losseloth's reads

I have to start with a small disclaimer: I make no promise of reading 75 books, nor of keeping this thread up do date. I feel need to state this, although it may seem hostile, before beginning for the sake of my own peace of mind!

One of my new year's resolutions is to read more, and 75 books seem like a good place to follow this resolution. It is by no means an impossible goal, but will require making reading a priority. Which I wish it was to a larger extent. I think my choice of reading can best be described as easily distracted, but is seem to gravitate towards sci-fi, fantasy and classics, more or less modern. I have a private project in reading all of the books on BBC's big read list in an attempt to broaden my horizons, I plan to try the "What's in a name" challenge and perhaps the TIOLI mini challenge in this very group. Perhaps it is now obvious why I made the disclaimer at the top: I get very interested in all sorts of challenges...

Anyway, I have gotten a good start, having finished my first book today (having a cold and no obligations help):

1 - In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith, the sixth in his Botswana series, and as good as any of them. I do not think of these as brilliant, groundbreaking literature, but they are always entertaining to read. They are like comfort food in book form to me (3 1/2 stars)

EDIT: My list so far:
1 - In the Company of Cheerful Ladies - Alexander McCall Smith
2 - Pol Pots leende - Peter Fröberg Idling
3 - Kompani Orheim - Tore Renberg
4 - Second Foundation - Isaac Asimov
5 - The Men Who Stare at Goats - Jon Ronson
6 - Three Men in a Boat - Jerome K Jerome
7 - Holes - Louis Sachar
8 - The Princess Diaries - Meg Cabot
9 - The Magus - John Fowles
10 - Just Six Numbers - Martin Rees
11 - Flush: a biography - Virginia Woolf
12 - Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
13 - Nation - Terry Pratchett
14 - Män som hatar kvinnor - Stieg Larsson
15 - Fun Home - Alison Bechdel
16 - The Love of a Good Woman - Alice Munro
17 - Jennifer Government - Max Barry
18 - Fänrik Ståls Sägner - Johan Ludvig Runeberg
19 - Sin City: The Hard Goodbye - Frank Miller
20 - Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel García Márquez
21 - The Yacoubian Building - Alaa Al Aswany
22 - The Time Travellers Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
23 - Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
24 - Persepolis 1 - Marjane Satrapi
25 - The World of Pooh - A. A. Milne
26 - Selected stories - Anton Chekhov
27 - Sin City - A Dame to Kill For - Frank Miller
28 - The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
29 - Lady Chatterley's Lover - D. H. Lawrence
30 - Slakteren - Alina Reyes
31 - American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis
32 - Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
33 - Little Brother - Cory Doctorow
34 - The Hotel New Hampshire - John Irving
35 - Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
36 - Flickan som lekte med elden - Stieg Larsson
37 - Aniara - Harry Martinson
38 - The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery
39 - The Road -Cormac McCarthy
40 - Bored of the Rings - The Harvard Lampoon
41 - Sin City - The Big Fat Kill - Frank Miller
42 - Sin City - That Yellow Bastard - Frank Miller
43 - Sin City - Family Values - Frank Miller
44 - Sin City - Booze, Broads and Bullets - Frank Miller
45 - Sin City - Hell and Back - Frank Miller
46 - The Princess Diaries - Take Two - Meg Cabot
47 - The Princess Diaries - Third Time Lucky - Meg Cabot
48 - The Pentagon: A History - Steve Vogel
49 - The Count of Monte Christo - Alexandre Dumas
50 - Lord of the Flies - William Golding
51 - V for Vendetta - Alan Moore
52 - The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
53 - Jeg skulle ha løftet deg varsomt over - Wenche Mühleisen
54 - Luftslottet som sprängdes - Stieg Larsson
55 - On the Road - Jack Kerouac
56 - Death: The High Cost of Living - Neil Gaiman
57 - The Ringworld Engineers - Larry Niven
58 - Slumdog Millionaire - Vikas Swarup

Welcome to the group!

Welcome!

Thank you for the welcome! (*makes mental note to toddle over to the introduction thread later*).

I am working now, so there is a bit less time for reading, but yesterday I finished another book:

2 - Pol Pots leende (Pol Pots smile), a Swedish book about the rule of the Khmer Rouge the mass murders (due to some juridical ambiguities, the author uses mass murders instead of genocide), and a Swedish delegation of four who traveled through the country during the regime and came back, reporting of rising prosperity and a people happy with their rulers. A central question is how the Swedes could report something so far from the truth: Were they naive and easily fooled? Did they only see what they wanted to see?

