littlebookworm's new challenge thread

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littlebookworm's new challenge thread

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1littlebookworm
Edited: May 16, 2007, 5:07 am

For some reason, I am no longer able to post in my old thread, so I am going to start another and hope that the bugs don't come back. Here is a recap of all that I've read, and please note that my goal is now 100 books:

January
1. Ship of Magic - Robin Hobb
2. Perdido Street Station - China Mieville
3. North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell
4. Lady Audley's Secret - Mary Elizabeth Braddon
5. Mad Ship - Robin Hobb
6. Ship of Destiny - Robin Hobb
7. The Mill on the Floss - George Eliot

February
8. The Devil in the White City - Erik Larson
9. Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
10. Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire - Amanda Foreman
11. Gardens of the Moon - Steven Erikson

March
12. The Odd Women - George Gissing
13. The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco
14. Crown Duel - Sherwood Smith
15. The French Lieutenant's Woman - John Fowles
16. Soul Music - Terry Pratchett
17. Hogfather - Terry Pratchett
18. The Thief's Gamble - Juliet E. McKenna
19. Eleanor of Aquitaine - Alison Weir
20. War for the Oaks - Emma Bull
21. Thief of Time - Terry Pratchett
22. Knight Life - Peter David
23. Sailing to Sarantium - Guy Gavriel Kay
24. Lord of Emperors - Guy Gavriel Kay
25. Green Darkness - Anya Seton
26. Ex Libris : Confessions of a Common Reader - Anne Fadiman
27. The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov

April
28. A Rose for the Crown - Anne Easter Smith
29. The Daughter of Time - Josephine Tey
30. Queen Isabella - Alison Weir
31. Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
32. 1984 - George Orwell
33. One Knight Stands - Jocelyn Kelley
34. Innocent Traitor - Alison Weir
35. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers
36. Elantris - Brandon Sanderson
37. The Wild Irish - Robin Maxwell
38. London - Edward Rutherfurd
39. Temeraire - Naomi Novik
40. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

May
41. Helen of Troy - Margaret George
42. The Serpent Bride - Sara Douglass
43. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
44. Zorro - Isabel Allende
45. The Fool's Tale - Nicole Galland

Total number of pages: 22553 pages
Average number of pages per book: 501 pages

Please comment in my thread! I love suggestions.

2littlebookworm
May 18, 2007, 11:14 am

46. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling
47. Medalon - Jennifer Fallon

I found that I liked this Harry Potter book a lot more the second time around. I first read it immediately when it came out a few years ago and was very disappointed with whiny Harry. I still am, but I had forgotten the good parts of it; most notably, Fred and George Weasley. I'm also reminding myself how much I like book Hermione, and how sad I am at how movie Hermione is turning out.

Medalon was pretty much an ordinary fantasy. Nothing original about it, unfortunately, and it wasn't very well written either. I'll read the next one because I already have it, but I'm not in any rush. The story was okay, but I sincerely hope Fallon's second effort is better.

3littlebookworm
May 21, 2007, 10:18 am

48. The Champion - Elizabeth Chadwick

Brain candy, set in a medieval period. Perfect for my mood having just finished the school year.

4littlebookworm
May 24, 2007, 7:18 am

49. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
50. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Really looking forward to July 21st now that I've refreshed my memory as to the Harry Potter series. The sixth one isn't my favorite, but it isn't my least favorite either, so I enjoyed it.

As for Tess, it is one of the most depressing books I have ever read, but, as a very interesting insight into a Victorian mindset, and with Hardy's beautiful prose, it can hardly be resisted.

5littlebookworm
May 25, 2007, 5:50 am

51. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

Chilling, beautifully written, well worth reading. I found 1984 to be better and closer to reality, but this is definitely striking. I'll be looking for more of Margaret Atwood.

