Julie's 50 for 2008

I came close to 50 this past year, I'm on my 40th right now, and next year I have no doubt I'll reach 50, I'll post in 2008 after I finish each book.

Good luck! I think it is a lot of fun keeping track here, and seeing what other people are reading. It helps me remember more about what I read, too, since I need to think about them to put some comments on each one.

I just finished my first book of 2008, and I have a feeling it will be the best book I read all year.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I'm in awe, it was so good, I'm speechless! I can't even talk about it except to highly recommend it to everyone! It's not what I expected, frankly, I didn't know what to expect from it. I loved reading about Afghanistan and what life was like there and all the emotions this book brought out in me. A powerful, gripping, haunting story of two young boys and how different their lives become after one single event. I loved it! 5/5

If you liked the Kite Runner then be sure to check out A Thousand Splendid Suns by Hosseini. It is just as good...if not better than...Kite Runner. Another beautifully told tale of Afghanistan.

Thanks, A Thousand Splendid Suns is already on my list! Better? Wow!

Just finished two more books:

#2 Beyond the Highland Mist

My first romance of hers, probably the first of many just for some light reading, interspersed between weightier tomes. Not bad, but nothing more than an average time travelver highlander romance, diverting in parts ;)

#3 The Virgin's Lover

The Virgin's Lover wasn't bad, but I liked The Other Boleyn Girl much more. I agree with many reviewers, Elizabeth was just so whiny and spineless throughout this book. I had no sympathy for any of the characters, I didn't even really like any of them, with the exception of William Cecil. Amy was so cloying and pathetic, I did feel sorry for her at the end, though.

3/50

I finally finished

#4 Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

It really took me a long time to get through it! It wasn't bad, but it just wasn't all that compelling a read until the last 100 pages or so.

4/50

#5 Charming the Highlander, I really liked it! Mindless, sexy Scottish highlander romance, with a reverse time travel twist. Highlanders time travel to the backwoods of present-day Maine. Part of a series, this is the first book of it.

Next on the list, The Mauritius Command, another Aubrey/Maturin book by Patrick O'Brian.

5/50

#6 The Mauritius Command - not bad, but not as good as his previous books, but still enjoyable. More Stephen Maturin in this book without Jack. I always love the very last pages of these books, it's always a surprise! :)

6/50

#7 Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter - I really enjoyed this! I didn't think I would, but I did, pure chick-lit fluff, but an enjoyable trendy read. Who hasn't fantasized about having Mr. Darcy fall in love with them?

7/50

#8 I just finished Middlesex, what an excellent book and story. So weird and original, yet heartwarming too. I enjoyed it very much!

8/50

#9 Quick read, just finished To Tame a Highland Warrior another one by Karen Marie Moning. I'm gradually getting more and more into these Highland romances! LOL! I can't help it!

#10 Wizard and Glass by Stephen King, book 4 of the Dark Tower books. I fly through these books, this one was Roland's story, and a good one! I'm fascinated with the people and life of Mid-World, trying to figure it all out and anticipate what will happen in the next book. I started reading these books when they first came out, but never read past Book 3. I re-read them and this book was all new to me. I'm not very much into the series. A nice departure from the many romances I've been reading.

10/50

#11 Highlander Untamed, by Monica McCarty a steamy Highlander romance, I read it in one day, better than I expected!

11/50

Have you read Sharon McCrumb's series with the Southern, female, forensic anthropologist who gets engaged to a Scottish laird and marries him in a great Southern wedding along the way. They are murder mysteries, very funny, and different.

#15 No, I've never heard of it, thanks for the tip!

#12 When Christ and His Saints Slept, see review.

12/50

#13 Kilgannon by Kathleen Givens So, so Scottish Highlander romance, started out well, but the 2nd half fizzled. Still, the sequel sounds promising.

13/50

#14 The Poet of Loch Ness by Brian Jay Corrigan. A bittersweet modern story set amidst the beauty of Loch Ness. Well written and thoughtful.

#15 The Bride by Julie Garwood. I loved this book - a cut above the usual Highland romance, very enjoyable read, I read it in one day. For once it wasn't filled with a ton of angst at the end that goes on for 50 pages where the heroine is kidnapped and the hero has to rescue her. Same old, same old. There was some tension there at the end, but bearable. I really loved the relationship between Alec and Jamie and how they interacted. One minute they're at loggerheads with each other, the next they're just plain into each other - fun read!

#16 A Man in a Kilt by Sandy Blair. Another Scottish romance that I loved! That makes 2 this weekend that I read each in one day - just my kind of weekend! LOL! This one had a time travel element in it which was pretty funny and I liked the heroine, except she was so hung up on wearing make up, I wish the author had changed things in regard to that, but otherwise a really fun story with sort of a "Ghost and Mrs. Muir" feel to it in some parts. Another steamy fun read!

16/50

#17 The Eyre Affair. I liked it, it was okay, but I expected there to be more of Jane Eyre in it, that part of the plot really didn't kick in until the last 1/3 of the book.