Although the book did not give any clear answers, it was still a worthwhile read. Of course, the subject is fascinating in it self! The language is precise and beautiful and the writing is compelling, but most of all I fell in love with the very fragmentary way the story is told. The short chapters, at most a few pages, told such fascinating stories, that I wanted to read one more, and then another, and then another...
(4 1/2 stars)

#4: That one looks good. Too bad I do not know Swedish.

3 - Kompani Orheim (The Orheim company; the title is a reference to the British SOE group NOR.I.C.1, also known as the Linge Company, which operated during WW2). This is the second book about Jarle Klepp. In the first, Mannen som elsket Yngve (the man who loved Yngve), we met him as a 17 year old radical boy in the early nineties in Norway with newly divorced parents. Kompani Orheim is the story of his life before that time. It is the story of a far-from-perfect childhood, with an alcoholic and at times abusive father, but it is not strictly speaking a sad story. First if all, we know that everyone ends up relatively okay, given that the framework of the story is Jarle traveling home to his dad's funeral (well, arguably, everyone but his dad). Second, Jarle is an extremely positive boy. Sure, he experiences a minor hell at home each weekend, but the rest of the time he seems more interested in whether he'll ever get laid.

I liked it, despite my aversion for social realism and stories of troubled relationships (In the words of Tom Lehrer: If a person can't communicate, the very least they can do is to shut up). Partly because the story is well-written, partly because of the light tone. However, it wasn't as brilliant and thoroughly worked as I expect of a story getting a top mark; for lack of a better word it seemed unpolished. Still a worthy read. (4 stars)
(No English translation of this title either, however it exists in Danish and Hungarian...)

Only one week left of vacation! I have a feeling my reading speed will go down drastically next Monday...

4 - Second Foundation, the third Foundation novel (counting chronologically. I quite like reading Asimov; although his style of writing does not captivate me like others do, I always feel curious as to what will happen next. I am entertained, but it is more on the intellectual level than the emotional.
This book was decent too, actually my favourite in the series this far. A lot of mind games were going on in the plot, though, so I suspect I would have enjoyed it less if I had read it at a busier time in my life.

5 - The men who stare at goats by Jon Ronson was entertaining and a relatively quick read. It made me laugh at several times, amazed at the things people can make themselves believe. However, I would have liked more references in the book. Some of the claims made are wild enough that seemingly basing them on hearsay is king of weak, and more sources would have made a much better book, just due to credibility. (3 stars)

On to Three men in a boat by Jerome K. Jerome. School has started, and my reading tempo is already lower.

#8: I hope you enjoy Three Men in a Boat. I read it for the first time last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.

#9: I am two chapters in and enjoying it immensely. I had to read it due to my mother mentioning the character reading the medicine textbook and finding out that he suffered from everything ...except handmaid's knee.

Three Men in a Boat is great. I've read it a couple of times and passed it on to friends.

#10: I actually ended up listening to the book in audio form since my local library did not have it in print. Martin Jarvis did a terrific job of narration and there were times was I just laughing hysterically.

6 - Three Men in a Boat was fun, as expected. Moreover, it felt comfortable, it wasn't packed full of jokes or action, it was more like a stroll amongst jokes, trivia and observations about live in general. There was at least one point where I wondered to myself as I was reading "Am I really that interested in hearing about this?". I wasn't, but it did not matter, as it was nice to read anyway. Which is quite an achievement, when you think about it.

I did wish I knew more of British history, as I felt I missed out on the occasional joke. However, it was all in all a very worthwhile read. (Thanks mum!) (4 1/2 stars)

I found the juvenile section of the library today, so the next book will be Holes, followed by The Princess Diaries. Both are on the BBC Big read list, that I am trying to read through (when I do not get distracted. Which I do).

I read Holes many years ago and still recommend it to students. If there is any way you can get your hands on it, the sound track for the movie version has some cool blues tunes that are perfect for the mood of the book.

> 14

I started looking for it at Spotify, but got sidetracked (literally) by the artist Melpo Mene who has an album titled Holes (which was good, so now I've found another artist to like). Then I found the album at Amazon, and spent some time hunting down the various tracks, and they did really seem good, so thanks for the tip.

7 - Holes was finished last night and I really liked it - I only wish I'd read it when I first heard about it, because I think teenager me would have liked even more. The analytic part of my brain especially noted the how elegantly the plot was tied up - no loose ends to bother me. A pleasure to read. (4 1/2 stars)

On to The princess diaries, which seem a bit fluffy, but like, I expected that.

