February TIOLI: Read a 75-Book-Challenge Favourite Book of 2010

(ETA: I forgot the link to the main thread!)

I'm on a bit of a best-books-list kick, so I'm doing another challenge similar to last month's. This time, the challenge is to read a 75-Book-Challenge Favourite Book of 2010, from this composite list:

Nonfiction
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
84, Charing Cross Road
My Reading Life
On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery
Packing for Mars
The Devil in the White City
Mountains Beyond Mountains

Fiction
Bury Your Dead
Room
Harry Potter (series)
Middlemarch
Fingersmith
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Wolf Hall
Cutting for Stone
The Lacuna
The Imperfectionists
Soulless
The Doomsday Book
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
The Graveyard Book
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Help
Matterhorn
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Shades of Grey
The Siege
Troubles
The Uncommon Reader
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

I'd like to hear people's impressions of this list. In particular, how do you think it compares to the list of 2010's highest-rated books that some of us read from last month? I suspect that this one will have more familiar books, since it's not restricted to books published in 2010. Which list do you find more useful, if either, for getting ideas of books to read?

A great challenge! I am having a bit of trouble since I have read quite a few of these book, but I do have The Graveyard Book on my TBR shelf, so I think that's the one to start with.

I've read a number of these too, but I'm thinking that if I attempt this one it will be with The Help which I acquired at the end of last year.

I'm halfway through The Help and Packing for Mars so those will definitely get read, and I was supposed to read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks for work ages ago, so I'll probably get that done as well.

I just ordered The Graveyard Book, which I've wanted to read for a while now.

As for general vs narrow (published in a given year or whatever) lists... I think it depends on what I'm looking for at the time. General best-book lists are good, well, in general. An all-purpose book browsing thing. They're more likely to prompt me to read a book I've heard about but haven't picked up yet. But I often find lists with a narrower scope more interesting, because they're more likely to have books I've never heard of.

An all-purpose book browsing thing. They're more likely to prompt me to read a book I've heard about but haven't picked up yet. But I often find lists with a narrower scope more interesting, because they're more likely to have books I've never heard of.

I completely agree with you here.

I am going to join in this one. I have Major Pettigrew last stand on my shelf. Have heard good things about it so is time to read it I think :)

Great idea for Feb. TIOLI challenge Zoe!

>7 sally906: I've heard lots of good things about that one too, so I may also give it a try eventually (unfortunately not this month though, since I already have far too many books lined up).

>8 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda!

So I finished reading Shades of Grey last night and finally looked at the tags/reviews for it (I hadn't added it to my catalogue yet, so hadn't bothered to look).

One of the most popular tags is "satire". I think I'm missing what the satire is, unless it's just general satire about dystopias, bureaucratic ruling systems, and class structure systems. When the other readers have read it, would you mind weighing in? I can't help but wonder if there's something more specific I'm missing, because there were several things I didn't really catch on to until after Fforde spelled it out in the narrative, because I was overthinking it (mostly).

Also, I was startled by the "humor" tag. I suppose it is humorous, because of all the irony and absurdities, but it must be too subtle or something for me, because I never really thought "I need to add the humor tag" when I was reading, though I definitely saw humorous elements and thought the whole thing was an absurdist novel.

(I liked the book, though. I'm not sure yet if it's a favourite or anything, because I'm annoyed that it's the start of a series, but it was an enjoyable read.)

I recommend anyone who reads Shades of Grey peruse this Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell_color_system
Maybe I'm the only person who's never heard of Munsell, but reading that page helped me understand the Chromatocracy a little better.

I personally thought the book was fairly satiric, especially towards bureaucracy.

I started The Graveyard Book on audio yesterday in the context of Fantasy February, and hadn't even thought about trying to fit it into a TIOLI challenge. But of course now I'll go and list it on the wiki! Enjoying it tremendously by the way.

11> Thanks for the link! I was aware of the gradation system of color that Munsell used, but didn't realize it was named after him. I never did take color theory with my art classes, though I of course got a bit through osmosis.

And the 3 numbers each color has was immediately recognizable to me because of how colors can be identified by the light components (RGB or CYM).

But, hm. I guess if the satire was the bureaucracy, then I picked up on it just fine. I suppose it just didn't seem remarkable to me. I wonder why that is? Maybe the satire was just too close to truth in my experience, or something.

7> I'll join you with Major Pettigrew's Last Stand which I received for Christmas.

14>
I finished Major Pettigrew's Last Stand my review is done - even if you enjoy it half as much as me you should enjoy it

I read On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery by Robert M. Poole. I couldn't put it down, reading it in just about a day. Absolutely fabulous.

Interwoven into the story of the cemetery itself is a compelling summary of the Civil War and other, more recent wars.

If you read this one, keep some kleenex handy!!

I finished The Graveyard Book today. I really really really loved it, and can't recommend it enough. The audiobook, narrated by Gaiman himself was a great treat which I'm sure I'll go back to more than once.

15> I just finished Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and can only say wow. I'll have to reflect on what to say in a review- so very enjoyable!

Another lover of The Graveyard Book here. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised at how good it was given the list it came from. Lter's get it right again!

finally got my thoughts on paper about Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (review here). strongly recommend it for anyone who hasn't yet picked it up!