citygirl's reading

Hello. This seems like an excellent way to do what I've attempted to do so many times: actually keep a list of what I've been reading. Please feel free to comment. I love to talk about books.

I won't set a challenge now because sometimes my life gets away from me. Maybe later. I'll start with August 2007.

Finished August 2007:

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
Until I Find You - John Irving
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
A Multitude of Sins - Richard Ford
Seducing the Demon - Erica Jong

Of those, I liked Never Let Me Go and Heart of Darkness best. A Multitude of Sins and Seducing the Demon were worth the time. I was disappointed by Until I Find You. After a while it was just too much talk about genitalia. Overkill. I don't want to read about another "member" for quite some time, so I guess I'll have to put Tropic of Cancer, which I've been reading for months, on the back burner for a little while.

September 2007

Please Understand Me II - David Keirsey
The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde

The Emperor's Children - Claire Messud. Great characterizations and depictions of the intricacies of relationships all with a story that intensified until I was speeding to the end to find out how everything is resolved.

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office - Lois P. Frankel. Subtitle: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make that Sabotage Their Careers.

Useful information that made sense. Very easy to read. It verifies what I'm doing right and provides actions steps for the things I'm doing wrong.

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte. I will read Wide Sargasso Sea one day soon, but not yet.

Bonjour Tristesse - Francoise Sagan. I picked up this book mainly because it was short and I need to read more French. It was Sagan's first, published when she was 18, I believe. I enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend it.

I loved the description of a lazy summer life in the French Riviera. The characters were interesting and the psychological tug-of-war between a daughter and a fiancee for a man's attention was well done.

Tales of the City - Armistead Maupin. Good. Very funny. Different.

I'll read More Tales of the City, sometime.

Hmm. Late start to October. Lost in a Good Book - J. Fforde, Thursday Next. As enjoyable as the first.

Wuthering Heights - finally! That omission on my literary resume bugged me. I was quite surprised, not really what I expected. Heathcliff was a brute, Catherine Sr. was a nutcase, the only likable character was Ellen/Nelly. I didn't really care what happened to any of them. Well written, though. I will not be rereading it.

This is my first post on LibraryThing - I'm sure I'm not following all the rules ... (what rules?)

I read Seducing the Demon earlier this year and loved it!

And, am a Richard Ford fan; what's Multitude of Sins about?

Hi, part3. Wow, your first post, here. I'm sure there's a rules thread somewhere, but the rules seem to be: no personal attacks and don't be obscene. As for Multitude of Sins, just click on the blue title in the first message and click on Member Reviews on the Works page and you will find my review. It's the only one so you can't miss it. Have you read Ford's novels? I haven't, so tell me more....

A few days ago, I finished Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. Probably going to be my favorite book of October.

To Bedlam and Part Way Back - Anne Sexton. Her first published book of poetry. Pretty brutal. Death obsession, can't be with baby because institutionalized, loss of mother and treasured aunt, life in the asylum, etc. Cheery. But she writes beautifully, so on I will go to the next volume.

The Well of Lost Plots - Sign me up for more Thursday Next. This guy, Fforde, he's nuts, in a really great way (not in the Anne Sexton way, not that there's anything wrong with that).

Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys. Gorgeous and tragic.

Cinnamon Kiss - Walter Mosley. Okay. Not as good as earlier Easy Rawlins books, but completely readable.

Proust on Hiatus. Just couldn't do it, but I will. Later.

Here is my Proust-o-meter.
62 / 504
(12.3%)

(Helpful link: http://www.zokutou.co.uk/wordmeter/ )
December 2: I figure if I read 20 pages a week (Mon-Sun), I'll be done with Du cote de chez Swann in six months, which would be early May 2008. So, goal for Dec. 9 = 33.
December 9: Woohoo! I made it to 33. Thank god some characters have shown up. Note to self: Do not begin novel by describing, for several pages, the ever-scintillating experience of insomnia. Goal for Dec. 16: Pg. 54.
December 16: Got to 54. Get to 74 12/23.
December 23: Got to 62 only; too much holiday stuff. But, as a Christmas present to myself, I give myself a pass until after the new year.
Goal for January 6: Page 82.

2/13: Clearly, I've fallen off-track. Ah, so we start again. Goal for Feb. 24: Page 90.
2/24: Still off-track. Maybe it would help if I retrieved the book from the trunk of the car. Goal for today: retrieve book. Goal: March 2d. Page 90.

Something Rotten - Jasper Fforde. The last of the Thursday Next series. I can see myself re-reading it again sometime in the future. It's also got me wanting to watch a film version of Hamlet.

Actually, that isn't the last of the Thursday Next series. Thursday Next in First Among Sequels was just released a few months ago. :-)

Thanks, waiting4morning. That's good news!

The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield. How dare this book end and the author have no new ones prepared for my consumption! Damnation!

Trust - Cynthia Ozick. This book is nuts. It's amorphous and huge and philosophical and metaphorical and brilliant and daring and wordy and provocative and challenging and symbolic and the first novel. I've never read anything like this and I don't know how to describe it. I'll keep thinking about it and eventually write a review.

Casa Rossa - Francesca Marciano. Nicely written story about two sisters and the effect their family's history has on them. Revolutionaries, lovers, olives, nostalgia, betrayal, Rome, acts of terrorism, secrets....

The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory. I've been drawn to/avoiding this book for awhile, and then I was at the airport... I liked it. I have some problems with it, which I'll discuss in a review. I'll read the next one.

ETA: maybe I won't read the next one. Well, if I'm in an airport....

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. My early review book. Lovely. Simply lovely. Review forthcoming.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon. Interesting. Never experienced this point of view before. Very readable.

Him Her Him Again The End of Him - Patricia Marx. Extremely funny.

The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd. Lovely southern flavor, nice story. Celebrates the beauty of nature in the South.

I finished Ada, or Ardor by Vladimir Nabokov several days ago. Magnificent and astounding.

Today, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman - terrific escapism. I'm moving directly to the next in the trilogy.

Finished The Subtle Knife maybe a week ago. Started slow, but then really got good.

The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford, an ER book, several days ago. I thought it was pretty good, but I probably won't be reading his work again. There are just so many delicious authors to try and he's just a one-timer, for me.

I read the Thirteenth Tale last summer! Did you like it? I loved it and devoured it, but felt the same as you when it was over- where is another one?

Yes, it was my favorite book of 2007. So far this year, Ada is the one to beat.

Which gives me an idea.