Glad you liked Holes too, I read it in 2008 and it was one of my favorite reads that year :-)

8 - The Princess Diaries was predictably fluffy, but quite entertaining; just what I needed right now. No great literature, but entertaining all the way. Also a plus for describing a fourteen-year-old very close to the the fourteen-year-old I remember being (except I was not a princess, nor did I live in New York). (3 stars)

Being suddenly out of books again (the two latest lasted shorter than expected), I went to the library and picked up The Magus by John Fowles.

To continue on a tangent from a previous post, I have started experimenting more with listening to suitable music for the books I read - it's fun. For the princess diaries I found Madonna (Like a Prayer) a good choice.

ETA: The Princess diaries fits the "title" category from the What's in a Name? Challenge.

Cool idea of listening to suitable music while reading!

I figured it was time for an update; I've somehow managed to start reading four different books at the same time. Whoops!

As my head is starting to get a bit too full of plot (which is a disadvantage, as I need it to be full of maths), I plan to tackle my reading pile in a somewhat systematic fashion:

First I am going to finish The Magus, as there is only 200 pages or so left, and I feel I need to concentrate on it to get "into" the story and get excited about it.

Next, I'll finish Just Six Numbers, a nice little volume about astrophysics. Or maybe read it on my commute (but when will I then get to read the newspaper?)

Then it will be high time to read this months dose The Count of Monte Christo for the group read (I am still enthusiastic about the group read, something I've never tried before.

By then I will have time to pick up something new and promptly forget about Don Quijote until the summer or so.

Complicating factor: I started reading the Battle Royale manga over at mangafox. I think I'll count the whole series as one book and register the individual numbers in my library as "read but unowned". Any other ideas?

9 - The magus was finished this morning - I had forty pages left and refused to get out of bed before I was done with it. The book was uneven; long-winded in parts and brilliant in others. I loved the ambiguous ending, which was definately a highlight in the novel. Given that the author does not think of it as his best work, I do want to try and read something else by him. (3 stars)

On to Just six numbers, now. I decided to give up on Battle Royale for now, I'd much rather buy or borrow it, partly because the legal ambiguity of Mangafox annoyed me, and partly because I wish to concentrate on the story properly.

#20: I will be interested in seeing your thoughts on Just Six Numbers. It looks good!

10 - Just Six Numbers was finished. I have very mixed feelings about this one, I wanted to give it up at times, but somehow continued reading, at other times I almost considered staying not getting of the bus at my stop because it was so interesting. It is clear that the author is passionate about his subject (cosmology and physics in general), but he is not always good at explaining: sometimes he over-explains, sometimes I wished for more (it should be mentioned that I have about one year's worth of university courses in physics). Maybe a more pedagogical approach would have helped. I also wished for more illustrations; the writing was very visual, very descriptive, but I felt that I could not always imagine the visions the author wanted me to imagine. Still the book showed much promise, so I cannot denounce it entirely either. (3 stars)

Now that my book stack is somewhat reduced, I allowed my self a visit to the library again. Came home with Flush by Virginia Woolf and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. First up, however, is this month's batch from The Count of Monte Christo (so much fun!).

I've completely forgotten about the music! The Magus went nicely with some jazz (I even found some Greek jazz!). Cosmology was a harder subject to match, so I just went for something non-distracting and classical (Chopin, Bach and Tchaikovsky).

#22: Despite your reservations, I think I will give Just Six Numbers a try.

11 - Flush: A Biography was a wonderful little book. It was a light read, but it was thoughtful as well as funny! I remember being sceptical about reading books seen through the eyes of animals as I was growing up, and even now I am sceptical of excessive anthropomorphism, but Virginia Woolf seemed to get the world as seen through the eyes of a dog just right. Heartily recommended, five stars!

#23: I think you should! One thing I tried to express in my mini-review was the feeling that my view of the book probably partly stemmed from having studied physics and thus being bored with the easy parts. It definitely had its qualities.

#24: I already have Flush in the BlackHole or I would add it again.

12 - I just finished Of Mice and Men. It was just as sad and gripping as I remembered it. We studied it in English class, and though we did not read the whole novel, we did read extracts and watch the movie. It is such a great and tragic tale, and knowing the ending did not stop me from reading onwards, hoping that it might end better this time. As a bonus, it counted for my self-imposed BBC's Big Read challenge! (5 stars)

Not sure what will come next, I am travelling the rest of the week, and plan to bring along Nation by Terry Pratchett, but I'll start on one of the books I brought home from the library before that (Fun Home and The Love of a Good Woman). My library does not allow patrons to take books abroad, and it would be so stupid if I ignored the rule and then lost the book, so I read my own books while travelling.

Safe travels!

#27: That was effective! I swear, I have never seen shorter lines to security controls, and most of my waiting for public transport was shorter than five minutes (although I ended up with way too much time in airports, but then again: reading time). Thanks!

