coloradogirl14's Challenge for 2008

I've been a LT member for a while now, but haven't had much time to log on lately, since I've just finished my freshman year of college. Gotta love the summer - gives me a great opportunity to catch up on some much-needed pleasure reading.

I don't know if I'll be able to make the 50 book goal with college starting up in the fall, but I still think it'll be interesting to track what I've read.

1. Heart Shaped Box - Joe Hill
I wanted to read this simply because I found out that Joe Hill is Stephen King's son. (As you will be able to tell fairly quickly, I'm a Stephen King addict.) This was a really quick and engaging read for me, although I was slightly unconvinced by how well the Ouija Board worked in summoning the spirits. Granted, this is a work of fiction, but the rest of it seemed so wholly believable (including Craddock's ghost) that I felt like the Ouija Board was almost a cop out.

2. The Stand - Uncut - Stephen King
Ah, here we go with my Stephen King addiction! This was a great find at a little used book store in Chicago, and I figured that the summer was the perfect time to crack into an 1100+ page book! I absolutely loved it! It was a nice change of pace from the monster stories that we all seem to associate with Stephen King, full of wonderful characters, social commentary, fantasy, realism, and that supernatural boogeyman, Randall Flagg. I generally don't go for apocalyptic stories, but this one had much more depth to it, so I was able to better appreciate the whole "It's the end of the world as we know it" storyline.

3. Atonement - Ian McEwan (currently reading)
I'm reading this one because I saw the movie a few months ago, and so far, I absolutely ADORE it! McEwan's prose often has the feel of poetic verse, yet it's never hard to comprehend, and he treats each of the characters with such sympathy that it's hard not to empathize with them. (I must admit that I have a much easier time sympathizing with Cecilia and Robbie than I do with Briony, although I can still see a little bit of myself in Briony as well.) I'm not all the way through yet (I hope to finish within a day or two), but I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone! If you've seen the movie, read the book, and if you've read the book, see the movie!

Coming up next:
Indulging my love of young adult fiction with "Twilight" by Stephenie Myer, and then rereading Robert Bloch's "Psycho" and possibly "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving.

Sidenote: Just finished Atonement, and it was absolutely brilliant! HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended. Now on to my one millionth reading of Psycho!

4. Psycho - Robert Bloch
One of my favorites! I've read this book at least 10 times before, but I couldn't help reading through it one more time!

5. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
Gripping, thrilling, romantic, and an extremely fast read! I can't wait to move on to the other books in the series!

Currently reading: American Psycho - Brett Easton Ellis (I'm going to see if I can actually make it all the way through without putting it down in disgust), followed by Meg by Steve Alten and Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury.

6. American Psycho - Brett Easton Ellis

7. Pet Sematary - Stephen King
8. Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury

9. Congo - Michael Crichton
10. Red Dragon - Thomas Harris

11. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer

12. The Loch - Steve Alten
13. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

14. The Terminal Man - Michael Crichton

15. The Ruins - Scott Smith

16. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain

17. Disclosure - Michael Crichton
18. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer

if you don't mind my asking, what did you think of Eclipse?

Absolutely my favorite out of the Twilight saga so far! I know that the Twilight series is pretty much pure young adult fluff, but I'm completely hooked on the series! I thought there was a little more emphasis on romance in Eclipse, but it all evens out, because I thought there was much more action and suspense in New Moon. But I was thoroughly pleased overall.

It's interesting that you like that one the best; I've heard kind of mixed responses to it. When I read it, I didn't realize that there was a fourth book coming and I was kind of annoyed with the ending (I liked the book a lot better once I heard there was another one coming!).

What were some of the negative responses that you've heard about the book? Granted, I've only spoken to a few other people who have read the series, but they all adored the third book!

19. Devil in the White City - Erik Larson
20. The Dead Zone - Stephen King

>16 coloradogirl14: -- Dissatisfaction with the ending (but that may be because they were expecting, like me, a trilogy). I think if I read it again knowing that there's a fourth book I would like it a lot more.

21. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
22. Chicago Stories: Tales of the City

23. The Lolita Effect - M. Gigi Durham
24. Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince - JK Rowling
25. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling

26. Insomnia - Stephen King
27. I Am America (And So Can You!) - Stephen Colbert

28. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer (2nd reading)
29. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer (2nd reading)
30. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer (2nd reading)

31. Case Histories - Kate Atkinson
32. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
33. Different Seasons - Stephen King

34. Interview With the Vampire - Anne Rice
35. It - Stephen King
36. Hearts in Atlantis - Stephen King

coloradogirl14: How did you like It? I think it's in my top 3 favorite King books (of the one's I've read so far - I'm slowly making my way through his bibliography).

37. State of Fear - Michael Crichton
38. Dreamcatcher - Stephen King
39. On Writing - Stephen King
40. From a Buick 8 - Stephen King
41. Matilda - Roald Dahl
42. Next - Michael Crichton

It is my favorite Stephen King book, bar none.

43. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
44. Breaking Dawn - Stephanie Meyer
45. That's Not What I Meant - Deborah Tanner
46. 'Salem's Lot - Stephen King

47. A Voluptuous God - Robert V. Thompson
48. What Dreams May Come - Richard Matheson
49. Chocolat - Joanne Harris

50. Just After Sunset - Stephen King
51. The Shining - Stephen King
52. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Congratulations on passing 50! I am going to join a group read of The Stand. I had no idea that it was so long. I haven't read any of King's books in a long time, so I hope that I will like it. What did you think of Frankenstein? It is on my tbr. Have a great day!
--BJ

It's one of King's longest, but I really liked it - I think I'm going to try and read it again over the summer. Frankenstein was pretty good, although I did have to read it for a class, so that usually kills off some of the enjoyment. Overall, it's worth reading, although I do sympathize with you if you want to kill off Victor Frankenstein by the end of the novel...his whining gets to be a little too much by page 150 or so...

53. The Andromeda Strain - Michael Crichton
54. Firmin - Sam Savage
55. Something Wicked This Way Comes (reread)
56. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
57. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
58. Hard Times - Charles Dickens

59. Everything's Eventual - Stephen King

You've read so many great books already! :) I love reading Stephen King books myself.

What did you think of Hard Times by Charles Dickens? My mom has all his books and I'm planning on reading a few this year.

It was my first Dickens, so I can't compare it to any of his other works. But it was interesting enough, I guess. The symbolism and allegory became a bit stifling after a while, but I'm glad I read it. Of course, I had to read it for a class, so that might have decreased my enthusiasm somewhat!

60. Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
61. Amusing Ourselves To Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business - Neil Postman