DFed's 50 book challenge for 2008!

I randomly came across this topic and thought, I can do that! Luckily, I have a list of the books I've been reading since January and can post them! They are:

#1 Plain And Simple by Sue Bender, 176 pages
#2 Backstage With Julia by Nancy Verde Barr, 304 pages
#3 Le Divorce by Diane Johnson, 320 pages
#4 The Princess Present by Meg Cabot, 96 pages
#5 Princess In Training by Meg Cabot, 288 pages
#6 Ex-Libris by Ross King, 400 pages
#7 The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain, 304 pages
#8 Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder by John Miller, 306 pages
#9 Le Mariage by Diane Johnson, 336 pages
#10 Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama, 442 pages
#11 Dead Heat by Dick Francis, 352 pages
#12 The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 448 pages
#13 My Life In France by Julia Child, 368 pages
#14 One Red Paperclip by Kyle MacDonald, 320 pages
#15 Princess In Waiting by Meg Cabot, 240 pages
#16 Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis, 320 pages
#17 20 Times A Lady by Karyn Bosnak, 368 pages
#18 Summer At Tiffany by Marjorie Hart, 272 pages

I'll try to keep my list up-to-date as I read more (I've got like four books going at once right now).

Completed another one this weekend! It's: #19 - Bookends by Leona Rostenberg and Madeline Stern, 256 pages. I read Old Books, Rare Friends awhile back and truly enjoyed it. Now, I finally got around to reading a little more of the authoress' amazingly intertwined lives! A very pleasant read.

So, I've recently become interested in audiobooks for the drive to work and back (and sometimes during lunch breaks too!) Do they count as "reading?" If so, here are what I've listened to so far this year:

#20 - Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
#21 - The Ride of Our Lives by Mike Leonard
#22 - As They Were by M.F.K. Fisher

Up to you, really. Some count them, some don't. I probably would, myself, because you do consume the information in the book, but I don't have a convenient way to listen to audio books, so I don't. I am thinking one of these days, I might download some onto my computer to listen to while I do housecleaning stuff.

How did you like Julie and Julia?

I adored Julie and Julia! The audiobook was read by the author so the inflection to the story, etc. came straight from the source! It was very funny and it piqued my interest in Julia Child even more (that was started by the book Backstage With Julia).

Well, I've decided to count my audiobooks as books on my list. As sussabmax pointed out, it's as good as reading! I've gone and edited my inital audiobook post to add numbers to each one.

Well, I don't know if it's as good as reading...at least for me! I would not be happy to completely switch from reading to listening. In my (incredibly geeky) Excel workbook I use to track my reading, I actually have audio books as a separate tab. But here, I would probably count a book I heard.

I keep thinking about getting that Julie and Julia book, but I already have so many books on my tbr list! Maybe I should think about getting the audio, and getting some kind of tape player for my car....

Finally finished another one this weekend! It's #23 - Grassroots Gardening by Donna Schaper, 208 pages. I have to admit, I've been renewing this with my library for many weeks now. I just couldn't seem to get that into it or finish it! Yet, I felt I should for some reason. This is definitely not a reflection on the author. It was, perhaps, simply the fact that I have to many books on the TBR pile and that I kept being distracted from this one! Nice essays on gardening and their supposed structures in society (or lack thereof). Good read for any gardener!

Another audiobook finished this morning! #24 - Elements of Style by Wendy Wasserstein. A great listen for the trips to work and back!

#25 - Little Town on the Prarie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 400 pages. I just want to mention here that one of my goals for the year was to read all of the Little House books again. They were always some of my favorites growing up and they still are!

The Little House books are/were favorites of mine as well. A few years ago when I had a bad cold I started reading the set and it was a wonderful way to revisit childhood. I even remembered all the illustrations.

I tend to re-read old favorites when I'm sick -- I've done the Anne of Green Gables books, Chronicles of Narnia, Little House, etc. I'll probably go for the Black Stallion books next time around :)

#26 - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, 384 pages. I have to say, I think this book is going to change my life! It has absolutely convinced me to eat more locally. Has tons of information and is a great story of her family as well! Highly recommend it!!

FionaCat - you've just named pretty much all of my favorite childhood series! Late last year I bought a book containing the first four Little House stories and it's gone on from there! I can't express how much I adore Anne of Green Gables either! I remember seeing the whole set in a used bookstore once and I didn't buy them. I am still kicking myself for that! The only one I haven't completely read (though it's on my TBR pile) is the Chronicles of Narnia.