Now, for the books:

13 - Nation by Terry Pratchett was my first companion on the travels. Interesting, a bit slow starting (but it really picks up) and with some very Pratchettean remarks. Sure, it's different from Discworld, but it is still obvious who the author is. A solid effort, but could be better in parts. (3 1/2 stars)

14 - Then, for a mood whiplash, I borrowed Män som hatar kvinnor (the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) by the late Stieg Larsson. Sure, it has it flaws. The brand name dropping was annoying, and the repetitions of already stated facts felt a bit insulting to me as a reader. However, I cannot deny that Larsson spins a good yarn, with some interesting characters and fascinating worlds. Some have complained about not "getting" Lisbeth Salander, but I felt that was a strength, that Larsson portrayed a convincing female character so far from the norm. (3 1/2 stars, again)

#28: I am glad it was effective!

I am a fan of the Larsson books and mean to get to book 3 this year if it kills me.

Yeah, me too!

#28 & 29: I definitely plan to read the rest of the books (conveniently, I can borrow them from my mother), but I still won't categorize myself as a fan. Is there a word in English for that? (My first thought was appreciator, but that does not seem right)

I've heard that Nation gets pretty soapbox-y... as if Pratchett used the book for an excuse to berate religion. So, I don't know if I'll bother reading it, though we have a copy. I assume that's where the "could be better in parts" falls in? He's such a good storyteller, I hate to dismiss one of his novels, but authors getting soapbox-y really annoys me!

#32: Hmm. I think the book is more about thinking for yourself than it is about bashing religion - think Small Gods rather than the God Delusion! (Disclaimer: it is ages since I read the former and I haven't gotten around to the latter, but I couln't come up with a fiction example right now).

But yes, there is a moral involved, and sometimes he makes it obvious, but it was not enough to really annoy me (then again, I am an atheist, so perhaps I am the wrong person to ask). Compared to, say, Little Women, religion takes a back seat.

What I meant with better in parts was rather that to me, Pratchett has always been better at building worlds and telling exciting (and funny) stories than at portraying the inner lives of characters. The attempts at the latter in Nation didn't really work for me, and due to the nature of the tale (it takes a hundred pages or so before the main characters even meet each other!) it got a bit slow in parts.

To sum up, I wouldn't forgo this book due to the preachiness, there is way too much of the good stuff in there for that

(PS: Started Fun Home. Seems good)

15 - Fun Home by Alison Bechdel was finished whilst lying curled up in bed this morning, waiting for the rest of the world to wake up. An easy and good read, one of those books that has so may references that I end up wanting to read a bunch of other books. However, the prose did not really speak to me (in some way that being a student of the natural sciences rather than the humanities I cannot really explain - perhaps I just read it at the wrong time). Still a worthwhile read, though; interesting, quirky and charming. (4 stars)

16 - The Love of a Good Woman is a collection of short stories by Alice Munro. When trying to describe them, I am reminded of the title of an album by Tori Amos, "Little Earthquakes"; the stories are about events that may be very dramatic for the people involved, yet negligible in the big picture, like the starts of affairs or ends of relationships. The events are described carefully, the prose is great. My only criticism is that most of the main characters are pretty much the same: Has young children (one or two), likes to read and is somewhat unsatisfied in her marriage (or possibly living alone after being unsatisfied in the marriage). Still, it does not feel very repetitive, and I am happy I read it. (4 stars)

I found the book by the way of the receipt from the library left in Flush by the previous borrower; I got curious as to what other books she had read, and looked up the other ones - this aroused my curiosity.
(edited for some clumsy sentences, although I am sure there are more of those left)

Of all the places to find book recommendations...a library receipt? How cool!

I admit I do the same thing.

17 - Jennifer Government. I've had my eyes on this book ever since reading about it when it first came out (in 2003), but never picking it up until I stumbled over it in the library earlier this week. It was thrilling, had the best stupid character I have ever met in a book and the funniest description of activists. Still I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed - I do not think the author utilized the potential of the novel. Everything felt distant; even while the characters were put through the most excruciating trials (there is a fair amount of shooting and running), I didn't care all that much. I was rather reading on to see if there would be more funny dialogue (there was) . Still a good (and quick) read. (3 1/2 stars)

Also finished this months chapters of The Count of Monte Christo.

