Sandydog1 - My Quest at 75

I did ok over at last year's 50 Book Challenge. So long, gang. It's time to join the big girls and boys! I'm up for the challenge. I intend to track all my books, from essays a few pages long, to voluminous monsters. Another resolution: knock out a few "TBF" (to be finished) titles.

1. Holy Cow
This was a very good travel memoir with heavy emphasis on a survey of Indian religions. It reminded me of another outsider, J. Marten Troost and his more recent treatment of China, Lost on Planet China.

****

2. Good Dog. Stay. ***
Ok, I said I was going to list everything. This must be a pretty small book. The audio version was a mere 45 minutes. A poignant memoir of the life of a very old Lab'.

Hi Sandy, it's good to see you here. I'm looking forward to following your book choices for the year.

Thanks, Judy, 'great to hear from you!

I'm currently reading The Guinea Pig Diaries. Wonderful!

Welcome!

I wouldn't have any eyes left if I read Good Dog. I would have cried them out. My kids grew up with a Golden and then a Yellow. Both were the sweetest, gentlest dogs. Just thinking about them brings tears.

No such memories with Guinea Pigs, however. I might give that one a look-see.

...Especially mamzel, if the Guinea Pig is a funny NYC Esquire Magazine writer!

3. Guinea Pig Diaries ***1/2
EJ's back, this time with several shorter term projects (ie, instead of reading the entire encyclopedia or living the Bible for a year).

The outsourcing of his life is hilarious, and at the same time, rather ominous. Month-long projects on "radical honesty" and "do-absolutely-everything-your-wife-tells-you-to" were equally entertaining.

I think I read something about The Guinea Pig Diaries a year or so ago, but lost the name of the book. I'll have to look into it, as it does sound pretty amusing. ;)

Welcome to the group, Steve!

Happy New Year!
--BJ

Thanks BJ and others, for welcoming this freshman. The participation and activity on this topic is amazing. I think it took me about 20 minutes to find my thread!

I'm currently reading Stumbling on Happiness. I'm not too happy about it, so far. A heck of a subject, but the campy, corny prose reminds me of the The Canon - another "meh" treatment of a fascinating subject.

Strange, Gilbert's work has pretty good reviews. I shall stick with it.

#11: I think it took me about 20 minutes to find my thread!

There is a threadbook on the wiki which should make it easy for you to track both your own thread and anyone else's you might find of interest. Also, you might consider putting a link to your own thread on your profile page so that you can find it easier too, Steve.

Wow, thanks Stasia! You are such a prolific contributor to these posts!

No problem, Steve.

4. Stumbling on Happiness **1/2
I was not happy with this pop-psychology (NOT a self-help) book. Yeah, it was somewhat interesting, but not all that great. 'Dozens of simple psychology experiment examples with corny, trite puns sprinkled throughout.

I'm sure I will stumble on some much better reading, soon!

I hope so!

5. No Country for Old Man ****
Classic hardcore McCarthy. Violent and action-packed. It ends with a slower paced reflection on living, old age and declining morality in America. Wonderful, fast reading.

I haven't read anything by McCarthy yet, but all his books are well-liked. I hope to read some soon.
--BJ

Prepare yourself, BJ. I've only read this and that chipper, jaunty father-son Hallmark after school special, The Road.

He writes about the bleak, evil, and unthinkable subjects. But he certainly doesn't dwell on these images. His writing is so terse, it's well, lyrical.

"jaunty father-son Hallmark after school special"

lol. That makes me want to read him more. My curiosity is up.
--BJ

Just make sure you read Chicken Soup for the Soul immediately afterwards!

Good idea! Lol!
--BJ

#17: I need to read that one yet. I loved The Road.

Oh Stasia, you could probably finish that one in about 20 minutes!

6. The Preservationist ****
Mildly funny and quite clever treatment of that age-old Genesis flood story. Full of marital love, human weakenss, smart (naturalist/paleontologist) daghters-in law, faith (of course), wrath, and uncertainty. Oh, and lots of "rutting".

Dear Sandydog1, Hey, I think I'll add Guinea Pig Diaries and The Preservationist to my wishlist. After you mentioned them, I clicked on that "will you like it" meter on librarything and it said I would love the books with a high confidence level.

Have fun in 2011 reading your way through your 75 books!----Alice

#24: I will have to give The Preservationist a go at some point too.

7. My American Journey ***

This book is written in very simple prose. But it took me forever, it is a door-stop (612 pages) and covers an enormous amount of US history - from Powell's Bronx boyhood through 1994. Powell offers an interesting insider's view of the Reagan, Bush and Clinton White House.

#27: That looks like a good one for my personal 'Biography/Memoir' challenge here in 2011. Thanks for the mention, Steve.

#27- I looked at the reviews, etc. on librarything. It sure does sound interesting. And I was able to get a copy through bookmooch---thanks for the "heads up" on this book.

So there are others that never read this famous 1990s "Airport Book"? I enjoyed My American Journey. It covered a lot of ground.

8. Buddha ***1/2
This is a short, concise and very dense book. If you don't have experience with this philosophy/religion, you will have to take it slowly. There are several interesting biographical stories (written thousands of years ago and hundreds of years after Buddha's death). 'A great overview and probably well worth a second read.

9. Dispatches ***1/2
Burroughs-esque and somewhat disjointed account of a correspondent's many Vietnam experiences. Herr co-wrote the screenplays for "Apocolypse Now" and "Full Metal Jacket". Gee, who would have thought? There were several real sodiers in this book that I recognized as characters in these subsequent movies.

10. The Seashell on the Mountaintop ****1/2
The amazing biography of Saint (!?) Nicolas Steno, skilled anatomist, delicate "dissectionist", Lutheran turned devout Catholic, the "Galileo of Geology". This short book comprises an amazing amalgam of fossils, spontaneous generation, sharks and shark teeth, The Medicis, the Reformation, Genesis theories, The 30-years war, Descartes, Newton and a pack of other fascinating characters. With a flicker of an ongoing boyhood interest in paleontology, how did I not know about this guy?

32: Huh. Me neither. Onto the wish list...

Isn't this horrible? My TBR is hovering around 1,000 thanks to the good folks at LT...

All I can say is, I hope you are young!

Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam...

34: It's truly ridiculous. I'm not that young. Which may be a good thing. I'll die before I fill the house.

36: On your personal thread. Obnoxious.

Yeah, what was up with that?

11. The Last River ***
I just finished the Random House abridged audio. I had the hard copy (which I finished as well) and found that the audio version was remarkably complete.

Very good, along the lines (pardon the kayaking pun) of Shadow Divers and Into Thin Air.

12. Start Late, Finish Rich ****
100% common sense. Although, the circa 2004 optimism of real estate and certain other investments is a bit off, right at this moment.

#31: I bought the Herr book last year (or was it the year before?) Anyhow, I need to get it read! Thanks for the reminder.

Speaking of uplifting books...

13. The Aquariums of Pyongyang ****
This is a frightful memoir of a 9 year-old Korean boy whose family emigrated to North Korea from an affluent life in Japan. Kang Chol-Hwan spent 10 years starving in a North Korean concentration camp. Shortly after the family's release, he was able to flee to China and then South Korea.

#41: I already have that one in the BlackHole. Sounds like I need to bump it up some though!

