MsNick's 75 in 2011

I'm going to scan my bookshelves and make a list of the books I haven't read yet. For now, I'll list book #1, a Christmas gift from the hubby:

1. Room by Emma Donoghue

All your bookshelves? That would be one long list if I attempted it! Is your plan to read all your unread books this year?

Oh, read it! I just finished it last night--read it in just 2 nights, and if I wouldn't have had to work yesterday, I'd have stayed up to finish it the night before!

@ #2 – My sweet husband built me an entire wall of built-in bookcases in our living room as an anniversary present a couple of years ago. LOVE THEM!!! I also have 2 other bookcases, one large, one small. I'll be busy reading what I haven't yet read. I also am a MAJOR book shopaholic! :)

@ #3 – Don't you just hate having to put down a good book at night?

I think it's a perfectly good excuse for coming to work late. "I'm sorry, I had to finish my book last night."

Bosses never agree, though.

I can't tell you how many times I've lost track of the time while reading on a work night. 3 hours of sleep doesn't make for a great day at work; bosses need to be more understanding! I knew today would be slow-slow-slow, so I am enjoying LT & my current book Just Kids!

This is why my light is on a timer that turns it off at 11:00 pm! Otherwise, I wouldn't even bother looking at the clock.

Nice to know I'm among my own kind!

Welcome!

Welcome to the group, Nicole!

Thanks for all the welcoming messages! It's great to be here!!! I hope everyone has a great New Year's Eve & send you all best wishes for a happy & healthy 2011!

Book #3 is done: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

#11: I like Nabokov, but I am staying away from that one.

#12 – I'd never read him before. Any suggestions?

Book #4 is done: Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

#13: My favorite of his thus far is his autobiography Speak, Memory. If you want fiction instead, I would recommend Ada or Ardor, Pnin, or Pale Fire. I just recently read his Glory, which was his first published work, but I do not recommend it.

Thanks for the recommendations! :)

ABORT!!! ABORT!!! Book #5 is being put down. I'm sorry, but I'd rather give King Kong a Brazilian wax than read one more page of Wharton's The Age of Innocence. Land of the living! I'm off to find the new & improved #5, y'all.

Your "Abort! Abort!" cracked me up! I actually loved The Age of Innocence, however, at the end of Wharton's The House Of Mirth, I wanted to throw the book across the room I was so angry.

I used to feel like I HAD to finish every book I started, but as I get older I've changed that habit.

Sandy K

I hear you, Sandy. This is only the 2nd book I didn't finish; life's too short!

#19: life's too short!

Definitely! I try to keep in mind that not every book is for every body and perhaps the book I am suffering through is just not for me!

Book #5 is done - Something Blue by Emily Giffin
I needed something fluffy after the first stab at #5!

#6 is done – The Wasties: A Novel by Frederick Reuss

Oh, I found you. Just wanted to say hi and have the other Charlestonian on my list of threads.

I loved Something Blue and also Giffin's first book, Something Borrowed. Definitely fun fluffy chick lit.

Sandy K

Hi jessieb30! :)

# 24– Right there with you, Sandy. Sometimes you just need a little fluff. I liked Something Borrowed also. :)

Hi There

I'm compiling a list of birthdays of our group members. If you haven't done so already, would you mind stopping by this thread and posting yours.

Thanks.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/105833

Book #7 done: Lighting Fields by Dana Spiotta. Ugh...

#8 done, after a long hiatus. Hunger Games

Hi! Just browsing through the threads and read that your hubby built you bookshelves for Christmas?? Thats pretty awesome! Excuse me while I just wipe the slobber off the floor here.... :)

#28: Skipping that one!

#29: I hope you enjoyed that one, Nicole!

#30 – it was actually for our anniversary. I love him for enabling my book habit! :)
#31 – Definitely skip that stinker! :) I loved Hunger Games! Now I see what all the hype was about! My sister teaches 7th grade English, so she's always in the know for YA books & she told me I'd like it.

#32: Good for your sister!

Book #9 finished: Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain.

The built-ins my hubby made for me!

They're all full now - you better believe it! :)

First - hmmm, bedroom light on a timer switch. That sounds very effective.... But do I want to be that good?

Second - what did you think of Kitchen Confidential? That one's in my TBR.

Third - I covet your bookshelves. I covet them very much.

#37 - I really enjoyed Kitchen Confidential. I'm a total foodie & as a student I held the obligatory restaurant jobs, so it rang true. I have his Les Halles cookbook & that was fun to read cover-to-cover just for his narratives & insights. :)

Those bookshelves are my pride & joy! The BEST anniversary gift EVER! I still can't believe what an excellent job he did; he'd never built anything like that before! A friend of ours who is a professional cabinetmaker said it was a top-notch job. After this photo was snapped, the hubby put doors on the bottom cabinets, where we store our board games (I am a fanatic for those, too!)

