Libreria's 50-Book Challenge starts Dec 20, 2008

Have finally gotten back to the voracious reading mode, and thought I would see how much I can take in over a one-year period. I read that some are also doing reading journals to go with this challenge. Sounds like something I would like to do too... off to search the net for suggestions on reading journals :-)

So glad to be here... Libreria aka Triccie from the Philippines, also on bookmooch and a one-time bookstore proprietor, now back to being an ordinary and very happy bookworm.



My reading list (a work in progress)

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle - finished 12.23.08
Tribes, Seth Godin 12.24.08
One False Note, Gordon Korman - 12.26.08
The Purpose of Christmas, Rick Warren - 01.01.09
The Eight, Katherine Neville - re-read - 01.01.09
Change We Can Believe In, Barack Obama 01.14.09
The Fire, Katherine Neville - 01.18.09
The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath - 01.19.09
Juicy Mangos, Michelle Herrera Mulligan - 01.25.09
A Wind in the Door, Madeleine L'Engle - 01.31.09
The Crystal Skull, Manda Scott - 05.24.09
The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith - skimmed, did not read page by page
The Sword Thief, Peter Lerangis - 05.29.09
The Sign, Raymond Khoury - 06.27.09
Snow White, Rose Red, Patricia C Wrede - 08.07.09
Briar Rose, Jane Yolen - 08.25.09

The Rose Labyrinth, Titania Hardie - STARTED in May
The Gaudi Key. Esteban Martin - STARTED in April
Blindness, Jose Saramago - STARTED in April
Everything Under the Sky, Matilde Asensi - STARTED in March
Provence A-Z, Peter Mayle - READING NOW. 01.19.09
Philippine Presidents, Rosario Mendoza Cortes (ed.) - READING NOW. 01.01.09

The Color of Magic, Terry Pratchett
A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Madeleine L'Engle
Many Waters, Madeleine L'Engle
An Acceptable Time, Madeleine L'Engle
American Gods, Neil Gaiman
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Historian, Elizabeth Kostovo
The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
Pillars of Hercules, Paul Theroux
Skinny Bitch, Rory Freedman
The Illuminator, Brenda Rickman Vantrease
Ramses The Son of Light, Christian Jacq
The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco - a re-read
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
The Return of Merlin, Deepak Chopra
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell
The Sexiest Man Alive A Biography of Warren Beatty, Ellis Amburn
The Ancient One, T.A. Barron
Ex-Libris, Ross King
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon

Decided to start fresh by reading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Love this line from Charles
"Everything about you tells me"

Enjoying the read very much, very vivid visualization

A Wrinkle in Time is such a great book! Happy Reading!
--BJ

Hi, BJ, yes it is beautifully told. Just added more books to my list, mostly mooched books that arrived today :-)

#1. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle.

I loved this book. It is now one of my must-read recommendations. Just had to get to the ending, but glad I read slower than normal. I was able to enjoy the vivid visualization and the humanity of the characters.

Will add the rest of the series to my reading list.

#2. Tribes. Seth Godin

Loved Godin's no-nonsense message: make a choice, and go do. the rest will follow. Great read, a great gift too :-)

One of the most jolting lines for me:
"Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you ought to set up a life you don't need to escape from."

#3. One False Note. Gordon Korman

Book Two of The 39 Clues is a rollicking adventure, for the young and the young at heart. An easy read, a nice break from the other serious stuff I am currently reading. Can't wait for the next book coming out in March.

#4. The Purpose of Christmas. Rick Warren

Started the new year by reading this book, so glad I did.

#5. The Eight, Katherine Neville, a re-read.

The quest for the chess service of Charlemagne spans two lives and two different eras. A historic adventure peppered with leading figures of French, Russian and American history, it is also a travelogue, a love story and a lesson in the fine art and science of chess.

#6. Change We Can Believe In: Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise

A concise narrative of the key points in Mr Obama's vision for change, it made me wish we too had that kind of option of a candidate to lead us forward.

The speeches contained in the book remind me what a good speech should be, and how to make a good speaker sound even better.