My TBR pile is literally 1,200 volumes. Yours must be the same!

I've got to cleanse the palate of all that nasty North Korean prison fare (frogs, earthworms, rats, rabbit heads). I'm currently reading some Wodehouse. The perfect antidote!

>43 Sandydog1: Suddenly, I don't feel quite so bad about my TBR pile!

#43: The BlackHole has over 10,000 books in it. Hence, the name :)

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

Done, Whisper.

14. How Right You are, Jeeves ***1/2
Yes, the touchstone is correct; it is aka "Jeeves in the Offing". After a few months hence, I won't remember much about the plot. But the outrageous wordplay! This is only my second Wodehouse and once again, it was hilarious. Jeeves, once again, rescues the guffin Bertie. As I said before, it was the perfect antidote after reading about North Korean gulags.

47: Memories of childhood... My family lived in India for several months, and the relatively few books available in English were British. Lots of P. G. Wodehouse. This was nearly 40 years ago, and I get nostalgic, wonder what I'd think now.

15. How to Survive the End of the World as We Know it

I know nothing of this popular survivalist. I was mildly curious about preparing for short duration "disruptions". The book seems to be a very concise guide and it is highly recommended. 'Really tough subject; back to Wodehouse.

#49: I will look for it! I might need to know how to survive. Of course, the first step is to save all the books!

> 48

' a rather precocious child!

> 50

' reminds me of this LT group:

http://www.librarything.com/groups/henrybemissociety

Learning to Bow ****

Feiler, author of Abraham and Walking the Bible describes all facets of a unique Japanese society, as he describes his experiences as a visiting English teacher. I love travel books, and this well-written, informative, entertaining heart-warmer, was one of the best I've ever read.

#52: That book sounds like a good one for my daughter Beth who is enamored of all things Japanese. Thanks for the recommendation, Steve.

52: Not a book I was aware of, and since a trip to Japan last summer I've been keeping an eye out. I've made a note of this one for the wish list.

17. Inside of a Dog ***1/2
This is not a pop dog-lover's book. It is an animal behavior book (think Lorenz, peer-reviewed studies, pyschobiology). In a way, I was hoping for the former. I expected a simple read that would tell me what my dog is up to. Four stars for excellent, insightful writing; 3 stars as a result of my own personal preferences and interests.

#17: Does not sound like a book for me. I think I will give that one a pass.

I hope your next read is more to your taste, Steve.

Thanks, and it is simply taste. I hate to knock it; I love all kinds of science books. It was wonderfully written and has good ratings.

I'll lurk over at the Dog -lover's site and find a book or two on the same subject.

I'm in an unusual state right now: 'currently reading THREE. I'm listening to the audio and also reading that depleted-uranium doorstop Einstein: His Life and Universe. I'm also partially through The Things They Carried and my nemesis, Gargantua and Pantagruel.

Naturally, those 600+ page books are tougher to get through. But it's good to persist through a marathon once in a while. I recall it took me several months to read The Bible and almost 2 years to read The Histories.

#57: I have already read both Einstein and The Things They Carried. I am not sure I am up to the Rabelais :)

I know what you mean about the 600+ page books taking longer to get through. I finished off a couple of those doorstops this week.

I guess I exaggerated a bit on Einstein. The text, without endnotes is a mere 550 pages!

18. Einstein: His Life and Universe ****
Very well-written and researched (including many references to recently-released personal letters). I chose not to get too bogged down in the theories of modern physics, but instead thoroughly enjoyed learning of this Einstein's personality and character.

59: I chose not to get too bogged down in the theories of modern physics

A wise decision, I'd think, if you are aiming for 75 books in a year. Unless you have the appropriate educational foundation. I have resigned myself to a cursory pop-science level understanding, if that. Otherwise I feel obligated to take notes while I read, which I actually enjoy doing some times for some things, but I've gradually realized that modern physics, though conceptually intriguing, is not one of those things.

'Xactly! I've studied relativity, basics of quantum physics, the photoelectric effect - at a level adequate to answer high school and college questions on the subjects. I've read The Dancing Wu Li Master and other works. Still, I've no retention nor no real idea.

There are many subjects that "sink in", after repetition. As for me, alas, modern physics is not one of these.

Learning to Bow is going on my list. I have Japanland lined up to read in the next couple of weeks.
My favorite Jeeves story is Jeeves and the Song of Songs, in which Bertie meets a very sturdy opera singer.

I like your eclectic choices. I too bounce from genre to genre like a pinball.

Jeeves and the Song of Songs? Oh, a Wodehouse I don't have! (though sometimes his works are published under more than one title) Must investigate!

62 (mstrust): Japanland was my first completed book of 2011.

>55 Sandydog1:: I read Inside of a Dog this past week and very much enjoyed it... I think you're right, whether you like it or not will depend on what you want out of it. I really liked the more scientific approach, peppered with her own anecdotes. And I don't even have a dog! Haha.

And you don't even have a dog! Get one and let the behavioral studies begin!

19. The Things They Carried ***1/2
O'Brien's Viet Nam stories. Stark prose, repetition for stunning effect. This was a good one.

20. Goodbye, Mr. Chips ***1/2

I've yet to see the movie, but I read the campy 1969 paperback edition with color stills of Peter OToole and Petula Clark. This tiny book is a wonderful character study of the long career of a British schoolmaster. It spans from the Victorian era into the 1930s and was first published in the Atlantic Monthly. The novella merely mentions incidents, anecdotes and events, leaving the reader very, very curious. I'm sure these were further fleshed-out by the screenplay folks. I'll look for the movie.

Oh, and because I am apparently vying for the 14th annual 75 Book Challenge "Most Absurdly Ecclectic Annual List Award", I am currently reading Abraham as well as No Touch Monkey.

Eclectic is good!
--BJ

21. Abraham ***

A basic overview of a desert mythological superhero, the 3 Western faiths' version of Gilgamesh or Heracles. The latter part of the book pertains to the violence and hope for peace, in the Middle East.

Interesting. I added it to my wishlist.
--BJ

70: I have it, and it registered in my consciousness a few weeks ago when I shuffled some books around, though I think probably not a book for the near future, too much competition and too little time. I like your eclectic list. I saw the movie version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips when I was a kid but memories are vague.

Thanks, qebo; just when it couldn't get "eclectic-er":

22. Austerlitz ***1/2
Wow. This was a tough contrast to the simple, lyrical, preachy prose of Feiler. The late Mr. Sebold's book of lost memory and the Holocaust, was a real challenge. The narrator relates the coversation of the story's character Austerlitz, reminiscing about everything (from architecture, aviaries, lepidoptera, astronomy - well, everything else) - as he seeks the history of his parents. Austerlitz converses like James, or Conrad, or Kafka in this one-paragraph book. Nobody talks like that!

Every review I've read about this book is very favorable. I was a bit overwhelmed. 'Back to some lighter fare for me.

I've noted a heck of a lot of days have elapsed since I've FINISHED anything!

I don't know if I would like that book or not. I find books without paragraphs difficult to read. But the comparison to James, Conrad and Kafka got my interest. So I guess I will check it out someday.
--BJ

I mean really, BJ, can you imagine sitting at a train station talking to a stranger, who happens to be conversing just like a Kafka or Conrad or James?

