KSZR: New challenge for 2014

New year, new challenge. After acheiving 75+ in 2013, I thought I would give myself a breather - I almost didn't make it, and I need to be more realistic about what I can acheive. That was one big lesson from last year, in addition to all the wonderful books I read.

1. Finished Mozart's Ghost. A fun read, about a medium that doesn't trust anyone. Predictable ending, but engaging

2. Lean in was a book I assumed that would tell me what I was doing wrong with my career, but I was pleasantly surprised. I actually believe that the media is misleading women into not reading the book - needing to be controversial. I learned that without being told, I knew that career building and sustainment had changed from when my father was working. Leaning in is more about making your choices for yourself, and not letting others make assumptions about what you want to do until its too late. Should be required reading for BOTH men and women entering the workplace.

3. Calling me home: a novel by Julie Kibler was AMAZING. I had it figured out about midway through, but a few details I missed.
This is an interracial love story, told by a participant, years after. You are aware of the ending, but the story is lain out on a drive from Texas to Cinncinati with her hairdresser, Dorrie. Dorrie is more than her hairdresser, however, and the relationship has been growing to the point that Isabel feels like she is kin. As the story of forbidden love in the 1930s and 40s unravels, and Dorrie's family in the current century unravels, the lessons learned by the innocent white girl of priviledge on consequences of choices leads Dorrie on her own path to discovery.

4. American Wife was interesting at first, learning about a young impressionable high schooler in Wisc in the late 50s and early 60s. After a bit, however, it becomes clear what presidential first lady this was to portray, and the story becomes farfetched.

5. Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour bookstore was wonderfully charming, mixing the newness of internet and oldness of books in a real mystery. while I had guessed at much of the secret, it was a fun read to the end. it made me laugh and want more.

6. Bossypants = Tina Fey is a riot!!!

OK - been bad at keeping up:
7 Bridge of Sighs Russo up to old tricks with small town people's lives
8 The Wizard of Oz Never read before and very different from the movie
9 The Engagements stories of love framed by diamond advertising and the changes from 1940
10 the alchemists daughter a failed experiment in teaching - can not neglect the outside world
11 stella bain - woman with amnesia finds herself and who she was
12 the diplomat's wife - after being found in a nazi prison, this jewish girl is saved, only to be manipulated later by others. Worth the read
13 a thousand splendid suns - women in afganistan during the revolution AMAZING
14 twelve tribes of hattie - annoying
15 afterwinds
16 correlli's mandolin - don't know what the big fuss was all about
17 house of mirth - wonderfully written in the style of the time. Those with money have no morals, while those with do.
18 slow way back - main character slightly annoying, but interesting journey
19 the jinni and the golem - bizzare premise, too easily closed
20 the aviator's wife - AMAZING never realized how accomplished Anne Morrow Lindburge was. A shame that all that is remembered is the baby's kidnapping, not the amazing things she and her husband did (and the darker ones to - supporters of Hitler)
21 Z - Zelda from a different point of view - hers.
22 the burgess boys - Boys from Maine and how they have changed/not since they were kids.

23 The Hunger Games needed to read before my daughter did. Brutality with a human slant. Compelling. Interested in reading the rest of the trilogy to see what happens.

What did you think of The Burgess Boys? I just picked this up at a book swap the other day.

24 The hundred year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared a pure joy along the lines of the movie Forest Gump (book was awful, movie was actually better - something I never say). The story is so farfetched that you can't help but laugh through it.

25 Finished Where'd you go, Bernadette? Very entertaining, slapstick comedy of life with a secret that is not so terrible to discover.

working on rules of civility, quiet: the power of introverts, how to be a good wife, and divergent and not able to finish any so far.

26 Rules of Civility was an interesting read, going through the life of a single girl in 1938 climbing the social ladder while supporting herself. Good, but not great.

27 how to be a good wife was another interesting read. I sort of figured it out early on, but it was well written. Didn't love the ending, however.

28 quiet: the power of introverts was fascinating - how to leverage your strenghts, no matter what society pushes as the "valued" trait.

I guess it takes writing it down to make me finish....

29 forgot Beautiful Ruins. Story of an unlikely italian resort, a hollywood forbidden romance in the 1960s, and the place people end up based upon choices made then.

30 Divergent boy - reading these YA books, and they are pretty good! stayed up way late last night to get thorugh 2/3 before I gave in to sleep

31 manuscript found in accra - another moralizing tale from coelho.

32 Catching fire I really want to read the last book - very engaging....

33 The Art Forger Didn't guess exactly, but I was close. Engaging story, but the protaganist was a bit annoying....

34 The God of War by Marisa Silver Hard book to read. Couldn't connect to well, but it was well written. Pegged what would happen, however.

35 the prince of nantucket was a sweet novel, the main character was a bit self serving and annoying, while everything happened as I expected, it was a sweet story of a boy giving up his anger at his mother, just in time to say goodbye.

36 the lost wife. Although you know what the ending is from the beginning of the book, you are riveted until the end, to see how it all comes about. Wonderful story of hope and youth stolen during WWII, and how the people were changed and yet remained the same.

37 the fault in our stars was a touching, down to earth story of those facing their own death and what that means to those close to us.

38 Harry Potter and the prisoner of azkaban read aloud to my kids on a driving vacation. Kept their attention the whole time. Not a bad way to do it - no electronics. Too bad it gave dad a headache!

39 the unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry. Amazing book. A man gets a letter from someone he hasn't heard from in 20 years to say goodbye at the end of her life, and he sets out to see her. During the trip, he reflects on himself, his family, and the choices he has made in his life. Truly amazing how the journey begins, faulters, loses its way, and comes face to face with reality. The journey of life, all in one walk.

40 Fin & Lady - almost done.

Finished Fin & Lady, and was pleasantly surprised in the end. At first I was annoyed with how flighty Lady and passive Fin were, but in the end, I wanted to know what happened to the suitors (3), and Fin. Enjoyed the story.

41 Insurgent - finished in 2 days. well written, however crazy everything is.

42 Allegiant the third of the trilogy is the hardest to read, since it switches between points of view of the two main characters. In the end, it makes sense why (no spoilers from me). In all I really enjoyed this series, and the underlying message that it has.

43 Mockingjay the third of the Hunger Games trilogy. Another well written book, and I understand why it was so popular - a very good message within. From an overall message, however, I prefer the Roth series.

Now that i have read to be ahead of my pre-teen daughter, I can catch up on some of my own titles.

44 The Interestings - the people in the book are not interesting.

45 halfway thru beautiful day

Finish Beautiful day. As expected, a fun read, but not too deep.

46 The storied life of a.j. fikry Read in one sitting. Well written, great for a reader. All the chapters have references to other books.

Start gone girl and in the shadow of the banyan

47 gone girl moves a bit slow, but I was actually able to figure it out before I got halfway.

48 shadow of the banyan is well written, but moving slow for me.

Sounds interesting.

75 is an astounding number. How many do you plan to challenge yourself to this year?

I was shooting for 50 this year, since last year's goal of 75 was a stretch. Never expected to get this far so fast, so now I am just going to count how far I go, and see where that takes me.

The added bonus of reading all these books is having my grade school kids watching me and helping me keep track. They have joined me, and we are all tracking now.

47 Gone Girl, while I guessed who "done" it, I had no concept of just how distrubed these people were. While it was well written, the depth of hatred and manipulation was astounding.

49 one summer was a light read, especially after the last one. Heartwarming story of a family and how life's plans versus life's reality change and how you deal with it.

50. light between oceans. Was an amzing book. Well written, complex story of right and wrong in a world full of gray.

51. the cellist of sarajevo was an amazingly insightful, sad, and hopeful story about what war does to people and how they cope.

52. confederacy of dunces has been dragging me down. So many raves, but its taken me 2 weeks to get through half. don't like the characters, the convoluted connections are farfetched, and I don't see why this has so many raves.

53. started glass castle to help get me through #52.

Also starting to plan for next year's reading list. Never too early, right?

Confederacy of dunces is going very slowly. don't really love it, like everyone raved. I hate the people, don't really care about what happens, but my mother made me promise to finish and tell her if there was any reason she should finish her copy.

OK - plowed through to the end. Not clear why the big fuss. The characters were all cartoonish, and annoying.

54. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Trying to keep up before my 9 year old tells me what happens in the next one....

55. don't stop the carnival. New Yorker goes to caribbean and buys hotel - not having a clue what it meant.

56. Mating for life. matriarch Helen, a folk singer, swore off men. How her 3 daughters from different men are impacted by their presence, or lack of, in their lives.

57. and the mountains echoed. another moving tail of reality in Afganistan. Told from many viewpoints, all of whom had different experiences in this war torn nation, it is another compelling story of the resilence of people in the face of adversity.

Challenged myself well this year, so in August I started a new thread - 50 for 50. Starting my 50th year by collecting and reading a NYT best seller from the week of my birth each year. Keep up with me there. Thanks!!