Sandydog's Attempt at 50

Well, I only managed 30 for 2007. War and Peace killed me!

Ok, here's my list so far, for 2008:

1 Religious Literacy
2 The Plague
3 Of Civil Government
4 Orlando
5 Burmese Days
6 As I Lay Dying
7 The Age of Innocence
8 1001 Books to Read Before You Die
9 Classics for Pleasure by Michael Dirda (Touchstone?)
10 The House of Mirth

Us ignored folks have to stick together ;-)

I started Orlando and got bogged down (not sure why), maybe I should go back to it. Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf anyway ;-)

Good luck with 50 in 2008!

I am starting War and Peace next, which I think may cause a problem with my 100 book goal. But, I have 17 1/2 done already, so it can't be too bad, right? I could always count it as 4 books, but I know I won't. It's long, but it's still one book. It will do great things for my average page count statistic, though!

It looks like you are on a much faster pace for 2008. Good luck!

As for Virginia Woolf, I found Orlando was the most interesting of the novels I've read.

Thanks for the encouragement and stick with War and Peace. It is well worth it.

Fielding was quite a few pages too:

12. The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Master and Man
13. Tom Jones

I've just read the The Oresteia, the 3 short tragedy plays by the first of the great Greek playwrights. So Now I've checked off:

14. How to Read a Book
15. The Oresteia

16. The Voyage of the Beagle
17. The Omnivore's Dilemma

Well, I'm slowly moving along here. I enjoyed both of these nonfiction works.

18. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

This was a nature writer's book, not necessarily a nature reader's book. Spiritual, lyrical, philosophical, boring!

19. Zuleika Dobson

This Edwardian comedy is about far-from-true love, relationships and outlandish Oxford undergrad behavior.

I'm working on the Bible now, so I'm hitting a slow period with regards to logging new books. I think I will be kind to myself and take credit for 2 books (ie, the Old and the New Testaments).

I can't wait to get back to the (other) classics!

Wow, this is really putting a dent in the ol' 50 Book challenge. I'm still reading The Bible and still stuck in the OT. I am at LEAST going to take a couple "book credits" for this one. I'll probably take a break and do the NT a bit later. I definitely want to get back into the challenge!

20. Dead Souls

I finally overcame my reading slump and finished Dead Souls. I wish Gogol had finished it too, but I enjoyed it and there were some funny characters. There's a wonderful monologue from the father of the protagonist. It helps explain how the protagonist became a con-artist, bying the titles of dead serfs in the hope of using them as loan colateral.

I thought the Bible was composed of 66 books. :-) I've only read it through one time in my life, but it was definitely worth it. I also read War and Peace earlier this year. Another once in a lifetime reading event for me.

I don't know, The Bible is a big one. But a 66-book credit is a bit much. Maybe I should then do the 100-book challenge :-)

In the New Lifetime Reading Plan, the authors state that their readers should be "at least somewhat accustomed to reading it". Well, I guess I'll finally have some familiarity with it. Besides, I've heard it has influenced some other literature along the way... ;-)

21. The Bible (Old Testament only)
22. Me Talk Pretty One Day

I'll finish, and take credit for, the New Testament as well, but time for a break. At least I got through the ethnocentrism, sexual perversion, geneology, wars, sanitation statutes and gaudy temple architecture.

As for Sedaris, he's somewhat entertaining, I guess. Ho, hum.

23. The Bible (New Testament)
24. Runner's Best Getting Started

Ok, I took two book credits for the Bible. I suppose I could have taken a few more! That's why I've no qualms claiming credit for a 94-page running book, crammed with photos.

What next? I've a couple hundred in my TBR list. I can't wait to start something new and 50 for the year is looking do-able!

25. Travel Team

My son insisted I read his book. This was an excellent feel-good sports story for a 11-13 year old. It wasn't Marcel Proust but I enjoyed it.

I've no time anymore! Things are getting hectic, but once I grab an audiobook or two from some area libraries, I'll get back into the race for 50 books.

26. A Confederacy of Dunces. I really enjoyed this Pulitzer prize-winner. Now that's one funny book, about one of the most pompous, self-centered, flatulent, dysfunctional, grotesque, wonderful characters ever to shuffle the streets of N'awlins.

Well, in August I thought 50 books might be do-able.

I don't think that any more, but it's still fun to track things. I'm back to the THICK books. I've started Herodotus for the umpteenth time and am working on Vanity Fair also. As for Vanity Fair, I've got the book at home and audio in the car. How efficient.

27. Cesar's Way. After reading this book most busy dog-owners will probably feel a tinge of guilt. Dogs need an enormous amount of exercise, according to Mr. Millan. I'm sure he is right. This book will help me improve my dog's life. Here is my brief review after giving the book 4 1/2 stars:

" 'Not really well written, redundant and full of brief anecdotes. There are not a lot of specifics about how to stop a behavior. So I've taken a 1/2 a star for that. But the concepts are extremely valuable. The idea of exercise/discipline/affection in that order, is alone worth knowing, and knowing well. Anyone who is thinking of buying a dog should read this book. Dogs need a tremendous amount of exercise (time) and this book emphasizes this important fact."

I'm half-way through Vanity Fair.

28. The Last Lecture. You can burn through this book in an evening. After reading it I spent an hour on-line watching his lecture. I'm not a fan of maudlin memoirs but this book was very moving and inspirational.

29. The Meadowlands. An interesting, easy read about that wasteland within 5 minutes of Manhattan. I'm still reading Vanity Fair; should be done soon.

30. Vanity Fair. It was good, especially the author's comments, observations and sarcasm. But it was loooonnngg and I guess I'm a bit tired of the genre. No more Austen, Fielding, Thackery, Tolstoy, Trollope or Dickens for me. Well, maybe Dickens...

>22 Sandydog1: What? No more Trollope...?! :P

Nor Bronte sisters! For now.

As for Trollope, I've only read The Warden. What's his best? So many books, so little time...

>24 Sandydog1: Barchester Towers is a personal favourite. Funny you should mention the Brontes. I started Agnes Grey last night and it seems pleasant enough. I also have Villette to read at some point. After several false starts with some pretty ordinary contemporary novels I am glad to get back to Victorian English novels for now. One day I might even tackle Vanity Fair....!

Happy reading!

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll put them in my TBR list, which is running close to 300 boooks by now.

31. Songbirds: How to Attract Them and Identify Their Songs a simple, beginner's overview of some of the more common North American Birds.

32. Marathon: the ultimate training Guide. One can dream...

This is a really good beginner's book which provides the basics, including a very successful and well-established 15-week training schedule. Revised, 3rd edition.

33. 100 Must-Read Classic Novels. It's by Nick Rennison. Dunno why the Touchstones don't work. It's a very small book (literally) but I picked up a few more suggestions.

34. Outliers

I know Gladwell isn't known as one of the most careful, scientific, thorough of researchers, but he does write really, really entertaining books. I burned through his third effort. His first two were The Tipping Point and Blink. He makes the obvious, profound.

35. The Master and Margarita

I missed recording that one, here. It was the Recorded Books audio version and I finished it last month. I loved Behemoth, the cat.

I think Gladwell does a great job of highlightling research that the average person can both learn something from and enjoy! I got Outliers for Christmas and I'm also going to buy Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin.