readeron's 2013 Reading Challenge

The books I've completed so far in 2013:
#1 Bret Easton Ellis: Nullánál is kevesebb
(Less Than Zero )
This new cover art with the scary guy doesn't really fit the book. (OK, it's pretty awful, too, but not THAT awful after all, IMO.)
(1001 books)
#2 Anne B. Ragde: Berlini nyárfák
(Berlin Poplars) by Anne B. Ragde
Too many piggies for a year... I'd prefer Lord Emsworth's style of keeping pigs if I should choose (it's more scientific, but the same animal-loving fervor is shining through both)
#3 Enid Blyton: Salut les jumeaux
(Tales about some twins, cute and enjoyable, especially because the book is in French.:)
#4 Dmitry Glukhovsky: Metró 2033
(Better than its sequel.)
#5 P. G. Wodehouse: Egy pelikán Blandingsben
(A prize winner piggie, some lovers and a couple of grumpy old men. Always a prize winner recipe for me.:)
#6 Lawrence Block: A betörő, aki szeretett Kiplinget idézni
(The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling )
#7 Sarah Harris – Barbara Mosallai Bell: Hercegasszony voltam Teheránban
#8 Gerald Durrell: Vadak a vadonban
#9 Christian Lause: À tout prix
(an easy reader for learners)
#10 Rózsa György: Bűvös hatos
(quizzes with answers)
#11 Isaac Asimov: A mezítelen nap
(The Naked Sun)
#12 John Steinbeck: Egerek és emberek
(Of men and Mice)
#13 Thomas Mann: Tonio Kröger
#14 H. P. Lovecraft: Az álom fala mögött
(a collection of short stories)
#15 Joanne Rocklin: Matou mange-tout
(a childrens' book in French about a gluttonous cat and his friends:)
#16 Tom Sharpe: The Wilt Alternative
(I should read a lot more in English again, plus, I've missed Wilt.:)
#17 Závada Pál: Milota
(a novel)
#18 Békés Pál: A női partőrség szeme láttára
(3 plays)
#19 Alan Bennett: The Uncommon Reader
#20 H. P. Lovecraft: Az őrület hegyei
(At the Mountains of Madness)
(another collection of short stories by the master of horror)
(1001 books)
#21 Szendi Gábor: Pánik
(As the title says, it's about panic, and about how to treat it or how not to mistreat it, I guess.) (Probably should be reread, but I'm not sure if a book like that can provide real, practical help.)
#22 Jennifer Weiner: Egy cipőben
(In Her Shoes)
I think I'll read more by Weiner.
#23 Németh László: Gyász
(a novel)
#24 Amelie Nothomb: Fear and Trembling
WOW:)
(1001 books)
#25 Szeifert Natália: Láz
(a novel)
#26 Parti Nagy Lajos: A fagyott kutya lába
(interesting short stories)
#27 Charlotte Brontë: Caroline Vernon
(some Brontë juvenilia, not quite my cup of tea, though)
#28 Murakami Haruki: A határtól délre, a naptól nyugatra
(South of the Border, West of the Sun)
#29 M. C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin és az elültetett kertész
(Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener)
It won't be my favourite series but one needs this sort of fluff once in a while.:)
#30 Kaposi Tamásné – Laurence Leully: Francia nyelv alapfokon
(Lazily, but working on it - it's a simple coursebook for beginners, unfortunately with no keys.)
#31 Paul Auster: Máról holnapra
(Hand to Mouth: A Chronicle of Early Failure)
"This is the story of a young writer's struggle to stay afloat. Paul Auster's memoir is essentially about money - and what it means not to have it. From one odd job to the next, from one failed scheme to another, he investigates his own stubborn compulsion to make art, and in the process shares with readers of this book a series of adventures and encounters. The book ends with three of the longest footnotes in literary history, including a card game, a baseball thriller, and three unproduced short plays." /book description/
I'm glad he didn't give up.:)
#32 Meg Cabot: A neveletlen hercegnő naplója 2.
(Princess in the Spotlight)
A series I quite like.:)
#33 Charlotte Brontë: Mina Laury / Napi események
Some more Bronte juvenalia.
#34 Carl Sagan: Az éden sárkányai
(The Dragons of Eden)
A surprisingly quick read about the evolution of intelligence. Found a bit dated though.)
#35 Sheila Kohler: A Brontë lányok
(Becoming Jane Eyre)
Historical fiction in the style of Freud (or how shall I put it). Gloomy.
#36 Grósz Zoltán (szerk.): Agytorna 2.
(more quizzes with keys)
#37 Kurt Vonnegut: A Titán szirénjei
(The Sirens of Titan)
So far the best read of the year. Great satire. Loved Salo, the robot.