52. The Innocent - Posie Graeme-Evans

I should have listened to the advice and stayed away! This book was atrocious. I'm glad I only paid £1 for it. It had me openly doubting what was happening and cringing at the prose on every page. I didn't like any of the characters and was bored by them. Moreover, nothing felt medieval, it just felt contrived and stupid. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

6littlebookworm
May 29, 2007, 7:37 am

53. The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B - Sandra Gulland

This was a phenomenal book. I'm glad I bought the whole trilogy in one go, so I can just get on with the next one.

7BookAddictUK
Edited: May 29, 2007, 8:06 am

You and seem to have similar tastes - and similar reactions to books: the first novel I read by Margaret Atwood (The Blind Assassin) made me go out and buy half a dozen more.

As you asked for suggestions, I shall be bold enough to make one: I think you might enjoy New Grub Street by George Gissing. I love his starkness, his portrait of of inequalities and haunting dispair of late Victorian London and most of all his subtle juxapositioning of events and characters to reveal a second meaning. Perhaps you've read it already.

8littlebookworm
May 29, 2007, 11:47 am

New Grub Street definitely looks interesting, and I haven't read it before. The only novel I've read by Gissing is the one currently on this list, The Odd Women. I liked it, so I'm looking forward to seeking out your suggestion. =)

I am really inspired to look for more by Margaret Atwood, when I have read more of the books that I have. I think I'll start with The Blind Assassin. It sounds very appealing.

Thanks very much for the suggestion!

9littlebookworm
May 31, 2007, 12:16 pm

54. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
55. 1215 - Danny Danziger and John Gillingham
56. Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe - Sandra Gulland

All great books, particularly the last.

10littlebookworm
Edited: Jun 5, 2007, 10:55 am

57. Shaman's Crossing - Robin Hobb
58. The Last Great Dance on Earth - Sandra Gulland

Is it sad to say that I miss Josephine and her tumultuous life? Gulland's trilogy is completely captivating and I'm sad that it's finished, much as I raced to the end to discover what happened to Josephine. I knew very little about the lives of Josephine and Napoleon, so each plot turn was a surprise. I am looking forward to rereading these books immensely.

11littlebookworm
Jun 7, 2007, 8:34 am

59. Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
60. The Rose of York : Love and War - Sandra Worth

Loved the first, did not love so much the second.

16waiting4morning
Jun 27, 2007, 5:18 pm

What did you think of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall? I read that last year on a Bronte kick and enjoyed it, though it is not perhaps the caliber of Jane Eyre.

17knittingfreak
Jun 28, 2007, 9:08 am

You and I also seem to share some of the same reading tastes. You have read some of my all-time favorite books this year -- Mill on the Floss, Name of the Rose, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, The Historian.
I am impressed with the number of books you've read so far. How do you find time to do anything else?? I am very jealous!

18littlebookworm
Jun 28, 2007, 11:48 am

#16 - I really liked it, but it was not quite Jane Eyre, as you said. Then again, to me almost nothing is Jane Eyre because it's one of my two favorite books ever. I'm definitely out for more written by the Bronte sisters, though.

#17 - Well, I do have a lot of time; I spent this semester abroad in England, away from my friends, and didn't manage to make new ones, so after my work is finished I have only books to read. I also read pretty quickly, which helps. Trust me, when I'm back at my university in the fall, my reading rate will slow WAY down. I only read 76 books all of last year, most of that in the summer. I've liked all those books you listed, I'll have to look at your catalog for future ideas. =) You clearly have good taste!

72. Suite Francaise - Irene Nemirovsky
73. Fingersmith - Sarah Waters

19littlebookworm
Jul 5, 2007, 7:21 pm

74. Daughter of the Forest - Juliet Marillier
75. Will - Grace Tiffany
76. Byzantium - Stephen Lawhead

With that, I have equaled the number of books I read in the entirety of 2006. I'm a little shocked by this, but I don't see any reason to slow the frequency of my reading. Of these three books, Daughter of the Forest was definitely the best.