It would be like Fried Green Tomatoes, except the nursing home resident is James Joyce. I'd be visiting there, every day!

Not much happens in Austerlitz but I am glad that I read it.

Oh, by the way, there's been something that's been bothering me for a calendar quarter, or so. My topic title, "Sandydog - My Quest at 75" is merely a typo.

English is my first language - honest.

I'm currently reading Black Like Me. It is a straightforward, blatant, treatment of racism. In a way, it reminds me of learning about religion by reading The Pilgrim's Progress.

#75 Funny! Now I need to read Fried Green Tomatoes.
--BJ

23. Black Like Me ****
Well, I did find a nice easy-read alternative to my previous wordy project, Austerlitz.

Griffin's historical experiment is written in dirt-simple prose. It is lean, poignant, hurtful and shocking. His sociological study (ie, dyeing his skin dark and passing for several weeks, as a Black in the segregated South) occurs well before the widespread Civil Rights movement. It is an amazing book and the 1976 epilogue was equally interesting.

24. Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Meh. A typical business book with textbook undertones. The sections on performance evaluations were useful; the sections on business strategy, uhm, not so much. **1/2

25. No Touch Monkey! ***

Don't get me wrong. I love mindless travel memoirs. I just never really got into this one, and as objective evidence, this took me a very long time to finish.

One of the best titles of all time, though...

That title always makes me laugh. I like travel memoirs too, and there are some really funny essays in Not So Funny When It Happened. Also, The Clumsiest People in Europe is really funny because the woman who wrote it hated everyone she was writing about.

Thanks, Jenn. I've read Not so Funny and am looking forward to The Clumsiest People in Europe.

26. Thomas Paine's Rights of Man

I enjoyed reading Common Sense, I enjoy books about books and I've enjoyed other "Books that Changed the World" titles such as On the Origin of Species (Darwin) and The Quran (presumably, God).

These books are short, concise summaries of the author biography and the book itself. They are written by prominent authors. This one about the witty, persuasive Mr. Paine was written by the witty, insightful and mildly irascible Mr. Hitchins. ****

27. 99 Novels
A great, short book, reminiscent of the work of maybe Fadiman. Here's another source (other than LT) in which to pile on some TBR titles. ****

Had to add this one to the wishlist.
--BJ

28. The Power and the Glory
Wow. As an ex-Catholic, an afficienado of 20th century Mexican history, a lover of wine (uhm, Brandy - not so much), I was enthralled with this book. It was at least as good as my last-year's Greene read, The Quiet American. Perhaps it was even better. 'Chock full of guilt, humanity, sin, alcoholism, greed, lust, righteousness, ideology, betrayal, redemption, attempts at redemption, blind loyalty, harshness, innocence, suffering. **** 1/2

Wow, with a review like that, I have to add it to my wishlist!

I am a firm believer in eclectic reading :)

Really nice review! I have been wanting to read more Graham Greene for a while and this one looks like the right one.
--BJ

29. All the Pretty Horses
Romeo meets Juliet. But this time Romeo is a teenage John Wayne.

And what's with McCarthy and all his shootings and slashings? Everybody's always trampsin' around full of holes, bleeding all over the place and just sucking it up and moving on. If it were me I'd be whining and whimpering and reaching for my insurance card!

****

Just found your thread and noticed you really liked The Things They Carried, you might also enjoy Going After Cacciato by the same author. In fact, I liked it more than The Things They Carried.

Thanks, little Jane, I shall check it out!

Romeo as John Wayne. I like that.
--BJ

Sorry about the tough work week for you, Steve. I bet you are glad tomorrow is Friday! I hope you have a great weekend.

Thank god its Friday! Have a nice relaxing weekend.

30. Fight Club

UPDATE on 94, 95

Oops I had a double post and ended up deleting both of them!

'Best leave well enough alone...

31. 84, Charing Cross Road

The king of the eclectic went and found the perfect antidote to that gen-Y nightmare, Fight Club.

Helene Hanff's correspondance with a quaint English bookstore staff, was super-charming. It only takes an hour or so to read. Very highly recommended.

****1/2

#99: 84, Charing Cross Road is one of my all-time favorite books! I am glad you enjoyed it, Steve.

I hope work is not too bad for you this week.

32. Landscape Turned Red
I knew that Antietem, the bloodiest day of the American Civil War was a total cluster. But reading the details, with heavy emphasis on the Union side and McClellan's foibles, was fascinating. No recon, no communication, egotistical leadership, timidity, and procrastination all combined on the Union side to grasp defeat or at least a draw, from the mighty hand of victory. This battle, like others, could have really shortened the Civil War.

****

33. The Lost City of Z
A great tale of early 20th century exploration in the Bolivian/Brazillian rainforest. All who enter this tropical paradise eventually determine that it is a "green hell" full of horible parasites, biting insects, apparent lack of food and an abundance of justifiably hostile indigenous peoples.

***1/2

34. Ten Fun Things to Do Before You Die
I have to admit, I selected this by title alone. Can a curmudgeonly, analytical male athiest find guidance from a Nun who preaches spirituality and sisterhood? Aw, why not?

***

35. 1066 The Year of Conquest

This 201-page book covered this crucial year in Western Civilization. It did so, as well as history books 4 times as long. Concise and well written. It is amazing how lucky William the Conqueror, was. He was able to attack because of a perfect change in sailing weather, at the only time Harold was not defending (he had recently left the coast to successfully defend agains Norsemen), with the support of a sham Papal approval, and with very weak post-battle resistance from relatively strong, populous Anglo settlements.

****

36. Gargantua and Pantagruel

I FINALLY finished this 841-page Modern Library LeClerq translation. It was a marathon, but, like a marathon, was very rewarding.

I always try to knock out one monster book, a year. I had trouble staying on course and this one took me every bit of 2010 into 2011. It is not just a book about pee-pee jokes. It is encyclopedic. And as Clifton Fadiman says, should probably be read a dozen pages at a time.

****

Hmm, maybe The Tale of Genji next?

37. Loop Year
It is obvious why we choose what we read: an interest in the subject and/or a feeling of common interest with the author.

This author dreams about summiting Everest and through-hiking the AT. He is a bit compulsive and chooses instead to walk a 2-mile Connecticut nature trail, every day of the year.

As a dreamer, a slightly compulsive, daily-local-hiking Connecticut Yankee, so far so good. This trail book is right up my alley. I looked forward to some great nature writing, description of a Southern New England nature preserve, nature observations, details of a single nature trail.

Whoah, hold up. Nature? The author might as well have chosen to hike 2 miles at the mall every day. Hundreds of pages are churned out, but instead of discussing the trillium, oaks, fungi, bird life, or even the trail, the author chooses to discuss his evening basketball games and various chores. He does mention a deer, a turkey, a tic (sic), and a birch leaf - once. His birder and entomologist friends try to get him interested, but no avail.

The description on the back cover is "HIKING/MEMOIR'. It is exactly that. But without a skinch of the local, natural world this one falls as flat as the wings of a Common White Tail, as a slab of schist, as the plastron of a Painted Turtle, as a new White Oak Leaf, as the radial petal pattern of Daisy Fleabane...

**

38. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch

Heck, Krushchev liked it too.