P.S.: Browsing the list again I decided 1.,to read more in English again and 2., to learn more French (harder, faster, ((scooter:)) etc.)

My previous threads can be found here:
1st - http://www.librarything.com/topic/42186
2nd - http://www.librarything.com/topic/70518
3rd - http://www.librarything.com/topic/96216
4th - http://www.librarything.com/topic/107834
5th - http://www.librarything.com/topic/130528

#38 Nádas Péter: Egy családregény vége
(The End of a Family Story)
a novel

Good luck with your new thread :-)

Thanks.:) And good luck to you too!:)

#39 Ready Player One (2011) by Ernest Cline



374 pages
4 stars

Pros:
- Brought back some fond memories of playing my favorite MMORPG. (5 stars)
- the premise (still 5 stars)
- what else? what else? (made me check out what ancient games I may have hiding on my present computer, well, unfortunately (or rather luckily for me?:) not many.)
- made me play at least 5 sorts of different online games while reading (waste of time, I know, but couldn't resist)
- hope the movie will be more fun (and I think it will be a piece of cake to make it better, but of course it can be ruined easily, as well, like the Douglas Adams adaptation, for instance)
Cons:
- the thin plot
- no one warned me it's young adult fiction! (would've been better to know it beforehand, or at least now I think so)
- at one point it almost became as exciting as Crichton (Jurrasic Park?:), but then the author suddenly seemed to lose intrest in writing a possible thriller and wrote more wikipedia entries instead.
- too many unnecessary details
- the quest was stupid (too easy?), sorry,
- one dimensional characters in a 3 dimensional game? (OK, I'm just kidding, the heroes were cute alright, and the bad guys were real wicked.:)
- it could've been written so much better, wasting such a great idea like that, OMG!
(Falling stars wherever you look, it looks almost like fireworks, but the total is still 4 stars, because my memories still count a lot in this case, to me, at least.:)

"The notion of a "massively multiplayer" online role-playing game becoming the human race's main form of entertainment presents some amusing possibilities, though, and Ready Player One doesn't completely squander its potential." /William Cline, goodreads/

"This book, if you haven't read the summary, has the basic premise that an extremely wealthy man's will triggers a worldwide contest based on 80s geek pop culture.

But the premise matters very little. The plot matters very little too. All of that is fairly light, cliched and uninteresting adventure. Most of the book is an excuse for Ernest Cline to demonstrate his knowledge of 80s geek pop culture. Which he thrusts into your face in an almost painful way. While reading this book, I almost feel like Mr. Cline is sitting next to me, and every time a character brings up yet another reference, he digs his elbow painfully into my ribs, grins wildly and says "Howabout that? Eh? Eh?" The characters feel like handpuppets mostly existing to deliver bits of trivia that Cline is excited to impart.

Generally, when I read reviews for this book, the reviews fell into two basic categories:

"OMG 5 stars! I love the 80s! I totally played Adventure! Ha! Family Ties!"

or

"Meh, 1 or 2 stars. I actually want a plot in a book. I lived through the 80s. I know most of this stuff, but it doesn't make it exciting for someone to catalog it in a pretense of an adventure story."" /Lesley, goodreads/

I think, I fall somewhere between the two groups.:)

#40 The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James

Chicklit set in the Victorian era. Romantic biographical fiction, written in the style of Lucy Maud Montgomery. (So I quite liked it.)

#41 Grammaire en dialogues (CLE International)
Niveau débutant

My favourite French grammar book so far. Enjoyed the texts, loved the CD, and the exercises were neither too easy nor too hard for me. It also included 7 revision tests. (It's only beginners level though.) (I must look up somewhere when exactly I started to learn French because I quite forgot it and so did everyone around me. (1 year ago? 2 years? No idea. I really should spend more time learning...)
All in all, I just loved this book. Highly recommended.:)

I am glad to see your new thread. Loved reading your review of Ready Player One, which I had totally forgotten about but was planning to get for my daughter last Christmas. (Maybe I did? I don't think so, but I guess I should check!).

