Chrine's 50 Book Challenge (2009)

In 2008, I read 29 books, started 5 that I didn't finish, and had 2 still going when the year ended (which will count for 2009). I doubt I'll be able to read 50 books this year but it will be fun to see how close I can get. I may simply extend the time frame until I finish 50 books and see how long it does take me to do it.

I plan on keep track of the number of pages I read as well, which I've never done before. I'll also include my star rate for each book. (I rate my books based on how the book compares to other books of the same type. So a good junky romance/suspense novel isn't on the same level as a good literary fiction, it's just good compared to other junky romance/suspense novels.) Here is my star rating scale:

5 = Loved it! Unputdownable!
4.5 = Excellent!
4 = Very Good
3.5 = Good
3 = Above Average
2.5 = Average
2 or less = Nah

Here is my 50 Book Challenge ticker:




1. Twilight by Stephanie Meyers JAN 10 ***
2. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy (RGG SR) JAN 14 ***1/2
3. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer JAN 17 ***
4. A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs (THBC) JAN 18 **1/2
5. Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb (RGG BChain) JAN 24 ***1/2
6. The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain (THBC) FEB 5 ****
7. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2002 by Dave Eggers MAR 8 ***1/2
8. Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult (THBC) MAR 26 ****
9. Katherine by Anya Seton (Someday BC) APR 1 ****1/2
10. Oystercatchers by Susan Fletcher (Someday BC) APR 17 ****
11. A Separate Peace by John Knowles (THBC) APR 22 **1/2
12. Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky (RGG SR) APR 23 ***1/2
13. Peace Breaks Out by John Knowles MAY 5 **1/2
14. Thursday Next in First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde MAY 6 ****
15. Empire Falls by Richard Russo (MZ PC) MAY 15
16. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer May 26
17. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer May 31
18. Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson June 12
19. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway (LT ER) July 11
20. Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory AUG 6
21. Runaway by Alice Munro (Someday BC) AUG 25
22. The Red Pony by John Steinbeck (RGG SR) AUG 30
23. Forbidden Bread by Erica Johnson Debeljak (LT ER) SEPT 11
24. The Seduction of an Unknown Lady by Samantha James SEPT 12
25. The Pearl by John Steinbeck (RGG SR) SEPT 20
26. The Seduction of an English Scoundrel by Jillian Hunter OCT 7
27. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers NOV 2
28. Elephant Song by Wilbur Smith DEC 5
29. The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington DEC 26
30. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein DEC 29

I'm a bit embarrassed that this is the first book I finished in 2009 or even that I read this book at all.



1. Twilight by Stephanie Meyers
Rating: 3 Stars

New girl in town meets cute boy vampire and falls in love. He tries not to drink her blood. She is hunted by another vampire.

It was an enjoyable and fast read but not a good book. There wasn't a lot of depth to the characters beyond a few of the main characters. There was a lot of repetition of Bella's, the girl, obsession with the vampire, Edward. "Godlike", "angel", and "beautiful" don't seem like the nature terms for a teenage girl to use to describe a cute boy. I expected more considering all the raving going on about it.

Book 1/50 = 2% completed
Pages: 498

2. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
Rating: 3.5 Stars

John Grady and Rawlins leave Texas and head to Mexico. They meet Blevins and his horse. John Grady meets a girl. A whole lot of troubles happen to them.

This was a really slow read for me. I didn't really become invested in the storylines until the last 2/3 of the book. But it grew on me. The writing and use of language was beautiful. I will be trying The Crossing soon.

Book 2/50 = 4% completed
Pages: 298

Total pages read in this year: 796

Thanks for the review of All the Pretty Horses. I have been wanting to read that one.
--BJ

hey, you've put a rating scale but you didn't include a rating of either one of the two books! I've just ordered Twilight to see what's with all the buzz (it hasn't arrived yet) so I'd be interested to know your rating. Good luck with the challenge!