****

39. Getting Things Done

I always try to read a few self-help books, no matter how basic or trite. I find the repetition/reminders helpful. This is a good one, although there is a heavy emphasis on using quaint materials such as wood cellulose in things called files.

***

108: Huh. I just got that one too, though I haven't yet read it. (Many things to do...) Spring cleaning?

It's not too bad. Enjoy qebo!

40. How to Impress Anyone

I found another one, picked up on a whim from the library based on the weird title.

It's actually a business-centric manners book. My copy was a severe abridgement, but it was plenty.

**1/2

Congrats on finishing Gargantua and Pantagruel. Sounds like it was worth the effort.
--BJ

Thank you BJ! And, a hearty congrats on being halfway through with Monsier Proust.

41. The Communist Manifesto

This one is on my classics bucket list, derived mostly from The New Lifetime Reading Plan. I had picked up (for a proletariat price of $0.45) a yellowed, beat up copy. Crammed full of blue and purple-ink highlights, the 1955 Crofts paperback had an inscription from "Olney Hall". LaSalle? UMASS? Marin? We'll ever know.

Ok, it's only 46 pages, but the 'ol Dawg had to spend a couple hours reading various introductions/summaries in order to get into the mood and gain some semblance of historical context and understanding.

Hi! Looks like I've found another thread to read through one of these evenings when I'm not babysitting. And I really like the TBR challenge concept, which I found looking for your 75 book challenge. I might do that depending on how much time I have for recreational reading, what with me starting back up at college. Maybe I can mix the two, picking off a few titles that mesh with my upcoming classes. Something for me to think about.

I myself, have more recreational reading time than I think. I do enjoy lurking about LT instead of "just" reading.

42. The View from Lazy Point

The advance comments call this "an exhilarating journey of natural renewal..." That's a rather glass half-full description. It is also a tragic story of natural degradation, perhaps giving a new definition to the term "natural history". All the usual topics are found here and are treated in a wonderfully concise manner: Polynesian islands becoming seawater logged, glacial melts, polar bear and coral reef destruction, declines of salmon and forests both (this relationship was so well described in a very similar book, The Hidden Forest), the tragedy of the commons in the Atlantic fisheries, penguin declines. All this combined with local (Montauk, Long Island) examples of dramatic ecological changes (horseshoe crab, shorebird, tern declines) and wonderfully written, encyclopedic essays.

*****

43. The Translator
Daoud "David" Hari found jobs as an interpreter and guide during the Darfur genocide. He witnessed the murder of relatives and the loss of his village, and was accused as a spy by local Sudanese military leaders. This is a short, simple and very powerful memoir. It includes two wonderful appendices: a very concise history of the political nightmare of Sudan and a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).

****

115, 116: Two more for the wishlist. (Alas, I'm reading at half the rate as you, with #s 20, 21, 22, 23 in progress.)

Ah, but number of books read is a silly means of quantitation! The Translator is 190 pages of huge font, ghost-written for a young Zaghawa tribesman. It will take you a few nanoseconds to read, qebo. It is a wonderful story, but it is a small book. 'And he's not meant to be Proust, Joyce, Pynchon or Conrad.

It may be silly in the abstract, but I have literal piles of books on the floor...

I have piles, too. Still I want more.

Yeah, me too. But as vices go, this one beats most.

I've piles of books AND about a dozen wonderful town libraries convenient to work/home. A target-rich environment.

44. Introduction to Judaism

(The touchstones are acting up again - this is the Teaching Company Lecture Series with Shai Cherry of Vanderbilt U)

Ok, this isn't a book. And, this series of Teaching Company lectures may not even be considered an audiobook. But I LOVE the Teaching Company and Modern Scholar lectures. These are what got me started into audiobooks, which in turn, got me into/back into reading.

This series is no exception. Concise, entertaining, informative. I've learned so many things, and not just where the star (shield) of David came from, why Hannukah has 8 nights, and what's the difference between a temple and a synagogue.

****

45. Hawk Highway in the Sky

This childrens book is an overview of North American raptors, migration, hawk watches and banding activities. It is almost exclusively about Hawk Watch International's Goshute Mountain Hawk Watch. The map of other important hawk watch sites (only 18 are listed) could have been more comprehensive. Robert Krudeier's photographs are stunning and feature many shots of banders setting raptors free.

****

46. A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush
A self-deprecating fashion industry Brit (he's careful not to describe appropriate experience - he served in British Special Forces in WWII - this omission helps the story's charm), gathers up incomplete, inadequate provisions and goes on a fun little jaunt in vacation spots north of Kabul.

Who knew Afghanistan could be so droll?

***1/2

Way behind on threads again, Steve, and trying to play catch up :)

I own A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush and actually had it pulled out to read earlier in the year, but never got to it. I wonder where I put it. . .

I will keep an eye out for this. I have always been fascinated by the region and it sounds like more fun than a similar trek today would be.

47. The Great Escape

The title is exciting; it sounds like a harrowing adventure similar to Paul Brikhill's Luftstalag breakout with a similar title. But other than perhaps some visa glitches, the 9 Hungarian Jews apparently had no real harrowing challenges to escaping pre-WW II Europe. They had the foresight to leave Budapest in plenty of time, and most ended up in the USA. Marton follows the fascinating and productive lives of 4 scientists (Teller, von Neumann, Szilard, Wigner) 2 movie makers (Cutiz, Korda) 2 photographers (Capa, Kertesz) and a writer (Koestler). She is a wonderful writer, but her 57814::Julio Cortazar-esque mixing of nine biographies makes things a bit confusing.

***1/2

#128: I will have to look for that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Steve!

You may like it Stasia, one never knows. Ms. Marton describes these leaders and their longing for the wonderful pre-war culture of Budapest, with its long, leisurely chats in cafes. Beautiful.

48. Imperfect Geographies
Hogan, like Frost and Berry, writes poetry that I can almost always understand. Beautiful, simple poems categorized in two sections: North and South. Emphasis of the poems in the latter half deal with his extensive residency in Mexico. I wouldn't know where to find a copy (it was published by Q Trips, California, not Simon & Schuster or Random House or Norton), but it is well worth reading.

****1/2

Michael Hogan also wrote a history about the amazing San Patricio Batalion. These were Irish immigrants who joined their Catholic Brothers in Mexico to fight against the invading US Army. US citizens answering newspaper adds in the US, to go down to fight against the US. Suffice to be said when they were caught as prisoners, the US Army did very unpleasant things to them. Heroes of Mexico.

Well, as my local library does not have the book it is a moot point at the moment. Maybe in future though!

49. Three Men in a Raft ****

Three kids (ie, each well under 30 years of age), with limited planning, limited funding and limited equipment, follow the Amazon from a mountainous Pacific Coast tributary all the way to the Atlantic. They get overwhelmed by rapids, shot at by Shining Path rebels, stopped by countless Peruvian military authorities (who shake their heads in dismay or laugh in contempt when they find out the goal of the quest) and get all the requisite fungal, insect and GI diseases. At one point Ben is shocked to hear roaring from the forest. He'd appparently never been south of Mexico and had never heard Howler Monkeys before. Rookie.

Predictable adventure fare, worthy of a predictable 3 1/2 stars. I've added an extra 1/2 star for the sheer adventure and sheer size of this amazing odyssey. Well done, kids!