The bookshelves look pretty AWESOME and room for boardgames is a great bonus!! :)

Thanks, Guys! I am really lucky to have a sweet hubby! (If only he'd share my book/game obsession...) :) In all fairness, I let him turn the FROG into his Man-Cave & it's UGA all the way! Go Dawgs!!!

Your built-in shelves are gorgeous! I'm jealous.

I've been wondering about the Anthony Bourdain book for a while now...I love his show on the Travel Channel. I'll have to read it now!

Sandy K

If you love his show, Sandy, I'm sure you'll love the book! FYI - Barnes and Noble is selling it in the discount section as one of 2 hardcover books of his in a boxed set - I got both for around $15! And the other book, Medium Raw, is signed!!! (Sigh - I can't help it, I've always found that man sexy!)

I agree, there is something sexy about him. In a cocky kind of way. Nice score on the signed book!

Sandy K

Book #10 done: Voluntary Madness by Norah Vincent

Book #11 finished: Running from the Devil

#12 done & what a great read! The Surrendered by Chang-Rae Lee

#13 done - 2 excellent reads in a row! A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Loved it!!!

I've got that one on reserve at the library. I'm glad you liked it!

Thanks, DrN! I hope you like it, too!

#14 finished – The Ninth Wife by Amy Stolls. Cute.

#15 finished – Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. Fantastic!!!

#16 done: Dreams of Joy: A Novel by Lisa See. Another good read!

I am very behind on threads, Nicole, so I will just try and keep up with you from here on out.

Love the pictures of the shelves! I imagine they did not stay empty long ;)

Aw, alcottacre - you're so sweet! :) And you are correct about the shelves - only one shelf is without books now.

I've just finished book # 17 – Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton.

#54: Yours is the second mention of the Hamilton book I have seen in the past few days. I really need to get my hands on a copy.

You still have one shelf with no books on it? I can lend you some to fill it in! :)

#55 - I liked it, but wished there was more stuff for my inner foodie. Still, I didn't want to put it down!

And thank you for your kind offer! ;)

Just started a new book: The Profession by Steven Pressfield.

ABORT!!! ABORT!!! I gave The Profession as fair of a shake as I could - almost 40 pages. It reads like a military manual. I have a neighbor who will love it, but it is SO not my cup of tea...

And... the new #18 will be Georgia Bottoms by Mark Childress because I need some chick lit after its fallen predecessor.

Good for you for putting down a book you were not enjoying! I hope the Childress book proves to be more to your taste.

So far, Georgia Bottoms has made me laugh out loud a handful of times, in only the 1st chapter! :)

Finished book #18 & in the middle of #19 Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch.

#19 done - Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch. And a happy, happy Ms. Nick has just finished #20 – Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. It's been a loooooooong time since I loved one of Ms. Picoult's books so.

I'm sending early birthday greetings your way. I hope the 25th of April is a special day for you!

Aaaaaaaaaw!!!!! Thank you, Whisper1! You made my day!!! I'm about to turn the BIG 4.0! (um, I mean, 29 forever!)

#21 finished - The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry. Another winner! There's nothing like having a great book streak!

#22 Tomorrow Girls #1 - Beyond the Gates by Eva Gray. Great read for ages 11 - 14. I'm passing this one on to my mini-me bookworm niece!

#23 done - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

#24 done – One Mississippi by Mark Childress

#25 done – A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

#26 done: Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Anthony Bourdain

#27 done: Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens. Great read!

#70: My daughter recommended one of Stevens books to me, but I still have not read any of his/her work. Looks like I need to give the books a try. Thanks for the reminder!

Hi alcottacre! She's only written 2 - the one I just read was an ARC from the publisher. It's coming out in July. Her 1st book, Still Missing was a bestseller last year, I believe... Definitely give her a try! :)

#28: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris. I was worried, having read some less than stellar reviews, but I really liked it!

#72: Still Missing is the one my daughter recommended to me. I will have to find out where she put it so I can give it a read. Thanks for the reminder of the title :)

#29: Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante.

#30 done – Summer in the South by Cathy Holton. Thanks, Early Reviewers! :)

#31 done – French Lessons by Ellen Sussman

#32 done – Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin. An okay read, but it didn't live up to the hype for me.

#78: Too bad. I have heard good things about that book. I hope your next read is a better one for you, Nicole!

Hi there! It wasn't awful, just not awesome. I gave it 3 stars, I think. :)

#33 is done - The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. Lovely!

#81: I already have that one in the BlackHole. I just need my local library to get a copy!

#34 done – The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard. Great read!

#83: That looks like one I would enjoy. Thanks for the recommendation, Nicole!

#35 Done: Original Sin by Beth McMullen. A fun, chick/mommy-lit spy read that I didn't think I'd enjoy as much as I did.

#36 done – The Likeness by Tana French. I did not care for this one; I felt it was a let down after In The Woods.

#37 done – Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler. It was okay - I didn't have high expectations.