Only 20 pages left in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, so I guess I will log off and finally finish that puppy.

One of my favourite sequels!:) I hope you're enjoying it, too.:)

#42 Ben Bova: Thx 1138
4 stars
Gloomy, but still fun. (Based on the first movie by George Lucas. Found it mentioned in Ready Player One, which made me curious.:)

#43 Irwin Shaw – Ronald Searle: Párizs! Párizs!
(Paris! Paris!)
3 stars or so

#44 Daniel Glattauer: A hetedik hullám
(Alle sieben Wellen)
2 stars
(A sequel to Love Virtually. I should've read something fluffier, and less boring, but some people never learn.:)

# 45 Móricz Zsigmond: Rokonok
(Relations)
5 stars
Not my favourite thing, but pretty interesting. Wish we should've read it for school instead of one of his other stories about some silly schoolboy.

"Set in Hungary in the 1930s, this is a simple yet profound morality tale about corruption and abuse of power. Pista Kopjass is a small town official suddenly elected to the powerful position of Chief Counsel. One moment he is just another efficient bureaucrat carrying out his duties, and living a quiet, if uneventful life with his wife and children. And the next moment finds him in the midst of dizzying events which he quickly realizes are beyond his control. He came into the job with his ideals of service and dedication, and progressive ideas about community development, education, and livelihood promotion. It seems his old dreams of being able to bring progress especially to the lives of peasants and the poor would finally come true.

Things move very quickly, the story spans only a couple of weeks, and we see his utter confusion, dismay, and helplessness as he is introduced into the shocking world of nepotism and greed among the town fathers. He finds himself in the middle of a big scandal involving very influential people which in his new position he thought he had the authority and responsibility to make right, but in fact was in very serious danger of being corroded by outright, shameless bribery from these very same people. At the same time, poor relations from near and far, people from his past with which he only had passing acquaintance, suddenly appear and ingratiate themselves to him. Everybody needed a patron -- whether for a job, a promotion, a business. One word from him, and things will fall into place. After all, he is relation, and one only goes up or about in life through relations. This was simply how things were.

Pista is torn between his ideals and ambition. He refuses to be sucked in, but he also can't help himself. We are shocked with the decision he takes towards the end.

This novel is a stinging portrayal of the moral decay that characterized provincial governance and society in Hungary after the Great War. The characters and situations, however, are no different from our own experience today, wherever we happen to be. These complex themes are, unfortunately, still very relevant to our times. Are we to just stand and watch? To what extent can we, ordinary citizens, do anything about such seemingly intractable issues as corruption and abuse of authority? Is integrity impossible to be maintained in the highest reaches of power?

A very thought-provoking social and political commentary." /deebee1, LibraryThing/

I ending up enjoying the book (HP and the Order of the Phoenix), but I had some trouble at the beginning getting into the book. I am not sure why. But it had an exciting ending for sure.

I am starting Eagle of the Ninth now, which I have never read before.

I'm glad you liked it, after all.:) I think, it was one of my favourite sequels because I loved the headquarters of the Order, and all the funny details about it that were scattered throughout the book.:)

#46 Michel Soignet – Szabó Anita: France-Euro-Express 1.
I keep reading and rereading this one, it's high time to move on to the 2nd part.

#47 Esterházy Péter: A szív segédigéi

#48 Lévai Balázs: Bestseller
Interviews with 12 authors like Auster, Updike and Saramago.

#49 Tibor Fischer: A Gógyigaleri
(The Thought Gang)

"A hilarious, darkly comic novel about a professor who turns to bank robbing with a one-armed accomplice. This is sort of an existential comedy, with lots of bizarre philosophical musings and digressions." /sansmerci, LibraryThing/

"Zeno, Zeami, Zapffe, Zalta, Zabarella, Zeller, Zermelo, Zhai, Zizek, Zaborowski, Zacuto, Zafarani, Zaremba...

English Philosophy Professor at Cambridge Eddie Coffin, an anti-hero that reminds one of the cop's cynicism in Irvine Welsh's Filth combined with the literacy of an Arsene Lupin, runs amok and flees to France, guilty of embezzlement of funds from various educational institutions, loses all his loot in an unlucky car accident and ends up broke in Montpellier. He's an uncured alcoholic and obsessed with the letter Z.