Glad I read this before the inauguration.

#7: The Fire by Katherine Neville

Takes off from where The Eight left off, although typically not where the first book ended. The scenario is more complicated, and it is a must to have read the first book in recent days to be able to understand the flow and the mysteries that crop up. The characters are as complicated as always, and the twists will leave you asking for the answers.

The game of chess has never been this fascinating before, and the references to alchemy and history spices up the action.
I enjoyed the way the whole story opens up even bigger than The Eight, and involves so many time periods.I liked the way everything tied up in the end, but it seemed a little more contrived than the ending of the first book.

But then again, with a plot like this, coming to an end that does justice to the whole adventure is definitely not easy.

I will read this one again.

#8: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Read this one as part of the Flips Flipping Pages Diversity Challenge, a true stretch for me. This was a title suggested by somebody else.

I had heard about Sylvia Plath years ago, and if not for this Challenge would never have chosen to read her.

I am glad I did, for she writes so well, she makes you feel everything by the words that conjure images and stir up emotions inside of you.

Going back to my comfort zones in reading, glad to have forayed this far for now, but home is a fiction book filled with mystery and history and fantasy.

I remember being deeply affected when I read The Bell Jar. I think that I might reread that soon.
--BJ

I remember thinking "why the hell was she writing poetry all her life???" when I read The Bell Jar... I've loved some of her poems, but you really need to reread the poems many times and read various interpretations of them in order to really get them - the novel is much more approachable. Plus, reading about her life and knowing how much of the novel relates to her own experiences makes it even more emotional.
Good luck with the challenge Triccie!

#13

"Deeply affected" is a mild way of describing how it just made me want to rush through the whole book... it was gripping enough so that I couldn't put it down but pretty heavy on the nerves.

Thanks for keeping me company on my reading journey, BJ :-)

#14

Thanks, girlunderglass. I am discovering the joy of stretching my literary limits, thanks to LT and my groups on Shelfari.
Will explore her poems but not in the near future :-)

Book #9: Juicy Mangos, a collection of erotica stories, Michelle Herrera Mulligan

Not in my reading list, but found it in my bedside table and finished it in one quick read. An indulgence really, a guilty pleasure in between the more "serious" reads and favorite indulgences that are part of the list. The stories were quite interesting, not just explorations into describing intimate encounters. Some situations were too extreme for me, but glad I finally read this one.

Book #10: A Wind in the Door, Madeleine L'Engle

Second in the series, still exciting, still full of adventure that grabs you whether young or old.
Enjoyed this one but not as much as the first book. Still amazed at where the ideas come from.
Such an amazing writer.

Hi Libreria04--

Just read through you reading list and it looks as though you are doing really well (unlike me, who is behind on listing books). A Wrinkle in Time is one of my all-time favorites. I first read it when I was nine and met the author when I was ten--and got my copy autographed. But I never continued the series! I'm not sure why. Perhaps I'll eventually read it.

Hi theaelizabet, I took a long break, 3 months!!! Finally finished a book today.

Hope you are doing much better than I am
LOL

Book #11: The Crystal Skull, Manda Scott

A work of fiction about the Mayan prediction for 2012. Interesting bits of information woven into a story that jumps between two different eras, the 1600s and the present-day.

I like this kind of book because it is light reading and I enjoy reading about mysteries and unknown phenomena.

Makes me want to read more about the Dresden Codex and the Mayan civilization.

Book #12: The Sword Thief, Peter Lerangis

The third book in the 39 Clues series takes the reader to Japan for non-stop adventure with the Cahill kids. Great light reading, doing this series with my nephews.

Quick and easy read, fun fun fun.

Book #13: The Sign, Raymond Khoury

I like these kinds of stories, mystic, connected with ancient history with a touch of adventure. And the treatise on spirituality in this day and age adds a different dimension.

Took me a month to read as my bedtime treat.

Book #14: Snow White, Rose Red, Patricia C. Wrede

A fairytale retold, fun, light, romantic reading

Book #15: Briar Rose, Jane Yolen

Another in the fairytales series, wonderful retelling, must read.