RedBowlingBallRuth - reading challenge '08! =)

Since I've never counted the amount of books I read in one year, I'm not sure what I should set as a goal. But I reckon I'm gonna read about 50, so that's my 'goal' I guess! =)

So far I've read:

1) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
2) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
3) Stardust by Neil Gaiman
4) In The Beginning There Was The Sign by Kristian Kapelrud
5) The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
6) Daggerspell by Kathrine Kerr

7) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

At the rate you're going, 75 is do-able!
Love your user name---what's your average?

Haha, 75, huh? I'll sure do my best! =) Why, thank you! My average book per year, you mean? I don't really know, I've never kept track over my reading like this before, so it'll be exciting to see. =)

No, I meant your BOWLING average. I assumed you have one, given your username.

Haha, I see! No, actually I've only ever gone bowling once in my life, and I wasn't very good at it at all! It's the name of one of my favourite songs. =)

Aww..nobody's good at it after one try! Bowling is a favorite pastime of mine, I'm secretary of my bowling league, and my bowling ball is RED, so I thought I'd discovered the only other bowler on LT!!! There have to be some, but so far they're all staying in the closet.

Good luck with your reading challenge. I still think you can make 75, especially since you don't waste any time at the bowling alley ;>)

i'm a bowler lol--I've found that I usually do pretty well if I pick up a pink bowling ball when I go to the alley, so Ruth, maybe you just need to watch the color you choose....

Haha, I'll give it another shot as I was pursuated to join some friends bowling next week. Hopefully it'll go better than last time! Don't get me wrong, it was alot of fun, it's just something I, for some reason, never get around to doing. Whitewavedarling, perhaps I've just picked the wrong coloured ball? =D I'm going to try a pink one, aswell as a red one! =)

8) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

9) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I really enjoyed this book, it was very moving and disturbing at the same time. I also learned quite a bit about the difficulties that occur when cultures clash.

10) The Omen by David Seltzer

This was an in-between-books-book, of which I liked. It was quick, easy and entertaining enough. Not something I would usually read; I'm a bit of a baby when it comes to horror (especially when it comes to horror movies!). All in all it was a OK+ book.

11) High Fidelity byNick Hornby

A fun and easy read. High Fidelity is one of my favourite movies, I had to read the book it's based upon!

12) Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

What a good book! Great storyline and loveable characters, what more could you ask for? Robert stumbles upon a London hidden from most people; London Below. Filled with monsters, mysteries and weird creatures, this is not a place for the unprepard ones.

13) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

One word; great. =)

14) In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

This isn't exactly what I typically read, so I wasn't quite sure how I would feel about it. It started out kind of slow, but eventually as I read on the story really grabbed me. Capote managed to show the human behind the murderers and really make me understand how this crime affected the small society of Holcomb, Kansas.

15) The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Wow, that was 1076 pages of pure reading plesure! It might not be the best written book out there, bit it sure managed to grab my attention and is a real page-turner. Follett potraied the most basic of human emotions; love, hate, faith and passion, in a beautiful way. Tom and Jack was my favourite characters, and by far I hated William the most (I guess that was the point!). And, oh boy did that character manage to piss me off! Such an cruel and evil sonofabitch, he most certainly deserved every miserable thing that ever happened to him, especially how his life ended. Great book.

16) The Road by Cormac McCarthy

It took a while to get used to the style of writing; a weird mixture really short and really long sentences with no in between, but when I did I really started to warm up to the story. The story shows in a very brutal way the means of wich human beings will do in order to survive and how it's important to never give up, but to keep going despite all odds. We find the main characters, a father and his young son, in a world very much diffrent from the one we know, trying simply to survive in the hostile end-of-the-world scene the earth has become due to some unknown cause we are not given in the book. This raw, dark and frightening book is definitively the most thought provoking book I've read so far this year.

17) About A Boy by Nick Hornby

I needed something lighter to read after reading two very emotional draining books lately (The Pillars of the Earth and The Road). Hornby's got a way of expressing himself that I find amusing, and he manages to, despite writing about a very serious topic; suicide, make me smile and even laugh at times. I also really enjoy the characters in this book, from Marcus, Will, Ellie and Fiolet.

18) The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King

19) Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

I enjoyed this book quite alot. It had all the important elements of a good read (in my opinion that is); love, friendship, heaps of conflicts, all sorts of animals (I really love animals) and revenge. I really enjoyed seeing what goes on behind the scenes at the circus, and I feel like I learned some new things. The animal abuse in this book really broke my heart! It really kills me reading about abuse against helpless animals. The way the author managed to portray Rosie in such a way that you really see how animals feel pain, both physical and mental pain, just like us and that they do not forget (least of all elephants!).

On the draw back I found the book a bit flat and one dimentional.

20) Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

This was the first time I've read anyting by Murakami, and I was at first not sure if I liked the way he writes. It grew on me though, and I learned to apreciate it. This was quite a bizarre story! I haven't quite figured it out yet, not wrapped my mind around it completely just yet. I enjoyed it though, despite the fact that I found it a long read.

21) The Shining by Stephen King

This was a reread I read due to a school related project; to compare the book with the movie adaptations and find/discuss diffrences and such. And then to hold a 20 min presentation(yikes!) in fromt of the entire class (double-yikes!). I didn't like the book the second (or is it third?) time around, as much as I did the first. Perhaps it was the mere fact that I HAD to read it, and didn't read it out of pleasure? I don't know. Anyway, it's truly a horrific story in the sense that we have to sit back and simply watch as Jack falls further and further into madness. He tries to figh it, but in the end he can not. Oh, and poor Danny! Having the knowledge of it all happening, but not being able to keep it from happening. Aiaiai.

Overall a good book, not great, but good.

22) Night by Elie Wiesel

Wow. This was a very moving, important and disturbing read. This is the first book I've read about WW2/Auschwitz, despite it being something I've always been interested in, fascinated as well as deeply disturbed by. I had mixed feelings towards it; the feeling of not be able to put it down and the wish to stop reading to escape the truth of the cruelty and evilness of mankind. Chilling is the word I'd use to describe this important novel.

23) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

So far this has been on of the best books I've read this year. The scary thing about this book, is that I can actually picture some of this happening, perhaps not everything and in the same scale, but still it's not impossible. I love the way Atwood sort of braided the past and the present together, and it was truly well written. I most surely will read more from this author.

24) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

25) Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

I enjoyed this one very much! I found myself laughing, often when in situations I really shouldn't, like when sitting alone in public! Defintitively a fun and easy read, and I'm most certainly going to check out Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason too.

26) 100 Strokes of the Brush Before Bed by Melissa Panarello

Hmm, I didn't really like this one to be honest. It wasn't directly horrible but pretty bad; simply not the greatest of writing, combined with lack of actual story. This girl doesn't get much of my sympathy, she brought all of these problems unto herself. The story redeemed itself slightly due to the ending, but only because I'm a sucker for some true love.

27) Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann

A very intersting read. I much enjoy books with elements of history involved, so this book turned out to be perfect in that regard. I had never heard about either Humboldt nor Geiss (stupid school!), but now I'm really interested in learning more about them both. Inetersting and fascinating.

28) Lord of the Flies by William Golding

I liked this one! I've heard alot about this book, and seen refrences to it many a places, and I just now managed to track one down (!) and actually read it. I'm glad I did. After reading this I appreciate the laws, as well as the norms and rules of societies and their importance. Yet another book that managed to make me cry; the scene where the children hunted the mother pig, it broke my heart!

29) Atonement by Ian McEwan

I adored this book! I've never read anything by McEwan before, and I must say that I love his style and manner of writing. What a sad and heartbreaking story! The ending both made me smile as well as tear up a little.
This will definetively be one of this years best reads, I can that already.

30) The World According to Garp by John Irving

I have only ever read one other Irving book and that was The Fourth Hand, which I did not like. Therefor I was hesitant to read another one, but decided to give him one more shot since I've heard many great things about this novel. I'm glad I did. I really liked the start; the whole story of how Garp came to be. It then hit a dry patch where I was contenplating in the back of my mind wether or not I should continue, I did and it quickly picked up and became great. The book is very interestingly written, with some very loveable characters and a fascinating plot. Thumbs up!

31) Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding

Haha, what a fun read! I enjoyed this one immensly, 'cause it's just so darn entertaining! I love Bridget, with flaws and all, and I can definitivey relate. My favourite part was where Bridget interviewed Colin Firth; I was laughing so hard tears started running down my cheeks. Comedic gold, right there!

32) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

A interestingly written book, with a unexpected narrator. This book showed me an entirely diffrent way of viewing and preciving the world, as well as a new way of thinking. All the typos in the letters to Cristopher got on my nerves though, but I'm just a bit anal when it comes to grammar and such.

33) Saturday by Ian McEwan

Not nearly as good as Atonement (but then again not so strange, since that would be nearly impossible), but still a good read. A bit slow to start with, but picks up after a while. I loved reading about the family and how strong the bonds between them all were, especially the bond between Henry and his wife. Some of the illnesses in this novel made me sad; dementia/alzheimers and Huntingtons disorder, but at the same time gave me a great feeling of gratitude both towards my health and the health of my loved ones.

re # 31 - I loved the Bridget Jones books. Have you seen the movie version of The Edge of Reason? Obviously, they can't include the scene where Bridget interviews Colin Firth because Colin Firth is Mark Darcy, but in the special features on the DVD there is a "Bridget interviewing Colin Firth" bit and it is hilarious. Renee Zellweger is dead on as Bridget, and Colin Firth keeps trying not to laugh. It's great. He's adorable.