I'll rank the 2008 books as I read them:

Ada
Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories
The Secret Life of Bees
The Golden Compass
The Subtle Knife
Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him
The Shadow Year
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Ooh, I like your idea in #30. I think I may steal it for my thread. It's always so difficult to sort through a long list at the end of the year--you're smart to start now.

I stole it too. Gotta say I loved both The Shadow Year and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time and would definitely place them far above The Golden Compass. Isn't it great that there are enough differing opinions to make the world interesting and give all these writers readers?

edited for a typo

Steal away ladies. I'm a thief, too. I enjoyed the experience of reading the Pullman books more than I did The Shadow Year. The Shadow Year was more "literary" I guess, but there just seemed to be something missing. The Curious Incident was cool, but it kinda went in one ear and out the other, so to speak.

After reading your posts I have moved The Thirteenth Tale up on my TBR list. Thanks!

The Amber Spyglass - finished the trilogy. Pretty entertaining, but not everything made sense. So be it.

New rankings:

Ada
Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories
The Secret Life of Bees
The Golden Compass
The Subtle Knife
Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him
The Shadow Year
The Amber Spyglass
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris. Funniest thing I've read in years.

A Man Lay Dead - Ngaio Marsh. Her first Inspector Alleyn book. In the vein of Agatha Christie, but a little more chic.

Newer rankings:

Ada
Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories
Me Talk Pretty One Day
The Secret Life of Bees
The Golden Compass
The Subtle Knife
Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him
The Shadow Year
A Man Lay Dead
The Amber Spyglass
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Pale Fire - Vladimir Nabokov. Absolutely brilliant, of course. So many layers. I look forward to a re-reading sometime in the future. I think a struggling writer could get by on a diet of nothing but Nabokov.

Note to Medellia: I have your thread starred too :-)

How nice to know. :)

I *need* to get around to reading Nabokov. I have Invitation to a Beheading on my shelf (it was recommended by a friend as a good first-time Nabokov experience). But I always find myself passing it up for something else (there's no shortage of books around here!).

#25: I read The Secret Life of Bees about a year ago and enjoyed it immensely! Nice list. Keep up the good work!

Medellia, I haven't read Invitation to a Beheading, but since you read pretty complex stuff, I don't think you'd have any trouble with Nabokov. Lolita was my introduction and that went well.

rocketjk, how refreshing to find a man who reads "women's" stories, if you know what I mean. I checked out your profile and I'm always interested in fellow writers. How do you feel about Nabokov?

Thanks! I read everything! I must admit, however, to a woeful lack of knowledge regarding Nabokov, sad to say. I read Lolita long ago and didn't fully understand it (I was too young at the time). And although I fully realize I really should read Nabokov in order to consider myself sufficiently well-rounded, literature-wise, well . . . he's just on the discouragingly long list of such writers I haven't gotten to yet.

For a good Nabokov discussion, the one you really want is my wife, who you will find on LT as goldsteph.

Nabokov can seem intimidating from the outside, but IMO, the prose is so delightful you hardly notice you're getting an education. I'll check out your wife. Gee, that sounded so wrong, but I can't think of another way to put it. :S

Today I finished Nightwatch by Sergei Lukyanenko. I'm sure something is lost in translation, but it is still a really enjoyable read: fantastic (in the strict sense) exploration of the nature of good and evil full of Buffy-worthy characters and set in modern Moscow.

Anonymous Lawyer - a fictional blog by a power-mad (is there any other kind?) partner at a mega-firm. The scary part is though the book is obviously satire, every word is believable.

Now is as good a time as any for an updated ranking:

Ada
Pale Fire
Me Talk Pretty One Day
Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories
The Secret Life of Bees
The Golden Compass
The Subtle Knife
Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him
The Shadow Year
Nightwatch - Lukyanenko
A Man Lay Dead
The Amber Spyglass
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

The Book of Air and Shadows - Michael Gruber. I chose this book b/c I've enjoyed the previous work of the author and was not disappointed. This is best of his I've read yet. I've not yet read the Forgery of Venus, altho I plan to. A very good mystery/thriller told from three points of view: epistolary, first person of the IP lawyer personally embroiled in the quest for a putative and undiscovered Shakespeare manuscript, and third person limited of a young man innocently thrown into a web of intrigue. Woven throughout are themes of morality, family history and its influence, and trust. And we are given a bit of education on Shakespeare's world. I was reading at breakneck speed the last third of the book. Highly recommended.

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty - Anne Rice (A.N. Roquelaure). Nicely done. The story and this society she dreamed up is fascinating. Obviously not everyone's cup of tea, but I found it titillating.

New rankings:

1 Ada
2 Pale Fire
3 Me Talk Pretty One Day
4 Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories (tie)
4 The Book of Air and Shadows (tie)
6 The Secret Life of Bees
7 The Golden Compass
8 The Subtle Knife
9 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
10 Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him
11 The Shadow Year
12 Nightwatch - Lukyanenko
13 A Man Lay Dead
14 The Amber Spyglass
15 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Seven Days to Sex Appeal: How to Be Sexier Without Surgery, Weight Loss or Cleavage - Eva Margolies and Stan Jones. Early review book, so if you're really interested, check out the review page. Otherwise, I'll just say...I liked the pictures and nothing else. Also, I am perplexed. Are there really adult women out there that don't know how to work a man? I can understand not choosing to do so, but...come on, it's easy: look good, smell good, wear fabrics that they'd want to touch, walk as if you're on a runway, stroke their egos, vary your smiles, let your eyes say what your mouth won't or cant, wear killer shoes. Presto! Man in palm of hand.

The Night Watch - Sarah Waters. Not as good as Fingersmith. Enjoyed story, especially part that covers life in London during WWII, took awhile to get into.

Before the Frost - Henning Mankell. First book in series from Wallander's daughter's pov (partly). Sweden, religious fanaticism, how well do we know the people we think we know? Loved it.

Rankings:

1 Ada
2 Pale Fire
3 Me Talk Pretty One Day
4 Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories (tie)
4 The Book of Air and Shadows (tie)
6 Before the Frost
7 The Secret Life of Bees
8 The Golden Compass
9 The Subtle Knife
10 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
11 The Night Watch - Sarah Waters
12 Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him
13 The Shadow Year
14 Nightwatch - Lukyanenko
15 A Man Lay Dead
16 The Amber Spyglass
17 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
18 Seven Days to Sex Appeal

Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov. So far my least favorite by N., but that doesn't mean it wasn't a lovely book. It was. Very touching title character.