#27 - Debutante Divorcee by Plum Sykes, 256 pages. Just a really fun read. I enjoyed her Bergdorf Blondes (made me laugh alot) and this was a good second novel as well.

#28 - Tell Me Where It Hurts by Dr. Nick Trout, 284 pages. This was my Early Reviewer book, so I will go into more detail on it later, when I write the review.

#29 - Why Do Horses Sleep Standing Up? by Marty Becker, 256 pages. A neat little book of horse facts. Great for those new to horses and even some interesting facts for experienced horsepeople!

#30 - The Naked Earl by Sally MacKenzie, 352 pages. I have to admit it has been a long time since I picked up a romance novel. However, I saw this in Barnes & Noble and thought, why not? A good little romance.

#31 - The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, 120 pages. I could not put this one down and completed it in one day! An enjoyable book with a surprising ending!

#32 - A Jockey's Life: The Biography of Lester Piggott by Dick Francis, 338 pages. A book that I didn't even know about by one of my favorite authors. A great (and personal) biography of one of the best international jockeys.

#33 - Playing For Pizza by John Grisham, 272 pages. I don't like football and I've never read John Grisham. Yet, I enjoyed this book! Go figure.

#34 - Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson, 256 pages. After reading many recommendations for this book on LT and in light of the movie coming out, I picked up this book. What a sweet story! This book totally made my day. I also enjoyed the original drawings in the Persephone Classics edition that I read.

#35 - Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen, 350 pages. I've seen this alot lately in various bookstores and after hearing good reviews of it here, I picked it up and couldn't put it down! I loved reading about the circus life (based on real and rumored events according to the author) and what a great ending!

I really liked Water for Elephants too. She has written a couple of good horsey novels, which you might want to look into: Riding Lessons and Flying Changes.

Gruen has a real understanding of the human-animal bond. Great writer!

#36 - Fix Em Up Rent Em Out by Terry Sprouse, 148 pages. A good little reference book for house flippers of the renting kind.

#37 - Around The World With Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis, 286 pages. Another fantastic Auntie Mame book - love her!

#38 - How To Be Popular by Meg Cabot, audiobook. My first non-Princess Diaries book by Cabot and it was enjoyable. I'll definitely be reading more of her works.

#39 - Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier, 308 pages. Another winner by this author - I truly enjoy her books. She's very good at taking you to another time and place.

#40 - A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, 219 pages. My first Hemingway and I couldn't put it down. I loved the diary-like feel of the book. Thank goodness for Wikipedia though. He kept referring to fellow writers, etc. that I didn't know about and had to look up!

#41 - 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, 112 pages. A quick, very pleasant read. Saw the movie first and both are very similar.

#42 - Forever In Blue by Ann Brashares, 384 pages. Probably way too old to love Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants so much, but I do! Each of the characters tugged at my heartstrings in some way or another...great ending!

#43 - A Thousand Days In Tuscany by Marlena De Blasi, 325 pages. Started this awhile back and finally finished it! Took a little getting used to but she writes vividly. Would love to read A Thousand Days In Venice!

#44 - A Year Without Made In China by Sara Bongiorni, 256 pages. An entertaining read though I thought it could have been written better and with greater detail. I also felt that she didn't try too hard to find more non-"Made In China'' solutions to her problems throughout the year. Perhaps it was her writing that made it seem so.

#45 - A Year In The Merde by Stephen Clarke, audio book. Wow, this was a long audiobook! However, it was filled with laugh-out-loud moments!

#46 - The Short Life And Long Times Of Mrs. beeton by Kathryn Hughes, 496 pages. So, I started this one last year but due to circumstances only just finished it up! A great history of one of the first "Martha Stewart's."

#47 - Masters Of Enterprise by H.W. Brands, 368 pages. A great book explaining the lives, times and successes of many of America's greatest business people. I learned alot about so many different aspects of American business!

#48 - Kindred Spirit by Catherine Andronik, 160 pages. A nice biography of one of my favorite authors...L.M. Montgomery.

You have a great list so far--lots that I have read or plan to read. I look forward to seeing what else you read this year. You're clearly going to pass 50 with no problem!

#49 - These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 289 pages.

#50 - The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 160 pages.

How appropriate that I should attain two of my goals at once!! I have acheived my 50 books goal and finished the Little House series all together!

Now, I think I shall update my challenge to 100 books for the year. No guarantees, but I'll give it my best shot!! And, I'm already on my way again!

#51 - The Pleasure Of My Company by Steve Martin, audiobook. Steve Martin writes great novels! He seems to get straight to the heart (and neuroses) of all of his characters. Loved Shopgirl and loved this one as well!

Carlym - thanks for the kind words!

