I just managed to hit 50 books last year so I want to keep up the momentum. I love fiction but I think this year I am going to try to split it up and read maybe 1/3 modern lit, 1/3 classic lit, and 1/3 nonfiction. How it pans out remains to be seen....

Good luck and happy reading to everyone in 2009! And now, my first item.

1) Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (modern lit) - Set in 19th c. China, 80 year old Lily looks back at her life and relationship wih her laotong (similar to a chosen "best friend") Snow Flower. The story is rich in detail of Chinese traditional practices, footbinding, and a secret written language shared only by women called nu shu. It really is a story about female relationships and how we relate to other women. It's also a story about how our words and deeds may be misinterpreted by those we care most for. Though this was intersting for its historical elements I have to admit I didn't feel a deep connection with this book. Still worth reading though.

2) Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell (nonfiction) - Collection of essays by NPRer Vowell. She is a liberal artsy, sarcastic, book loving history nerd who shares her experiences on such thrilling adventures as reliving the Trail of Tears or visiting Disney's Hall of Presidents. Maybe I'm biased since I happen to be a liberal arsty, sarcastic, book loving history nerd myself but I thought the book was incrediby funny and intelligent. I could picture myself right next to her as she treks across country to visit historical plaques and sleazy hotels. Love her.

I love your comments about your reads. Good luck with your challenge. I also reached exactly 50 last year -- not sure if I'll be able to do it again this year.

I have Snow Flower and the Secret fan on my wishlist on Bookmooch - I had only heard good things about it so far...so you didn't feel a connection with the book? can you elaborate on that? Good luck with your challenge!

Sarah Vowell is terrific! The Partly Cloudy Patriot and Assassination Vacation were also really good. I have her latest (The Wordy Shipmates) on order, but there is quite a queue at the library. Her books make nice "palate cleansers" - they're refreshing to read between more heavier stuff.

Good luck with your challenge!

Thanks for the comments. I've read 2 other books by Vowell and really look forward to The Wordy Shipmates. It's on my TBR list! As for Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, I can't really pinpoint why I didn't feel a big emotional connection. The book was very much about intensely specific social traditions & ceremony which form the basis of the women's relationship. Even though the book ultimately looked at how relationships transcend those traditions, it was still hard for me to connect on a deep level. Honestly probably because I was one of those kids who rebelled against any traditions (and...erm...still kinda do as an adult) so my past probably clouds my view of those deep tradition based relationships. Even so, I definitely found the characters interesting & took away some great historical knowledge. I just recommended the book to a co-worker the other day who I thought would enjoy it.

3) The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (modern fiction) - This book is really a throwback to the classic gothic/mystery novels of the past. Vida Winter, England's most beloved & elusive authors, decides to finally share her past with biographer Margaret. However Margaret begins to suspect there is more to the story then is being told. The real story is brought forth and of course there is sex, murder, deception, and madness...as there should be in all good gothic books. A fun read for a winter's day.

Message edited by its author, Jan 23, 2009, 10:36am.

I read that book last fall and really liked it.
--BJ

4) The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne (classic lit) - This novel, written in 1852, owes a great deal to the time that Hawthorne himself spent on a Utopian "socialist" community in the 1840's. This fact alone interested me enough to pick up the book. The story is told by Miles Coverdale, a rather bored, not overly ambitious young Bostonian who has grown tired of modern life. He joins a Utopian farm community outside the city where he comes into contact with the characters of the "Romance". These figures include Hollingsworth (a grumbling philanthropist), Zenobia (a firy feminist), and Priscilla (a submissive former seamstress). Coverdale remains a rather passive obsever throughout in both his narrative of the romance & the merits of the community. The reader gets the feeling maybe Coverdale has no real energy or passion to get involved in either modes of life. However, the tone worked for the story in my opinion. Hawthorne is never an easy read but I found the subjects interesting and liked the different view of pre-Civil War America.

5) The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (modern lit) - Told through a one-sided conversation between a Princeton educated Pakistani and an unknown American in a Lahore cafe, Changez recounts the story of his time in America and why he left. Some aspects of the story will be more powerful such as the descriptions of discrimination and alienation after 9/11. Even though Changez is well educated and works for a wealthy firm he is looked on suspiciously by many around him. He falls in love with a young woman who is trying to come to terms with a lost love. However, at the core of the story is the theme of loss of identity. How will you react when there is no possibility of going back to the person you once were? This is one of those books that I put down with a bit of an unsettling feeling in my stomach but I am glad I read it. I'm sure each person who reads it will take away something different.

Message edited by its author, Feb 5, 2009, 9:45am.

That sounds like a really interesting read...very thought-provoking just reading your description!

Hi theresak1975,

I've enjoyed reading your thread and I generally share your opinions. I'm intrigued by your reading of the Blithedale Romance. I've been on a bit of a transcendentalist binge this past year, and though Hawthorne wasn't one of them, he certainly lived among them and counted them as friends. My family and I visited Concord, MA earlier this year and toured The Old Manse, where Hawthorne and Sophia, his wife, lived for three years and where he wrote Mosses from an Old Manse and began some others. Anyway, again, enjoying your thread.

Thanks for the comments. Theaelizabeth, you may be interested in a nonfiction book I'm currently reading called The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand. It looks at some of the leading thinkers of the 19th century and how they looked at ideas and philosophy. They talk a bit about the transcendatal movement. It's a good read even though it's taking me a while. Hopefully I'll have a review soon!

The Metaphysical Club sounds excellent. I look forward to your review!

My book club just discussed The Thirteenth Tale in January. Most of us really enjoyed it, but felt that it may have been an even richer read if we had read Jane Eyre first. Have you read Jane Eyre as well?

Ahhh...Jane Eyre. One of my favorites. I've read it half a dozen times. If you haven't read it yet, run and get it! Jane & Mr. Rochester are one of the most classic of all book couples. Having read it before reading The Thireteenth Tale did help a bit however I don't think it's a deal breaker. The passage that they quote the most in The Thirteenth Tale I had forgotten about so it took me a while to remember the reference. Good luck with your challenge!

6) The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mushima (modern lit) - This starts out as a rather sweet story of a sailor who falls in love with a young widow. It's the begining of the relationship and they are both adjusting to their feelings - he not sure about leaving life at sea, she having to deal with her 13 year old son. But there is giddiness and silliness and love. And then.....get ready for a big sucker punch. Because the widow's son is not your typical innocent kid. He is involved with a group of coldhearted boys who believe there is no meaning to life. However they do believe that a price should be paid to those who offend the group. And that sailor is treading water..... At times sweet, at times gruesome. Definitely unique. You've been warned.

Message edited by its author, Feb 11, 2009, 11:50pm.

I remember seeing the movie of this with Kris Kristofferson and Sarah Miles. Your review is quite apt!

7) The Metaphysical Club : A Story of Ideas in America by Louis Menand (nonficton) - First off, I can not begin to imagine the state the author's workspace must have looked like compiling research for this book. It is huge in scope and touches on so many people, places, and events that you feel like you just walked out your door and found yourself in the 19th century. Menand tackles the history of "ideas" in America during post-Civil War to the First Word War by focusing on four men who once belonged to a small group called the Metaphysical Club. The Club itself is insignificant, but the ideas and the men are not. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr, William James, Charles Pierce, and John Dewey. By following the lives and actions both of these men and their close acquaintances, you can track the changing ideas of slavery, academic freedom, unions, evolution, and democracy itself. There were times when I felt like I was getting hit with too much information however the flow between ideas and biography was very smooth. Always interesting to see the real life behind the ideas and to see how sometimes petty squabbles are more responsible for change then "the greater good". I could go on for about hundred pages talking about all the ideas the book touched on but I'll spare you. I wouldn't tackle this if you aren't a fan of American History but if you are, dig in and have fun.

Great review and the book sounds fascinating. I have questions, but rather than bombard you with them, I should get to book and read it!

8) The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (classic lit) - Set during the French Revolution, this fast paced adventure story stars the elusive Scarlet Pimpernel, a daring unknown Englishman who cleverly rescues doomed French aristocrats right under the nose of the enemy. Chauvelin, a French agent, is determined to find the true identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel. He blackmails the beautiful Lady Marguerite Blakeney to aid him in this endeavor. However Lady Marguerite is not going to go down that easily and thus the adventure begins. It was refreshing to see a great adventure story being told through the eyes of a female character. This story has pretty much all you need for a rousing read. I may have to pick up some further stories of the Scarlet Pimpernel.