...Zhiyi, Znaniecki, Zongmi, Zubiri, Zarathustra, Zallinger, Zigliara, Zariski, Zelmanov, Zeuthen, Zimmermann...

A petty thief, a cripple raised in an orphanage who spends most of his time in prison becomes his partner in a series of spectacular and eccentric bank robberies that put the local police in a state of panic. The duo educates one another on philosophy and weaponry, on logic and escapism and become a highly effective criminal organization, nicknamed "The Thought Gang" quoting Diogenes Laertius while relieving a bank's treasury and discussing about Thales of Miletus while eyeing their next targets.

...Zizler, Zolotarev, Zuckermann, Zygalski, Zielinski, Zafra, Zaide, Zinn, Zitelmann, Zelazny, Zola, Zemlinsky

Tarantino meets Monty Pythons meets the Ionian School of Thought. Zuberb!" /trandism, LibraryThing/

#50 John Braine: Hogyan írjunk regényt
(Writing a Novel)
Made me want to read Room at the Top and live in America in the 50's or so. Didn't make me wanna write a novel though. (Saramago waited till he was 60, so I have loads of time to change my mind.:)

#51 Karl Pilkington: Egy idióta külföldön
(An Idiot Abroad)
I haven't seen the series, but somehow Karl reminded me of Adrian Mole and Lord Emsworth. I like them both, and/so I liked Karl as well.

#52 Hérodotosz: Kürosz / Xerxész
I think this review fits here well:
"The main theme / storyline is the Persian Wars, i.e., the conflicts between the Persian Empire and Greek nations, culminating in the invasion of Greece by Xerces I; the underlying theme is the struggle between tyranny and freedom, between the inexorability of fate and the triumph of the human spirit.

Like threads in a beautiful Persian tapestry, Herodotus weaves together numerous elements in his narratives, the histories and geographies of the many nations in Asia and Europe, the customs, cultures and achievements of the peoples, the remarkable characters and lives of individuals, and the oracles foreshadowing their fates, from kings to slaves, heroes and thieves, men, women and children, their words and deeds all distinct and memorable." /booksontrial, LibraryThing about Histories by Herodotus/

#53 Charles Dickens: Nehéz idők
(Hard Times)
"The story begins with Thomas Gradgrind, an educator raising his children on “facts, facts, facts,” to the exclusion of creativity and imagination. The book follows his children as they grow and enter the world, and all the diverse individuals who feel the touch of his philosophy: those who embrace it and those who chafe at the bit. It is clear that Dickens condemns this point of view, although not Mr. Gradgrind himself, who exhibits the three-dimensional complexity of Dickens’ best characters. The book is part melodrama, part satire, and especially an indictment of the worst aspects of 19th century England’s industrial practices and social mores. The sense of moral outrage is powerful, and inspirational in the reading. But what rises above it all is his characters – still living and breathing more than 150 years after they were created." /kambrogi, LibraryThing/

#54 Kurt Vonnegut: A hazátlan ember
(A Man Without a Country)
"Excellent political commentary; autobiographical and humorous. Essential Vonnegut." /kvesser, LibraryThing/
"The subtitle says it all: "A Memoir of Life in George W. Bush's America". A short collection of essays by the then 82-year-old Vonnegut. Brilliant satire." /Thalia, LibraryThing/
#55 Bill Bryson: Jegyzetek egy nagy országról
(I'm a Stranger Here Myself)
"Bryson's weakest book, but that is a fairly high standard so you'll probably like it if you enjoy his sense of humor. This one is a collection of essays to British readers about his experiences returning to live in the US with his family. The anti-everything-American thing gets a bit tiring." /Oreillynsf, LibraryThing/
Intelligent whining with loads of exaggerations, moderately funny. I'll give a try to his other books: if it's the weakest one, I'll probably like those more.
#56 Nagy Attila: Háttal a jövőnek?
Musings on the future of our country. Pretty pessimistic, even for me.
(Some of his conclusions made my hair stand on end, for example: he proves with charts, graphs and diagrams that atheists read less than believers. I guess, he must be a believer.)
#57 Grósz Zoltán (szerk.): Agytorna 3.
Quizzes with keys
#58 Christian Lause: L'ange gardien
Easy reader for language learners.
#59 David Edmonds – John Eidinow: Bobby Fischer háborúba indul
(Bobby Fischer Goes to War)
Quite an interesting read. Took me ages to read it though.:)

My daughter felt exactly the same way about HP and the Order of the Phoenix. I don't have as much reading time as I used to and that might be the reason I was so impatient.

Have you read 1Q84? I see there is a group read of it this month, but I don't think I will be able to read it with the group. I have been wanting to read that one for a while.

I haven't read it yet, and the The New York Times review quoted here on LT made me wonder if I should. (Somehow I found the 2 novels I've read by him so far a bit disappointing anyway. I wish it was only 1 thin volume, than it would be easier to decide and give it a try.)

(I tried to catch up and read some Hungarian classics these months which (I felt) I should've read in my teens or so. It was a great ride, but now I fell behind here with all my threads and challenges totally again. Crazy.:)

(I mean: I'm really sorry for answering this late!)

(An update is coming soon, hopefully at the latest on Monday.:)

It started out as a short and quick memo about my latest reads:

#60 Babits Mihály: Hatholdas rózsakert
A novel and some short stories. Definitely enjoyable.
#61 Janet Evanovich: A szingli fejvadász 1.
One for the Money
"A solid three stars. The characters were the saving grace in this book. Characters were likeable and honest and the dialogue was top-notch. The downfall of this book was its plot. I thought it was slow-moving and a little weak in general.(...) I'll check out the next book in the series at some point but it won't be the next thing I read. /CherieReads, LT/
#62 Gárdonyi Géza: Ábel és Eszter
Gárdonyi could write, that's for sure.
#63 Dr. Rick Brinkman – Richard Kirschner: Dealing with Difficult People
Not bad, but less useful than I expected. (Plus, forgettable.)
#64 Christian Lause: Les statuettes
Graded reader for language learners. Pas mal.:)
#65 Andrea Schacht: A kölni rejtély
Gebiete sanfte Herrin mir I quite liked Alyss and enjoyed her story. Couldn't find an English version of this historical novel on LT, which is strange.
#66 Örkény István: Macskajáték
Cute, moving and delightful story about some elderly people, and an ugly love triangle.
#67 Orhan Pamuk: Az ártatlanság múzeuma The Museum of Innocence
"Orhan Pamuk favors short chapters that lead the reader from one entry to the next, turning back to correct or amend. He is directorial in “The Museum of Innocence,” his enchanting new novel of first love painfully sustained over a lifetime." /The New York Times Book Review, Maureen Howard/
#68 Lomb Kató: Bábeli harmónia
Interviews with 42 polyglots. Absolutely inspiring. (Made me wanna learn languages 24/7.:)
#69 Hahner Péter: 100 történelmi tévhit
#70 Polly Shulman: Rajongás Enthusiasm
Needed some fluff.:)
"A contemporary, high school version of the classic Pride and Prejudice, this book is a fun, light read. It chronicles several months in the life of Julia who goes along with the enthusiastic whims of her best friend, Ashleigh. Ashleigh's current craze is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and in this story they each set about finding their own teenage Mr. Darcy's with great enthusiasm." /laruby, LT/
#71 Barabási Albert-László: Behálózva Linked
"It is really quite readable! He begins it so gently, carrying even the non-mathematicians, non-physicists, and non-scientists into more and more complexity. Our understanding of our world is gaining on our ignorance! I feel I need to at least make an attempt to keep up!" /kaulsu, LT/
But, at the same time:
"For me the book went too far in story telling details: I was bored by the small details of who did what in the morning of a day before doing something that the writer would like to mention. And generally, the whole book could have been shorter.

It was interesting to read about he topology of networks for a while, but when he started talking about the revolution these things will make to science (actually, he mentiones areas specifically), well, then I felt that this reminds me a hype. Of course, I cannot judge it, but he didn't convince me.