18 - Fänrik Ståls sägner (The Tales of Ensign Stål, the Wikipedia article really is a better introduction to this work than librarything, though). This is a Finnish classic, in the sense of a classic from Finland; the original language is Swedish. I really thought it would be harder to read than it was, being an epic poem, but I found it quite easy to follow. The poetry is sometimes a bit awkward, but the wonderful characters drawn make up for both that and the sometimes blatant patriotism. Recommended. (4 stars)

19 - Sin City 1: The Hard Goodbye might just be the best Graphic Novel I have ever read. It puts art and story together in such a perfect way; the pictures are not there to accompany the text telling the story; they tell the story themselves. I addition the art is beautiful; from almost baroque-like detailed portraits to minimalistic action scenes. Warmly recommended! (5 stars)

#40: I will have to look for The Hard Goodbye. It looks good. Thanks for the recommendation!

20 - Love in the Time of Cholera is a great book that I picked up in a used book store in order to have something to read on a trip (which I forgot to mention here, so no safe travels wishes, and voilà, my flight was delayed today). I loved this small-scale epic of love both unrequited, obsessive and true. Also liked how Márquez occasionally repeats passages from earlier points in the book, giving a sense of deja vu. Great! (4 1/2 stars)
This book is part of the BBC Big read list. Woo!

In other news, I found a book sale. Dangerous places, those things. I am currently reading The Time Traveller's Wife and The Yacoubian Building

I only got halfway through Love. That far into the book and for some reason it still felt like the beginning of the book. I tried to figure out why and the only thing I could come up with was that the characters were still referred to by their full name.

>33 losseloth:: Whoops, sorry I haven't been around for a bit to say thanks for the clarification! I won't give up on the book yet, but perhaps I'll read it with a more critical eye with the intent to enjoy it for what it is... a Pratchett book. If his strengths are enough to make it a decent read, I'll give it a go sooner or later!

>43 mamzel: I agree that the full names you mentioned were a bit annoying, however I reconciled with it as a reference to the time and place (in the way that Russians will use first name and patronymic for anyone slightly above them in rank). Also, the facts about the characters was repeated a bit too often; although new things were added until all of them became well-rounded, it felt like Marquez needed to list all the things we know every time something new was added

>44 dk_phoenix: That was what I hoped you would do!

And now, for a book:

21 - The Yacoubian Building is a rather short book with quite a large cast, but by some talent Alaa Al Aswany manages to get more action and characters development per page than most. I loved how the author introduces controversial topics (homosexuality, extremism, to name a few), without really drawing attention to it; things are described very matter-of-factly, without moralizing (it is hardly needed, giving some of the cruel scenes described). Good book! (4 stars)

22 - The Time Travellers Wife was finished in a fit of sleeplessness last night. Good read and a nice story. Perhaps not the deepest book I have read, but intelligent enough. I had a problem with the dialogue, though; On one hand, I was entertained by the wit and knowledge of the characters, on the other I wonder if anyone really talk like that. (4 stars)

23 - I just finished Oryx and Crake, and felt rather indifferent about the whole affair. I cannot really tell why. It was an easy and mostly pleasant read, just not very interesting. I wouldn't warn against it, but I do not think I will recommend it to anyone either. (2 1/2 stars)

#47: Sorry you did not enjoy Oryx and Crake more. I hope you like your next read better!

24 - Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi was an excellent read. An exciting tale, well illustrated. Somehow I find the idea of one's childhood being worth a tale in itself a bit vain, but with a childhood like this it is definitely justified. Warmly recommended, along with the movie. I liked how the pictures often told the stories instead of the words (she can really reflect the homogeneousness of a mob or an army excellently), but I still felt that some parts woild have been better told by words alone. Good book, and I will search out the sequel as well. (4 1/5 stars)

#49: Persepolis and Persepolis 2 were my first introduction to graphic novels right after the second one came out. I am glad you liked the first one enough to move on to the second.

Yay, I managed to finish a book again! The exams have started, so I'm a bit slower right now.

25 - I wanted to read The World of Pooh, as it was one of my favourite books when growing up (my dad and I will still quote whole passages to each other), and I have never read it in the original version. And voilà, the library had it in. The tales are still lovely - a must read. (5 stars)

The book is on the BBC's big read (the highest unread on the list for me) and also fulfils my personal goal of reaching 25 books by the end of April. Sure, this group is not so much about numbers, but I happen to be a maths major. I like numbers.

Congratulations on hitting your goal of 25 books by the end of April!

Congrats! I'm an engineer/physicist, so I like numbers too...

:D
Actually, it was more of a small milestone, this way I know I'm on track.

