Challenge: 50 Books discussion

Here's to another year of great books and fellow book-lovers!

#1-Voyager
3*-Not sure I'm liking this series enough to continue with the 1000+ page installments.

#2-East of Eden
4*-The usual superb Steinbeck writing.

#3-Nairobi Heat
2* (Barely) A real disappointment, although I think the writer has potential.

#4-Waiting for Godot
3 1/2* - Liked it - not sure why.

#5-Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
3 1/2* - I enjoyed it, but think a couple of sections didn't measure up to the rest of the book.

#6-When the Emperor Was Divine
4* - There is a lot of emotion packed into this short novel. It makes your heart ache for what the Japanese-American families endured during WWII.

If you liked When the Emperor Was Divine, definitely read The Buddha In the Attic (which is already on your to-read list). It's similar enough to Emperor that it makes a nice companion piece, but different enough that you don't feel like she's just rehashing the same topic and characters.

Tiffany wrote: "If you liked When the Emperor Was Divine, definitely read The Buddha In the Attic...

Thanks, Tiffany. I'll definitely read that one.

#7-Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Was really frustrated with this. As another reviewer put it, "historical fiction for the Nicholas Sparks set" -in other words, too sappy!

#8-The Night Circus
The description of this didn't intrigue me, but after so many good reviews I thought I'd give it a try. Surprisingly, I liked it quite a bit - found it unique and well-written.

#9-Anne of Green Gables
The TV show really stayed true to this book. Anne is a great character.

#10-Knots and Crosses
Didn't love all the plot elements, but I liked Ian Rankin's writing enough to see what he does with Detective Rebus in further novels.

#11-Half Life
Decent read.

#12-Hercule Poirot's Christmas
Dame Christie does it again.

#13-The Fellowship of the Ring
Even though I'm not a big fantasy fan, this gets 4* for the writing and imagination.

#14-The Earth Is Enough
True nature lovers will enjoy this (although the trout fishing chapter is TOO long).

#15-The Alchemist
A re-read - still enjoy it.

#16-Call for the Dead
Smiley #1 - I aspire to read them all.

#17-An Ice Cold Grave
Didn't like it. There's only 1 more book in the series, but I don't think I'll see it through. 2*

#18-A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
I love Bill Bryson's wit and the fact that I learn a lot from his books. 4 1/2*

#19-Townie
Never would have picked this up if it hadn't been recommended to me. I ended up liking it a lot, especially the last 1/3. Dubus III is a very good writer, and I was fascinated with how he describes his penchant for violence in his younger days and how he evolves. 4*

#20-Still Alice
Very good book, but scary! 4*.

#21-The Brass Verdict
I really liked 80% of this, but subtracted 1/2* because of the ending. 3 1/2*

#22-Freedom
Liked it a lot. 4*

#23-Murder on the Links
O.K, but not a Christie favorite of mine. 3*

#24-The Inheritance of Loss
A Booker Prize winner. Not an easy, "feel-good" read, but a beautifully written book dealing with the immigrant experience as well as many other contemporary issues. This one will stay with me for awhile. 4*

#25-The Black Echo
A real page-turner, but again, was a little disappointed in the way Connelly "wrapped things up".
3 1/2*

#26-Coraline
I appreciate Gaiman's imagination, and look forward to reading some of his other books. 3*

#27-Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Wonderful book - loved it! 5*

#28-Tales From Silver Lands
Newberry winner-1925. Entertaining book of folk tales from South America - probably would have enjoyed it more as a child. 3*

#29-State of Wonder
Very unsatisfying ending. 2 1/2*

#30-The Real Romney
I read this because I was curious to know more about Romney. I will be voting for Obama. 3*

#31-Anne of Avonlea 4*

#32-The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
Amazing writing and research. David Mitchell is a rare talent. 4*

#33-The Lovely Bones
Don't understand why this was such a huge hit. 2*

#34-The Reversal
Really like these Mickey Haller/Harry Bosch novels! 4*

#35-One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich:
Classic about one day in the life of a Siberian camp prisoner. 3 1/2*

#36-The Beekeeper's Apprentice
Very entertaining, but with a few minor irritations that made me drop it 1/2*. 3 1/2*

#37-The Dovekeepers
Stellar writing. A bit too much religion and magical realism for me, but still have to give it 4*.