>48 citygirl: "come on, it's easy: look good, smell good, wear fabrics that they'd want to touch, walk as if you're on a runway, stroke their egos, vary your smiles, let your eyes say what your mouth won't or cant, wear killer shoes. Presto! Man in palm of hand."

Lovely summary. You should charge for this; people pay out to read this kind of advice over and over. You'll make a killing!

Thanks, jesslyn, I *have* been looking for a sideline.

Citygirl,

The shoes really aren't necessary. Those are more for other women.

Or for yourself. It's easy to feel sexy in stilettos. And I only wear shoes that my husband likes ;-)

#43 - I've noticed that many people on LT have read Nightwatch, most giving it a thumbs up, but I had no idea until now that it's a fantasy about vampires in Russia. Suddenly I'm intrigued. I checked it out on the reviews page and it sounds very interesting. Another one for Mt TBR. Thanks :o)

sandragon, I think I'll read the next in the series, Daywatch, but not immediately. Tell me how you like Nightwatch when you get to it.

Could be a while, but will do :o)

The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood. Ms. Atwood has few peers. I loved this book and am still thinking about it. There was so much there, besides a story within a novel within the novel. Unforgettable characters, a touch of the gothic, a slowly revealed story....

The Echo - Minette Walters. One of her earlier ones, I think, and you can tell she hasn't yet reached the peak of her considerable writing powers. Still very enjoyable.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. Not sure if it's worth all the hoopla, but I certainly enjoyed reading it and considering the ideas. Case studies far from dull.

New Rankings!!!!

1 Ada - V. Nabokov
2 Pale Fire - V. Nabokov
3 The Blind Assassin - M. Atwood
4 Pnin - V. Nabokov
5 Me Talk Pretty One Day - D. Sedaris
6 Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories (tie) - Eliz. Strout
6 The Book of Air and Shadows (tie) - Michael Gruber
8 Before the Frost - Henning Mankell
9 The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
10 The Golden Compass - P. Pullman
11 The Subtle Knife - P. Pullman
12 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty - A. Rice
13 The Night Watch - Sarah Waters
14 The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
15 The Shadow Year - Jeffrey Ford
16 Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him - Patricia Marx
17 Nightwatch - Sergei Lukyanenko
18 The Echo - Minette Walters
19 The Amber Spyglass - P. Pullman
20 A Man Lay Dead - Ngaio Marsh
21 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
22 Seven Days to Sex Appeal

Note: even though these are ranked, and some books must necessarily fall to the bottom, the only one that I did not enjoy is Seven Days to Sex Appeal.

Oooh. Rankings. How did I miss those before.

But I noticed Wide Sargasso Sea on your list but not your rankings? I was glancing over your posts to see what might match Nabokov. Not sure it does, but I'd at least put it in the same league myself.

Hi, A-musing. The ranking is for 2008, but I started this list in 2007. Ergo, confusion.

I don't know where I'd put Wide Sargasso Sea. I loved the book, loved it. But right now I'm in a kind of Nabokov-worship stage, so.... I'm not sure I've ever felt about any author the way I do about Nabokov, but some do come close....

The Stolen Child by Kevin Donohue. Beautiful, transfixing faery and human story. In tone, reminds me of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

#11 I absolutely enjoyed Sharp Objects--I hear she has a new book forthcoming, can't wait!

Oh, I can't wait either. I got the rec for Sharp Objects from an LTer. I don't know if I'd have discovered Gillian Flynn otherwise.

I'm halfway through Ada, or Ardor at the moment and it's a strange babbling brook of a book, but sweet as they are, the gushing Hippocrene draughts, I yearn from time to time for some plainness, stupidity or ugliness. At any rate there's no better three-word clause with which to end Part 1 than "he was pregnant"...

Yes, a strange book it is. The language, the characters, Arden.... I like that, babbling brook of a book.

Technically this one was May. Beauty's Punishment - Anne Rice. Verrrry interesting set of books. Not quite sure what I think yet, but I keep reaidng them.

Careless in Red - Elizabeth George. There were parts I really liked, but overall found it to be a disappointment after high expectations. Not that I'm going to stop reading the series.

2008 New New Rankings!!!!

1 Ada - V. Nabokov
2 Pale Fire - V. Nabokov
3 The Blind Assassin - M. Atwood
4 Pnin - V. Nabokov
5 The Stolen Child - Keith Donohue
6 Me Talk Pretty One Day - D. Sedaris
7 Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories (tie) - Eliz. Strout
7 The Book of Air and Shadows (tie) - Michael Gruber
9 Before the Frost - Henning Mankell
10 The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
11 The Golden Compass - P. Pullman
12 The Subtle Knife - P. Pullman
13 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty - A. Rice
14 The Night Watch - Sarah Waters
15 The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
16 The Shadow Year - Jeffrey Ford
17 Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him - Patricia Marx
18 Nightwatch - Sergei Lukyanenko
19 The Echo - Minette Walters
20 Beauty's Punishment - Anne Rice
21 The Amber Spyglass - P. Pullman
22 Careless in Red - Eliz. George
23 A Man Lay Dead - Ngaio Marsh
24 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
25 Seven Days to Sex Appeal

Hi citygirl.

Your comments on Trust interested me in the book, however it does not appear in your rankings.

Has it paled with time or would you still recommend it?

You have also reminded me of my latent interest in reading Nabokov. I have Speak, Memory and loved his style and world view - so I know i will take to his fiction too.

I read Trust in 2007, and the rankings are for 2008. However, Trust did make it on to my favorite books for 2007.

I'm glad you're interested. It seems like a book no one has read, so I've been trying to think of a good recommendation book to link it to.

I finished Beautiful Lies by LT author Lisa Unger about a week ago. It's a mystery/suspense about family secrets. I'll just say that I found the telling/showing ratio unfavorable.

Mask Market by one of my favorite mystery noir writers, Andrew Vachss. It's been years since I've read one of the Burke series and I'd almost forgotten how much I love to be sucked down into Burke's dangerous underworld while taking in Vachss' angry and unsentimental observations on the state of the world. Smart, violent, original.

Want more Burke. NOW!!!!!!

Wintersmith - Terry Pratchett. ROFL-funny. I'm a convert.

The Summer Tree - Guy Gavriel Kay. I read this fantasy work because certain LTers like the author. I do too. Tolkeinesque but more modern. I'm so annoyed that I didn't buy the whole trilogy at once.

Beauty's Release - Anne Rice. This concludes the trilogy. Maybe I'll write a review. Unlike anything I've read before.