50. Great World Religions: Islam, 2nd Edition ***1/2

This Teaching Company series comprised 12 lectures on CD. This was a great overview of the world's fastest-growing religion. Topics included the 5 Pillars, Mohammed, the Quran, the Moslem community, Islamic Law and Mysticism, Revivalism, Contemporary resurgence and women's issues.

#132: Looks fun! I will have to give the book a try.

I feel like I need to go find some howler monkeys now...

You've got a lot of interesting books here! I'm glad you stopped by my thread so I could find you in the crowd :)

I love Howler Monkeys, o' queen of the Formicas. 'Even when, while you're vacationing, they wake you up at 5:00 am.

I'm still on an adventure bender. I'm currently reading Seven Years in Tibet. It's very interesting, but I've so many questions. Herr Harrer just jumps into the travel story. It was discovered fairly recently that he was a member of the SS. So there are many questions left unanswered in this book. Exactly how was he sent there? Was he originally on some kind of mission? Why the disinterest in returning to his country and family, even after the war? Who was his family?

51. Seven Years in Tibet ****1/2
What an amazing adventure! The last third of the book - life at the holy city Lhasa, the all-too-short descriptions of tutoring the Dalai Lama - is definitely the best part of this book. It is so sad that Tibet has suffered so much for the 60 years subsequent to this incredible travel memoir.

#137: I would have sworn I had already read that book, but if I have I did not record it any place. I must get to it!

52. The Reluctant Mr. Darwin ****1/2
Quammen has written one of the most personable of biographies. Through the author's extensive research, Darwin's personality is described in a well-written, easy-going style. This book was a pleasure.

#139: I will have to read that one. I enjoy reading biograhies. Thanks for the recommendation, Steve.

53. On the Nature of the Universe ***1/2
This one was on my bucket list, ie, all the books in The New Lifetime Reading Plan, so, I am very pleased to have finished it. I read the Penguin (Ronald Latham) translation and found it easy going. This Epicurean natural history was quaint, and some of the strange misconceptions were interesting.

#141: That one is on my bucket list too. One of these days I will get to it!

54. Medea ***1/2
I'll add some lengthier tomes later, but how else will I ever get to 75? ;)

Euripides (like Aeschylus) is over-the-top tragic and this play really laid it on thick. Killing your own children to get back at the ol' man? Whoa.

55. The Playboy of the Western World ***
Speaking of plays and killings (or in this case, attempted patricide), here's a witty one from the turn of the century, the time of the Irish literary resurgence.

#143: I saw a production of Medea with the late Colleen Dewhurst in the title role. Fantastic!

Stasia, I haven't been to a play in years, hence the reading, I guess.

Well, I am still "all over the place." I'm concurrently reading The Golden Ass, Berry's Fidelity, and Riding the Iron Rooster.

#145: I wish I could say that I saw the production live. I watched a PBS broadcast of the play though.

I always read "all over the place" so you are not alone!

56. Riding the Iron Rooster ****
This best-selling. snarky-tourist-spends-an-eternity-traveling-China in the mid-1980s, has held up well. Although long and sometimes redundant, it is a wonderful account of mid 20th century China history and modern Chinese government/culture/behavior.

3 1/2 stars as a solid, entertaining book; 4 1/2 stars as an exceptional travelogue.

#147: I have not read that one by Theroux yet. I will have to give it a go.

147: I read this years (a decade? two decades?) ago, and it's due for a reread, but what's even more due is The Great Railway Bazaar because I recently got Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, the same journey three decades later.

>143 Sandydog1:, 144- I've wanted to see a live production of Medea for years but have never seen one offered. You'd think such a famous play would be performed more often.
You've given me the idea to check Netflix, Stasia.

#150: I hope that the play is available on Netflix, Jennifer! Let me know.

There sure are a lot of train books out there, and some of them aren't even written by Theroux!

57. A Room with a View ***1/2
A well-written, Edwardian, rich girl meets angsty-honest-passionate-boy (with a cool dad). Masterful character development. 3 stars for the Austen-esque courtship subject matter and snobbiness; 4 stars because, hell, it's E.M. Forster.

58. The Personal Efficiency Program **1/2
Sometimes when I'm at the library, I've encountered slim pickin's among the audio books. This is a business self-help book. Few new or innovative or well written suggestions, here. And, most of the office automation information is obsolete, in spite of the 2007 revision.

59. Grant (Great Generals) ***1/2
There are many really good Grant biographies out there, and his own memoirs are supposed to be excellent. The advantage of this book is that it was short, entertaining, and concise. The author makes many references to other generals, that are presumably part of this series. I may look for more titles, as they may complement one another.

#152: I still need to read that one!

Forster, is indeed a wonderful writer, Stasia.

I'm currently/concurrently reading Getting Stoned with Savages, and Fidelity: Five Stories. The former, hilarious; the latter, heartwarming.

I won't be stingy with the stars, for these.

60. Fidelity: Five Stories *****

Lyrical. That's the word I use when I can't describe concise, simple, beautiful prose. I learned about Wendell Berry from a LT group about nature or the outdoors. He is not a nature writer, however. He is an agrarian, human-nature writer.

These family stories are all beautiful. "A Jonquil for Mary Penn" is one of the best stories I've read concerning, love, friendship, loyalty, teamwork, community. "Fidelity" may change my feelings that Tolstoy ("The Death of Ivan Ilyich", "Master and Man") wrote the best stories about death and dying.

Berry seems to be up there with Steinbeck, Delillo, Hemingway and McCarthy. I've hundreds of books on my TBR pile, from Aristotle to Zola. 'Looks like I'm going to add a few more from this wonderful Kentuckian.

Lovely review! I added this one to my wishlist.

#157: Fidelity sounds terrific. I wish my local library had a copy!

Keep an eye out for that one, BJ and Stasia, it is wonderful.

Speaking of libraries, my copy of Bound to Please: An extraordinary one-volume literary education is due back.

I was tempted to take credit for this one after reading perhaps 70% of the essays, but that would be like sneaking on the subway during the NYC marathon, now, wouldn't it?

Like Gargantua and Pantagruel, this isn't a book to be read cover-to-cover. It needs to be taken in small doses; an essay or two at a time.

I hate those "TBF" (to-be-finished) designations, but I'll retrieve it from the library some other time...

#160: I like Michael Dirda's work. I hope you are enjoying Bound to Please, Steve. I need to revisit that book one of these days.

Will wonders never cease; the library allows a 2X renewal. I shall finish every one of these 114 (!) Dirda essays!

61. Getting Stoned with Savages ****1/2

Campy, silly, sophomoric and sometimes clever; I enjoyed this one. I listened to a Blackstone recording, expertly read by Simon Vance. His reading of Troost's first experience with the mellow narcotic, kava, is just hilarious. I haven't "heard" a funnier scene of inebriation since Gussie's display while giving away boy's school awards, in Right Ho, Jeeves.

In addition to kava, Troost maintains a constant obsession with canibalism, throughout his stint in Vanuatu and Fiji. Chuckles galore. I really, really need to find it's prequel, Sex Lives of Cannibals.

Huh. Just found this thread, Steve, and of course have added...uh...I lost count...some books to the WishList. More than some, actually.

