29 posts tagged “50 books in 365 days”
At the end of November I thought I had 20 more books to reach my goal of 50 books in 365 days, then I realized it was only about 10. I then started playing Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2010, (great game btw), and became re-addicted to Brain Age for Nintendo DS... now I'm sort of scrambling to reach my goal... so no video games and no lousy TV until I am done!
#45 The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells. With a title like this, it has to be a good book, right? Well, it was. It's a coming of age story of a Louisiana girl who deals with love, loss, then love again with a little magic and life lessons thrown in for good measure. It's an easy page turner, and I would recommend it for anyone who likes books of this genre.
#46 The Toss of a Lemon by Padma Viswanathan. This story follows the life of a strict Brahman Hindi woman and her family from her early childhood in the late 19th century until the late 1950's. It's a facinating epic, describing the day to day life of an average Brahman family. I knew very little about the caste system of India and the Hindu religion, and I was amazed to learn how religion and superstition affects every minute aspect of the day. This woman, for example, as a Brahman widow didn't allow herself to be seen in public, as it was a bad omen for others to see her. She had her head shaved every month, she couldn't
touch anyone during daylight hours, couldn't be in sight of guests in her own home, and had to prepare all her own food.
As the story progresses, things once forbidden by Hindi culture become commonplace. The world outside India and within is changing rapidly and new standards of livings are met with question, then acceptance, while the widow doesn't evolve from her religious beliefs. She battles with her modern son from the time he is young, and is devastated by his behavior.
It's a rather long book, and it touches on political issues of the time as well as religious and all aspects of a Brahman life. If you enjoy books about other cultures, this one may interest you.
#47 Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Over the years I have read books that make me cry - Tuesdays with Morrie, Marley and Me, but this is by far the saddest book I have ever read. It is the story of a woman who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at the age of 50. She is active and intelligent, and is devastated by this diagnoses. It's incredibly sad, as it's so real - thousands live with this disease and could happen to you or me. Her family struggles, she struggles, but the world moves on. It's a quick read, (an afternoon), interesting, and well, incredibly sad.
#42 Cross Country by James Patterson. Good Dr. Alex Cross
novel - quick, fast paced read.
#43 The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen. This book started off a little slow, but picked up about half-way through. I haven't read her novels before, but I would read her again.
#40 The Drowning People by Richard Mason
I picked this book up at the $0.25 library sale. I had to read a bit of the cover just to know if it was a romance (which I avoid at all costs) novel, and this is what I read, 'My wife of 40 years shot herself yesterday afternoon, at last that is what the police assume.' Good enough for me!
I'm going to preface this little critique by stating that I have never written a book, nor do I believe myself to be successfully capable of doing so... however... within two pages, I realized two thing; it was written by a young person and he made fantastic use of a thesaurus. It is a book of choices and consequence. The overly used thesaurus was fairly annoying, and the continual youthful expression that 'no one understands me, I am so utterly unique and misunderstood' got old pretty quick. The book is written from the perspective of an elderly man reflecting on his life and I found that style original, and well, easy to do.
The book was 'okay'. It was slightly pretentious, the characters were naive, and I'm going to assume that the author knew the readers would understand what actually 'occurred' during the book's climax, and were just reading to find out the 'why'... which wasn't that deep either...
#41 Frankenstein - Dead and Alive, Book 3 by Dean Koontz.
This book was a long time coming. I was excited that this third and final installment of the series was promised to be out in 2007, (it wasn't) and by the time I was handed the book last month I had completely forgotten about it.
It's a good series, creatively written and original. The story is pretty gory, without much thought or value for 'human' life... which is actually quite appropriate as that is exactly how the 'New Race' would feel! The two police characters are absolutely unrealistic and their constant 'witty' banter is totally annoying. Other than that it was a good, easy, enjoyable read.
Great... VOX isn't allowing me to upload books... OR comment on other VOXERS... so annoying! The error message is pretty funny though...
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#39 - Italian Fever by Valerie Martin
I picked this book up at the $0.25 sale in my community, and I may have paid too much... I'm a total sucker for anything Italian, and fearing that this was a romance novel, I read the first line on the inside jacket, "A secluded Tuscan villa, a mysterious death, a missing manuscript, a whiff of a ghost" - wow, that sounds pretty interesting! The author should have stopped there - the book itself was never that compelling... the mysterious death, wasn't so much, it was a renovated farmhouse, not a villa, the manuscript wasn't ancient or even really interesting, and the ghost was probably as bored of the whole ordeal as I was... There was a lot of misleading assumptions and judgements made, and no real mystery. The love story was less than mediocre, as the author neglected to make the male character desirable in the least.
