bookaholicgirl's 2009 challenge

Hi! I have done the 50 book challenge for the past few years and have decided to move on to this one. I am also in the 999 challenge so hopefully 75 books will be no problem.

Welcome to you!

This is a tremendous group. Be prepared for our questions and comments. I look forward to reading your posts and learning of your reading habits.

Welcome to the group!

1. A Mercy by Toni Morrison - while I found the religious beliefs and traditions in this story interesting (and repulsive), this book just wasn't for me. I think this is one of those authors that I just don't "get". I wouldn't say that I hated the book, but it definitely isn't going to be one of my favorites for the year.

>4 bookaholicgirl:

I enjoyed A Mercy, but I know exactly what you mean. I enjoyed it well enough but was glad it was a short read, any longer and I would have lost interest.

I actually was reading it thinking "Well, at least this isn't a long book"! Glad you enjoyed it.

I've tried (and finished) a few Toni Morrisons and they just don't 'take' with me.

Looking forward to your year's threads :)

2. The Coffee Trader by David Liss - I read this with the book group here on LT. I had never heard of this book, nor do I recall hearing of this author before seeing it on LT. I really enjoyed this book, as is evidenced by the fact that I finished way ahead of the group read schedule! I just couldn't want to read it and find out what would happen next. A much more satisfying read then my first selection of the year.

Oh good. It took me a few more til I got to a really enjoyable read this year! Hope your trend continues.

3. The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread by Dan Robertson - a very good novel about a little boy who decides to skip school and travel across town to visit a friend who has moved. I really enjoyed this book and will probably look for the other two novels written by this author about this same character.

4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - this was a selection for my RL book club and I have to say that I didn't like it very much. I don't know if it was because it was a translation and it just didn't read well for me or what but it definitely was not a favorite of mine.

5. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee - very good even though I didn't like any of the characters and the subject matter was pretty disturbing. I will have to look for more by this author.

#10: I recommend The Life and Times of Michael K by Coetzee, which won the Booker Prize several years ago. Just don't expect a 'happy' book, more like thought provoking.

I think it has been three years since I read The Alchemist and I didn't like it much either, but I dont think my dislike can be attributed to the translation. I also read The Fifth Mountain which worse and since then I have given up on Paulo Coelho, still I have been recommended Veronica Decides to Die by some friends and I might try it sometime in the next couple of years.

#11 - Thanks for the recommendation. I will keep it in mind especially since it fills one of my categories for the 999 Challenge. I actually would have been surprised it if had been a "happy" book - happy is definitely not a word I would have associated with this author.

#12 - I am glad to see that I am not the only one who disliked this book. I always find that whenever I read a book that is full of praise such as this one was that I never like it. I often wonder if people think that they are "supposed" to like something so go out of their way to sing its praises instead of being truthful and saying that they thought it stunk. I have absolutely no intention to read anything by this author again unless it is purely by accident.

6. Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips - I really enjoyed this book although I didn't feel like I quite understood all of it. Very enjoyable though.

May I just chime in to add that I think The Alchemist is the single most overrated book in the history of the world. I am quite proud of my two word review, published here and several other places: Trite tripe. ;-)

#15 - I agree. Several people in our book group LOVED it so I think that I may be in the minority at our meeting this month. At least I will know that there are others out there who agree with me.

I just finished Lark and Termite too! Boy, I was blown away! Stunning book! I did not want it to end. Lark is one of the great literary creations! I'm working on a short review!

>15 tanstaafl: While I definitely agree about The Alchemist being highly over-rated, I still believe, the award for the single most over-rated book should go to The Fountainhead

#15 - The Fountainhead was way better than the movie though - what a piece of garbage that thing was! I felt The Fountainhead was EXTREMELY long but I didn't hate it and was very interested in seeing the movie - until I actually saw the movie. Yech! The Fountainhead definitely fits with my opinion though and makes you wonder if people say they love some book because they really didn't get it and don't want to appear stupid or something. Of course, with The Alchemist and The Fountainhead I didn't really think there was anything to "get" but maybe I am the stupid one!

7. Against Medical Advice by James Patterson - good I guess but highly unsatisfying. Kind of like getting a giant piece of Death by Chocolate cake and realizing that they forgot to put the chocolate in or forgot to add the sugar - should have been much better than it was.

8. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole - while I can't say I love this book (which is pretty obvious by how long it took me to read it), I will say that I did enjoy it and found parts of it very amusing. I am definitely glad that I read it and, once again, thank those here who recommended it.

9. Home Schooling by Carol Windley - a collection of short stories. I enjoyed these stories but I did find them rather dark and didn't feel that any of them really came to a conclusion - the stories just kind of ended. Good but not great.

10. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood - I read this with a group on LT and absolutely loved it! It started off kind of confusing and jumped around a lot but, once I got into it, it was very easy to follow and a great read!

I am SO behind on The Blind Assassin - but I am glad you enjoyed it!

11. Voluntary Madness by Norah Vincent - I am not sure how I felt about this one. Okay, I guess but nothing great.

Hope your next reads were fabulous.

12. The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb - absolutely amazing!

13. The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich - a short story collection. I liked a lot of them but I can't say that I absolutely loved this book.

14. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates - this I loved and would recommend it to others.

15. The Easter Parade by Richard Yates - very good but not as good as Revolutionary Road

16. Eleven Kinds of Loneliness by Richard Yates - I loved this one as well.

good! They were good :)

17. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman - non -fiction account of a zookeeper and his wife (duh, I guess) who helped hide Jews and others during WWII. Good but a little bit slow in parts.

Suslyn - Thanks for asking where I was! I was reading but was just way too busy to post here. It is nice to be missed!

Thanks for your comments regarding The Hour I First Believed..I'll have to move this one up a few notches on the tbr pile.

18. The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver - I really enjoyed this but do not think that I was crazy about the ending. I don't want to say too much though so I don't ruin it for others who may see this before they have read the book. I would recommend it though.

I have heard mixed reviews for The Hour I First Believed. I have it but haven't tackled it yet... I am relieved to see that you liked it ! I have liked Lambs books so far, all of them!

19. Hard Times: An Oral History of the Depression: very good but a bit hard to read perhaps because a lot of the references were unknown to me. This book was written in the early 1970's.

20. Where is Here by Joyce Carol Oates - a collection of short stories. I have to say that I really didn't enjoy these. I have never read anything about the author but, based on these stories, something really terrible must have happened to her at one time. All of these stories were extremely dark, depressing and a bit violent.

21. Nickel & Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich - ok I guess. I do not think that I am a big fan of this type of book. I think that it is actually impossible to know how the people actually feel when you can just decide to go home and back to your normal life. I also do not think I liked this author very much - she was very judgemental and just didn't really get the fact that people put up with their working conditions because if they didn't, they wouldn't have a job and wouldn't be able to live.

22. A Perfectly Good Family by Lionel Shriver - ok but not great. I was a little bit annoyed by the fact that, while the main character was born and raised in the U.S., many of her words and phrases were definitely not American and even many of the spellings in the book were the spellings used in England and not the U.S.

I really enjoyed Disgrace as well but it is a disturbing book as it is hard to accept that the events that take place at the farm remain unresolved. You might like to try Dusklands and Foe by the same author. I am hooked on him as an author now having had to read some of his books for a Masters degree that I'm starting later this year.

23. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult - this is a re-read for me which is uncommon but my book club chose this selection for the summer and I wanted it to be fresh in my mind for our discussion. I liked it and found it a quick but interesting read.

24. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood - amazing!!! My favorite by this author.

25. Runaway by Alice Munro - a collection of short stories which I absolutely loved. Like the short story collection by Joyce Carol Oates, this were not necessarily "happy ending" stories, but were miles better than that collection - in my opinion.

#37 Hi bookaholicgirl - I'm just catching up on your reading now. I have Runaway next to my bed and have seen mixed reviews on here. Now I'mlooking forward to it again! Have you read any of her other ones? I loved The View from Castle Rock.

Hi. I do not believe that I have read any of her other collections but I am definitely going to get one the next time I go to the library. I hope you enjoy Runaway.

26. The Lost Weekend by Charles Jackson - very well written book about the weekend long binge of an alcoholic. According to the introduction, the story is semi-autobiographical. I was surprised by the hints of homosexuality in the story especially given the time the book was published. I think I have seen the movie but do not remember picking up on that in the story. Perhaps it was left out.

Hi bookaholicgirl, just stopping by to say hi and that you have some great books on your reading list. I have added a few to the TBR mountain. Thanks I think.