No I haven't yet, but I really want to. I was wondering how they'd get that to work, and concluded with that they must have left that out of the movie. Aw, I didn't know that. I'm definetively going to check it out, it sounds hilarious! Colin Firth sure is a cutiepie, and him trying not to laugh sounds too adorable! Thanks for the tip!

34) 1984 by George Orwell

I've been meaning to read this one for quite some time now, but only got around to it now. Such a sad and depressing tale, and a frightning one at that! I must admit; It's made me a bit paranoid.. Overall a great, very interesting and thoughtprovocing read.

We share similar interest in books (I own or have read many of the books you've mentioned) and my first name is Ruth. (I love that song by the White Stripes!)

I just finished 1984 not too long ago -- my second read -- and loved it. It didn't resonate much for me when I read it in high school, but reading it post-9/11, it's very frightening indeed.

Hi, Ruth! Wow, a fellow candy caner! That's awesome. I love meeting people with similar taste in books! =)

The scary thing about 1984 is how easily I can see many of the things described by Orwell actually happen, and that much of what he forsaw has already happened, to some degree.

35) Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Yet another book with a historical touch to it, just the way I like it. I enjoyed this one! In my mind I somehow picture Vermeer looking like Johnny Depp, in which case I can't really blame Griet from having a crush on him, in fact I nearly had a crush on him myself! All dark and mysterious, what's not to love? I really felt for Griet, being put in all these difficult situations, being torn between two men, and between her job and her family.

36) The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

Hmm, this book was alot fluffier than I had expected. It's a cute story nontheless, which got me teary eyed quite a few times, I must admit. Not really my cup o' tea, but a quick and easy read.

#35 In the movie, it was Colin Firth who played Vermeer. Pretty crush-worthy also.

Aw, now I really must watch it! I wanted to, but one of my girlfriends told me it was really disappointing and not worth watching, so it ended up way back in my to be watched list. It just got bumped up; Colin Firth is totally crush-worthy! =)

37) The Invisible Wall:a love story that broke barriers by Harry Bernstein

A very enjoyable read. This non-firctional tale of a little jewish boy growing up in a society divided by faith is very sad in a way but also quite inspirational. The fact that its got a little bit of love thrown in there made me like it even more. =)

38) Gone With the Wind by Margareth Mitchell

Ok, I simply loved this one! It's one of those books that captures every single emotion you can imagine; love, rage, jealousy, pride, desire, despair, desperation, tenderness, hurtfullness.. You name it, it's got it.

The main character, Scarlett O'Hara, isn't your usual leading lady. She can, on one side, be the most beautiful, charming and charismatic girl you've ever met.. if she wants to, and if it's something for her to gain on it. Driven by an obesession of never feeling hungry ever again, she does every thing in her power to gain what she conciders to be the one most important thing in the world; money. Without money you are nothing. Scarlett, to me, is one of those charcters you're never really sure if you like or dislike. One minute your on her side, rooting her on, then she does something awful, yet again, that makes you shake your head in disbelief and almost hate her a little bit. Same goes for another main character, the charming and frightening Rhett Butler. Some of the things he says and does really made my blood boil, and I found myself, despite wanting to, oddly charmed by this brutal, yet lovable, character.

Gone With the Wind taught me several things I did not know, esepcially about the Civil War. (Being a Norwagian, I haven't learned all that much about this war at school, simply the bare basics; who fought who and over what, and who eventually won). The fact that Klu Klux Klan originally was founded by fathers, brothers and sons wanting to protect their women, from the newly freed slaves that were now above that law, and could do pretty much anything and get away with it, I find very facsintaing, indeed! I do not, however in any way support what they did, and still do to this day, but I can understand why it all started.

Anyway, I loved this book so much simply beacuse you never knew what was going to happen next. It kept me in suspense all the way to the very bitter end, which (surprise, surprise!), made me cry. Whenever I was not reading it, my thoughts kept creeping back to it, wondering and pondering what was next to happen.

A+

I'm very interested in your reaction to Gone With the Wind. I've read it at least 3 times, but it has really fallen out of favor these days, primarily because of the portrayal of the black people in it, and the "glorification" of the ante-bellum South and the Confederate cause. It is definitely more a romance than an accurate portrayal of the history in which it's set, but it is such a sweeping story that it really does catch you up. I don't think modern readers give enough credit to the complexity of Scarlet's character, which you have pointed out. The formation and evolution of the Ku Klux Klan is a deep and complicated subject as well, and I wouldn't take Ms. Mitchell's description of its beginnings as a full explanation. Although I haven't read the book in many years, I do remember it fondly, and wonder if I would feel quite differently about it if I were to re-read it now when I've learned so much more about the history.