Extra New 2008 Rankings

1 Ada - V. Nabokov
2 Pale Fire - V. Nabokov
3 The Blind Assassin - M. Atwood
4 Pnin - V. Nabokov
5 The Stolen Child - Keith Donohue
6 Me Talk Pretty One Day - D. Sedaris
7 Wintersmith - T. Pratchett
8 Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories (tie) - Eliz. Strout
8 The Book of Air and Shadows (tie) - Michael Gruber
10 Before the Frost - Henning Mankell
11 The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
12 The Golden Compass - P. Pullman
13 The Subtle Knife - P. Pullman
14 The Summer Tree - Guy Gavriel Kay
15 The Night Watch - Sarah Waters
16 Mask Market - Andrew Vachss
17 The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
18 Nightwatch - Sergei Lukyanenko
19 The Shadow Year - Jeffrey Ford
20 Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him - Patricia Marx
21 The Echo - Minette Walters
22 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty - A. Rice
23 Beauty's Release - Anne Rice
24 Beauty's Punishment - Anne Rice
25 The Amber Spyglass - P. Pullman
26 Careless in Red - Eliz. George
27 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
28 A Man Lay Dead - Ngaio Marsh
29 Beautiful Lies - Lisa Unger
30 Seven Days to Sex Appeal

The Wandering Fire - Guy Gavriel Kay. Sequel to The Summer Tree. I was disappointed. Imagination was still there, but it was a bit melodramatic and maudlin. Not sure if I'll go to Book Three.

Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett. As mentioned, I am a convert. This did not disappoint. I love the word play, the humor, the fantastic situations.

The Autobiography of Henry VIII - Margaret George. Oh my god. This should count for reading four books. However, it was brilliantly researched, imagined and told. I felt like I was there.

The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly. I don't usually read books this creepy, but I loved it. It was a fairy tale in itself.

The Uses of Enchantment - Heid Julavits. Very interesting (and well-written) story intersecting the squirminess of budding girl-sexuality, the power of psychotherapists and the emotional cruelty of those who should love us.

Brand Spanking New 2008 Rankings

1 Ada - V. Nabokov
2 Pale Fire - V. Nabokov
3 The Blind Assassin - M. Atwood
4 The Autobiography of Henry VIII - Margaret George
5 Pnin - V. Nabokov
6 The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly
7 The Stolen Child - Keith Donohue
8 The Uses of Enchantment - Heidi Julavits
9 Me Talk Pretty One Day - D. Sedaris
10 Wintersmith - T. Pratchett
11 Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories (tie) - Eliz. Strout
11 The Book of Air and Shadows (tie) - Michael Gruber
13 Before the Frost - Henning Mankell
14 The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
15 The Golden Compass - P. Pullman
16 The Subtle Knife - P. Pullman
17 Equal Rites - T. Pratchett
18 The Summer Tree - Guy Gavriel Kay
19 The Night Watch - Sarah Waters
20 Mask Market - Andrew Vachss
21 The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
22 Nightwatch - Sergei Lukyanenko
23 The Shadow Year - Jeffrey Ford
24 Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him - Patricia Marx
25 The Echo - Minette Walters
26 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty - A. Rice
27 Beauty's Release - Anne Rice
28 Beauty's Punishment - Anne Rice
29 The Wandering Fire - Guy Gavriel Kay
30 The Amber Spyglass - P. Pullman
31 Careless in Red - Eliz. George
32 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
33 A Man Lay Dead - Ngaio Marsh
34 Beautiful Lies - Lisa Unger
35 Seven Days to Sex Appeal

New England White - Stephen L. Carter. More problematic than worthwhile? Or more worthwhile than problematic? Mystery involving black academics and friends in high places.

The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss (without being a bitch - Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio. Despite the title, not horrible.

The Post Birthday World - Lionel Shriver. Fabulous. I'll definitely read more Shriver.

Twilight - Stephenie Meyer. I know, I know. I read this so I could share with my 15-year-old cousin. Quelle surprise! I liked it. Of course there were issues...,but its market is teenaged girls not married career women. I think I'll read the next one. *expression of chagrined shame* It just might have to go into the Guilty Pleasures pile.

The Absolute Latest in 2008 Rankings
1 Ada - V. Nabokov
2 Pale Fire - V. Nabokov
3 The Blind Assassin - M. Atwood
4 The Autobiography of Henry VIII - Margaret George
5 Pnin - V. Nabokov
6 The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly
7 The Post-Birthday World - L. Shriver
8 The Stolen Child - Keith Donohue
9 The Uses of Enchantment - Heidi Julavits
10 Me Talk Pretty One Day - D. Sedaris
11 Wintersmith - T. Pratchett
13 Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories (tie) - Eliz. Strout
13 The Book of Air and Shadows (tie) - Michael Gruber
14 Before the Frost - Henning Mankell
15 The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
16 The Golden Compass - P. Pullman
17 The Subtle Knife - P. Pullman
18 Equal Rites - T. Pratchett
19 The Summer Tree - Guy Gavriel Kay
20 New England White - Stephen L. Carter
21 The Night Watch - Sarah Waters
22 Mask Market - Andrew Vachss
23 The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
24 Nightwatch - Sergei Lukyanenko
25 The Shadow Year - Jeffrey Ford
26 Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him - Patricia Marx
27 The Echo - Minette Walters
28 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty - A. Rice
29 Beauty's Release - Anne Rice
30 Beauty's Punishment - Anne Rice
31 The Wandering Fire - Guy Gavriel Kay
32 The Amber Spyglass - P. Pullman
33 Careless in Red - Eliz. George
34 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
35 Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
36 A Man Lay Dead - Ngaio Marsh
37 The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss - K. Yorio
38 Beautiful Lies - Lisa Unger
39 Seven Days to Sex Appeal

The Long-Legged Fly -James Sallis. Wonderful, hard-boiled PI in New Orleans through the years. Beautifully written. I felt as if I were there.

Down Here - Andrew Vachss. More Burke. Love it.

Down in the Zero - Andrew Vachss. On a roll.

I finished both of these awhile ago....
Pressure Is a Privilege by Billie Jean King. An early review. I liked it.
Moth - James Sallis. Love song to NOLA disguised as detective noir. I will read all of Sallis' books.

Shadow Prey - John Sandford. I really like Sandford for genre fiction. I love the perspective into Twin Cities life.

New Moon - Stephenie Meyer. Don't judge me. It's like candy -- sweet, easy to eat and utterly without nutritional value. It kind of takes me back to when I was teenager and caught in a love triangle with a vamp and SPOILER werewolf. Ah, good times.