#86: I did not care for this one; I felt it was a let down after In The Woods.

That is too bad. I need to get around to reading both it and Faithful Place.

#38 done – Bite Me by Christopher Moore. And Kona returns - LOL!

#39 done – The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. This one's going to be huge when it's released! Loved it!!!

#90: I will have to look for that one. Do you know when it is due for release?

@ #91: The spine of the ARE says August 23, but the back cover says September 2011, so somewhere around there! The letter from the publisher (Random House) stated that there was a huge bidding war for the manuscript, so it had a following before it even left the gate. I can see this one going to film as well!

#92: Thanks for letting me know the release info!

#93 – My pleasure! This one's going to be BIG. :)

#40 - The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt done.

#41 – Don't Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life by Sandra Beasley

#96: That book sounds like one I need to read!

#42 – The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott

>97 alcottacre:: It was very insightful. As someone without food allergies, I was amazed by just how much I take for granted!

#43 - Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Just started #44 - an ARC of Iron House by John Hart. So far, so good! :)

Actually, the 44th book completely read was When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman. I won it through Early Reviews and am so glad that I did - what a GREAT book!

#45 - Iron House by John Hart

#46 - Best Kept Secret by Amy Hatvany

#47 - Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto

#48 - Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

#102: I have heard good things about When God Was a Rabbit. Glad to see that you enjoyed it too! I hope my local library gets a copy of the book soon.

#49 - Bobblehead Dad by Jim Higley

I hope you have a great book picked out for #50!

#50 - The Foreigners by Maxine Swann. I wish I loved it, but...

Maybe the next read will be a better one for you. Sorry about that one.

@111 - Thanks! I've just started So Cold the River by Michael Koryta and am enjoying it so far. :)

#51 – So Cold the River by Michael Koryta

#113: Did you end up liking So Cold the River, Nicole?

Hi alcottacre! I did enjoy So Cold the River – i didn't want to put it down! :)

That is a great recommendation! I will have to see if I can get hold of a copy.

#52 - The Mistress's Revenge by Tamar Cohen. Wanted to love this one, too, but it got really old, REALLY fast.

#117: Ick.

Super ick! :)

#53 – Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan – a fairy tale for adults when I needed one most.

#54 - The End of Everything by Megan Abbott

#120: I already had that one in the BlackHole. I am glad to see you enjoyed it, Nicole.

#122 – I found it very refreshing! I hope that you like it when it resurfaces! :)

#123: Unfortunately my local library does not have a copy of the book yet. Maybe someday!

#124 - I found it online (either Amazon or Barnes and Noble) as a discounted hardcover for under $5. I usually wait until there are deep discounts on a bunch of titles i want to read so that I can take advantage of free shipping. So, if your library doesn't get a copy soon, maybe you can find one for a steal like I did?

#125: I am on a book buying ban this year. Maybe next year though!

I just started book #55 of the year. My husband can't believe he's read this book & I haven't yet, especially since he's not a reader (it was required reading for him in high school). So, I am happy to say that I am now, FINALLY reading... wait for it... Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell!

I don't think I should count this as one of my 75 books since it was an audio book, but I just finished listening to Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead. I won it from Early Reviews. It was my 1st audio book! I enjoyed it very much & I think I'll end up reading the book someday.

#55 done – Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. One of the only books I've read AFTER having seen the movie. Loved it!

#128: Count audiobooks or not - it is up to you. Some of us do, some of those in the group do not.

#56 - Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell

#131: I really wish my local library had Campbell's books!

#132: I hadn't read her work before. I'll have to check out more of her writing!

#57 – Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

#134: That was the first Ishiguro book I read and I very much enjoyed it. Did you like it, Nicole?

#135: I did like it, although I thought the first half of the book was more interesting than the second. I think I might be the only person I know who hadn't heard what the book was about before reading it!

#136: Glad you enjoyed the book!

#58: Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield. Wow! Loved it! Sure, I'm a graphic designer and a typography nerd, but there truly was something in this book for everyone. I loved the bits of history, the anecdotes, all of it!

#59: The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman

#60: Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving, thanks to a helpful Book Nudgers nudge! This novel makes up for my disappointment in Until I Find You.

#61 - The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

#62 - Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood by Julie Gregory

#63 – The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

#64 - If Jack's in Love by Stephen Wetta

#65 - Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

#66 – Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris by David King

#67 - The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams

#68 - The Gates by John Connolly

#69 - A Good and Happy Child by Justin Evans

#70 - How the Mistakes Were Made by Tyler McMahon

# 71 - Goldengrove by Francine Prose

#72 - The Ruins of California by Martha Sherrill

#73 - The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson

#74 - The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

#75 - Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks. Yay! Challenge met!!!

#76 - Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir by Doron Weber

#77 – Lost Edens by Jamie Patterson

#78 - The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

#79 – Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk

#80 - An Available Man by Hilma Wolitzer

#81 - Arcadia by Lauren Groff