I did try the TIOLI challenge for April, and finished just twelve hours late:

26 - Selected stories Anton Chekhov. I love Chechov's plays, so when the challenge for April was short stories, and I stumbled over this at a great price, I figured it was time I read him as well. I must say I was disappointed, I think the plays are a lot better. Maybe it was the translation, but I was not all that interested. However, I did love the last story, In the Ravine, which was also the longest, so maybe length was the problem? (3 stars)

ETA, as I seem to be on a roll today:

27 - Sin City - A Dame to Kill For Wow! Another good one, although The Hard Goodbye IMHO was a bit better paced and had a bit better story, this is still very, very good! (4 stars)

28 - Wind in the willows - eh. Not bad by any means, the stories are even quite cute. However, whilst some children's books can be quite as entertaining to read as an adult, this was not one of them (3 stars)

Exams are over, and I actually have almost a month of vacation. Of course, I plan to spend some of it reading.

Have a wonderful reading vacation!

Unfortunately, the reading have been slower than planned, as the vacation needed to be used for moving and other life organisational matters. However, a long car trip today enabled me to finish off a book!

29 - Lady Chatterley's Lover was quite good; overall I enjoyed it. Some of Lawrence's opinions differ from mine, but it was not disturbing, and the characterization and inter-character plot kept me entertained and thinking. (4 stars)

Long car trips come in handy sometimes!

30 - Slakteren (orig: Le Boucher, eng: The butcher) was a short and downright smutty book. I read an extract from it a few years ago (this remains my favorite erotic scene), and was reminded of it in a recent conversation. The local library had it, so I got down there. The book is very well-written but the reader should be cautioned against the rather explicit content (4 1/2 stars)

31 - American Psycho. I cannot easily explain why this book had me as hooked as it did. I'm normally not one much for neither gore nor consumerism, but I was fascinated by Patrick Bateman's strange, strange world. However, I will be suspicious of men with power tools the next few days. (5 stars)

32 - Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman: I read this ages ago, and didn't remember any of it, so it was with mixed feelings I picked it up at my pilgrimage to the Sci-Fi bookstore in Stockholm (a must when I visit that city). However, I normally enjoy Gaiman, and this was no exception. The tale is dark, twisted, engaging and funny. His later works might be deeper and even better, but this is quite good (4 stars).

#61: Neverwhere was the second Gaiman book I ever read, but the first for adults (I read his children's book The Graveyard Book first), so it holds a special place in my heart. I am glad to see you enjoy it too.

My husband just finished reading Neverwhere and keeps bothering me to read it so we can talk about it together! He really liked it, so I'm guessing I will as well. The only other Gaiman I've read has been for children, so I'm looking forward to the foray into his adult lit.

#63: I think it will be a good starting point, it has all the elements that make me love his writing.

33 - I picked up Little Brother before boarding a train, as I was getting dangerously close to finishing Neverwhere. I'd plan to get the book at some point, but I wasn't prepared for it to blow me away to the extent it did. It is perhaps the time for a disclaimer: I am a geek, a nerd, a computer lover. When the protagonist gets at least as excited about coding the night away with a friend as getting it on with a girl for the first time, I do not find the author preachy or unrealistic: I find him describing me. Sure, Doctorow has an agenda and is pretty obvious about it: I still enjoyed it, learned from it and was attached to it for 24 hours (I had to sleep and go to work before I was done with it). (5 stars)

34 - The Hotel New Hampshire took longer than expected. I must say it started a bit slow (but still good), but it picked itself up after a hundred pages or so. I really like Irving, at least the three books by him I've read so far have been excellent, and if I could isolate the latter half of this novel, I would say that it is my favourite Irving so far. The actions by the characters are so wrong, but put together it all becomes so right. (4 stars)

35 - Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks was the highest-placed book on BBC's big read list that I had not yet read. I am afraid I do not really think it lived up to it's high placement. Sure, the themes are interesting and some of the sentences are little artworks, but I felt it lacked soul. The book seemed more like an attempt to get high grades in a creative writing class than something the author was passionate about; as if he included the themes of love, war, friendship and children because they are considered deep and important, not because he wanted to tell a story. The pieces do not stick together, the book ends up like a jigsaw puzzle of plots and themes where cat has eaten ten of the pieces: the picture on it might be pretty, but the missing pieces makes it painfully obvious that it's not complete. (2 stars)

I'm not dead (I'm just pining for the fjords). Seriously though, I've had a nice vacation, started a bunch of books and luckily also finished a few:

36 - Flickan som lekte med elden aka The Girl who Played with Fire. Of course I had to continue reading Larsson! I still get annoyed by his writing style (those product names everywhere) I've got to admit, he spins a good yarn (2 1/2 stars).

37 - Aniara is a collection of poems by Swedish poet Harry Martinson. They tell the tale of the spaceship Aniara which drifts out of course, bringing its passengers on a slow but certain journey to death. It is really surreal, tragic, and written in a very compelling, precise, rich and lyrical language. (5 stars)

38 - The Elegance of the Hedgehog I picked up just based on the buzz from my fellow thingamabrarians. Wonderful! I heartily recommend it as well! (4 stars)

I am glad you enjoyed The Elegance of the Hedgehog. It is one of my favorite reads of the year.