I realized that ranking and mixing fiction and nonfiction was not fair to the books, so.........

New and Improved 2008 List in Two Parts

And then I realized that I don't read enough nonfiction :-S

1 Ada - V. Nabokov
2 Pale Fire - V. Nabokov
3 The Blind Assassin - M. Atwood
4 The Autobiography of Henry VIII - Margaret George
5 Pnin - V. Nabokov
6 The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly
7 The Post-Birthday World - L. Shriver
8 The Stolen Child - Keith Donohue
9 Moth – James Sallis
10 The Long-Legged Fly – James Sallis
11 Wintersmith - T. Pratchett
12 The Uses of Enchantment - Heidi Julavits
14 Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories (tie) - Eliz. Strout (ER)
14 The Book of Air and Shadows (tie) - Michael Gruber
15 Down in the Zero – Andrew Vachss
16 Before the Frost - Henning Mankell
17 Down Here – Andrew Vachss
18 The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
19 The Golden Compass - P. Pullman
20 The Subtle Knife - P. Pullman
21 Equal Rites - T. Pratchett
22 The Summer Tree - Guy Gavriel Kay
23 New England White - Stephen L. Carter
24 The Night Watch - Sarah Waters
25 Mask Market - Andrew Vachss
26 Nightwatch - Sergei Lukyanenko
27 The Shadow Year - Jeffrey Ford (ER)
28 Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him - Patricia Marx
29 Shadow Prey – John Sandford
30 The Echo - Minette Walters
31 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty - A. Rice
32 Beauty's Release - Anne Rice
33 Beauty's Punishment - Anne Rice
34 The Wandering Fire - Guy Gavriel Kay
35 The Amber Spyglass - P. Pullman
36 Careless in Red - Eliz. George
37 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
38 New Moon – Stephenie Meyer
39 Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
40 A Man Lay Dead - Ngaio Marsh
41 Beautiful Lies - Lisa Unger

1 Me Talk Pretty One Day - D. Sedaris
2 The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
3 Pressure Is a Privilege – Billie Jean King (ER)
4 The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss - K. Yorio
5 Seven Days to Sex Appeal (ER)

Edited for wacky touchstones.

Glass Houses - Jane Haddam. Enjoyed the multi-perspective Philadelphia mystery as expected.

The Bad Seed - William March. Reminded me of The Talented Mr. Ripley.

The Fire- Katherine Neville. Early Review. Sequel to The Eight. It was a mess. Imagine The Da Vinci Code without the page-turner aspect and if the historical details were too jumbled to follow and characterizations so shallow that you don't even care what happens or who the good guys and the bad guys are. I stopped reading about 20 pages from the end because I realized that I had done my reviewing duty and that I truly did not give a damn.

ADD and Success - Lynn Weiss. Short histories of 16 people with ADD who've managed to create successes in their own unique ways. It's okay. I'm not really sure that I learned much, but the stories were interesting.

The Latest in 2008 Rankings

1 Ada - V. Nabokov
2 Pale Fire - V. Nabokov
3 The Blind Assassin - M. Atwood
4 The Autobiography of Henry VIII - Margaret George
5 Pnin - V. Nabokov
6 The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly
7 The Post-Birthday World - L. Shriver
8 The Stolen Child - Keith Donohue
9 Moth – James Sallis
10 The Long-Legged Fly – James Sallis
11 Wintersmith - T. Pratchett
12 The Uses of Enchantment - Heidi Julavits
14 Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories (tie) - Eliz. Strout (ER)
14 The Book of Air and Shadows (tie) - Michael Gruber
15 Down in the Zero – Andrew Vachss
16 Before the Frost - Henning Mankell
17 Down Here – Andrew Vachss
18 The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
19 The Golden Compass - P. Pullman
20 The Subtle Knife - P. Pullman
21 Equal Rites - T. Pratchett
22 The Summer Tree - Guy Gavriel Kay
23 New England White - Stephen L. Carter
24 The Night Watch - Sarah Waters
25 The Bad Seed - William March
26 Mask Market - Andrew Vachss
27 Nightwatch - Sergei Lukyanenko
28 Glass Houses - Jane Haddam
29 The Shadow Year - Jeffrey Ford (ER)
30 Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him - Patricia Marx
31 Shadow Prey – John Sandford
32 The Echo - Minette Walters
33 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty - A. Rice
34 Beauty's Release - Anne Rice
35 Beauty's Punishment - Anne Rice
36 The Wandering Fire - Guy Gavriel Kay
37 The Amber Spyglass - P. Pullman
38 Careless in Red - Eliz. George
39 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
40 New Moon – Stephenie Meyer
41 Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
42 A Man Lay Dead - Ngaio Marsh
43 Beautiful Lies - Lisa Unger*
44 The Fire - Katherine Neville (ER)*

1 Me Talk Pretty One Day - D. Sedaris
2 The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
3 Pressure Is a Privilege – Billie Jean King (ER)
4 ADD and Success - Lynn Weiss
5 The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss - K. Yorio*
6 Seven Days to Sex Appeal (ER)*

*Not recommended

The Game of Kings - Dorothy Dunnett. Historical fiction (Scotland and England mid 1500s) so authentic that I didn't recognize many of the words used; high swashbuckling adventure; strategery; first in a series. I've already got the second queued up.

Double Fault - Lionel Shriver. Professional tennis and surgical dissection of a marriage, right up my alley. I really like this writer.

David Copperfield - Charles Dickens. Review forthcoming, the longest I've ever written.

The Darkest Road - Guy Gavriel Kay. Last of the Fionavar Trilogy. Satisfying ending.