Thank you for taking the time to comment, I really enjoy reading other people's opinions! =)

I can see how some people might not like the book due to, as you said, how it portrays the issue of the war and slavery in a way that favours the South as much as it does. I, however, believe that’s it’s important to see it from the point of view of both parts. I have always, without a shadow of a doubt, supported the north. Slavery is barbarous and should be banned, that much’s for sure, and that’s all I’ve ever really thought about. I’ve always heard these horror stories of slaves being whipped, burned, tortured and so on, and thought that was how it was for all slaves. Now I see that it may not be like this for all. Still, no one has the right to owning another human being, or can ever be more or less worth than anybody else, and that right there is reason enough for slavery to be banned.

I take everything I read with a grain of salt, including Mitchell’s take on the origin of the Ku Klux Klan, I just thought it was interesting, since I’ve always assumed that it was founded on racial hate alone. I think I might have to seek out some books on the subject of the civil war, as I’ve always found it very interesting!

Scarlett may very well be the most intriguing and complex character I’ve come across thus far in my time of reading. She’s revolutionary in many ways, she breaks with the norm by not depending on a man, earning her own money, not caring (well, not too much) of what others think of her. These are all things I admire about her. Something I found especially interesting and refreshing was Scarlett’s feelings and stands towards childrearing. A woman that chooses not to bear children are classified as cold and selfish. Of course woman want children, after all that’s why they where put on earth in the first place! However, I didn’t like how she more or less neglected her children; that was quite unpleasant to read really.

I think I would view the book differently if I’d known more about the history prior to reading it. I will definitively read it again some day, hopefully with more knowledge about the war and the problems that arose in the aftermath.

Sorry, I didn’t mean for the post to turn out this long, I just got a little carried away! =)

39) The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier

A quick and easy read. Not as good as Girl With a Pearl Earring, but still good. I found it interesting to see how Alienor, being born into this world blind, experiences life and deals with her disability. I did not care for Nicolas des Innocentes, the main character in a way, which is never a good sign. Overall I thought it was an alright book.

40) Diary of a Bad Year by J. M. Coetzee

Hmm, not quite sure what I feel towards this one, really. It was very interestingly and cleverly written; each page divided into three parts, one part containing the essay written by JC, one part where we can read his comments and the last part the comments and story of Anya, the youg woman CJ employs to type his notes into a computer, and her partner Alan. By doing so the author gives us three diffrent stories, which I liked. However, I often found the essay parts of the book to be quite dry and boring, with few exceptions.

41) The Alchemist bt Paulo Coelho

I enjoyed this one. I thought it to be beautifully written, with some important lessons, such as alway listen to your heart, follow your own story and that you are the one that controlls your own destiny. It wasn't life altering, as the blurb on the pack of the book suggested, but a good book nonetheless.

42) The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Wow, great book. The story really grabbed me and pulled me in from the very first page. With heaps of intersting characters and mindboggling twists and turns, it really is a pageturner. I can fully relate to Margaret, the main character, regarding her feelings towards books. A slightly cheesy ending, in my opinion, when it comes to Margaret.

43) Emma by Jane Austen

A very good book. I really liked Emma's character, and totally adored Mr. Knightley. I really enjoy Austen's writingstyle, though it on occation it can be a bit tedious. I liked this one, since I love me a happy ending. =)

Emma is one of my favorites. I love the relationship between Emma and Mr. Knightley -- he's not afraid to tell her what he thinks when he disagrees with her, but he always does it in a loving manner.

The Thirteenth Tale is high on my wish list, and I got The Girl with the Pearl Earring for my birthday. I'm even more excited about both of them after reading your reviews.

Haha, I'm such a girl; I was totally aw-ing and sighing every time they had a conversations through the entire book! He seems like such a sweetheart.

Ooh, I think you'll love them both, especially The Thirteenth Tale! Happy reading! ;)

44) The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

Ever since I was a little girl I've been utterly fascinated by the tragic tale of the poor creature, Quasimodo, who's a prisoner in the safety and loneliness of the Notre Dame Cathedral. This was of course the Diney version, in wich everything turns out alright, and they live happily ever after. Despite never having watched the actual Diney movie, I owned (and still do, somewhere!) one of those casetts with the book that follows, which I absolutely loved and listend to several times a day. I still know most of the word by heart.

Victor Hugo's original version however is a far darker one, where things does not end all rosey red and wonderful. It took me a couple of pages before the story grabbed me, but when it did it was hard putting the book down. Such a sad and hertbreaking story! The ending really did kill me, I got all teary-eyed. Overall, I found it great!

45) Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Oh, I really enjoyed this one! A real page turner. So many great characters, I really sympathized with the main character and really felt for and with her. I had a hard time putting it down, 'cause I simply needed to know how it was all going to turn out! A great read I highly reccomend.

Since the library's closed (Nooo! =( ) I thought I'd use this as a oppurtunity to chip away at the TBR pile. So first up is..

46) Lisey's Story by Stephen King

I enjoyed this one alot more than I'd, for some reason, thought I would. In fact I kinda loved it. It's been a long time since I've read any King, or I did read The Eyes of the Dragon in March but that doesn't count as it wasn't the typical horror-King I'm used to. I had forgotten how much I enjoy reading his books. Anyway, Lisey's Story is simply a love story wrapped up and disguised as a horror novel. Here we meet Lisey, the widow of author Scott Landon, who's dealing with the memories of the life she shared with her late husband. Of course, in true King style, there's also a lunatic stalker, a mentelly ill sister, a parallell universe, a tall boy and and the dark, haunting past of Scott, thrown into the mix.

It's also a truly sad tale, reading Lisey grieving the loss of her life partner. I cried. Twice. At least. (Such a baby.)

47) A Million Little Pieces by James Fray

This was by no means what I consider great litterature, but I enjoyed it nontheless. I found myself not able to really relate -thank god- since I've never experienced addiction (except, you know, for books and chocolate). It gave me more insight into how hard addictions really are, and how living with one is truly torture, both for the addicted and their family and friends. One of my family members is struggling with alcohol problems, and I now feel that I know more of what she is going through, and am now able to understand it a little bit better, and for this I'm grateful.

At first I only thought it to be alright, but as I read further and the relationship between James and Lilly unfolded I started enjoying it more. Overall, a good read.

48) Coraline by Neil Gaiman

After the fiasco that was A Very Long Engagement, which I abandoned after about 100 pages, I needed something light and easy to read; thus Coraline. Thsi was a very fast read, short and sweet. However, I found it to be a bit too light, like a children's book. The story was cute, and I did like it.

49) Scarlett by Alexandra Ripely

I saw that this book has gotten many a poor reviews and one stars here on LT, and I thus didn't expect much from it. After reading, and absolutely loving, Gone with the Wind,I was very discontent with the ending. Rhett and Scarlett belong together, everybody knows that! I cried quite a bit at the ending and found myself needing to know how things works out between Rhett and Scarlett. This book provided me with the closure I needed, although in a pretty poorly written way. I loved this book the way I love trashy TV soapophras like Days of Our Lives, sure it's overdramatic and at times pure stupitity, but it's also very addicting and one (or, me atleast) must know what's next to happen. I know I shouldn't enjoy it, but I do. It's my little guilty pleasure. Even with badly written paragraphs, overly dramatic twists and turns and some very cheesy and harlequin-esque scenes, I loved it because, finally, things turned out the way I wanted it to!

Yay! Book number 50! =D

50) Ines of my soul by Isabel Allende

This has been the best book I've read in a while; I really enjoyed this book! It's very well written and covers a very interesting topic. The book tells the story of the conquest of Chile and the founding of the city of Sandiago. We are told the story through Ines Suarez, the lover of Pedro de Valdivia, the governour of the newly formed society. It's presented as her memoirs, written to her daughter Isabel, on her deathbed. I'm happy this was my 50th book. I reccomend this book to everyone who enjoys historical fiction.

51) The Hours by Michael Cunningham

Hmm, I don't know what to feel about this book. I liked it, but I didn't fully get and understand it. Perhaps this is one of those books that needs a reread? I doubt I'll ever do that though. The book tells the story of three women (one of them being Virginia Woolf), all struggling with suicide in one form or another. There's so many things we are not told, that are only being hinted at, that I didn't quite manage to figure out on my own. Overall, I liked it ok.

Have you read Mrs. Dalloway? Because I think that helps you to "get" The Hours

No, but I definitively want to read it after reading The Hours. Yeah, I think that might help too. I must admit, I don't get why it's on the 1001 list. =)

52) Good Bones and Simple Murders by Margaret Atwood

This collection of short (very short!) stories, I found, first of all to be, very well written, as always from Atwood. Some of the shrt stories were good, some alright, while others great. They are all well written, witty and interesting. A good, quick read.

53) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This is one of those books I've always wanted to read, but never gotten around to. Finally I did! This was a very quick and interesting read. Jay Gatsby is such a interesting character, and I really wish we were told more about him in the book. All in all; a good read.

54) My Invented Country by Isabel Allende

I loved this book. It's a beautifully written homage to Chile, Isabel Allende's homecountry, filled with history, culture, memories, memorable characters and random thoughts and opinions. Allende is quickly becoming a favourite author of mine.