#38-Divergent 2 1/2*
Just couldn't get into it. YA Dystopian adventure is not my favorite genre.

#39-A Game of Thrones
Entertaining enough, but I don't enjoy the genre enough to read the other long books in the series. 3*

#40-Shanghai Girls
I enjoyed the story of these two sisters and learning more about the Chinese immigrant experience, although a few plot elements were not quite believable. 3 1/2*

#41-The Two Towers
I'm a big fan of Tolkien's writing, if not the fantasy genre. 4*

#42-The Art of Fielding
Very impressive first novel. There have not been too many books where I became so engrossed, I wasn't aware of time passing - this was one of them. 4*

#43-The Piano Teacher
It was interesting learning about life in Hong Kong during and just after WWII. The characters weren't terribly likeable. 3 1/2*

#44-A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism
I really like the Unitarian philosophy. 4 1/2*

#45-The Tenth Circle
Too soap opera-ish. 2 1/2*

#46-Shen of The Sea: Chinese Stories for Children Newberry winner-1926. Charming Chinese folk tales. 3*

#47-Ready Player One Enjoyed this more than I thought I would - loved the 80's references. 4*

#48-The Marriage Plot Good writing - plan to read more by Eugenides, but I stopped caring much what happened to these characters. 3*

#49-The New New Rules: A Funny Look At How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass - Crude, but funny and smart. 4*

I need to update here more often!

#50-The Funny Thing Is...
Not hilarious throughout, but still pretty funny. I'm upping my 3 1/2* to 4* just because it's ELLEN!

#51-Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation
Required summer reading for freshmen at my daughter's university. Very good book about the importance of inter-faith youth movements to counter growing religious extremism. 4*

#52-Seriously...I'm Kidding
Recommend the audiobook for this one. 4*

#53-A Great Deliverance
I definitely plan to read more Elizabeth George, but I subtracted 1/2* for the overly melodramatic ending of this one. 3 1/2*

#54-A Caribbean Mystery
Christie is always entertaining, even though this isn't one of my favorites. 3*

#55-Ice Station Zebra
Great adventure story. A lot of the technical stuff was over my head, but it was still interesting and made me respect MacLean's research. 4*

#56-The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party
I always enjoy this series. 4*

#57-A Thread of Grace
Loved it. Writers like Russell are the reason historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. 4 1/2*

#58-The Time Machine
Entertaining, but I was expecting more somehow. 3*

#59-A Prayer for Owen Meany
Unique and well-crated. A real work of art. 4 1/2*

#60-In the Spirit of Crazy Horse
It's truly sad how the American Indians have been treated. Matthiessen makes a strong case for the innocence of Leonard Peltier, who has been in prison since 1977. 4*

#61-The Return of the King
Well-written, of course, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first two. 3 1/2*

#62-Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
Fun fluff + cookie recipes! 3*

#63-Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series
Now I finally know where the phrase, "Say it ain't so, Joe!" comes from. Very detailed, but I like that in my nonfiction. 3 1/2*

#64-The Careful Use of Compliments
I always enjoy A.M. Smith. 3 1/2*

#65-Ginger Pye
Cute dog story. Still working on my goal to read all the Newberry winners. 3*

#66-Mary Stuart
I enjoyed this play, which I read prior to seeing a live performance. 3*

#67-The Scent of Rain and Lightning
Annoying. 2*

#68-Night Soldiers
Furst is impressive in the "historical spy fiction" genre. 4*

#69-Three Men in a Boat:
Delightful! 5*

#70-The Great Gatsby
Not one of my favorite high school re-reads. 3*

#71-Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War
Fascinating. 5*

#72-Beloved
I can't dispute Morrison's talent - just didn't enjoy the book. 2*

#73-The Wind in the Willows 3*
Fun children's classic I've always wanted to read.

#74-The Guide 3*
Entertaining novel of a corrupt Indian "guide" - comical, but with philosophical lessons along the way.

#75-The Big Four 3*
Another solid mystery from Christie.