I'm impressed by Gargantua and Pantagruel. That's a tough one to finish. I'm still idling my way through The Iliad, as my big book for this year. I've gone further this time than ever before, so there's hope that I may finish before the end of the year.

I love Dirda.

Ah, the rosey fingers of dawn and the pouty prima donna Achilles.

Oh, he's a beaut, isn't he? I'm going to have a lot to say when I finish...oh, one repeated line that I love: "And the dark swirled down over his eyes".

>162 Sandydog1: I read Troost's Lost on Planet China early this year. I found it to be an eye-opener, at least for someone who has never been to China.
Sex Lives of Cannibals remains my favorite of his.

> 165
It is amazing how the ancient story tellers would recite that entire epic from memory. Those repetitive metaphors assisted with their retention. What a feat. What minds and discipline, back then.

>166 mstrust:
I read Lost in Planet China last year. For some reason I had the impression that Troost was a bit more the snarky tourist in the China travelogue. Both books were excellent.

62. Bound to Please ****

I am so glad that I finished this. It was much longer and "denser" than Classics for Pleasure, a favorite. But it was extremely entertaining. Many of the essays described published biographies, or letters of famous authors. From these, I gleaned many more titles for my huge TBR pile.

It's best to savor just a couple essays at a time; at 525 pages it's not one to race through. Even the totally unrelated essays at the end were a real treat.

63. Simplify Your Life ***
Extremely short and sweet. Nothing terribly original but a fun read nonetheless.

More for my wishlist!

Bound To Please has gone on my list and thanks!

With regards to Dirda, again, sometimes I spend more time reading about books, than I do reading!

Here's another, like #63, was really short.

64. The Courage to Start

For me, this one should be the courage to re-start. I am recovering from minor knee surgery and am hoping to be back, sloughing along the trails, real soon.

This one's a fluffy feel-good beginning runners' book by the famous "Penguin". Focus is on newbie attitudes and thoughts, not detailed practical tips. There's some real humor here, too.

172: I have another book of his. I've been recuperating from a stress fracture, and it's frustrating, frequent reminders that two feet are more convenient than one, but it's also a mental relief to return to running gradually without concern for mileage or speed. What happened to your knee?

Right Medial Miniscectomy. Only a runner (or a Dr.) would describe a cartilege tear as such.

If I could describe general surgery as pleasant, this was it. However, I've also, all those doubts that my chubby frame will be back on the trails soon.

65. A Short History of Myth ****

Nice overview. Towards the end Armstrong discusses mythology in early 20th century art forms including the novel. There are several interesting comments about symbolism in The Heart of Darkness, The Magic Mountain, Under the Volcano, etc.

She also makes some interesting points about past and current mythological beings, such as Gilgamesh, Heracles (a true skin-wearing, club wielding, underworld visiting shaman), Jesus, Elvis and Princess Diana.

Of course, one of the negative prerequisites to being turned into a mythological celebrity, is that you have to first, expire.

No one ever wrote about Jesus when he was alive. If I was at an all day unlimited seafood and lavish buffet, with hundreds of my closest friends, listening to a truly beautiful and amazing oratory; or, at a wedding with an unlimited all-you-can-drink, Wine Spectator 95 wine-bar, I'd have immediately high-tailed it to a scribe (I would presume I'd be illiterate) and get it documented. "Hey Moshe, you'll never believe what I just saw, the loaves and fishes, just kept coming and coming! And man, that mensch sure could spit! What an unbelievable afternoon! I'm gonna devote the rest of my life to peace-making. I'll be blessed, dammit! You really, really need to grab some papyrus or a clay tablet and get this on your blog!"

...or something like that.

54 (revisted)
'Still reading selections from Euripides I...and II...and III...and IV...and V.

Along with "Medea", I've fnished "Alcestis", "Hippolytus" and "The Trojan Women".

Looking at the scribblings in these Latimore and Grene translations, I can't help but think about the tens of thousands of College sophomores who had toiled over these plays. Many probably highlighted arbitrary passages and dreamed instead, to be out at the local beer hall.

But I am enjoying them at a liesurely pace, stopping to look up a proper noun or term here and there. I'll knock out a couple more, recommended by Clifton Fadiman, and will then call it a day...

54. (conclusion)
Finished Euripides' "Electra" and "The Bacchae"; the Bacchae was my favorite of these six tragedies.

On to Aristophanes. I just read a Gilbert Seldes version of Lysistrata. It seemed a bit tame and watered-down, as one might expect from a 1930, American translation.

As for the plot, how horrible, sad.

;)

Now on to "The Clouds"?

Hey, Steve! Just waving as I pass through the threads. Glad to see you enjoyed the Dirda book.

Thanks for stopping by. With regards to Dirda, persistence paid off!

I just finished "The Clouds", from the William Arrowsmith translation, Aristophanes Three Comedies. What a great book! Extensive notes and an additional glossary. It really helped me enjoy this classic play.

#180: I wish my local library had that edition. It has been 20+ years since I visited any of the Greek plays.

66. Nothing to Envy ****1/2

Reading The Aquariums of Pyongyang left me wanting to learn more. It was about one of the approximately 80,000 unfortunate Japanese-Koreans who, like the McCourt Family in Angela's Ashes, moved in absolutely the wrong direction. Horrible decision. Chol-Hwan's family was imprisoned in North Korea, for years.

That book left me wanting to learn about ordinary North Korean society, and - no surprise here - outside the gulag, things were not much better.

Actually, I was looking for The Cleanest Race but stumbled upon this remarkable collection of life stories, instead.

Fascinating and horrific. Demmick writes in simple journalistic prose - somewhat reminiscent of John Howard - about several North Koreans who eventually defect from a totalitarian land of chronic malnutrition and paranoia. The personal sacrifices and tolls are endless.

There were many images that are still very much stuck in my memory. One is of a defector considering her interrogations and time spent in a South Korean Detention Center, as the first luxury vacation of her lifetime.

182: Nothing to Envy is among the most memorable books I've read so far this year, a page turner in a horrifying sort of way, keeping in mind that these were people who managed to escape, physically and mentally. After it, I read Pyongyang, then The Koreans. I have The Aquariums of Pyongyang on hand, but needed a break.

I already have Nothing to Envy in the BlackHole. I just need my local library to get a copy.

Nothing to Envy has to be on the top, this year, for me too, qebo. And, good idea Stasia, patience is a good thing. I've been on a library book sale bender, scarfing up library-accessible titles for a dollar or even 50 cents. These annual sales are often well over 100,000 titles. I'm having a ball, but they are piling up!

67. Aristophanes Three Comedies ***1/2
The extensive notes and glossaries made this translation very entertaining. I even enjoyed "The Wasps", which is no where near as popular as "The Clouds" or "The Birds".

I now see where the "Three Stooges" got their inspiration. Ok, the Stooges exhibited much less political and celebrity satire, but they are definitely practicing the Old Comedy of Aristophanes' Greece.

68. Indignation ****
Wonderfully disturbing; very neurotic. This one's about a Jewish college freshman during the Korean War. I found it very similar to Everyman - another painfully accurate and eloquent depiction of the human conditon, warts and all. I am definitely going to try to get to American Pastoral and maybe even Portnoy's Complaint.