55) Forrest Gump by Winston Groom

Forrest Gump is one of my all time favorite movies, so my expections for this book were high. Perhaps too high, 'cause they weren't met. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad. I quite enjoyed up untill the whole NASA/lost in the rainforrest with hostile natives-bit. There Groom took it a step to far, in my opinion, and it went from cute and funny to stupid. It picked up towards the end, though. This is one of the few cases were the movie is actually better than the book!

56) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

This is such a dark and tragic tale! Filled with forbidden love, revenge, hate, jelousy, cruelty and deep and complex characters, it really drags you right in. Heathcliff must be the ultimate badboy! He's dark, dangerous, ruggedly handsome (that's how I pictured him, anyway), a passionate lover, but also hates with a passion. Perhaps also a bit phsycotic, but that just adds to his charm. =) Seriousily though, at times I really sympatized with him, but more often he scared me with his acts of cruelty. Truly a fascinating character.

I loved this book so much, only wished there to be more love, and not soo much dark hate and hopelessness.

57) Gutten Som Ville Være en av Gutta (not translated to English as far as I know, but if it had been, it'd be something like "The Boy Who Wanted to be one of the Boys") by Lars Saabye Christensen

This book is part of a project I have to do for school, were I have to read three works of fiction by Norwegian authors. We have to make a presentation and present either a author study (this is if you chosen three books by the same author) or the theme the three books you've read have in common. Somehow I ended up with 'growing up' as my theme, which was nearly insisted upon by my teacher, along with reading this book.

When I started reading this book, I wasn't looking forward to it at all, and simply wanted to be done with it so I could move on with books I actually wanted to read. However as it turns out, it wasn't that bad. Otto, the main character, is very symapthizeable (is that even a word?). Ottos' greatest dream is to play for the soccer team Frigg, and does everything in his power to do so. His perfect little world falls to pieces though, when his father has a accident at work and becomes lame in both legs. He is now unable to work, and his feelings of bitterness and uselessness only increases when his wife is forced to work to keep the family alive. Eventually Otto's dream does come true, although not in the way he had imagined it.

This story has it dark moments, when it seems like things aren't going to be alright after all, but there's always a ray of hope just around the next corner. I like that. =)

A cute and quick story, alot deeper than it might seem at first glance.

58) Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

This is the second book of my project, I haven't ddecided on number three yet, though.

I loved this book so much more than the latter I read. In this beautifully written book we meet 67 year old Trond who, after the death of his wife, moves to a secluded cabin to lead a simple and quiet life for the time he's got left. He's starting to feel the weight of time on his shoulders, and knows he hasn't got that much time left here on earth. When a familiar person from his past turns up, Trond is forced to remember the summer of 1948, the summer that shaped him and his entire life and made him the man he is to this day.

A lovely, simple and thoughtful book that reads almost like a memoir.

59) Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen

I know this is a play, but I thought I might as well include it. I read this for school and quite enjoyed it.

Mrs. Alving is a widow whose son, Osvald, is back home after spending two years painting in Paris. When he arrives home he's sick, with syfilis, and soon decides he wants to marry Regine, the housemaid. What neither of them know, however, is that they're actually halvsiblings! Uh-oh. This combined with the past of the clearly devilish Mr. Alving, the mystery of the burned down asylum, and the tragic effects of disease and the hard desisions this leads to, makes this a very interesting and fascinating read.

This play was actually first shown in Chicago in 1882, which I find interesting; being a Norwgian play and all. My first Ibsen, and I must say I'm pleasantly surprised.

60) My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

When I found this bookat a fleemarked I couldn't pass it up, and I'm glad I didn't. Du Maurier always manage to kep me on my toes, and never quite knowing what's going to happen next. I kept asking my self; what really going on with Rachel? Who's right?
A book filled with suspense to the very, unexpected but perfect, end.

My Cousin Rachel is one of my favorites. I've heard many good things about Out Stealing Horses, so I know I'm going to have to read that one soon myself.
You're steaming right along, aren't you? Congratulations on hitting the 60 mark!

I greatly enjoyed My Cousin Rachel, but not as much as Rebecca, which I loved. Du Maurier is most certainly an author I must read more of! I really do reccomend Out Stealing Horses, I think you'd enjoy it! Beautifully written.

Thank you! =) I'm surprised by my progress; I wasn't sure I was going to make it to 50 before I started. I'm really enjoying being able to keep track of what I read, only wish I'd thought of it sooner. =)

61) Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

As always with an Austen I enjoyed it. I love the setting of wich her novels are set, and of course the ongoing themes of social structure and etiquette, and, of course, love. However, of the three Austen's I've read I enjoyed this one the least of them. I felt that it was too much focus on Edmund and Mary, and less on what I wanted to read about; Fanny and Edmund. As I was approaching the end of the book I got increasingly worried, the pages were slipping away and I felt that I wasn't getting any nearer to finding out how Edmund and Fanny were going to end up together.