E.g. he starts talking about September the 11th, terrorists networks, coming to the conclusion - without using practically any knowledge of networks - that the only way of stopping terrorists is to cease the causes, so that noone wants to join a terrorists network. Yes, that would really be a revolution." /hungeri, LT/

#72 Jorge Luis Borges: Körkörös romok
Short stories by the master. Quite an enjoyable read. (Or reread)

#73 R. L. Stine: The First Horror
Realized that it's high time to read something in English, but wanted to do so in a hurry.
(Enjoyed it though.:)

#74 Philippa Gregory: A vörös királyné The Red Queen
"Philippa Gregory tackles the figure of Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII of England, in this novel chronicling the Wars of the Roses. While it is interesting to learn about Margaret, who married at an extremely young age and endured a difficult childbirth, she was far from a likable character. Margaret displays a self-righteous belief in the Lancaster cause and particularly that her son Henry is destined to be King of England. The ends justify the means to Margaret and she even orders the children of the rival York family murdered at one point to further her son's claim to the throne. I simply could not find much that was sympathetic about Margaret and I found myself hoping her enemies would put this woman in her place, simply because she was so unlikeable." /wagner.sarah35, LT/
Spending so much time in Margaret's head was really quite an unappealing experience.:)

#75 Kertész Erzsébet: Szendrey Júlia
romantic story for young adults

#76 Rejtő Jenő (P. Howard): Az elátkozott part
(five stars)

#77 Szabó Magda: Pilátus

#78 R. L. Stine: Welcome to Dead House
More Stine, being in a hurry again.:) Still enjoying it, which doesn't change the fact that it's a simple horror story for kids. I really should read more in English.

#79 Howard Beckerman: Berlitz Rush Hour Italian
Being consistent as usual, I brushed up on my Italian. Whoever wrote these songs, they must have had a totally different taste in music than me. (If you love old musicals, you can learn or revise these words and phrases a bit easier.:)

#80 Roald Dahl: Kiss Kiss
I wish the stories were new for me. They felt twice their length for at least the n-th reread.

#81 Aczél Endre: Acélsodrony – A hatvanas évek
A book about the 60's. I plan to read the sequels.

#82 Beregi Tamás: Egyetleneim
#83 Szabó Magda: Sziget-kék
#84 Adam Hibbert: A világ csodái

#85 Sarah Turnbull: Kezdjük újra Párizsban! Almost French

"Turnbull’s story of getting used to life as an Australian expat in Paris is an entertaining one, and she tells it with humor and affection. Although she does at times get frustrated with the formality of many French parties and the expectation that you must always look your best, she eventually comes to see why some might prefer this attitude over Australian casualness. She also learns to accept that although she might be willing to adopt some French customs, she’ll still always be an outsider. And by the end of the book, she’s okay with that.

As I was reading, I did question whether some of the things Turnbull took as French characteristics and expectations might actually just be idiosyncracies belonging to her French boyfriend and his circle of friends. Do all French people find it impossible to be comfortable in a hotel room with bad art on the walls? Is aggression the only way to get good customer service? Do all French women see other women as competition? I’ve never been to France and I don’t think I even know any French people, so I’m speaking from a place of total ignorance, but I’m not convinced that everyone in France acts the way Turnbull describes.

Still, I did enjoy this book for its honesty and humor about what it’s like to make such a major change. It’s a nice light read, not wildly funny or incredibly insightful, but pleasant and fun."
(teresakayep, LT)

#86 Karinthy Frigyes: Utazás a koponyám körül A Journey Round My Skull

"Frigyes Karinthy (1887-1938) was an influential Hungarian novelist, playwright, poet and journalist. A Journey Round My Skull is a literary account of the development and successful removal of his brain tumor, which occurred near the end of his life. His symptoms begin insidiously, with auditory hallucinations, followed by headaches and vomiting of increasing severity, and loss of visual acuity. Despite these symptoms, which are suggestive of a brain tumor or another process that would cause increased intracranial pressure, the doctors in Budapest ignore his symptoms and fail to reach an accurate diagnosis. He eventually travels to Vienna, where clinicians there eventually reach the correct diagnosis. He undergoes surgery in Stockholm by a brilliant young neurosurgeon who prefers to operate on Europeans while they are awake, to minimize postoperative morbidity. Karinthy's description of the surgery is unforgettable, as he is conscious for all but the last portion of the procedure.