#68: I think I first met it in your thread. Which I haven't read in a long time - too much going on right now, even for regular reading :/. Thanks!

39 - The Road by Cormac McCarthy was a book I picked up on holiday (after I ran out of hedgehogian elegance) without knowing too much about it. I had heard good things though, so I was cautiously optimistic. It didn't disappoint, but neither did it exceed expectations, I was left feeling rather lukewarm. Sure, there were wonderful scenery, minimalist dialogue and prose on the border to poetry, but still I felt lukewarm. Still it felt bleak, and though I strongly suspect that was the author's intention, it failed to capture me. (3 1/2 stars)

#69: I forgive you for not checking my threads - I am up to 21 now :) I hope your life calms down for you soon. The nice thing about books though is that they patiently wait for us!

#70 Indeed life is calming down now, as proven by the fact that I finished another book (living on my own helps for finding reading time)

40 - Bored of the Rings is forty-odd years old, and I guess it shows. Most of the time it was a mediocre to bad parody, but there were the occasional brilliant line, making it an ok read. (2 stars)

#71: I am glad life has calmed down for you somewhat!

41 - Sin City: The Big Fat Kill. Ah, how I love the library with its collection of graphic novels! And of course Frank Miller is a favorite. This book keeps up the noir goodness of Sin City, without feeling stale or repetitive. Solid effort! (4 stars)

Someone else in the group mentioned Frank Miller's Sin City books recently. I am going to have to see if I can find them.

#74 Do so! I got lucky finding them in various public libraries (I've moved recently). Otherwise I'm not sure I would have picked the books up, because graphic novels are a muck quicker read for me, I have a hard time justifying their expense. And as you can see, I'm getting addicted to these:

42 - Sin City: That Yellow Bastard This, I'm afraid, has been my least favorite story so far in the series, although it was still an enjoyable read. An element of unrealism is introduced in what has otherwise been a series grounded in reality (with the exception of some superhuman efforts). For me that detracted from the story, which should have been compelling enough in itself. (3 1/2 stars)

#75: Unfortunately my local library does not have them yet. I am going to have to look further afield.

In case anyone wonders, I also read more highbrow things than Sin City these days; however I am working on two different doorstoppers, and the Graphic novels are a welcome distraction...

43 - Sin City: Family Values Not bad, not brilliant, but good entertainment and loads of Miho, my favourite character. (3 1/2 stars)

44 - Sin City: Booze, Broads and Bullets This collection of several shorter stories, made me feel like miller was back in the saddle again, doing the stuff he knows best. I particularly liked the stories "Daddy's Little Girl" and "Silent Night", but what I'll remember best is a closeup of Miho's face that looked really stunning (4 1/2 stars)

45 - Sin City: Hell and Back. Wow. What a way to end a series! This is my favorite by far. The story was gripping, the protagonist a mystery that slowly unraveled. I particularly enjoyed the hallucination scene, where the art changes from the regular black/white style to a fantastic, colorful, psychedelic landscapes with cameos of different cartoon characters. As a bonus, the ending seemed like such a perfect wrap-up (5 stars)

Man, I have got to get my hands on the Sin City books!

When dentists strike, there is but one cure (apart from Vicodin, liquid foods and mountains of sympathy from friends and myself): Silly, silly books. Thus

46 - The Princess Diaries: Take Two was read in bed, bemoaning the loss of a wisdom tooth (or rather the pain of it). Sure, it's not high literature, but I still find it quite intelligent, not to mention entertaining. Sure, I knew who the secret admirer was and guessed most of the things Mia was confused about. I was still distracted and amused, and that's what counts. (3 stars)

#80: I was still distracted and amused, and that's what counts

Sure is! I hope you are no longer in pain :)

47 - The Princess Diaries: Third Time Lucky: Better than the previous one, entertaining, fluffy. And my tooth stopped aching! (3 1/2 stars)

48 - The Pentagon: A History: I picked this up on a whim at the University Library, and wow! A good read, an interesting story, well told and well researched. My only criticism is actually the lack of criticism; any fault of the book's "Great Men" is quickly glossed over. (4 1/2 stars)

#82: I will check out The Pentagon: A History. Thanks for the recommendation of that one.