2008 Rankings as of Today

1 Ada - V. Nabokov
2 David Copperfield - C. Dickens
3 Pale Fire - V. Nabokov
4 The Blind Assassin - M. Atwood
5 The Autobiography of Henry VIII - Margaret George
6 Pnin - V. Nabokov
7 The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly
8 The Post-Birthday World - L. Shriver
9 The Stolen Child - Keith Donohue
10 Moth – James Sallis
11 The Long-Legged Fly – James Sallis
12 The Game of Kings
13 Wintersmith - T. Pratchett
14 The Uses of Enchantment - Heidi Julavits
16 Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories (tie) - Eliz. Strout (ER)
16 The Book of Air and Shadows (tie) - Michael Gruber
17 Down in the Zero – Andrew Vachss
18 Before the Frost - Henning Mankell
19 Down Here – Andrew Vachss
20 The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
21 The Golden Compass - P. Pullman
22 The Darkest Road - Guy Gavriel Kay
23 The Subtle Knife - P. Pullman
24 Double Fault - Lionel Shriver
25 Equal Rites - T. Pratchett
26 The Summer Tree - Guy Gavriel Kay
27 New England White - Stephen L. Carter
28 The Night Watch - Sarah Waters
29 The Bad Seed - William March
30 Mask Market - Andrew Vachss
31 Nightwatch - Sergei Lukyanenko
32 Glass Houses - Jane Haddam
33 The Shadow Year - Jeffrey Ford (ER)
34 Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him - Patricia Marx
35 Shadow Prey – John Sandford
36 The Echo - Minette Walters
37 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty - A. Rice
38 Beauty's Release - Anne Rice
39 Beauty's Punishment - Anne Rice
40 The Wandering Fire - Guy Gavriel Kay
41 The Amber Spyglass - P. Pullman
42 Careless in Red - Eliz. George
43 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
44 New Moon – Stephenie Meyer
45 Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
46 A Man Lay Dead - Ngaio Marsh
47 Beautiful Lies - Lisa Unger*
48 The Fire - Katherine Neville (ER)*

1 Me Talk Pretty One Day - D. Sedaris
2 The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
3 Pressure Is a Privilege – Billie Jean King (ER)
4 ADD and Success - Lynn Weiss
5 The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss - K. Yorio
6 Seven Days to Sex Appeal (ER)*

*Not recommended

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini. Lived up to its buzz. Wonderful.

Day Watch - Sergei Lukyanenko. Second in the "Others" series. I thought it was better, maybe because the translations was better.

Gentlemen and Players - Joanne Harris. As advertised, similarities to The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Secret History were apropos. Couldn't put it down.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I had just put a lot of work (stolen from NaNo-time) into developing my own version of a literary awards show (list?) loosely based on the Oscars and Grammys, I guess, nominees culled from this years reading and then I pressed some mystery button and the tab went buh-bye. The high points will have to suffice. Dagnabbit!!!!!!!!

Anyway. *huff*

Possible Categories
Best Artist New to Me
Biggest Space Between Hype and Substance (The Overrrater)
Best Representatives of Genre Fiction
Tastiest Guilty Pleasure
Biggest Disappointment Based on Other Works by Same Author
The Bitter-Maker, a.k.a. the citygirl Narcissist Award, as in "I cannot believe that this got published and yet here I sit agentless and advanceless.
The "Whoa, I So Did Not See That Coming"
Etc.
Stay tuned (assuming anyone is tuned in the first place.) You know, posting at 3 am has its pitfalls.

Anyhoo.

NOMINEES

Best Villain (POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT): Uriah Heep - David Copperfield; The Crooked Man - The Book of Lost Things; Rhoda Penmark - The Bad Seed; Assef - The Kite Runner; Julia Snyde - Gentlemen and Players; Rakoth - The Fionavar Tapestry (trilogy)

Best Protagonist: David Copperfield; Henry VIII (I know, no fair, right?); Lyra - The Golden Compass et seq.; Van Veen - Ada, or Ardor; Ada Veen - Ada, or Ardor (Does she count as a protagonist. Please advise.); Burke - the Vachss books.

Best Artist New to Me: Lionel Shriver; James Sallis; Terry Pratchett; Sergei Lukyanenko

Getting sleepy. More later.

awesome, citygirl. So what are your nominees for "The Overrater"?

NOMINEES continued

Since you asked :-D ....

The Overrater: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time; The Fire - Katherine Neville; Beautiful Lies - Lisa Unger (sorry :-s); and Seven Days to Sex Appeal.

Tastiest Guilty Pleasure: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer; Sleeping Beauty Series - Anne Rice; Shadow Prey - John Sandford

More later....

Taking a little NaNo break for more NOMINEE fun:

Best Representatives of Genre Fiction: The Long-Legged Fly - James Sallis (hardboiled mystery noir); The Golden Compass - Phillip Pullman (YA fantasy); Wintersmith - Terry Pratchett (fantasy); Beauty's Release - Anne Rice (erotica)

Biggest Disappointment Based on Other Works by Same Author, a.k.a. the Slide: Careless in Red - Eliz. George; The Fire - Katherine Neville

The Bitter-Maker: Seven Days to Sex Appeal; The Fire - Katherine Neville

Dreaming up more categories......

can I play? How about:

Biggest "Ick" factor: examples include Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller, That Old Ace in the Hole by Annie Proulx, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind, Fast Food Nation by whats his name, allegedly The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber (I think. I've never read the book, though, but reviews seem to all say "ewww")

best-looking author: Neil Gaiman. I don't have any other suggestions.

best declaration of love: Persuasion, Jane Eyre

Sure! Get in on the fun!

best-looking author........hmmmmmmmmm. *cogitates*

This year's nominees are all from my 2008 reading, but I don't see any reason not to have universal categories. What else ya got?

oh, I'm sorry! I totally missed that - I scrolled too quickly to get to your categories and nominees. Sorry, sorry.

more categories:
Best sidekick: Pantalaimon!
Best use of footnotes in a novel (I loved Pale Fire)
Best novel with insects in the title
Cheesiest ending
Book that everyone really should read if they haven't already
Most Unreliable Narrator

Niiiiiiiiiice, jfetting. I'm going to get to work on those probably when I get up in the middle of the night.

You guys are too fun. Keep it up. :)

Hee.

Best sidekick: Pantalaimon - The Golden Compass et seq.; Hassan - The Kite Runner; Olga - Nightwatch (Lukyanenko); Horace (the cheese) - Wintersmith; The Wee Free Men - Wintersmith; Will Scott - The Game of Kings

Book that Everyone Should Read: Ada; The Long-Legged Fly (for the prose and portrait of New Orleans, etc.); David Copperfield; Pale Fire; the Kite Runner (for the portrait of Afghanistan).

The "Whoa...I So Did Not See That Coming": The Post-Birthday World - Lionel Shriver; The Summer Tree - GG Kay; The Kite Runner; Gentlemen and Players - Joanne Harris.

Coming up, at next NaNo-break: Cheesiest Ending and Most Unreliable Narrator.

As promised,

Cheesiest Ending: OMG! A winner by default: Twilight - Stephenie Meyer.

Most Unreliable Narrator: Pale Fire - Nabokov; Gentlemen and Players - Joanne Harris; The Uses of Enchantment - Heidi Julavits; The Stolen Child(?) - Keith Donohue

Coming up...