I was in awe of the clinicians who were able to accurately diagnose his tumor without the benefit of advanced radiographic tools such as CT or MRI scans, but I was also horrified by the time it took to reach an accurate diagnosis and to remove the tumor, and the ineptitude and brusqueness of most of the clinicians Karinthy encountered - including his own wife, who was a renowned psychiatrist. Also of interest is the varied reactions of his friends and colleagues to his illness, especially when the seriousness of his condition became apparent." (kidzdoc, LT)

#87 Joseph Heller: Gold a mennybe megy Good as Gold
A reread.
"It's almost too funny for words and holds up as great political satire even though it takes place in the 1970's. Does for politics what "Catch 22" did for war." /Grendelschoice, LT/
Couldn't agree more.
#88 H. P. Lovecraft: Az árnyak borzalma
4 short stories. I still love his style.
#89 Hevesi András: Párizsi eső
Forgettable, or probably I wasn't in the right mood for it. They call it the novel of solitude.
#90 Erich Kästner: Három ember a hóban
Drei Männer im Schnee

#91 M. C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin és a vizes viszály
Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death
Nothing special. A mediocre sequel of a medicre series. Entertaining, though I didn't even try to memorize who is for and who is against the bottled-water company.

#92 Nemes Nagy Ágnes: Amerikai napló
(Idaho, 1979) The Hungarian poet's diary. She and his ex-husband (another author) spent three months in the US, participating some international Writing Program. Quite an interesting diary. Read it online.

#93 Efrájim Kishon: A tengeribeteg bálna
The seasick whale : an Israeli abroad
As a travel guide it's not too informative, rather sounds like a longer version of the well-known Xenophobe's Guide series. Kishon and his wife travel all over Europe and he makes fun of all the stereotypes one could think of and a bit more.

#94 Erich Kästner: Az Emberke The Little Man
German children's book. (My favourite Kastner is still May 35.:)

#95 Erich Kästner: Emil és a három iker Emil and the Three Twins

#96 Frank Schätzing: HangTalan
Lautlos
A slightly boring political thriller.

#97 Joanne Harris: Bársony és keserű mandula Jigs and Reels
I would give Harris a Bram Stoker Award and I bet she'd deserve it.:)
"A collection of short stories: quirky, odd, sad, strange, sometimes sweet, sometimes horrid. Not all of them work, but the ones that do are deeply satisfying, and most of the others are at least worth a read. Joanne Harris, like so many others, doesn't admit to being a science fiction/fantasy writer, but she doesn't exactly try very hard to hide it either, and the fantastic elements give her writing a certain charm." /phoebesmum, LT/

#98 Fekete István: A koppányi aga testamentuma
Historical fiction for young adults, full of adventures, spiced with humor and romance.

#99 Krúdy Gyula: Hét bagoly
Complicated romantic ties, young aspiring authors seeking their place in life, and an old man who keeps messing up everything for everyone from time to time. Sad and hilarious at the same time.

#100 Kosztolányi Dezső: Nero, a véres költő
How depressive a book can get? On the other hand, it was woven with irony, wit and insight.

#101 Rejtő Jenő (P. Howard): A Sárga Garnizon
Rejtő never disappoints. Five novellas.

#102 Tami Hoag: A titkok sírba szállnak Secrets to the Grave
"Melissa Fordham is killed and Anne Leone and her husband Vince, her FBI profiler husband, get into the thick of things. Anne's near miss with death, caused by the See-No-Evil Killer is interwoven with the search for Marissa's killer, the protection of Melissa's daughter Haley, the involvement of the Bordain family---Milo turns out to be the killer, and her gay son and disfunctional husband play a role, and many other disfunctional people. Hoag writes a good mystery, which keeps one interested." /markmeg, LT/
Sometimes a bit too gory for my taste, sometimes a bit too sirupy. A strange mixture.

#103 Anna Gavalda: Kis kiruccanás
French Leave

"Brother and sisters run away from a wedding of a relative to seek a gulp of freedom.They run away from relationships that are so untrue, lack understanding and love. Even though they act against everybody's understanding, and realize that they will have to go back, where they will be judged, they choose to go and enjoy this breath of freedom." /nana.m, amazon/
I don't mind that I read it, but couldn't rave about it for hours either.

Wow, lots to report in your latest post!

Guess what? I just went to the bookstore day before yesterday and finally bought a copy of 1Q84. You are right; it is really long. Not sure if I am ready to read it or not, but I am intrigued. I am hot and cold on Murakami, so I don't know what I will think of it.

It sounds great! I hope you'll enjoy the books and look forward to seeing what you think about them. I think if we get so curious about a book, we must just dive in!:)