49 - The Count of Monte Christo: Why miracles happen, I actually finished this. Not that it was bad, but it was one huge, meandering tale. However, I enjoyed it, though I recommend reading other things in between this, as it can be a bit much to read at once. But interesting characters, that I felt slowly grew out of their stereotypes; Dantes went from hero to anti-hero to repentant sinner, Haydée grew from a slave in the background to a daughter to a lover with a mind of her own. I'm glad I read this. (4 stars)

#84: I am glad I read it too. I just finished it up last week.

50 - Lord of the Flies: This was a reread, but it's the first time I read it in English. The book was every bit as painful as I remembered, but more poetic and beautiful. I kept hoping for things to turn out better, however silly that may be, I almost cried for Simon. Breathtaking. (5 stars)

PS: Woo! 50!

Hello! Congrats for reading 50 books. :)

Congratulations on hitting 50! And on such a good book too!

Thanks! 75 seems difficult right now (something about the exams looming on the horizon), but not impossible. I have decided that today I'll have a reading day, with no schoolwork allowed; there has been a lot on my plate recently and I think I need a day off. I started the day in bed by finishing *drumroll*

51 - V for Vendetta. I loved the intelligence of this book. The cultural references made by the main character kept my brain active, and at the same time I could enjoy the actual story, which was a quite decent yarn in itself. I say only quite decent, though; the plot had its weaknesses, sometimes almost stopping, sometimes underexplained, and sometimes overexplained. It's an uneven tale, but most of the time the clever writing and art makes up for that. (4 stars)

#89: I loved Moore's Watchmen and really liked V for Vendetta. I hope you give the other a try.

Good for you in giving yourself a day off! I hope you get tons of reading done!

#90: Well, I was distracted by my roommate wanting to watch Battlestar Galactica; luckily her boyfriend then distracted her ;)

52 - The Eyre Affair - Another book I have to thank Librarything for; I happened upon it in the neighbourhood library, and knew I'd seen it around here. A fun story, not too deep, but very clever and certainly entertaining. (4 stars)

You might also want to check out Fforde's Shades of Grey. It's a bit darker, but fantastically written.

#91: I enjoy the Thursday Next series and hope you planning to continue with it!

I will probably continue with the Thursday Next books, at some point. The first was a lot of fun for me, seems like good semi-fluff; fun but not trivial.

53 - Jeg skulle ha løftet deg varsomt over (I should have lifted you carefully over) is another Norwegian book, and once again untranslated. It is the thoughts of Wenche Mühleisen, on the death of her mother. The mother was a housewife and secretary, married to a sometimes violent father, the daughter is a performance artist, writer, feminist and researcher in gender studies and the media. The book explores the difference in their lives and the opportunities they had, but also the similarities; children leaving home, a love for family and the landscape of Jæren. Sometimes the writing is weak, and she also writes some parts in a stream of consciousness, a technique I am not particularly fond of in the first place, and which I felt fell on its face in this book. However, the strong philosophical message, the attempts to really understand another human being mostly makes up for the bad parts. (3 stars)

Next book is On the road, a copy I borrowed from the library. It smells slightly of tobacco, which I feel is very appropriate.

54 - Luftslottet som sprängdes/The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest; Wow. Is it me, or was the last the best in this trilogy? This kept me fascinated on the train ride to my parents, travelling 'round in their town, and going back here. Perfect ending. (4 stars)

#95: I need to get to that one!

55 - On the Road - Originally, I picked this up because it's a top 100 book from BBC's Big Read list. I did not expect much, as I tend to dislike defiant young men (I really disliked Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caulfield should get a grip).

However, On the Road spoke to me. The joie de vivre and love of all people that permeates the book really resonated with my own view of life. The characters see their own tendency to destruction, and while they accept it, they do not seem smugly superior to everyone else. Warmly recommended. (4 1/2 stars)

56 - Death: The High Cost of Living. I like Sandman, and I like his sister Death even more. This story was nice, philosophical and a pleasant morning read when I decided to take today off from studying. (4 stars)

57 - The Ringworld Engineers. This was one of the books where I'd read a chapter, get bored and give up, then half a day later be compelled somehow to read another one, get bored again... And somehow that took me through the book. Niven is, in my opinion a stellar world builder (pun not intended), but a mediocre writer. The former will probably make me keep returning to his books, but the latter will make me keep giving them mediocre scores. (3 stars)

58 - Q & A - A nice diversion for the journey to and stay at a friend's house. He has a book collection which make me jealous, and is taking me to well-assorted book stores - in other words a good friend! The book was a good yarn, but apart from the concept, I do not see what the movie had to do with it. (4 stars)

...And that was the last book I read in 2010. I am pretty satisfied with how many I read! My New Year Resolutions was to be happier and read more, so I can hardly complain, eh? I'll se you guys in next year's group!

Happy New Year!