#76-The Obama Hate Machine: The Lies, Distortions, and Personal Attacks on the President---and Who Is Behind Them
I wish there were more books like this to counter all the right-wing propaganda out there. The chapter on the Koch brothers is truly disturbing. 4*

#77-We Are What We Ate: 24 Memories of Food, A Share Our Strength Book 3 1/2*
Entertaining collection of essays on food and memories of growing up.

#78-Dark Star
Furst's attention to historical and character detail are very impressive. I enjoyed the book, but had a little trouble keeping track of everything. 3 1/2*

#79-The Black Ice
Another solid Michael Connelly novel. I do like Harry Bosch. 4*

#80-Qb VII
Engrossing and disturbing. 4*

#81-The Devil All the Time
Well-written, but too dark and gritty for my tastes. 2 1/2*

#82-The Girls
Good novel about conjoined twins. A couple of plot elements took it down 1/2 star, but I'd read more by this author. 3 1/2*

#83-The Marriage Bureau for Rich People
Alexander McCall Smith-ish with an Indian twist. 3 1/2*

#84-Jude the Obscure
Thomas Hardy is one of my favorite writers. This one did not disappoint. 4*

#85-Smoky the Cowhorse
Newberry Medal winner of 1927. Liked the first half, hated the second. 2*

#86-Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner
I was totally engrossed in the first half of the book. In the second half, he started to annoy me a little with his obsession, but still a very interesting read. 4*

#87-Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Very entertaining read, although I did not find Strayed particularly likable. 4*

#88-V is for Vengeance
Grafton has not lost her touch. I'm anxiously awaiting "W is for..."! 4 1/2*

#89-Bleachers
Enjoyable, but the town's idolatry of the football coach was a bit over the top. 3*

#90-The Fifth Witness
Love Mickey Haller. 4 1/2*

#91-Dreams of Joy
The historical part concerning The Great Leap Forward was interesting, but that didn't make up for my frustration with Joy and for unbelievable plot elements. 2 1/2*

#92-The Bungalow Mystery
Not really very good, but this was the original 1930's version, and I have to give it 3* for nostalgia's sake!

#93-Catching Fire
I actually liked this better than The Hunger Games - more intrigue, less action. 4*

#94-Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe
I love Bill Bryson's writing. 4 1/2*

#95-A Year Down Yonder
Newberry winner, 2001. "Grandma" is a great character. 3 1/2*

#96-A Fool and His Honey
Didn't like it as well as the others in the series. 2 1/2*

#97-The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
Fascinating. Makes me want to read more about T. Roosevelt. 4*

#98-A Murder of Quality
Not what you would expect from Le Carré, but still good. 3*

#99-Smoke and Mirrors
Liked some of the stories, others didn't do anything for me. 2 1/2*

#100-Number the Stars
Very good. Newberry winner of 1990. 4*

#101-The Submission: A Novel
Compelling and thought-provoking. I'm not sure why I was left a bit unsatisfied. 3 1/2*

#102-The Stranger's Child
3* for the writing, but I didn't find the story very interesting.

#103-The Girl with No Shadow
Loved it. Harris' writing is magical. 4 1/2*

#104-Serious
As a huge tennis fan, I found this very interesting. 4*

#105-Books
If you really love BOOKS (not just reading), this will hold your attention. 3*

#106-Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process
Amazing what animals' brains are capable of! 4*

#107-Payment In Blood
Well-crafted plot. 4*

#108-The Mystery of the Blue Train
Another fine piece of work by Dame Christie. 4*

#109-The Lotus Eaters: A Novel
Really wonderful novel about a female photojournalist in Vietnam. 5*

#110-A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Loved it. Heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. I can't believe it took me so many years to get around to reading this. 5*

And, I think that's the first time EVER that I have had two 5* reads in a row!

#111-If You Ask Me
Make that THREE 5* in a row! I was thoroughly entertained by this audiobook (read by Betty). My favorite parts were the sections about animals.

#112-The Buddha in the Attic
Uniquely written in a "plural" voice. Powerful. 4*

#113-The Devotion of Suspect X
A different twist on the typical murder mystery. Translated from Japanese and set in Japan, so I found that aspect particularly interesting. 3 1/2*

#114-Anne of the Island
I enjoy these gentle, charming books. 4*

Hope everyone met their 2012 goals! I'm happy with my 114 books, since my initial goal was 75.