Books that Make You Feel Like You're Smarter after Having Read Them (aka The Snob), Best Love Story and Just How Far Do You Think You Can Suspend My Disbelief? (aka The Puh-Leeze)

The Snob: Ada; Pale Fire; Pnin - looks like Nabokov's going to win this one. In 2009, I'm going to have to up the Snob Quotient in my reading.

Best Love Story - well turns out I don't have that many nominees, so I'm changing this category to:

Best Portrayal of an Intimate Relationship (or Three): Ada; The Post-Birthday World - L. Shriver; Double Fault - L. Shriver; The Blind Assassin - M. Atwood; The Long-Legged Fly - James Sallis; Down in the Zero - Andrew Vachss

The Puh-Leeze: Twilight; The Fire; Beautiful Lies; The Wandering Fire

If anyone else has any more categories, please let me know....

I don't have any for the moment. I just wanted to say that "The Pul-Leeze" is my favorite so far.

I think I like the sidekick category best (because then I think of the Wee Free Men), so thanks, jfetting.

The George W - started out badly and just kept getting worse....

Thanks, zenomax!

The George W: The Fire (can you tell how much I hated this book?); Twilight (which did not stop me from readiing it or the next in the series - this gives me insight into the whole GWB phenomenon); Beautiful Lies - (totally unraveled in the end); Careless in Red.

The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova- Very nice modernized Dracula tale.

The Yiddish Policeman's Union - Michael Chabon. Started slow but turned out to be very much worth it.

American Gods - Neil Gaiman. Ye gods! This book is amazing.

2008 Rankings as of Today

1 Ada - V. Nabokov
2 David Copperfield - C. Dickens
3 Pale Fire - V. Nabokov
4 The Blind Assassin - M. Atwood
5 The Autobiography of Henry VIII - Margaret George
6 Pnin - V. Nabokov
7 American Gods - Neil Gaiman
8 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
9 The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly
10 The Post-Birthday World - L. Shriver
11 The Stolen Child - Keith Donohue
12 Moth – James Sallis
13 The Long-Legged Fly – James Sallis
14 The Game of Kings - Dorothy Dunnett
15 The Yiddish Policeman's Union
16 Wintersmith - T. Pratchett
17 Gentlemen and Players - Joanne Harris
18 The Uses of Enchantment - Heidi Julavits
20 Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories (tie) - Eliz. Strout (ER)
20 The Book of Air and Shadows (tie) - Michael Gruber
21The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova
22 Down in the Zero – Andrew Vachss
23 Before the Frost - Henning Mankell
24 Down Here – Andrew Vachss
25 The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
26 The Golden Compass - P. Pullman
27 The Darkest Road - Guy Gavriel Kay
28 The Subtle Knife - P. Pullman
29 Double Fault - Lionel Shriver
30 Equal Rites - T. Pratchett
31 Daywatch - Sergei Lukyanenko
32 The Summer Tree - Guy Gavriel Kay
33 New England White - Stephen L. Carter
34 The Night Watch - Sarah Waters
35 The Bad Seed - William March
36 Mask Market - Andrew Vachss
37 Nightwatch - Sergei Lukyanenko
38 Glass Houses - Jane Haddam
39 The Shadow Year - Jeffrey Ford (ER)
40 Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him - Patricia Marx
41 Shadow Prey – John Sandford
42 The Echo - Minette Walters
43 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty - A. Rice
44 Beauty's Release - Anne Rice
45 Beauty's Punishment - Anne Rice
46 The Wandering Fire - Guy Gavriel Kay
47 The Amber Spyglass - P. Pullman
48 Careless in Red - Eliz. George
49 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
50 New Moon – Stephenie Meyer
51 Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
52 A Man Lay Dead - Ngaio Marsh
53 Beautiful Lies - Lisa Unger*
54 The Fire - Katherine Neville (ER)*

1 Me Talk Pretty One Day - D. Sedaris
2 The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
3 Pressure Is a Privilege – Billie Jean King (ER)
4 ADD and Success - Lynn Weiss
5 The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss - K. Yorio
6 Seven Days to Sex Appeal (ER)*

*Not recommended

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold - John le Carre'. Tight, powerful page turner. A classic.

The Memoirs of Cleopatra. This Margaret George woman is a treasure. I felt like I was there. I felt like I was Cleopatra. I am now inspired to go rule something, appropriate some subjects, something like that. I am not, however, inspired to hang out with asps. To each her own.

A few late additions to the nominations, and (tada!) the winners.

Nominations in toto:
Italics indicate a late nominee

Best Villain (POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT): Uriah Heep - David Copperfield; The Crooked Man - The Book of Lost Things; Rhoda Penmark - The Bad Seed; Assef - The Kite Runner; Julia Snyde - Gentlemen and Players; Rakoth - The Fionavar Tapestry (trilogy); Octavian - The Memoirs of Cleopatra; Mr. Wednesday - American Gods.
WINNER: ASSEF - THE KITE RUNNER

Best Protagonist: David Copperfield; Henry VIII (I know, no fair, right?); Lyra - The Golden Compass et seq.; Van Veen - Ada, or Ardor; Ada Veen - Ada, or Ardor; Burke - the Vachss books; Cleopatra (again, no fair).
WINNER: TIE!: HENRY VIII (for sheer force of personality) and VAN VEEN (for complexity and brilliance of character)

Best Artist New to Me: Lionel Shriver; James Sallis; Terry Pratchett; Sergei Lukyanenko; Neil Gaiman.
WINNER: LIONEL SHRIVER

The Overrater: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time; The Fire - Katherine Neville; Beautiful Lies - Lisa Unger (sorry :-s); and Seven Days to Sex Appeal.
WINNER (LOSER?): SEVEN DAYS TO SEX APPEAL

Tastiest Guilty Pleasure: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer; Sleeping Beauty Series - Anne Rice; Shadow Prey - John Sandford
WINNER: SLEEPING BEAUTY SERIES

Best Representatives of Genre Fiction: The Long-Legged Fly - James Sallis (hardboiled mystery noir); The Golden Compass - Phillip Pullman (YA fantasy); Wintersmith - Terry Pratchett (fantasy); Beauty's Release - Anne Rice (erotica); The Spy Who Came In from the Cold - le Carre' (spy fiction)
WINNER: THE GOLDEN COMPASS

Biggest Disappointment Based on Other Works by Same Author, a.k.a. the Slide: Careless in Red - Eliz. George; The Fire - Katherine Neville
WINNER/LOSER: THE FIRE

