman
27. Where She Went - Gayle Forman
In the first book, Mia's family is in a tragic car accident; she is the only survivor and must decide if she wants to live or die. Second book is from her boyfriend Adam's point of view, how his live is irrevocably changed by her choices. 4 stars each.

28. Fifty Shades Darker - EL James
My sister kindly shared the second and third books with me last week. The writing is terrible. Oh my. I still find myself sucked in to the story, though, and can see why this series has become so popular. 4 stars.

29. Fifty Shades Freed - EL James
Maybe I shouldn't have read these back to back. Meh. I'm ready to move on to something new. 3 stars.

A couple observations relating to this string of posts: I thought Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends was truly wonderful! It was a thoughtful and open sharing. I highly recommend it.

I also adored Joshua Ferris' Then We Came to the End. (I wasn't crazy about his next effort, however.) I read a brief interview with Ferris a couple years back. When asked which person he wouldn't mind trading lives with, he said Suri Cruise! LOVE THIS REMARK!

Rose

30. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
I loved this book. Beautifully written, funny and heartbreaking, honest and just not what I was expecting from a book about teenagers with terminal cancer. Now all I want to do is grab something else by John Green when I return this one to the library. 5 stars.

31. Looking for Alaska - John Green
Funny that this is the first book I've finished in almost a month, and it's another John Green. I have been having serious 'book ADD' lately, and have a few others going right now as well. I liked this one, not as much as The Fault in Our Stars, but still very enjoyable. John Green creates excellent characters. I'm sure his other works will show up on my list yet this year. 4 stars.

32. The Lower River - Paul Theroux
Ellis Hock spent four years in Africa in the Peace Corps, returning home to run the family business after his father's death. After his child is grown and his marriage ends, he returns to Africa and finds it nothing like the place he left decades earlier. Didn't want to put it down at first, then it started to drag. 4 stars.

33. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
I was so excited when I heard Gillian Flynn's third book was being released. I loved Sharp Objects and Dark Places. So I stalked my library online until I could put my name on the hold list. And then I waited. And waited some more. Did I like it? Yes. But just not as much as I expected. Inventive, psychological twist on the husband-kills-wife murder mystery. I'm struggling with the rating. My anticipation issues aside, and compared to other reads/ratings this year, I think it's - 5 stars.

34. The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey
Somehow Eowyn Ivey was able to weave together a magical fairytale with a realistic 1920's life on an Alaskan homestead. Beautifully written and just kind of enchanting, for lack of a better word. 5 stars.

35. The Age of Miracles - Karen Thompson Walker
For reasons unknown, the earth's rotation has slowed. Days and nights grow longer. As told through 6th grader Julia's point of view, the story ultimately lacked depth. Started out strong and very well written. 4 stars.

36. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
I read this for Banned Books Week, it just took me two weeks to finish. This was a great book! Set in the early-mid 1900's, I still think the discussion on race and gender roles is important today. 5 stars.

37. Gone Missing - Linda Castillo
The fourth Kate Burkholder Amish murder mystery. I love this series! 5 stars.

38. The Expats - Chris Pavone
Spy thriller with a strong plot. I had a hard time keeping up with the constant back and forth timeline in part one, but parts two and three were better. 4 stars.

39. No Wonder My Parents Drank: Tales from a Stand-Up Dad - Jay Mohr
I needed a mindless read, so my husband suggested this. I didn't think it was that funny, despite the fact I have two small children and should totally relate. Because I'm feeling generous....3 stars.

40. The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant - Dan Savage
Funny in a way that only Dan Savage could be, he shares his and Terry's decision to adopt and the open adoption process. This was a great random find at the library. I'll have to look for his other books. 4 stars.