27. Sweetsmoke by David Fuller - amazing! One of the best books that I have read this year - extremely well written and thought provoking.

dianestm - Thanks for stopping by! I know what you mean about the TBR mountain. I am always torn about whether I am grateful to get another recommendation from a fellow LTer or not as well!

#42: Sweetsmoke looks very good! Thanks for the recommendation.

28. The Labors of Hercules by Agatha Christie - collection of cases involving Hercule Poirot. Very enjoyable - a good, quick, light read.

29. Annie's Ghosts by Steve Luxenberg - a memoir written by the author after discovering that his mother had a sister that no one knew about. A pretty good book.

Regarding message #33 and your comments about Joyce Carol Oates, I agree with you! I've read many of her books and each one seems to be darker than the last.

Whisper1 - I am glad to see that someone agrees with me! I have a copy of her book We Were the Mulvaneys but am afraid to read it - I don't know if I can take it! Maybe someday though.

30. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin - very good. Story of a woman doctor brought to England to find out who has been murdering children - set in the 1100s.

31. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - there were parts of this book that I really enjoyed but there were parts that I truly disliked as well. Overall, though, I guess I would say I liked this book but I don't think it will make it into my Top Ten for the year.

32. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - I loved this book! Although I do have to say that I didn't love the last 1/4 of the book as much as the rest of it. This is definitely one of my favorites of all times.

#51: I still need to read that one!

Alcottacre - I highly recommend it!

33. Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon - excellent!! This book doesn't fit any of the categories in my 999 challenge unfortunately.

34. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - This is an excellent book and I highly recommend that anyone who has a teenager read it and give it to their child to read as well.

35. Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements - good.

36. Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams - very good.

I have Middlesex and Mistress of the Art of Death already in the wishNotebook. It's good to know you enjoyed them.

I second your praise of Speak. It is excellent. Anderson has a recent book out regarding anorexia called Wintergirls, which I also recommend if you haven't read it yet.

#56: Down the Rabbit Hole looks like one I would enjoy, so on to Planet TBR it goes!

#57 - I will have to check out Wintergirls especially with a nearly 13 year old daughter and a 9 year old daughter. Sounds like something I would find interesting.

#58 - We just got the next two books in the series which I should be reading within the next few weeks - after my daughter finishes them. I will definitely let you know how they were.

#59: I will definitely let you know how they were.

Looking forward to that!

37. The Soloist by Steve Lopez - I read this because it was one of the selections from my 16 year old son's summer reading list. I try to read the books that my kids read over the summer so that we can discuss them and also so that I can offer help if they have any questions. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the movie.

#61: Another one for me to put on the Planet. It looks very good! Thanks for the recommendation.

38. The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan - Amazing! Even for someone who normally does not enjoy the historical romance genre. Very interesting information about Niagara Falls, hydroelectric power and dressmaking as well.

I was thisclose to buying The Day the Falls Stood Still yesterday when I was at the bookstore... Now I've read your review I'll definitely have to get it!

I was close to buying it today when I stopped by the bookstore. I'm adding it to the wishlist now!

39. Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose - good account of a Brown student who attends Liberty University for a semester.

40. Behind the Curtain by Peter Abrahams - second installment in the Echo Falls mystery series. Very good.

I really enjoyed Middlesex. The first third of the book dragged at times but once the narrative centers around Cal, I was completely engrossed. I can understand that there is a certain dislikable element of the novel, but I thought the issues that it raised as well as the history it covered was fascinating.

mkreuser - I actually preferred the beginning of the book to the ending. I too found much of the book to be fascinating and didn't mean to imply that the subject matter was distasteful. The part of the book after Cal ran away was the most disturbing to me and I just couldn't understand why Cal wouldn't try to talk to someone about the issue and ask for help in making the decision.

The element I was talking about actually had more to do with the exploitation Cal endures in San Francisco than the subject matter itself. That is a fair enough criticism though. Good luck with your challenge!

I thought the exploitation of Cal was simply horrific and had a very hard time reading it. As the mother of four, I always have a hard time with difficult circumstances, violence, etc., involving children. I am glad you enjoyed the book.

41. My Lobotomy by Howard Dully - very interesting and heartbreaking.

42. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons - very good although a bit difficult to read sometimes because of language and dated references.

#73: The movie version of the book is excellent, so you might want to check into it.

OOOHHH! I didn't know there was a movie version. I will have to check Netflix to see if they carry it. Thanks for the suggestion.