Congrats on reaching 50 books! I'm up to 20 so far. Good luck on your quest for 100!

Congrats on the 50 books! I still have a little catching up to do. I'm pretty sure you'll make 100. You're a book-reading fiend!

#52 - Stori Telling by Tori Spelling, 288 pages. A very interesting memoir.

#53 - Cooking For Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser, 336 pages. A mouth-watering diary of Amanda Hesser's life, specifically with her now-husband.

#54 - Lulu Meets God And Doubts Him by Danielle Ganek, 288 pages. I absolutely love the title of this book!

#55 - Citizen Girl by Emma McLaughlin, audiobook. Enjoyed this and was struck by how very alone the main character was throughout the story.

Chugging along quite nicely I see.

#56 - Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman, 224 pages. I'm not entirely sure how the authors are qualified to write such a book nor do I agree with them pushing veganism. However, the book was definitely a wake-up call!

#57 - Counting My Chickens by The Duchess of Devonshire, 192 pages. Though pleasant enough to read, I spent much of this book confused. Perhaps you have to be English to understand it?

#58 - Candy Girl by Diablo Cody, 212 pages. Very amusing!! Maybe learned some things I didn't really want to know but she's a very funny author!

#59 - The Compassionate Carnivore by Catherine Friend, 291 pages. A must-read for any carnivore! Great information along with well-balanced opinions.

#60 - Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips, 293 pages. A strange premise but I heard alot about this book on LT and found it to be a quick, entertaining read.

You're doing really well!

#61 - Better Off by Eric Brende, 233 pages. Eric and his wife go off the electric grid for one year in an Amish-like community. Fascinating look at how great your life can be without electricity!

#62 - Project Princess by Meg Cabot, 50 pages.

#63 - Sweet Sixteen Princess by Meg Cabot, 82 pages.

Ahh....Princess Diaries books make me happy!

#64 - Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner, audiobook. Saw the movie and wanted to read the book. A bit more meandering than I would have liked but what a rags-to-riches story!

I've been away on business, but I've still been reading!

#65 - Plenty by Alisa Smith, 264 pages. Another continuation of my interests in eating organic/locally. This book gives me hope that it IS possible to eat locally.

#66 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 56 pages. A short, interesting read. I can't wait to see the movie version!

#67 - Mistress Of The Sun by Sandra Gulland, 382 pages. Gulland does it again! I loved her series on Josephine Bonaparte and she didn't let me down with her latest work.

#68 - Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, 232 pages. Saw the movie, wanted to read the book. Cute, but another take on the Cinderella story.

#69 - World Made By Hand by James Kunstler, 317 pages. Wow, I could not put this one down! Stayed up late last night in order to finish it! A great story about how the world would be if the US ran out of oil, had no electricity, etc....

#70 - Stuffed by Patricia Volk, 242 pages. Great vignettes of Volk's family. Another one I couldn't put down!

#71 - Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisenberger, 280 pages. This book had a Sisterhood of Traveling Pants feel to it as well as a little Sex And The City mixed in.\

#72 - Little House On Rocky Ridge by Roger Lea MacBride, 353 pages. A continuation of the Little House series, hooray!!

#73 - The Idiot Girl And The Flaming Tantrum Of Death by Laurie Notaro, 218 pages. Laurie Notaro strikes again! Couldn't stop giggling for most of the book!!

#74 - Little Farm In The Ozarks by Roger Lea MacBride, 286 pages.

#75 - To-Do List by Sasha Cagen, 256 pages. An interesting look into people's lives via their to-do lists.

#76 - Pony Panorama by N. Thelwell, 302 pages. Not entirely sure I should include this - it wasn't much of a read per-se. But, I have always enjoyed the Thelwell cartoons!

#77 - The Children by Edith Wharton, 282 pages. This one seemed to take forever, I just couldn't seem to get into it. It lagged quite a bit in the middle but had a very bittersweet ending.

#78 - Native Dancer by John Eisenberg, audiobook. Though obviously about the life of the horse, this book surprised as it went over that time period of racing as well as the lives of people involved with Native Dancer.

#79 - In The Land Of The Big Red Apple by Roger Lea MacBride, 338 pages. Another continuation of The Rose Years.

#80 - Wife In The North by Judith O'Reilly. My Early Reviewer's book, 352 pages. Wasn't a big fan, but will post my review later.

#81 - Horatio's Drive by Dayton Duncan, audiobook. Tells of the first ever cross-country road trip via automobile. Saw parts of the documentary many moons ago and thought I'd hear about all of it!