I have been wanting to read that book for ages. I must go out and look for it.
--BJ

9) All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling Down House by David Giffels (nonfiction) - David Giffels & his wife Gina are not unlike many young couples looking to move into a new house to accomodate an expanding family. What makes them unusual is their decision to buy a delapidated mansion in a once prosperous neighborhood of Akron and rebuild it to form their own dream home. And just to make it a little more chaotic, David is obsessed with salvaging every last scrap of wood, loose nail, or brick in order to do the work himself. It's a story of obsession not just with rebuilding a house but with discovering what it means to be a family. I have to admit this held special charm for me because the house is located only a few miles away from my apartment. I've passed down the streets and have long loved the old houses that once comprised Akron's "millionaire road". I even volunteered at the largest mansion on the road, Stan Hywet, for years. There's something about being surrounded by all that history that is irreplacable. Even if you don't live in Akron, you'll get a kick out of David's fight to tame a feral house. There are many references to "The Money Pit" movie throughout the book for a reason. Hey, Oprah recommended it and if Oprah recommends anything about Akron I'm a happy gal.

A brief clip of David & some of the rooms can be seen here. God bless YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKiSheurX...

Message edited by its author, Mar 11, 2009, 1:15am.

10) A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (modern young adult fiction) - I give this one an "eh". I could take it or leave it. It seemed like a cross between a Harry Potter book and a Harlequin romance (some scenes I thought were getting a tad raunchy for the teen audience even if it was just implied). The story focuses on Gemma Doyle, a 16 year old girl in the 19th century. She is sent to boarding school in London after her mother's mysterious death. It is there she discovers she has secret powers to pass into a different realm. She brings her three best friends from school along and...of course...they meet up with some dark monsters and a hidden family secret. The book seemede to jump from one extreme to another rather quickly. One minute she hates the girls at school, the next they are her BFF's. It just seemed like there could have been a lot more with the subject matter. On a positive note though, it was a quick read and nice & fluffy so good for pleasure reading.

Message edited by its author, Mar 13, 2009, 5:05pm.

11) The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summersale (nonfiction - popular history) - Interesting work about a murder case that occured in 1860 England that somehow also seems very modern. Summersale looks in detail at the Road House murder where a 3 year old boy is snatched from his bed and brutally murdered. Inspector Whicher, one of the first authentic detectives, is dispatched to the town to uncover the murderer. The possible suspects range from an accusedly adulterous father to revenge seeking servants to insane siblings. All along the murder story is weaved through with descriptions of Victorian society and family culture, an ever-growing and influential press obsessed with true crime, and the new literary mania for detective stories. Nancy Grace would have been all over this one!

Nancy Grace would have been all over this one!

LOL! Been meaning to say I love your mix of review and commentary on the books you read!

Thanks Bonniebooks. Not reading anywhere near the volume I'd like but I'll try to keep up. And now for next one.

12) Bush at War by Bob Woodward (nonfiction -politics/history) -Noted investigative reporter Woodward published this book in 2002 describing in great behind-the-scenes detail the story of the first phase of the war against terror after 9/11. Woodward was given access to all the key political figures and many top secret reports. Consequently we have this day by day account of the initial confusion, the charge against Afghanistan, and (at the very end) the leaning towards Iraq. Looking back over the years, I'd almost forgotten we had even initially done anything in Afghanistan because of the dramatic events which have unfolded in Iraq. This book is particularly relevant today with calls for a build up in troops in Afghanistan which has proved to be a tricky country to deal with. I really enjoyed the fact that Woodward made this book completely fact based and left out his own politics. I inserted my own as I went though I must say this book made me reconsider some of my own political prejudices. Certainly not enough to be nostalgic for that time but enough to have a better appreciation for the situation. Recommended for anyone interested in a good fact-based account of the initial phases of the war.

Interesting review.
--BJ

13) The Purveyor of Enchantment by Marika Cobbold - (modern English chick lit) - So I had to follow up a rather depressing book about the war with some fluffy chick lit. The story centers around Clementine, a mid 30's gal with no luck in love and a tendency to worry about..well...everything. The death of an aunt inspires her to write a collection of fairy tails. And lo and behold, here comes a hot & sexy next door neighbor who looks like he might fit the real life bill. There are complications...and a little death...but you know it's all going to end well and love will win out. And seeing as I'm an approaching mid 30's gal with no luck in love myself sometimes that's what we want to hear. Even if there are no neighborhood hotties in sight. Maybe the grocery store??