I've seen the movie and liked it but have yet to read the book, one I actually have... it's on the list.

I just added the movie to my Netflix queue - now to just find the time to watch the movies that I have and get it!

I hope you enjoy the film!

43. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh - good, I think. I am interested in seeing the movie to see if my take on the book is the same as the director's.

> 79 Brideshead Revisited is one of my favorite books. For movie, are you referring to the mini-series with Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews? I loved that as well!! Classic! I need to watch it again, it's been years since I've seen it. I hope you enjoy it.

#80 - Actually, I have just put both the miniseries and the feature film which came out a few years ago in my Netflix queue. I will probably watch the feature film first because it is shorter but am greatly looking forward to the miniseries.

44. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - I LOVED this book. I had read it a few years ago but my RL book club chose it as its selection so I read it again. I do not remember loving it as much last time but am so happy that I read it again.

45. The Spirit of the Place by Samuel Shem - this is an ER book. I liked the story but do not think that I enjoyed the writing style.

46. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio - I loved this book! Also part of my 999 Challenge.

#84: I read that one recently and enjoyed it. My only complaint about it is that I wish the author would have delved more into Evelyn.

alcottacre - I also wished there was more information on Evelyn. I did think that with 10 kids in the family and an alcoholic husband, there was probably not too much one on one time spent with each kid and the author may not have known much more than she gave us in the book. My other thought was that Evelyn may have been a very private person and that the author felt that just by writing the book she may have been divulging more than her mother would have wanted.

You make a good point about her having the 10 kids and probably very little time to spend with each.

BTW - there was a movie made from the book if you are interested. I have not yet had a chance to view it, but someone in the group recommended it on my thread.

alcottacre - I have the movie in my Netflix queue scheduled to come after I watch Brideshead Revisited. I have a "Books Made Into Movies" category in my 999 challenge and have made it a point this year to read the book and then watch the movie.

47. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters - absolutely amazing!!!!! The horror was so subtle and the writing was just wonderful. I definitely couldn't wait to read what happened next but I also just loved the entire story. I am definitely going to look for more by this author.

edited because I can't seem to type today!

#89: I have only read one of Waters' books (because it is the only one my local library has), Fingersmith, but it was pretty good, so I will recommend it to you.

Thanks, alcott. I looked on my county library website last night and saw that they have all of her books so I will definitely be reading them in the future. Fingersmith did catch my eye so I may read that one first.

I hope you enjoy it!

48. Mennonite in a little black dress by Rhoda Janzen - this is a memoir that I received from Early Reviewers. I really wanted to like this book because the first few chapters seemed so promising. The book took a turn for the worse after that and never really got back on track, unfortunately.

Too bad about the ER book. I hope your next book is better for you.

#94 - So far, so good! I am reading Homer and Langley and am loving it! I am apparently in the minority in not enjoying Mennonite in a little black dress so don't let my opinion discourage you if you were interested in reading it.

49. Homer & Langley: A Novel by E.L. Doctorow - a fictionalized account of the lives of the eccentric Collyer brothers of New York written in the voice of Homer Collyer. An amazing book that I highly recommend.

50. The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan - I had a feeling of dread the entire time I read this book even though I enjoyed it. It was very disturbing and creepy but very well written.

Congratulations on hitting 50 books for the year!

Thank you! I don't think that I will make 75 this year and I don't even think I will read as many as I did last year. I have to compare my notes and see what the difference was and whether there seems to be any one particular reason for the difference.

51. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much - this was a very interesting look at the world of book collecting and a man who is obsessed with owning rare books.

52. Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult - another good one but I didn't especially care for the ending.

53. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters - very different from The Little Stranger. I love her writing and really enjoyed this book.

54. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer - I really liked this book even though I would never characterize it as a work of great literary genius. It was very enjoyable and interesting though.

55. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

56. The Chimes by Charles Dickens

Technically, the last two books are probably just one book as they were part of a collection of 5 Christmas stories written by Charles Dickens and were also very short. They seemed to take forever to read though so I am counting them as two books. I am skipping the remainder of the book but may read it next year at Christmas.

So, I am nowhere near 75 books but still feel that 56 is an acceptable number. Maybe next year I will make 75.

Happy New Year everyone!!!

(Touchstones will not load for some reason. I may come back later and edit this to correct them. And, then again, I may not.)

It is most certainly acceptable. Congrats!

Happy New Year!