This book left me not wanting more, or caring in anyway about the future of the characters.
#37 - The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver.
This was an excellent book. I was immediately drawn to the realistic language, characters and unusual storyline. It's a book about coincidence, community, and coming of age.
The story was a little predictable, but a fantastic novel nonetheless. If you liked 'Running With Scissors', 'Rush Home Road', or even 'The Lovely Bones', you will probably like this book.
#38 - The Shack by William P Young.
Apparently this book was a huge bestseller, but I only recently heard about it from 2
people who thought I might like it. I don't like hearing details about a book before I read it, but I found it interesting that both of the ladies told me nearly the exact same thing about the book after thinking it over for several seconds, 'something terrible happens to a man, and he spends a week-end having a conversation with God.'
Well, that does pretty much sums it up, but of course it is slightly more involved than that, but to understand fully one would have to read the novel.
It initially had the feel of a Mitch Albom novel - simple, straightforward, lacking overly descriptive language, and with a clear message. It was true that many times I found myself re-reading the same paragraph multiple times, trying to absorb the message.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has experienced a loss in their life without the benefit of closure or understanding why bad things happen to good people. The reader must be open minded to appreciate the messages of this novel.
#35 - Bella Tuscany - The sweet life in Italy by Frances Mayes. This is the author who wrote 'Under the Tuscan Sun' - probably one of my favorite movies. I found it visually beautiful and the story light and clever.
Bella Tuscany is an Italian travel book of sorts. It also describes some local traditions and everyday life.
I really love the way Italians live. It is very home focused, close to the earth, and connected to the past. It appears (sans Mafia) to be a gentle, natural, sweet way of living.
The book was a little tough when the author was describing her gardening and Italian artwork. I don't have the gene that can visually imagine and process what she is discussing.
Nonetheless, it was a good and informative read.
#36 - The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I have read all the fiction that Dan Brown has written (I think there is only 5 books or so), and this one featured the character Robert Langdon made famous by Tom Hanks who portrayed the character in 2 blockbuster movies.
The story was related to the Masonic Order and Washington D.C.. The plot was fast paced and compelling. It was a very good read.
I much prefer the books he has written that takes place in Italy, England and France. Washington D.C. is just not as exotic. I'm sure that this book will boast tourism and interest in general for America's capitol (as it did in European countries) and that is a good thing. Even in the novel, Robert Langdon asked a classroom of college students to raise their hands if they have been to Washington D.C., and few go up, compared to many hands when asked about London, and Paris. True. We should show more interest of what is in our backyard.
If you have liked Dan Brown's other novels, you will like this one.
By Charles Dickens. I choose to read this book as it is on several lists of important works of literature. I thought I read it in highschool, but when I picked it up at the local library, I realized that I was mistaken.
Just like most of the books I read, I knew nothing of the story. I wrongly assumed simply from the title and my ignorance in general, that this book would be a 'slice of life' kind of story.
Working through the language style, which I'm not accustomed to, was tough at first. I was several chapters in before I was able to let the story flow and the characters become real.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover a well thought out story, intersecting plot and nicely developed characters. I had to re-read a bit from the beginning as I couldn't remember some of the characters when I was lost in the language. I found the story most compelling during the revolutionary period in France, and when the past of the characters were revealed. I loved how the lives of the characters and families histories wound, revolved and finally came together.
This was a great book and a wonderful story.
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs.
In my usual fashion I knew nothing of this book when someone recommended it to me. I should say that this lady was a little leery handing the book over to me, as she prefaced doing so by telling me she doesn't usually read books that are so 'graphic'. I appreciated the warning, but told her I didn't want to know any more.
This book is a memoir of a highly dysfunctional childhood spent in a pseudo 'family'. The author has a wonderfully warped sense of humor and he doesn't hold back when describing to the reader exactly what happened to him and how he felt about it.
It is a disturbing but very entertaining book. I would recommend it to 'some' (like not my mom...).
Upon completion of this book, I read the reviews on the back and inside of the jacket, and I'll quote some... (SPOILER ALERT)
'It is as funny as it is twisted'
'A hilarious and horrifying memoir'
And my favorite:
'Burroughs defies the 'woe is me' stigma of modern memoir with a raucous recounting of his loony teenage years'
If anyone was deserving of a 'woe is me' attitude it would be this guy... which is a 'stigma of the modern memoir?' I think most popular memoirs feature a terrible childhood (deservedly 'woe is me' - they are children for God's sake!) followed by a successful adult life... luckily Mr. Burroughs has an incredible sense of humor which I'm guessing he developed as a coping mechanism...'Loony teenage years'? I wonder if this reviewer actually read the entire memoir. Did the reviewer think it was nutty fun hilarity when Augusten's father refused to see him? It was just comical that the author was taking care of his crazy 'mother' with her neglectful, self destructive, selfish, and beyond abusive behavior?Did the reviewer think it to be wacky silly fun when the 13 year old boy was raped by a man in his 30's? Filth, neglect, mental illness and drugs? Good times eh? Maybe that review is an example of how our society is desensitized against abuse and neglect.