14) The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle - (modern lit) - I read this one for my book club. Not a happy go lucky book so I can't say that I LIKED it but it was compelling and kept me turning the pages. The bookcover says that this a story of a young widow and her 2 teenage sons who take in a foster child who has suffered a tragedy. Told through the eyes of all the major characters, this IS the story of how to build trust in a family but the biggest part of the story is that of the tragedy committed against the boy. I don't want to give it away too much but it's very disturbing and often hard to read. If you are like me, it will make you stop and think about some dark issues that are all too prevalent in today's society. I'm sure there will be a healthy debate with the book club members.

OMG..I have been AWFUL over the spring/summer and have just finished another book since May. Not looking good for my chances but at least it's something.

15) Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett - A witty look at armageddon. Very dry English humor. Lots of wordplay and sly comments that make you laugh. This was an enjoyable read with many memorable characters.

16 The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (modern Japanese lit) - Reading Murakami is really unlike anything else. It feels like you've been plopped down into the middle of a dream, an acid trip, a folkstory, and a modern mystery all at once. Putting the book down you feel as if you have learned something on a deep level even though you can't quite put your finger on what exactly it is. On the surface this book sounds absurd. It's about a man whose wife leaves him so he attempts to find her by crawling into a well in order to discover another world. And he's assisted by some psychics, a morbid teenager, and a war veteran with his own side story about corruption. And there's a cat. And a wind up bird. And duck people. But before you run in the opposite direction I urge you to read a chapter. I dare you not to get sucked in to Murakami's world! Really. I swear!

I bought The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle for its cover, and still love that cover, but haven't been able to get past the first chapter. You wrote a beautiful description of the book that will probably get lots more people to read it, but I know myself, and "acid trip," "middle of a dream," "crawling into a well to discover another world," duck people, plus psychics, all does start me on a run in another direction. ;-) Thanks, though, for helping to get off that dang fence; I'd been on there so long, it was starting to hurt.

Ha. You are right. Murakamit is not for everyone. It's a bit trippy and if you aren't one of those who can handle an occasional talking cat thrown in to the story run far. :-)

Hi theresak1975, Thanks for all the books! I tried to read (3) The Thirteenth Tale and couldn't get into it. I wonder if I had read it with Jane Eyre in mind as mrskatieparker had suggested, if I would have enjoyed it more... I might go back and start it again!

(16) The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle I loved! It does feel like a dream or like you are living the protagonist's existential crisis. Modern Japanese fiction (perhaps especially Haruki Murakami is often so weird, but good.

bonniebooks, if you wanted to try something else in the same realm that isn't quite so out-there, I would recommend, The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi or some of Higuchi Ichiyo's short stories like "Child's Play" or even the super recent Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto.

I'm in the process of making a list of Books that Changed my life on this other website and Ichiyo and Enchi are both on it (and I suppose Murakami is too! :) )
http://www.ranker.com/list/books-that-ch...

Glad you enjoy the reviews. I just wish I was doing more reading!! Here's another one.

17)Falling Man by Don Delillo (modern lit) - I'm a bit on the fence about this one. Set in New York, the story follows several people affected by the events of 9/11. Keith, who escapes from the building, reconnects with his ex-wife. However the intensity of dealing with the disaster is also pushing them away from each other. There are sidelines with other characters including some interesting pieces with the hijackers. It's a delicate subject matter and one that is important to examine in literature. However I felt at times like the book was a bit too pretentious. Some of the dialogue was a bit stilted and felt artfully forced which left me as a reader unable to connect emotionally. And yet there were times, particularly when describing the actual event, that were very well done. I'm glad I read it but I'm not going to put it on my top 10 list.

18) Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (modern lit/thriller) - This is not the typical stuff I usually read but I heard great reviews about it so couldn't resist. The story is set in Stalinist Russia and focuses on a series of murders that is being committed in/around Moscow. In the State's eyes, the only thing worse than the murders themself is to admit that the country could produce such a villain. Leo, the officer assigned to one case, starts to piece together the connections between multiple crimes. But soon Leo finds himself an enemy of the State himself and must go undercover to try to find the murderer. The story is chilly and atmospheric. It was compelling to see a rather typical thriller set in this historic landscape. A satisfying read.

Message edited by its author, Sep 19, 2009, 10:27am.

Child 44's been on my TBR for a while, it sounds like a really good read. Are you planning on reading the sequel? I'm not sure if it's out already or not, but I have heard that there is one...

A sequel you say? Oohh. I just did some digging and he did just publish a sequel called The Secret Speech. You know...you get one book off your to be read pile and another one goes right back on. I'll have to pick it up soon!