20quilter1950 First Message
Jul 5, 2007, 7:34 pm

I read all three of this series, and found it unbelievable that I knew so little about the woman, as well as the time in history. It was awful to be French then! I just finished Burning Bright, by Tracy Chevalier, and it was set in the same time, but in England, where there was a lot of sympathy for the French aristocrats. I immediately equated it with Josephine's trials. So, this is how our study of history is supposed to work....too bad teachers never gave us this insight!

21littlebookworm
Edited: Jul 10, 2007, 9:02 am

Quilter - I learned about the French Revolution a bit, but I agree that Sandra Gulland gave a much greater insight into Josephine and her time period than most history teachers could manage. The trilogy should be required reading! I also have a biography of Josephine and I'm looking forward to reading that.

77. Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
78. Sunshine - Robin McKinley

22littlebookworm
Edited: Jul 15, 2007, 9:29 pm

79. The Seduction - Julia Ross

This book seems to have no touchstone.

80. To Ride Hell's Chasm - Janny Wurts

Review at http://chikune.com/blog/index.php?itemid=3.

24littlebookworm
Jul 21, 2007, 10:31 pm

83. Hidden Warrior - Lynn Flewelling
84. The Oracle's Queen - Lynn Flewelling
85. Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
86. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling

28littlebookworm
Aug 14, 2007, 8:49 am

98. 1066: The Hidden History of the Bayeux Tapestry - Andrew Bridgeford
99. Brick Lane - Monica Ali
100. Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson

Well, that's my goal met! I accomplished it far faster than I ever anticipated. I should probably set it at 150 now, but I have less than two weeks of reading time left, so I think I'll just see how it goes.

29judylou
Edited: Aug 17, 2007, 5:23 am

I just found Brick Lane in an opp shop. What did you think of it? I haven't heard much about it at all.

And congratulations on reaching 100!

30littlebookworm
Aug 17, 2007, 8:21 am

Thank you!

I liked it, but I did have some small issues with it. I do know, based on reviews, that some people have loved it, so you probably made a good choice. =)

If you're interested, I've posted a review here: http://chikune.com/blog/?p=21

I've tried not to reveal anything more than the back cover reveals, no essential plot details or anything.

31judylou
Aug 17, 2007, 10:26 pm

Thank you. I'll have a look and see! Maybe it should rise higher in the TBR pile?

33littlebookworm
Sep 23, 2007, 10:38 am

I haven't been keeping up with posting here.

106. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling
107. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
108. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce
109. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling
110. North-Eastern England during the Wars of the Roses - A.J. Pollard
111. Middlemarch - George Eliot
112. Murphy - Samuel Beckett
113. The Third Policeman - Flann O'Brien
114. The Life of Elizabeth I - Alison Weir

Some touchstones are weird. For the record, I basically hated 108, 112, and 113, and read them all for a class.

34littlebookworm
Oct 26, 2007, 3:59 pm

115. The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
116. Eugene Onegin - Alexander Pushkin
117. Loving - Henry Green
118. Kushiel's Chosen - Jacqueline Carey
119. The Road to Wigan Pier - George Orwell
120. The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky

35littlebookworm
Dec 1, 2007, 10:50 am

121. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
122. Harold the King - Helen Hollick
123. Luminous Cities - Eduardo Garcia Aguilar
124. The Emigrants - W.G. Sebald
125. At Freddie's - Penelope Fitzgerald
126. The Amulet of Samarkand - Jonathan Stroud
127. Kushiel's Avatar - Jacqueline Carey
128. Abundance - Sena Jeter Naslund
129. The Birth of Venus - Sarah Dunant
130. The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield
131. Kushiel's Scion - Jacqueline Carey
132. Eclipse - John Banville
133. The Fifth Child - Doris Lessing

Best of these is definitely The Remains of the Day. I loved that book. One of those that you don't want to start anything else afterwards.