I think if I was smart enough to be paid to review a book, I would say something like
:
'This is a deeply disturbing memoir of a childhood riddled with abuse and neglect told with wicked self effacing sense of warped humor. A light retelling of a horrifying childhood.
It was a good read.
Okay, I've been busy. Here's my catch up...
#29 - 8th Confession by James Patterson. This was a typical James Patterson novel within his Women's Murder Club series. The pace of course was fast, the language, descriptive, but not annoyingly so. I found the plot a little simple and I'll even go as far to say it was a little underdeveloped (yeah, like I should have an opinion...) I think that Mr. Patterson keeps this series a little lighter, bordering on 'beach read'.
It was a good book and I will read the 9th installment. I won't run out and buy it, but I may stroll into the library a few months after it is released and see if it's available.
#30 - Final Warning by James Patterson. This is the fourth novel in Mr. Patterson's 'Maximum Ride' series. I really enjoy this series although the intended target reader is a teenager. These novels are action packed and even a little inspiring. The lead characters are good role models (although they are constantly kicking ass) and I feel much better about my 14 year old niece loving this series (she does) rather than the Twilight series (ugh, don't get me started).
At times I can't believe how well Mr. Patterson writes from the perspective of an angry, conflicted teenage girl. Some of the phrases he uses makes me laugh out loud. The global warming issue was a little overdone, but in general it was a great read.
The only dissapointing aspect of this novel was its length. It was short. I purchased the paperback for my niece and I quickly finished it and discovered a quarter of the book was previews for the next Maximum Ride novel, and 2 previews for Patterson's Daniel X series.
#31 - The Last Juror by John Grisham. I was positive that I had read every novel Grisham had ever written (except Skipping Christmas), and when I picked up this novel and began reading trying to jolt my memory I couldn't believe that I hadn't read it.
This was a good book - very typical in style and pace for a Grisham story. It was however, far from my favorite, but good nonetheless. I found this story to be a little less bloody and disturbing than other novels I have read, and that was actually nice. Certain character names in the book stuck in my head and I realized that a few characters were actually from the book/movie; A Time To Kill. I really enjoyed that crossover.
I would recommend this book to any fan of this genre.
#32 - The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. This book was lent to my by a good friend (and fellow reader) of mine. I picked it up several times throughout the day and finished it before dark. This is an autobiographic account of a woman who grew up in extreme poverty. A total page turner.
When I finished reading it - I was surprised that the idea of mental illness was never expressed. It seemed obvious to me that these parents had issues beyond alcoholism and whatever general nuttiness inspired the flightly, neglectful, and selfish behavior the mother continually exibited. Perhaps the author did this on purpose - I'm not sure. I also found the author a little detached from the story. She never really expressed how she felt... even physical pain wasn't discussed. I suppose one would have to detach themselves in order to survive. I was shocked by the conditions in which she was raised. Appalled. I couldn't understand or relate to her parents, and I was frustrated and angry with them. I wanted to reach into the pages and slap sense into her parents - the author did an excellent job expressing her childhood, in a straighforward way. I felt while reading it that the author felt a rush of release of issues that she might have carried from her childhood into her adult world. It was dispassionate and felt like the author took one deep breath, picked up a pen and didn't stop, or allow emotion until she exhaled, finished her story and put the pen back down.
This was an excellent book. Simple, to the point, and in your face disturbing. Jeannette Walls should certainly be proud of herself.
#27: 7th Heaven by James Patterson. This is the 7th (duh) book in the 'women's murder
club' series featuring Lindsay Boxer as the main character. It is quick, compelling and interesting as I find all James Patterson novels to be.
Normally I immensely dislike books written in 1st person narratives, but this one didn't bother me so much. The author switched the narrative between the main characters, and it was rather good.
I realized just into the book that somehow I missed the 6th book. That drives me crazy! I'm reading it now.
#28: Timeline by Michael Crichton. This book has been sitting on my shelf for maybe 2 years. I thought I had read it until I was packing up some books to drop off at the exchange library at our golf course and I had a closer look at the book.
I read this book in less than 2 days. It was a page turner and I enjoyed the historical context. It was a little bit long toward the end... I remember thinking, 'okay, whose turn is it to go missing?' In the end it was a great Crichton novel, and I found myself wondering if it could be successfully translated onto the big screen.
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