Quite an ambitious goal for a whole year, much less 7 months, but I'm going to see how far I can get from June to the end of the year. :o)

Just finished in June:

Harry Potter 6 - wanted to read this one before the movie comes out
Eric - reread
May Bird 1 - excellent YA novel about a young girl and her cat trapped in the hereafter. Just begging for Tim Burton to make a film version!

Just started:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Next on the list:
Breathers - to continue the zombie theme
I'll try to get to Moving Pictures (another reread) but it may get bumped off for something new.

My TBR pile is more of an amorphous puddle right now. At least I won't have a problem finding 50 books to read!

Books read - 3

I would be curious to see how you like "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". I've been thinking about adding it to my reading pile. Good luck!

P&P&Z is going very slowly for me. I'm about 100 pages in and the novelty has worn off and become repetitive. If there's nothing more added to the story than the occasional zombie-whack, then I really don't even want to finish. :o(

I'll give it another good go and then decide.

Well, I've officially given up on PPZ. Despite the obvious appeal of the original story, I just can't get involved enough to care about the last half of the book. The zombie aspect is tedious. I don't like giving up on books, but I am ready to move on.

I've started Breathers and so far it is quite an easy read; light, fast, and funny. :o)

Loved Breathers, finished it last night, didn't like Austen without Zombies, so didn't try it with them.

Message edited by its author, Jun 17, 2009, 7:40pm.

I am loving Breathers also! Almost finished-- will give a review when I am!

Finished Breathers yesterday. It's very funny, quite a fast read, and has a clever take on the zombie romance angle. It could have been even better without a small segment near the end which turns into a preachy, redundant, self-evident socio-political rant, but overall I would recommend it.

Started on Mysterious Benedict Society 2 and it's okay so far. I hope the plot thickens, and soon. The first book hooked me from the start but this one is dragging.

Books read: 4.5

Sadly I haven't been able to read much lately but I did finish Mysterious Benedict Society 2 and I've started on Monumental Propaganda by Vladimir Voinovich.

Mysterious Benedict Society 2 started a little slow compared to the first book but quickly picked up speed. The middle is packed with lighthearted tricks and riddles, while the last third takes a darker turn than previously seen and is filled with action. You get insight into the histories and personalities of the children, and see them grow and mature a little as the story progresses. At one point the narrative has a quite serious tone that reminds you (the reader) that not everything can be sweet and light when you're hunting bad guys. ;o) Overall a recommended read.

Monumental Propaganda so far is living up to my (high) expectations. Voinovich is one of my all-time favorite authors and one of the very best at Soviet and Glasnost satire. It helps to have a working knowledge of Communist practices and the history of Soviet Russia, to really get the humor that abounds on every page.

I don't think I am going to read the Zombified (if that is a word) Austen either.

I just started my challenge in late May. I read a whole lot last month so I can slack later on. I thought my TBR pile would go down, but it has actually increased since I started reading all these threads. Good luck with your reading!