#18 A Knight in Shining Armor, I thought this was going to be much better. I'd heard so many rave reviews, a time travel romance. I guess this was one of the first, where a knight comes to the 20th century and then those back to his time in the 1500's, and then the girl he meets and loves winds up following him back to his time. I guess I've just already so many other books like this since this one was written, that this one just didn't really thrill me. Oh well, I think I'm becoming jaded over these time travel romances! LOL!

18/50

#19 Reflections in the Nile by J. Suzanne Frank. I really got into this book. A time travel story, not unlike Diana Gabaldon's Outlander (but not as good, in my opinion - but close!) set in ancient Egypt with some of the Bible's Exodus thrown in for good measure. I found it vivid and engrossing. Well done, and will definitely read the rest of the series. See review.

19/50

#20 The Wedding by Julie Garwood. Another highlander romance, a fun read, sequel to The Bride. It wasn't quite as good as the first, but I still really enjoyed it.

20/50

#21 Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. Delightful, one of Austen's best. Catherine Morland is adorable and Tilney is irresistible! One of my favorite Austen gentlemen! A must read, I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to reading it!

21/50

#22 My Devilish Scotsman by Jen Holling. Okay Scottish Highlander romance 2nd in the trilogy of Scottish witches. The usual predictable ending, ho hum, not the best I've read, but it was diverting at moments.

22/50

#23 Shadows on the Aegean by Suzanne Frank. 2nd in her time-travel romantic historical fiction series of Chloe and Cheftu. This one wasn't bad, I sped throught it, but I liked the first in the series, Reflections in the Nile better. Still, I found it interesting reading about the culture of the Aztlans (Minoa/Atlantis) and reading of the eventual destruction of the islands with volcanos erupting and the macabre rituals the people went through - along with a bit of early Olympics and mythology. The relationship between Chloe and Cheftu did not seem as intense in this one. Still, I want to keep reading the rest of the series.

23/50

#24 The Pride of Lions by Marsha Canham. This wasn't bad, an historical romance leading up to the Stuart uprising in 1746 Scotland. I must admit, throughout the book I found many similarities to Gone With the Wind (I have a feeling the author was a big fan of it, instead of the Civil War she has subsituted Culloden) and then I also couldn't help noticing a number of plot similarities to Outlander (although this book was written before it), though Outlander is by far the better book. Still, I enjoyed this book and her battle descriptions were vivid and riveting. Looking forward to the sequel.

24/50

#25 Enchantment This was okay, not bad, but didn't grab me. A time travel story set mostly in Russia around the year 900. Based on old Russian folk tales and Sleeping Beauty. See Review

25/50

More than half way there!

#26 Blood of Roses by Marsha Canham. More than just a romance between Alex and Catherine Cameron, this faithfully goes over the events leading up to the Battle of Culloden, the battle itself, and the aftermath. The author is very good with her battle and fighting descriptions, which I like. I found it engrossing and hard to put down, much better than the first book in this series, The Pride of Lions. I found a lot of similarities in this book to Dragonfly in Amber (2nd in the Outlander Series that leads up to Culloden.) I recommend these books for die hard Outlander fans that are looking for something to tide them over until DG's next book comes out. These books were written before DG's, it's interesting to compare them. Not as good as Outlander but they're not bad.

#27 I just finished The Bronze Horseman - I loved it and now I've got to get my hands on the next one Tatiana and Alexander - eek! This was set in Russia, primarily Leningrad at the outbreak of WWII against Hitler. The story of Tatiana and Alexander and their love that begins at a bus stop eating ice cream. Memorable and moving - I can't wait to read the next book to see what happens! This was recommened to me by many here on LT who were Outlander fans - thanks so much for the suggestion! See review.

27/75

#28 Highlander Unmasked: A Novel by Monica Mccarty. Another Scottish Highlander romance. Somewhat mindless, light reading, read it in one day.

28/50

I'm going to add The Bronze Horseman to my ever growing TBR. This book sounds great and I love the Outlander series.

You won't regret it, it's a great book and sucks you in as does Outlander. It's not as good as DG, but close, even though the time and place is completely different.

#29 The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. I really enjoyed this book and it was much better than i was led to believe. I could barely put the book down. Although I know much of it was conjecture, I found her early life fascinating. This book centers on her life once she went to England and her first marriage to Arthur up to her first few years of marriage to Henry. Very much the daughter of Isabella of Castille. Review

29/50

#30 Loving the Highlander by Janet Chapman. A reverse time traveler Highlander romance set in the backwoods of Maine. 2nd in the series. This one was okay, it had it's moments early on in the book, but not as good as the first, in my opinion. See Review.

30/50

#31 Time and Again by Jack Finney. A time traveler novel that I really enjoyed. Si Morley joins a secret gov't. project that send him back in time to the early 1880's in NYC. From there he unravels a mystery that is very cleverly solved. I was caught up in the book all the way to the bittersweet and touching ending. Looking foward to the sequel.