69. Healing Anxiety and Depression ****
Speaking of psychology, I've been running out of preferred choices for audiobooks at the local libraries. So I dipped back into the "self-help" section, and this one was a gem, even for a jolly old being like me.

I had earlier mentioned how The View From Lazy Point was so comprehensive - it wasn't just about the author's patch of coastal Montauk - it was a compendium of concisely-written global warming and conservation issues.

This book - Healing Anxiety and Depression - was like attending a Psychology 101 college course, rather, a GOOD Psychology 101 course. Topics covered included anatomy and physiology of the brain, traumatic brain injury, alcoholism, andropause, PMS; you name it, it was in there. Very interesting.

70. Happier ***
It was, okay... It had some interesting things to say about different behaviors: rat-racers, nihilists, hedonists.

71. Angle of Repose ****1/2
Panoramic Pulitzer-winner about the hopes and dreams of an 1880s American family. The Tolstoy-esque side-story is that the story is written in the 1970s by the grandson, a curmudgeonly divorced amputee and history professor. While researching, he is immersed in the private life of his grandmother, and he discovers deep parallels to his own life and marriage.

#186: I love Angle of Repose! I am glad to see you enjoyed it, Steve.

72. Bad Dirt Wyoming Stories 2 ***
Exceedingly quirky stories of western characters with silly names.

#188: I think I will give that one a pass.

Ah, yes Stasia, life is too short for mediocre short stories and inferior wine...

Speaking of wine, I'm currently thoroughly enjoying Brideshead Revisited. I just finished the passage where these Oxford kids (Charles and Sebastian) are describing wine.

"It is a little, shy wine like a gazelle"
"Like a Leprechaun"
"Dappled, in a tapestry meadow"
"Like a flute by still water."

etc.

#190: Another book I need to read some time. *sigh* I need a clone. Or a double. Or possibly a triplet.

It's for me Stasia, a longish one, but very good. Some of the characters, such as the protagonist Charles, are very interesting but very cold and not particularly nice. I'm looking forward to more Evelyn Waugh, perhaps Scoop.

I also favor the extremely short works, such as this bit of extreme ornithological esoterica. I took a few minutes and skimmed this one:

73. The "Whys" of Bird Names **1/2
(I don't know why the touchstone won't work; I'm the only LT owner of this little book.)

A short compendium of lists of bird names. Organized by mythology, royalty, geography, naturalists' names, artists' names, etc.

I suppose it could be a nice reference for those interested, but Google works nicely as well.

I own Scoop but have not read it yet. One of these days. . .

Me too, and me too!

74. Brideshead Revisited ****

Beautifully written, but I think I shall pass on the rich-Brit stories of the likes of Waugh, or Wodehouse or even Austen, for that matter. Hmm...what's next?

I do not know what is next, but I sure hope it is a good one for #75!

I'm in such a hurry, I picked a real, real short one, Stasia!

75. Plato in 90 Minutes ***1/2

This (obviously) concise audiobook was very good. I was very pleased to discover that was largely a biography of this founder of Western thought.

#196: I'm in such a hurry, I picked a real, real short one, Stasia!

LOL! I can certainly understand :)

THANKS!

76. Roadside Geology of Connecticut and Rhode Island ****

This roadside series provides titles for just about every state.

As an amateur hiker and even more amateur naturalist, I've always wanted to know a bit about the geology of my State. It was extremely technical (jargon-wise) and detailed (rock formation-wise).

It's an amazing story comprising billions of years. It is sometimes hard to grasp the geologic ages and dynamic forces of these various formations. For example, compared to many ancient formations, our dinosaur footprint-strewn sandstones were formed as if they occurred just yesterday.

A great 250-page reference.

So, you think that one was obscure? It really isn't that rare; 10 other LT-ers have this title.

Congrats on hitting 75!!

Congrats!

196: Congrats on 75!
198: Adding my state's version of this to the wishlist...

Off to see if the local library has the Roadside Geology of Texas. . .

202,
Oh Stasia, you have to move to a SMALL state. That way you can recognize every one of the roadside photos in the book. :)

And thanks Stasia, Jane, Q, and Neutron guy. I'm proof that LT can be enjoyed at many levels. I really don't have time to read too much. Although today I read almost the entire Sunday NY Times Magazine (It comes on Saturday). I should take credit for that, here!

77. Goodbye, Columbus
Quintessential Roth, ie, plenty of neurotic Jewish Americans. A few neurotic Goyim as well. Settings are somewhere in the late 1940s to late 1950s. I found these stories to be much less interesting than say Everyman or Indignation. But I needed another Roth fix.

Now I'm due for another Orwell fix, or perhaps even a Wodehouse fix.

78. On the Marble Cliffs ***

This one was a real challenge. I would have outright quit if this early Nazi fascisim allegory was any longer than 120 pages. Take a bit of Camus and Kafka, add a dash of Richard Bach and of course some James Joyce, and you have an idea of what this was like.

My rating reflects my personal enjoyment of this 5-star classic.

I have a fair condition (foxing) hard copy of the first English edition. 'Picked it up at a library sale for $ 0.50. It is similar to my first edition of Animal Farm, which cost me $0.01 because it too, had a touch of mold. Condition is everything.

I'm currently reading Disgrace and that 220-pager is going about 4 times faster than this Junger novella.

79. Disgrace ****

Violent, sad, unpleasant, beautifully written.

#205: I have owned Disgrace for about 2 years now. I really must get it read one of these days!

Belated congrats on passing 75! I always enjoy seeing what you are reading.

Stasia, I find books like Disgrace - about aging guys of questionable moral character - disturbing! Philip Roth seems to have a bunch of similar stories. It reminded me of Everyman, Orwell's Burmese Days, and even a bit of The Quiet American.

And thanks, BJ, long-time-no-see!

I needed a diversion, and just struck gold on two fascinating adventures.

80. West With the Night ****1/2
Hemmingway loved her writing style and I did too. Delightful mix of flowery Edwardian prose and homespun, lyrical Swahili storytelling. Markham's beautiful memoir covers her African girlhood (let's just say there are several very, very close encounters with lions), horse racing career, airborne bush rescues and scouting for elephant safaris and of course, her solo flight across the Atlantic. She mentions none of her steamy romances, marital or otherwise.

One of my favorites this year.

81. The River of Doubt ****
My only regret is that I listened to an abridged audio version. This exploration was Teddy Roosevelt's last hurrah, and injury/illness contracted in the Amazon tributary resulted in his subsequent demise.

One thing. Why does every freakin' book, remotely related to exploring Amazonia, absolutely have to describe the affinity of the parasitic Candiru fish, for the male urethra. Eeewww!!!!

208: A bunch of LTers have praised River of Doubt so I picked it up when passing through Barnes & Noble recently, and began reading a few days ago. What a delightful creature the candiru is!

#208: My only regret is that I listened to an abridged audio version.

I hate, loathe, and abominate abridgements!

209,

This candiiru thing is apparently a very rare occurrence. (Whew!)

210,

I feel exceedingly guilty providing any review of an abridged book.

And, I never re-read any book (I've about 400 to be read - and owned - piled up around me). But with abridged audio books I will make an exception!

82. A Tramp Abroad ****

1/4 brilliant and hilarious. 1/4 wry and sometimes sophomoric puns and gags. 1/4 repetitive attempts at humor. 1/4 late 19th century travelogue. Well worth the time it took to get through all this, from the perfect side story and behavioral description of a Jay, all the way through the appendices.