#82 - Austenland by Shannon Hale, 197 pages. Interesting premise and good little read. Liked the romantic ending!

#83 - Heirloom by Tim Stark, 232 pages. The haphazard life of an accidental farmer. Great behind-the-scenes look at a small vegetable farm.

#84 - Little Town In The Ozarks by Roger Lea MacBride, 336 pages.

#85 - I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, 240 pages. A hilarious bunch of essays!

#86 - Un-Jobbing: The Adult Liberation Handbook by Michael Fogler, 116 pages. An interesting new philosophy on jobs and working. I wish I had been better about reading this all at once. In the chunks I read it in, I forgot alot of his ideas.

#87 - On The Other Side Of The Hill by Roger Lea MacBride, 349 pages. Skipped this one in the series, now I'm back on track!

#88 - New Dawn On Rocky Ridge by Roger Lea MacBride, 378 pages.

#89 - Princess On The Brink by Meg Cabot, 238 pages. A shocking ending to the book!

#90 - Our Paris by Edmund White, 121 pages. This reminded me a bit of A Moveable Feast. I kept feeling like I should look up who all these people were! Regardless, it was a sweet memoir of sorts and had great illustrations!

#91 - The Year Of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg, audiobook. A touching story of a woman coming to terms with the death of her husband. Will have to read more of her books!

#92 - Apex Hides The Hurt by Colson Whitehead, 211 pages. Meh. Though I enjoyed the idea of a "nomenclature consultant" and the play on words and product names throughout, this book just wasn't that enjoyable.

#93 - Every Mother Is A Daughter by Perri Klass and Sheila Klass, 289 pages. I really enjoyed this book! Loved the way it was written as a conversation between mother and daughter. Very touching!

#94 - The $64 Tomato by William Alexander, 270 pages. Another gardening/farming book. However, I enjoyed Alexander's style of writing much more than that of Heirloom.

#95 - Rose Wilder Lane by Rose Wilder Lane, 236 pages. I wish this would have gone a bit deeper into her life. I will have to try to find some more reading about her.

#96 - Just Do It by Douglas Brown, 308 pages. A couple decides to "do it" for 100 days straight. Very sweet story about a great relationship.

#97 - A Spot Of Bother by Mark Haddon, audiobook. Loved this book! This author really knows how to get to the heart of people's psychosis/neuroses! You could really feel for the characters. I also enjoyed the British humor.

A Spot of Bother was a wonderful book. Have you read his The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time? That is one of my favorite books.

#98 - Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, 153 pages. My first ever graphic novel. Thought it was a movie before I realized that it was book. There's been alot of buzz on here about it and the book lived up to it! I will be sure to read Persepolis 2!

#99 - Yo-Yo Ma: A Cello Superstar Brings Music To The World by Lisa Chippendale, 112 pages. A brief biography of the cello player.

FionaCat, thanks for the suggestion! That book was actually the reason I even picked up A Spot Of Bother. He's a pretty good author so far!

#100 - Notable Kentucky Trivia by Robert Powell, 96 pages. I sure wish someone had edited this book properly!! Though there were many interesting facts, there were many that made no sense! Also, they were in no order at all! Very frustrating.

Well, this is my 100th book!! I have to say I did not think that I could do it! However, I will not be "resting on my laurels." I will continue to add to my list for the rest of the year and see how it goes!

Congratulations!

Congratulations! I think all of the books I've read in my lifetime would probably add up to what you've read in the past six months.

#101 - The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, 664 pages. I read The Constant Princess once and could barely finish it. However, I decided to give Gregory one more chance as well as see what all the buzz was about. I was not disappointed. I love reading about this era in history and once the story got going, I couldn't put it down.

#102 - Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi, 187 pages. I really like these books! I wonder if she'll do another? I appreciate the insight into Iran.

#103 - We Bought A Zoo by Benjamin Mee, 261 pages. A great story of an amazing business venture and the saving of a down-at-the-heels zoo. I'm still a little curious as to why exactly they bought the zoo, but neat nonetheless!

#104 - Dewey by Vicki Myron, 277 pages. A touching story of an unusual library cat. This was very sweet.

#105 - Dog Eat Dog by Jane and Michael Stern, 190 pages. A behind-the-scenes look at the dog showing world, specifically Bullmastiffs.

#106 - The Illustrated Marguerite Henry by Marguerite Henry, 128 pages. I had no idea this book by one of my favorite authors even existed! Great behind-the-scenes details to all of her books.

#107 - On The Way Home by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 120 pages. Laura's diary from her trip from the Dakotas to Missouri. Some interesting side notes by her daughter Rose Wilder Lane.