The Bitter-Maker (a.k.a. the citygirl Narcissist Award, as in "I cannot believe that this got published and yet here I sit agentless and advanceless.
): Seven Days to Sex Appeal; The Fire - Katherine Neville
WINNER/LOSER: SEVEN DAYS TO SEX APPEAL

Best sidekick: Pantalaimon - The Golden Compass et seq.; Hassan - The Kite Runner; Olga - Nightwatch (Lukyanenko); Horace (the cheese) - Wintersmith; The Wee Free Men - Wintersmith; Will Scott - The Game of Kings
WINNER: PANTALAIMON

Book that Everyone Should Read: Ada; The Long-Legged Fly (for the prose and portrait of New Orleans, etc.); David Copperfield; Pale Fire; the Kite Runner (for the portrait of Afghanistan).
WINNER: DAVID COPPERFIELD

The "Whoa...I So Did Not See That Coming": The Post-Birthday World - Lionel Shriver; The Summer Tree - GG Kay; The Kite Runner; Gentlemen and Players - Joanne Harris; American Gods.
WINNER: AMERICAN GODS

Cheesiest Ending: OMG! A WINNER by default: Twilight - Stephenie Meyer.

Most Unreliable Narrator: Pale Fire - Nabokov; Gentlemen and Players - Joanne Harris; The Uses of Enchantment - Heidi Julavits; The Stolen Child(?) - Keith Donohue.
WINNER: PALE FIRE

The Snob (or Books that Make You Feel Like You're Smarter after Having Read Them): Ada; Pale Fire; Pnin - looks like Nabokov's going to win this one; The Historian - because I learned so much Eastern European history. In 2009, I'm going to have to up the Snob Quotient in my reading.
WINNER: ADA

Best Portrayal of an Intimate Relationship (or Three): Ada; The Post-Birthday World - L. Shriver; Double Fault - L. Shriver; The Blind Assassin - M. Atwood; The Long-Legged Fly - James Sallis; Down in the Zero - Andrew Vachss.
WINNER: THE POST-BIRTHDAY WORLD

The Puh-Leeze (or Just How Far Do You Think You Can Suspend My Disbelief?): Twilight; The Fire; Beautiful Lies; The Wandering Fire.
WINNER/LOSER: THE FIRE

The George W (It Started Off Badly and Only Got Worse): The Fire (can you tell how much I hated this book?); Twilight (which did not stop me from reading it or the next in the series - this gives me insight into the whole GWB phenomenon); Beautiful Lies - (totally unraveled in the end); Careless in Red.
WINNER/LOSER: I’ll give you one guess.

AND: New Category: Most Morally Challenging Book: Ada (incestuous love story); The Autobiography of Henry VIII (when you view him as a person rather than an icon, are his actions more justified/justifiable?); Nightwatch and Daywatch - Lukyanenko.
WINNER: DAYWATCH

LOL! Loved both your categories and commentary! Made me go look up some the the titles. I'm going to take your recommendation on Ada (book that everyone should read) Still wondering, what's your 'Best of Show'?

Winner: ?

Final 2008 Rankings

1 Ada - V. Nabokov
2 David Copperfield - C. Dickens
3 Pale Fire - V. Nabokov
4 The Blind Assassin - M. Atwood
5 The Autobiography of Henry VIII - Margaret George
6 Pnin - V. Nabokov
7 American Gods - Neil Gaiman
8 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
9 The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly
10 The Post-Birthday World - L. Shriver
11 The Memoirs of Cleopatra - Margaret George
12 The Stolen Child - Keith Donohue
13 Moth – James Sallis
14 The Long-Legged Fly – James Sallis
15 The Spy Who Came In from the Cold - John le Carre'
16 The Game of Kings - Dorothy Dunnett
17 The Yiddish Policeman's Union - Michael Chabon
18 Wintersmith - T. Pratchett
19 Gentlemen and Players - Joanne Harris
20 The Uses of Enchantment - Heidi Julavits
22 Olive Kitteridge: A life in stories (tie) - Eliz. Strout (ER)
22 The Book of Air and Shadows (tie) - Michael Gruber
23The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova
24 Down in the Zero – Andrew Vachss
25 Before the Frost - Henning Mankell
26 Down Here – Andrew Vachss
27 The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
28 The Golden Compass - P. Pullman
29 The Darkest Road - Guy Gavriel Kay
30 The Subtle Knife - P. Pullman
31 Double Fault - Lionel Shriver
32 Equal Rites - T. Pratchett
33 Daywatch - Sergei Lukyanenko
34 The Summer Tree - Guy Gavriel Kay
35 New England White - Stephen L. Carter
36 The Night Watch - Sarah Waters
37 The Bad Seed - William March
38 Mask Market - Andrew Vachss
39 Nightwatch - Sergei Lukyanenko
40 Glass Houses - Jane Haddam
41 The Shadow Year - Jeffrey Ford (ER)
42 Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him - Patricia Marx
43 Shadow Prey – John Sandford
44 The Echo - Minette Walters
45 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty - A. Rice
46 Beauty's Release - Anne Rice
47 Beauty's Punishment - Anne Rice
48 The Wandering Fire - Guy Gavriel Kay
49 The Amber Spyglass - P. Pullman
50 Careless in Red - Eliz. George
51 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
52 New Moon – Stephenie Meyer
53 Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
54 A Man Lay Dead - Ngaio Marsh
55 Beautiful Lies - Lisa Unger*
56 The Fire - Katherine Neville (ER)*

1 Me Talk Pretty One Day - D. Sedaris
2 The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
3 Pressure Is a Privilege – Billie Jean King (ER)
4 ADD and Success - Lynn Weiss
5 The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss - K. Yorio
6 Seven Days to Sex Appeal (ER)*

*Not recommended

Well, bonniebooks, I guess that' ll have to be Ada :-) I'm really glad you're enjoying my silliness.

Thanks for an entertaining as well as stimulating thread.

I might also add that I bought Pale Fire based on your ongoing listing of 3 Nabokov books in your rankings...

Ohhhh. That makes me smile. See: :-D

I think you'll like it a lot, zenomax; it's quite literary and silly at the same time. And thanks much for your previous input (The George W, etc.)

I loved your thread this year, citygirl. Where are you going next? Are you staying in the 50 challenge?

Sure. the 50 challenge works just fine for me. I don't really care how many books I read in a year. Being able to create this thread has provided an opportunity to journal my reading, which is something I have never done successfully before. And then you can talk to people about the books! And read their threads! Too good.

I'm going to check out your thread when I'm finished typing. I really hope you decide to have an awards show (not-so-subtle hint :-) )

in progress!

2009 thread here.