19) The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson (nonfiction - popular history) - One of the best pop history books I've read in a long time. Kept me turning pages well into the night. Larson gives a detailed account of the makings of Chicago's World Fair that took place in 1893. The descriptions of the city and the fairs marvels is enticing. Running parallel is the story of H.H. Holmes, a psychopathic serial killer who opened a hotel on the outskirts of Chicago to lure his victims. There are scenes that will jump out at you like a modern day suspense movie. But you know...they say truth is stranger then fiction. Definitely a worthwhile read for my fellow history lovers.

20) Run by Ann Patchett (modern lit) - This was one I read for my book club. It was "eh". The story starts when a woman who gave her children up for adoption years ago is able to save one of her children from beig hit by a car. The rush to the hospital to save her brings the entire family together - the 2 abandoned children, the weatlhy adoptive father, the woman's "daughter" and now possible sister to the boys. In the next few days, all have a chance to look back over their lives and see how this event has become the connection that they all needed. While there are lots of interesting hot button topics like race (the adoptive parents are white, the boys are black), adoption, death, and family legacy, there seemed to be a lack of action that sort of stalled the story for me. I never really caught on enough to care too much about any of the characters. I'd definitely recommend reading Patchett's "Bel Canto" before reading this book.

21) Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson (children/teen lit) - Really good sophisticated read geared towards those who loved Harry Potter. Time has started acting up. Time tornadoes are throwing people in differeny eras altogether. Silver, an orphan, seems to be in the middle of the storm. She must search for the mysterious Timekeeper to restore order. But she must keep out of the clutches of the alchemist Abel Darkwater and the cold scientist Regalia Mason who wants to own time. There were lots of clever storyplots dealing with black holes and different dimensions that kept the adult me very interested. If Neil deGrasse Tyson and Stephen Hawking collaborated on a children's book, this would be the result. I'm sold!

Is Tanglewreck by THE Jeanette Winterson? I love her writing, but I've never known her to write YA before. This sounds very good, I will have to add this to the TBR. Thanks for the review!

22) Candy by Mian Mian (modern Chinese lit) - Translated from the Chinese, this modern fiction book was banned in China which is enough to make me want to read it. As an American who has grown up with Western youth culture, this book is not too terribly shocking however it is understandable why it would be banned in China. The story revolves around a young writer in China who lives in the underbelly of Shanghai in the 80's and 90's. The world is populated by drugs, alcohol, and sex. The characters are dysfunctional and not likely to meet good ends. The world has become more Westernized with American music and culture and foreigners trolling for lovers. The characters seem lost and lonely and desperately in need of direction. Though not explicit, it does appear that the story is in fact a memoir of the author Mian Mian's life. Drug induced fantasy or chaotic reality? Either way, it makes for an interesting underground cultural piece. Just don't go into it expecting any warm fuzzies from this one.

23) Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (nonfiction - popular sociology) - This was a really interesting and quick read. Gladwell takes a look at our notions of success and points out that often it is our backgrounds and culture and sometimes even the date we were born that determine if we will succeed in life or not. Just like his previous book Blink, this book will make you stop and start to rethink how you look at the world. Chapters dealt with everything from why Asians are better at math, why some countries have higher plane accidents than others, and why so many Canadian hockey players were born in January and February. I particularly liked the statistics that pointed out the time it takes to master something is 10,000 hours. I guess the only thing I've mastered is reading at this point because I think I've logged a lot more time than that! I got the opportunity to hear Gladwell talk at a local college last week and he was wonderfully poised and on the ball. I look forward to his future works.

I just started reading this today, I'm looking forward to it. My husband was reading it before me and has been raving about it for the past week! We both loved Blink too. Thanks for the review!

24) The Christmas Wish by Richard Siddoway (fiction/holiday) - Read this one for my book club. It is a quick, heartwarming holiday read. Will, a wealthy Wall Street worker, finds himself returning to his old hometown to sort out the real estate office of his recently deceased grandfather. His grandmother discovers the name of a mysterious woman named Lilian when going through her husbands journal. This sends Will on a journey to discover the truth about the woman who keeps showing up in the journals every Christmas Eve for decades. Who is she? We all know it's going to be touching and heartwarming...dare I say Dickensian. I wouldn't consider this a deep read or the best read, but it is one of those books that is perfect to read in front of the Christmas tree lights with a blanket on and hot chocolate in your hand. Which is exactly how I read it!