#108 - A Year In Provence by Peter Mayle, 207 pages. I truly enjoy Mayle's books. There will definitely be more read in the near future!

#109 - One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell, 433 pages. This was my favorite Bushnell thus far. I love how she intertwined so many NY society characters, specifically those of One Fifth.

#110 - Belle Weather by Celia Rivenbark, 276 pages. A quick read with some laugh-out-loud moments. It took me a while to get used to the very southern tone to her writing. Also, I think there were a few too many pop culture references for this book to be relevant for very long...

#111 - On The Banks Of The Bayou by Roger Lea MacBride, 232 pages.

#112 - Benjamin West And His Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry, 147 pages.

#113 - Brown Sunshine Of Sawdust Valley by Marguerite Henry, 79 pages.

These two were a step back in time for me! Though I have never read either of them, Henry was a very favorite childhood author of mine!

I also gave up on Bachelor Girl by Roger Lea MacBride this weekend. This story was very similar to Rose Wilder Lane. It even had some of the same wording!

#114 - Way Off The Road by Bill Geist, 240 pages. What's not to love about Bill Geist? Love his TV stories, loved the book! Humorous and witty tales of some of the strange things he's done and seen in this great land of ours.

You have totally crushed the "50" part of this "50 Book Challenge"

#115 - But Enough About Me by Jancee Dunn, 276 pages. A writer for Rolling Stone, Jancee does a great job writing about her life. There were many laugh-out-loud moments. I was touched at the closeness of her family and very amused at her interviewing tips/hints!

#116 - Anatomy Of A Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky, 259 pages. The cover of this book is what drew me in (hilarious)! I enjoyed this one and from a YA point of view I would be eager to give this to anyone becoming involved in their first serious relationship. Snadowsky had a great way of writing about most girl's first experiences with the opposite sex.

#117 - The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace, 319 pages. Intriguing mystery of scams in the rare wine world. I learned so much about the wine industry!

#118 - How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill, 265 pages. The cover of this book explains it best - "A son of privelege learns to live like everyone else." Interesting look at turning one's life around.

#119 - The Lady In Blue by Javier Sierra, audiobook. A mystery surrounding "the lady in blue", a nun who can bi-locate herself through time. I rather enjoyed this - it was a bit of The Da Vinci Code and Michael Crichton thrown in together. Also, kudos to the reader - he was very good with the different accents needed in the book!

#120 - Journey To Cubeville by Scott Adams, 224 pages. A compilation of Dilbert cartoons.

#121 - I Remember Laura by Stephen Hines, 274 pages. An interesting look at interviews about and articles by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

#122 - Silks by Dick Francis, 338 pages. Dick Francis does it again! His last few were questionable, but it seems he's getting back into the swing of things!

#123 - A Thousand Days In Venice by Marlena de Blasi, 272 pages. Earlier this year, I vowed to read this book. I was not disappointed.

#124 - Dear Laura: Letters From Children To Laura Ingalls Wilder by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 152 pages. The title is self-explanatory. There were some very cute questions asked of her.

#125 - Up For Renewal by Cathy Alter, 322 pages. An interesting premise. The author changes her life around in one year by subscribing to and following magazines.

#126 - How To Be Lovely by Melissa Hellstern, 208 pages. How to be lovely via a look at the life and quotes of Audrey Hepburn.

#127 - Fugitive From The Cubicle Police by Scott Adams, 224 pages. More Dilbert cartoons!

Do you think you'll make 50 books by the end of the year? :)

150, maybe!!

#128 - The House On First Street by Julia Reed, 201 pages. I initially came across this author via an article in Vogue. I had no idea who she was when I picked up the book, but then some of the writing looked familiar...She has a great story to tell, but it was choppy and many of her characters appeared without introductions. I was often wondering whom she was talking about! However, in the epilogue, she said that the original manuscript was stolen which explains a bit.

#129 - Holy Fools by Joanne Harris, 384 pages. This novel really engrossed me. Love the characters and loved the spooky feel and mystery throughout. Haven't read much yet by Harris but more will definitely be read in the future!

This year I greatly exceeded my reading expectations. I signed up for 50 books and wound up reading more than twice that! Because of this, in 2009 I will be moving on to the 75-book challenge.

Looking back, this year was greatly influenced by audiobooks (a first!) and my very casual study of all things Laura Ingalls Wilder. Though I hope to continue both in the coming year, I am still amazed at my reading variety and also wish to continue that as well!

Congratulations on reaching and exceeding your goal! I know you can do it again this next year. Good luck!!