I added the Markham book and the Twain book to my wishlist. Just wasn't sure about that fish in River of Doubt!

>>#208 They'll stop doing it when they stop getting a Eeewww!!!! in response. :)

True-that lyz, and it's inspiring to see someone on LT with such an impressive wishlist. Another true Black Hole.

Well, thank you, but I consider Stasia's wishlist the one true Black Hole around here. Mine is merely the gravitational collapse of a star. :)

And by comparison Lyz, my TBR pile isn't much taller than Katoomba Falls. Still, it's an impressive pile for me to dream about, though.

Nice blog; I'll have to revisit soon!

83. Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard ***

If I was a botany post-grad, I'd give this 5 stars. If I was a professor teaching the phyisiology and taxonomy of non-vascular plants, I'd assign this in a heartbeat. But for a general nature reader? Yikes!

A Med school student would have trouble with the bizarre, foreign, terms dealing with microbiology and fungi reproduction. There's more Latin in here than a Sophomore Honors class. Even the author sprinkled in a couple apologies, before delving into pages of the most technical aspects of mycology. Sure, some of the sections on parasitism were interesting (and gross), and the lives of some of the eccentric mycologists, were interesting.

But Mr. Money is no Bill Bryson. This was not the most accessible of nature books. I learned quite a bit, and am glad I read it, but man-o-man, it was tough going...

217: I'll keep your caution in mind, but that book sure looks interesting.

Give it a shot, Q. It ws just a tad foreign to me.

Whoo-hoo! I'm currently reading O Pioneers!.

skraAWAWGGG, zzzzzzzz....

skraAWAWggg, zzzzzzzz....

skraAWAWGGG, zzzzzzzz....

84. Dinosaurs of the East Coast ***1/2

This was an overview or primer on the tracks, bones and other fossil record of the Northeastern US. Includes the history of paleontology in the US, some brief bios of paleontologists, and several (rather dry) chapters on species accounts for each of the (upper, lower) periods.

85. O Pioneers! ***

Quaalude-laced soap opera set in Nebraska.

I'm sure my sluggish posts will slow even further. I'm currently with my fellow Salonistas, over at

http://www.librarything.com/groups/thequestforthelastpa

I'm slowly climbing The Magic Mountain

86. Iron & Silk ***1/2

I had this audio version laying around so that's what I finished; I'm still climbing The Magic Mountain.

This was simple, YA-style writing. The author's no Feiler, but it still was hugely entertaining. I'm sure this book was a hit among aspiring American martial artists in the 1980s.

87. Slow Down...and Get More Done **
Oh, and I also "read" this campy 90s self-help book. I was starving for an audiobook and it was the only thing available.

88. The Weather Makers ****1/2
One of the best primers on global warming and the impending global disaster. Heavy emphasis on Australia and US problems, challenges and inaction. The most disturbing thing is, that this is an "old" book (2006 publishing date).

224: I've added The Weather Makers to my wishlist, though... sigh... humans are frustrating creatures. Incidentally, I'm reading The Lost City of Z, and noted the presence of your friend the candiru.

(shudders...)

Typical. I lost you there for a while, and then found you again only to discover that the candiru is still under discussion! :)

No Mas!

89. Think India ***
If I as an American, was suddenly assigned on a Friday afternoon to a sales position in India, I might pick this one up for the plane. It is a brief, optimistic and sometimes propagandistic treatment of business, history, world affairs, culture, ethics, future opportunities and some minor subcontinent problems (such as overpopulation poverty and the arcane legal system).

The billionaire Mr. Vinay, has apparently faced some rather large financial impropriety charges.

90. Helmet for My Pillow ***
Too many simplistic metaphors.

91. Leonardo Da Vinci Penguin Lives ****
Short, concise description of the master's works, with heavy emphasis on his presumed homosexuality, lack of task-completion, amazing abilities, manuscripts and disection abilities. Fascinating.

I'm still, exceedingly slowly, climbing The Magic Mountain.

92. Healing and the Mind ***1/2

This was a rather strange format. It is the audio recording of the actual TV production. One sometimes feels a bit well, blind, while listening. One must picture the Tai Chi demonstrations, the brain surgery under accupuncture, the crying and thoughtful silence during group therapy sessions. The series is light and a bit 'motherhood and apple pie. 'Nice warm and fuzzy feelings. 'Not a lot of science, but very heartwarming.

93. A Shared Landscape ****1/2
Ok, this is pretty obscure, but for a Nutmegger, it is a wonderfully informative, clear, simply written guide to Connecticut's forests and parks. For what it is, it is well worth the generous rating.

92. Penguin Classics A Complete Annotated Listing of Penguin Classics and Twentieth-Century Classics ***1/2

A book review of a commercial catalog? Why not. It is indeed a very nice catalog. Some of the classics offered by Penguin are fairly obscure. This made this 208-page compendium (of couple-sentence-long summaries) that much more enjoyable.

I just love books about books.

93. The Taliban Shuffle ***

One 'praise-er' wrote, "Read this and try not to hurt yourself laughing. Who knew war could be so funny?" that praise is really what made me pick this one up.

Uhm...it's not that funny.

I also love books about books. If only I could read as fast as I make my wishlist grow. I did, however, have to add that one to the wishlist.

BJ, I still think I spend more time hoarding books, reading about books, thinking about books, etc., than I do actually reading. I gotta buckle down on my TBR (and TBF) lists, too!

94. The Castle ***
Bizarre and bureaucratic. I had read The Trial a long time ago, but I still think that I had read this other incomplete work, too soon after The Trial. The two books have an identical creepy feel, remarkably similar themes.

So, so Kafkaesque (sorry, bad joke).

95. The Hidden Life of Dogs ***

30 years of admitedly anthropomorphic and anecdotal observations about this anthropologist's dogs. Some was a bit too over the top (romance? song?). Interesting nonetheless...

96. Eat that Frog ***1/2
Again, I grabbed something off the library shelf for the commute. Short and basic.

97. Great Day Trips to Discover the Geology of Connecticut! ****

Ok, this is probably also off the obscurity scale, but it was an excellent primer on Connecticut geology.

98. We Die Alone ****
This one always rates at the top of most travel and adventure lists. The most harrowing of all those WW II survival books. Spare writing, but the story is truly amazing.

I added that one, as well.

One of these days I want to read The Castle, too.

99. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific ****

After that last one (pain, suffering, intense cold), I chose some lighter fare (pain, suffering, wonderfully sophomoric jokes, intense heat). I loved it. As a travel book, I'd give it 5 stars. It was exactly like its sequel, Getting Stoned with Savages. Now, that's a compliment.

100. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks ****

The amazing story of "immortal" cancerous cells that revolutionized medicine. There is a significant side story of the tissue donor's daughter and rest of the family. An informative treatment of discrimination, bioethics, cell culture and genetics.

Good choice for Book 100!

Riight you are, doc; a fascinating read. I chose something a bit lighter and shorter, next:

101. Crazy U ****

Funny, and somewhat informative (especially the crazy ambivalence of the college application process, a clear explanation of the rising costs of college - it defies normal economic pressures, an intro of the challenges of financial aid, etc.). A very fast read.