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25 Book Challenge for 2009 has been accomplished. Thanks LT! I have not read this many books in a year for quite a while. Time to up the ante in 2010 and go for the full 50. First off, hello everyone! I discovered LibraryThing a few months ago and this is my first post. I have been under a spell of reading hibernation for the past few years and I am just now starting to wake out of it. LibraryThing, and other factors, have motivated me to once again pick up a book. Time to stop using my hardcover books to level unstable furniture and try out the intended use again. I have been intrigued by the '50 Book Challenge' threads and decided to give it a try. Rather than read 50 books, I am going to shoot for the slightly more personally attainable number of 25. It is my hope to exceed the 25 book goal, but I do not want to raise the bar too high right out of the gate. I am attempting to vary my list with different authors and genres, but honestly I will be thrilled if I can meet the challenge. I will start the challenge officially on 12/01/08 and I will keep track of my progress below. ![]() Books read so far: December 1. Night by Elie Wiesel 2. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer 3. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer 4. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer January 5. I Hope they Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max 6. Eye of the World (Wheel of Time Book #1) by Robert Jordan February 7. Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill March 8. The Great Hunt (Wheel of Time Book #2) by Robert Jordan April 9. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain May 10. Trainspotting by Irving Welsh 11. Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell 12. The Cellar by Richard Laymon 13. The Dragon Reborn (Wheel of Time Book #3) by Robert Jordan 14. The Dawning of a New Age by Jean Rabe June 15. The Nymphos of Rocky Flats by Mario Acevedo July 16. Skeleton Crew by Stephen King August 17. The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum 18. Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy 19. The Shadow Rising (Wheel of Time Book #4) by Robert Jordan 20. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling October 21. American Gods by Neil Gaiman 22. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown November 23. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay 24. Off Season by Jack Ketchum 25. The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan Message edited by its author, Nov 16, 2009, 4:19pm. Nov 25, 2008, 9:09am (top)Message 2: billiejeanHi, JechtShot! LT has done the same thing for me! :) I had massively slowed down on my reading while raising kids. On LT there are so many books discussed that it is easy to get back into the reading habit. I look forward to following your challenge. Good luck! --BJ 1. Night by Elie Wiesel This was a short, but extremely powerful read. My next book will need to be a bit "lighter" I think. (Review). Message edited by its author, Dec 3, 2008, 10:02pm. 2. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer I couldn't help but pick up the next book in the Twilight Saga just to see where it is going and to try and understand the buzz around this series. Not the greatest book I have read by any stretch of the imagination, but entertaining none the less. (Review). Message edited by its author, Dec 3, 2008, 10:05pm. 3. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer My favorite in the Twilight Soap opera thus far. All of the painful character building I suffered through in New Moon hits pay dirt in Eclipse. (Review) 4. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer I came, I read, I conquered. I do not see this series ever entering my re-read pile, but it was fun while it lasted. (Review) Message edited by its author, Dec 28, 2008, 2:19pm. 5. I Hope they Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max This book was completely and utterly tasteless, but my God was it funny. I haven't laughed out loud like that in a while. (Review) 6. Eye of the World by Robert Jordan I am a pretty big fan of the fantasy genre and this ranks right up there with some of my favorites. The writer could use a better editor, but all told this is a great story. (Review) Mar 25, 2009, 7:51pm (top)Message 10: JechtShot8. The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan This is the second book in the Wheel of Time Series. The story is not as engaging as the first, but a good read nonetheless (Review) Mar 28, 2009, 5:57am (top)Message 11: nannybebetteWelcome JechtShot. I hope you hang around for a while and enjoy yourself. I'll be keeping an eye on your reading list. Good luck on your personal challenge. I think it is good when we can set a challenge that is doable for ourselves. Then when we succeed we feel really good about ourselves and we don't set ourselves up for failure. I hate it when I do that to myself. Check you out here later. Apr 9, 2009, 10:25pm (top)Message 12: JechtShotThanks for your comments nannybebette. I started out strong with the challenge, but have found myself slowing down lately. I am hoping that as the weather warms up I will be motivated to park myself outside in the sun and enjoy a good book or ten. Cheers. Apr 9, 2009, 10:28pm (top)Message 13: JechtShot9. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain A fantastic read recommended by my wife. I have always enjoyed Anthony Bourdain's patented snark on his various TV adventures and as fortune would have it, this translates well to the page. (Review) Message edited by its author, Apr 9, 2009, 10:38pm. May 12, 2009, 9:11pm (top)Message 14: JechtShot10. Trainspotting by Irving Welsh I read this book based on a recommendation from a friend. It was quite a ride and a challenge to finish. The book is written with a Scottish dialect cover to cover, but the characters are memorable and some of the situations are unforgettable. Message edited by its author, Aug 11, 2009, 12:44am. May 14, 2009, 11:01pm (top)Message 15: JechtShot11. Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell This fast paced novel describes the trials and tribulations of a mobster who goes doctor after a trip through the witness protection program. A fantastic, fun read. (Review) May 15, 2009, 12:27am (top)Message 16: billiejeanI'm adding this one to my wishlist! --BJ May 16, 2009, 12:24pm (top)Message 17: JechtShotHey BJ - thanks for reading my postings! Beat the Reaper is not going to win any awards or anything, but it was fun while it lasted. Not sure what your reading likes/dislikes are, but be forewarned that the language and content can be a bit crude at times... it that kind of thing doesn't bother you, I am guessing you will enjoy this page turner quite a bit! May 17, 2009, 12:55am (top)Message 18: billiejeanThanks for the forewarning. My reading is kind of all over the place. I do kind of like gangster books. If it gets too crude, I could skip ahead. Hope you have a great weekend! --BJ May 18, 2009, 9:26am (top)Message 19: JechtShot12. The Cellar by Richard Laymon This was the first novel I have read by Richard Laymon. If you are a fan of vivid gruesome horror that toes the line of decency than this story is for you! A very quick read. (Review) May 28, 2009, 10:29am (top)Message 20: JechtShot13. The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan This is the third book in the epic fantasy setting known as The Wheel of Time. The story is action packed and spends quite a bit of time on further character development. The "main" character feels a bit absent in this book, but I do look forward to the next stop on the Wheel of Time train (Review) Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 10:29am. May 29, 2009, 10:07am (top)Message 21: JechtShot14. The Dawning of a New Age by Jean Rabe The first novel in "The Fifth Age" setting of the Dragonlance world and it was pretty average. Swordplay, magic and dragons fill the pages, but the characters lacked the breadth and depth found in the "Classics". (Review) Jun 7, 2009, 1:28pm (top)Message 22: JechtShot15. The Nymphos of Rocky Flats by Mario Acevedo Two words: "Vampire Hypnosis". The story of a Vampire PI who is hunting for the source of a nymphomania outbreak. I thought it may be absurd enough to be good, but I was thoroughly unimpressed. (Review) Jul 1, 2009, 5:06pm (top)Message 23: JechtShot16. Skeleton Crew by Stephen King An average collection of short stories by Stephen King. Some of the tales are memorable, most are not. I wrote a rather lengthy review consisting of my thoughts on each story. If you are interested in my brain dump then fell free to follow the link. (Review) Aug 12, 2009, 12:34am (top)Message 24: JechtShot17. The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum The story of a young boy struggling between doing the "right thing" and the adolescent curiosity of watching the girl next door be tortured. Be forewarned: the subject matter of this book is not for everyone. This book will disturb you and if it does not, please seek psychiatric care asap! (Review) Aug 15, 2009, 6:27pm (top)Message 25: JechtShot18. Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy Clear and Present Danger details a covert military special-ops mission with the goal of "impacting" the South American Drug trade. In true Clancy fashion, the technical details of the military technology, weapons and aircraft are brilliant, but do start to go stale after the first several hundred pages. Overall this was a good story, though a bit long and drawn out. (Review) Aug 24, 2009, 12:13pm (top)Message 26: JechtShot19. The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan The fourth installment in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series is my favorite thus far. The plot, where very complex, continues to amaze and I wait in a state of eager anticipation to see what is waiting around the next corner. Book five, here I come. (Review). Aug 27, 2009, 7:48pm (top)Message 27: JechtShot20. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling The book that started the Harry Potter phenomenon that is still thriving today. Not my favorite in the series, but important just the same. (Review). Oct 4, 2009, 6:43pm (top)Message 28: JechtShot21. American Gods by Neil Gaiman American Gods is my first encounter with the infamous Neil Gaiman. There is always a constant buzz surrounding this author and I thought it was time to bite. An interesting story, but I felt it was drawn out. The concept of the "Old Gods" fading into history as "New Gods" are born is a unique concept. I will definitely give Gaiman another shot. (Review). Message edited by its author, Oct 4, 2009, 6:45pm. Nov 1, 2009, 12:30pm (top)Message 29: JechtShot22. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown This book is filled with the usual Dan Brown plot devices: symbols, abstract scientific concepts and secret societies. However, this time the book lost me at the half-way point. I finished the story, but it was a painful ride to the end. (Review). Nov 8, 2009, 9:26pm (top)Message 30: JechtShot23. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay The book that the popular TV series Dexter is based on. I am a huge fan of the show and now the books. The novel describes Dexter, a serial killer, who follows a code to kill only those who "deserve" it. It is hard to believe that a serial killer would be so likable, but Jeff Lindsay pulls it off. I look forward to seeing the direction the book series takes going forward. (Review). Nov 12, 2009, 10:45am (top)Message 31: JechtShot24. Off Season by Jack Ketchum Off season is a high-octane gore fest! The story is about a group of New Yorkers in Maine being attacked by cannibals. Not for the squeamish! (Review). 25. The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan
The fifth installment in the Wheel of Time story continues to tell the tale of The Dragon Reborn. This was my least favorite in the series thus far and I really hope that book 6 (Lord of Chaos) picks up the pace. (Review). Debug test: your member name is: |
Touchstone worksTouchstone authorsMario Acevedo Josh Bazell Anthony Bourdain Dan Brown Tom Clancy Neil Gaiman Joe Hill Robert Jordan Robert; Jordan Jordan, Robert Jack Ketchum Stephen King Richard Laymon Jeff Lindsay Tucker Max Stephenie Meyer Jean Rabe J. K. Rowling Leo Tolstoy Irvine Welsh Elie Wiesel |