31/50

#32 Smuggler's Bride by Darlene Marshall - Loved this book! I didn't think I'd like it all that much, since her first book Pirate's Price didn't really grab me, but this was much better and entertaining. Review

4/5

#33 The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory - So-so, didn't really like it all that much. I thought her previous Tudor books were much better. I barely liked a single character in this one! Review

2.5/5

33/50

#34 - Quick read, A Highlander for Christmas by Sandy Blair. Cute reverse highlander story set in modern day Boston. A 200 year old handsome Highlander winds up in young woman's bedroom and the excitement begins. Funny at times, he's constantly getting into trouble with the police - read it in one day.

3.5/5

34/50

#35 Another quick read, I love long weekends! Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Excellent story, I really enjoyed reading about this whole new world of the circus, which I had no knowlege of. Great read! Review

4.5/5

35/50

#36 A Rogue in a Kilt by Sandy Blair. I was disappointed in this one, it wasn't nearly as good as her 1st in this Kilt series. I hear the 3rd is better. This was a highlander romance that seemed very dull to me. See review

2/5

36/50

#37 Tatiana and Alexander by Paullina Simons. Not as good as The Bronze Horseman, but I still loved it and devoured it in two days. Very exciting when she's in Germany. The book was not what I expected, I did not realize they would be separated for almost the entire book, which kept me reading and reading until I finished it. I'm very intrigued about what the third, The Summer Garden will be like. Full review.

4/5

37/50

#38 The Secret by Julie Garwood, I love her Scottish medievals. Full review. 4/5

38/50

#39 Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon. I was really disappointed in this collection - the weakest of all her Lord John books. Full review. 3/5

39/50

In general, what is your opinion of the Lord John series? I don't plan to start them until after I finish the Outlander books (I started DoA early this week, but haven't picked it up since), but I've heard mixed things.

#46 shootingstarr7 - I think the series is weak as a whole and Lord John doesn't have the charisma to carry off a series of his own. Her writing style is not suited to short, concise plotlines so these books miss the mark - the plots of convoluted and hard to follow. The best parts of the series is when Jamie Fraser is referenced. The books aren't bad, but they're just not very interesting. Read them in chronological order, starting with Lord John and the Private Matter I wrote my whole opinion of the series and it's pitfalls in my full review at my blog.

#40 Highland Fling by Tess Mallory. This book just hurt my head reading it! Some sexy hero - he's throwing up everywhere in the book everytime he kissed the heroine! It was laughable. See my scathing review.

2/5

40/50

edited to fix touchtones

C'è qualche italiano/a per conversare di letteratura, autori?????
Ciao.

#41 A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Very, very depressing book about the hardships and freindship between two women in war-torn Afghanistan. I liked his first one much more. For some reason I was not as emotionally involved in this one as I was with The Kite Runner. Time for something light and frothy now! Full review 3.5/5

41/50

#49 - elisir75 - sorry I don't understand Italian!

#42 Desperately Seeking a Duke by Celeste Bradley - my first Regency Romance in a long, long time, spicy and delightful, just what I needed after the previous selection - great fun and I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series. 3.5/5 Full Review

42/50

#43 Gods Behaving Badly, by Marie Phillips a delicious entertaining satire, I enjoyed it immensely, read it in one day! 4/5 My review

43/50

#44 My Shadow Warrior, by Jen Holling Third in a romance trilogy about three sisters who are witches in the Scottish Highlands in the 16th century. This was the best of them, and much better than I expected. 3.5/5 Full Review

44/50

#45 Losing It: and gaining my life back one pound at a time by Valerie Bertinelli Suprisingly good rock autobiography. Nothing too outlandish or gossipy. Bertinelli, actress, married Eddie Van Halen and gained a lot of weight. She comes across as suprisingly normal considering the life she's led. This was a book that motivated me to finally do something myself about dieting - I devoured it in a day, quick, candid read. 3.5/5 Full review

45/50

#46 I just finished my first Lisa Kleypas book, Again the Magic and I loved it! My gushing review I've found a new author to love!

5/5

#47 The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman. Not bad, not great. Non-fiction account of a couple in Warsaw that owned a zoo and helped spirit Jews to safety from the Warsaw Ghetto during the German occupation. 3.5/5 My full review

47/50

#48 Master of Desire by Kinley MacGregor. My first by this author, an English medievel romance - I liked it! 4/5 Full Review

48/50

#49 The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Very thoughtful and clever mystery - had me convinced I knew what was going on, and then over and over I was surprised how wrong I was - sort of a slow beginning, but the 2nd half was hard to put down. Memorable. 4/5 My full review at my book blog

49/50

*drum roll*

#50 The Duke and I by Julia Quinn A fun frothy regency romance with some more serious undercurrents. First of the Bridgerton series, I really liked it! 4/5 My full review

50/50

I've finished my 50 and am now aiming for 100! I'll be posting at my other thread in the 75 Book Challenge community here from now on.