Overall, a very enjoyable read.

62) Eragon by Christoffer Paolini

This book was clearly written by someone who's read alot of fantasy, and it shows. It was also a bit too clichê-filled and predictable. However, I have to give it to him, it's quite a feat writing a book like this at age 15! Despite all of this I did enjoy it, and it kept me entertained, which really is what I'm looking for in a book. Not too sure if I'm going to read Eldest, though. Perhaps if I'm at loss of what to read next, I'll pick it up.

63) Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset

64) Duma Key by Stephen King

A very enjoyable read, although not as enjoyable as Lisey's Story.

Here we meet Edgar Freemantle, a man who's survived a horrible construction-site accident which left him one arm short, and with a crushed skull and hip. And if that wasn't bad enough, he's also left by his wife of many years. Damaged in both mind and body, physically and emotionally,and playing with the thought of suicide, he escapes to the warmth and isolation of Duma Key, Florida. Here he unlocks an astonishing talent, a talent that grows greater by the day; painting. But not ordinary painting. Is what he's painting a product of his imagination or are there hidden evil powers that guides his paintbrush, that uses him and his powers to achieve what it itself alone cannot? And what part does the mysterical Elisabeth Eastlake and her sidekick Wireman play part in all of this?

This has been the most suspenseful book I've read in a long time; I had a hard time putting it down and I was sitting on the edge of my seat reading it. I also think this is, for some reason, the scariest King book I've read. I've never been frightened by a book before, but I came darn close with this one! An exciting, inspirering and heartbreaking story.

65) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

I'm problably in the minority here, but I found this book to be just alright. It was just entertaing enough to keep me reading. I don't get what all the fuss is about.

66) The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

Wang Lung is a poor and hardworking farmer, who ends up marrying the slave O-lan. O-lan is exremely hardworking, and loyal and gives her husband three sons (and two daughters, but that's not that important). Depite all of this he doesn't aprreciate her or love her, after all she isn't beautiful. After some struggle Wang Lung ends up a very rich man, and gets blinded by all his new riches.

The first 50-60 pages of so I loved, but then as Wang Lung and his family moved south to beg, it somehow didn't grab me like the first pages did. I also started to dislike Wan Lung, all he ever cared about was making money and how he appears to the people around him. That kind of people really rub me the wrong way, to put it mildly. However it picked itself up again, and towards the end of the book I was once again loving it. Overall, I really enjoyed it.

67) 84, Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff

A cute non-fiction story, consisting of letters between Helen Hanff in New York and the staff and family at Marks and Co, an antique bookshop in London. I thought it to be an okay read.

68) House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

Every time I read anything by Allende I'm blown away. Every time. I just love the way she writes, all of the wonderful characters and of course the beautiful and intricate stories. House of the Spirits was no exception.

69) The Spiderwick Chronicles: the Field Guide by Holly Black

I simply needed something quick and easy, after the somewhat demanding House of the Spirits. This book fit the bill. It was cute. I thought it was an YA book, but it sure didn't read like one. A bit too easy for my taste, but cute nonetheless.

70) The Spiderwick Chronicles: the Seeing Stone by Holly Black

I love the illustrations in these books, so well done and fitting to the t. For some reason I can't not read the next ones in the series. It's not like they're great or terribly exciting.. I just want to know. So the next few reads will be the rest of this series I reckon.

71) The Spiderwick Chronicles: Lucinda's Secret by Holly Black

It's nice and relaxing to read some non-brainer books every now and then.

72) The Spiderwick Chronicles:the Ironwood Tree by Holly Black

73) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Every year around this time I reread the entire HP-series. Partly because it's usually just before the newest release (not this year, unfortunatly), and also because it's approching my birthday, and it's nice to read books you know you love on your birthday, in my opionion.

It doesn't matter how many times I read this book, it still grabs me now as much as it did when I first read it at 9.

How did you like Kristin Lavransdatter? I've been toying with reading it...

Hi, karspeak! =) Overall I enjoyed it, though I found it to be quite tedious. It took me a long time to get through it, but in the end it was worth it. I really loved the story, however the writing wasn't really my cup o' tea and that kinda ruined it a bit for me. Give it a shot! ;)

74) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

I like each book in the series more than the last, because we see the characters grow and develop along with the relationships between them. The Chamber of Secrets is one of my favourites. I love, in a twisted sort of way, the selfloving professor Gilderoy Lockhart. He adds an element of fun to the book and always make me giggle a few times. I also adore poor little Dobby! This book is a bit darker than the first, which I like alot.

75) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

I like how this book is so exciting; you never know what's going to happen next, and who to trust or believe. Not everything is as it seems, and things doesn't unwrap and reveal the truth until the very end.

This is also the book where my two favourite characters are introduced, professor Lupin and Sirius Black. They are both some very misunderstood characters, the underdogs if you will, and both suffer under their tragic faiths.

76) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

77) Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by J. K. Rowling

This is mye favourite book of the series, hands down. I've read many a places that people regard it as mear filler, and to be way too long. All I know is that I love it. I love how we learn so much about each character in this book, how they think and feel. Now we really get to know them. It focuses alot about emotions, and about the characters growth as people, something I always enjoy greatly in any book I read. This book also had some memorable characters, from that bitch Umbridge, to Sirius, my favourite character. Which is also why I found this book incredibly sad. I cried several times, I do every time. Especially at seeing Harry's grief, it's described all too realisticly. Heartbreaking. Rowling's finest to this date.

Hi RedBowlingBallRuth! I just wanted to drop in and say I love to look at your list-we have similar tastes and a lot of what you've read this year is stuff I want to read or I have read. I also think Order Of The Phoenix is the best in the series, and since it's the longest all the better! Congrats on meeting, and beating, your goal!

Hello there, LibraryLover23! Thank you! =) I'm going to check out your challenge now - I just now saw it. Cool, I love discovering a like-minded fellow reader! Order of the Pheonix is one of those books I never want to end, I just love it. Thanks! =) I didn't expect to read more than 50, so I was pleasently surprised when I did.

78) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

The plot thickens in the world of Harry Potter as Voldemort and his Deatheaters are no longer in hiding and have started terrorizing the wizarding world once again. Harry knows his faith, and is starting to prepare for the inevitable, with good help from Dumbledoree himself at their weekly meetings. We now, for the first time, learn more about Lord Voldemort, his history and childhood; what made him the evil half-man he grew up to be. We see the evil and gruesome, yet brilliant way he managed to cling to immortality, or as near as any human ever have. This is the darkest book thus far in the series, and the tension is rising; we know it's approaching the end, but who's going to win? Good or evil?

This is a great book, not as good as the previous one in the series, but still damned good.

79) Doppler by Erlend Loe

I had to read this book for school; it's not something I'd ever pick out for myself. However, I did enjoy it, despite it not being quite my cup of tea. The blurb on the back of the book sums Doppler up quite nicely: "I don't like people. I don't like what they do. I don't like what they are. I don't like what they say."

In Doppler we meet Andreas Doppler who, after falling off his bike while sycling in the woods, finds tranquility for the first time since he learned of the death the father-he-didn't-really-know. He decides to leave his entire life, kids and job to live in the woods. Along with his best friend, the orphaned baby-moose Bongo, he lives a quiet life pondering the world, society and building a totem in the memory and legacy of his father.

I liked the stream of conseusness-way of writing, Loe's using, but I also dislike it. Good and interesting book.

80) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

81) The Tales of Beetle the Bard by J. K. Rowling

This was a very enjoyable treat for the HP-fan that I am. The five fairytales, told to wizard and witch children to learn important life lessons, were all very interesting and enjoyable. I ecpesially liked the commentary to each of the fairytales made by Dumbledore himself; that added a nice touch that brought the whole thing to a higher level. Reccomended for fans of the series!

82) The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

I'm not sure what to say about this book really. Although I knew it was non-fiction, my mind read it like fiction (if that makes any sense), so when I read the last line and it finally hit me that this was the diary of an actual jewish girl living in hiding during WW2, it made quite an impression. It's a really touching and important book that I feel everyone should read at least once in their lifetime. There's so much to say about this book, but I fail at finding the words of which to express it all.

83) The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would, seeing as I'm not a fan of crime/detective books. Overall I thought it was quite exciting, and it kept me reading.

I'm wrapping up the reading year of 2008 with

84) The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Higsmith

I saw the movie a couple of years ago and thought I knew what this book was about, but really I didn't remember a single thing I read from what I saw in the movie version. I enjoyed this book quite much, but not as much as I could've, seeing as I had a hard time sympathizing or even liking the main character. Tom Ripley is bored and tired of his life in New York, and sick of all his friends. He wants a new life, and he's not letting anything get in his way of achieving just this, may it be lying, forgery or even murder. An exciting book that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I'm pretty pleased with the number of books I've read this year, and also very pleased about what I've read; I have read some great books this year! I've also discovered some great authors as well.

For 2009 I'm moving my challenge to the 75 books challenge. You can find it here: http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=53007

Happy new year! =)

A good reading year, Ruth. I hope you find at least as many books to enjoy in 2009. I'm going over to your new thread now to star it. I'll be in the 75 Book Challenge Group this year too.