Thanks for catching that for me, Girlunderglass. I completely left the rating out in my first book post and copied the format for my second book post so didn't notice that I was missing it again.

I rated Twilight 3 stars = above average as a YA vampire romance. I'm interested to hear what you think after you've read it. I started reading New Moon yesterday and I think I like it better than Twilight.

3. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Rating: 3 Stars

Vampire leaves girl for her own good. Girls meets her new best friend and starts to develop feelings for him. He starts turning into a werewolf. Girl is hunted by another vampire. He keeps her safe. A misunderstanding happens and her vampire love is back in the picture.

Another enjoyable and fast read. I liked New Moon better than Twilight. I prefer Bella with Jacob. They seem to have a more healthy relationship.

Book 3/50 = 6% completed
Pages: 563

Total pages read in this year: 1,359

That is the best synopsis of New Moon that I have ever read - perfect!

lol Thank you, Callen.

4. A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs
Rating: 2.5 Stars

Concentrated on Augusten Burrough's childhood from age 7 to 11. His father didn't love him and was a creepy man. His mother often wasn't there for him. His brother left the house but taught him how to shoot a rifle first.

I read the book in two days in a couple of sittings (it's short at 240 pages and not hard reading). I felt compelled to keep reading to get to the point of the book. This book was a book club selection and I try to give each main book club monthly selection a try unless it's something I know I'll have zero interest in and/or be unable to finish. This wasn't a book I would have picked up myself nor did it sound interesting to me. I often don't find most modern comedy funny.

A Wolf at the Table was odd. I keep waiting for it to be something. I didn't find it funny, I didn't see what was supposed to be found funny. I had a hard time believing that it was a mostly true story. I had a hard time believing a 7-11 year old thought like that.

Book 4/50 = 8% completed
Pages: 242

Total pages read in this year: 1,601

Up Next:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb

5. Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Eve Dallas, a NYC policewomen in 2058, takes on a serial killer with a holiday theme in the 7th book of the series.

Another good In Death novel mades an easy fun read between others. The main characters in the series were developed further as they dealt with the holidays personally in different ways. I'm reading these books in a book chain with other members of my main book club.

Book 5/50 = 10% completed
Pages: 308

Total pages read in this year: 1,909

Up Next:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

I loved The Book Thief though it's been several years since I've read it. Let me know how you like it!

I love your reviews, chrine! You sum things up perfectly and probably in about a third of the words it would take me to say it :)

--->12 stephxsu: stephxsu

Will do! It's shaping up to be the next book completed, although I'm not closed to being finished with it. I've only read Part One so far.

--->13 spacepotatoes: spacepotatoes

Thanks! Interesting user name you've got there.

6. The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain
Rating: 4 stars

CeeCee Wilkes is 16 years old and waitressing in a diner in Chapel Hill, NC until she can save up enough money to go to college. With both her parents dead, she's been in and out of foster homes since she was 12. When handsome and charming Ted Gleason, who studies in the corner booth at the diner, asks her out, it's seems too good to be true. Within a month, she's his girlfriend, they've slept together, and they're in love. Ted's sister is in jail for murdering a photographer who raped her. When Ted askes CeeCee's help getting his sister out of jail, CeeCee find she can't say no. So starts the chain of decisions CeeCee makes that will effect the course of her life.

I read this book for The Happy Booker's Club's February selection. THBC had a live chat online with Diane Chamberlain several months ago. I'd never read anything by her but after the chat I was looking forward to picking one of her books up at some point. So I was glad when this book was the February selection. I am even more excited that THBC is having another live chat online with Diane Chamberlain at the end of the month.

It's a bit cliche to say this book was a page turner, but I read it in three days and I'm not normally a fast reader. When I wasn't reading I found myself thinking about what had happened in the book, what was going to happen next in the book, and even when I was pretty sure I knew what was coming next, how it was going to unfold.

Book 6/50 = 12% completed
Pages: 457

Total pages read in this year: 2,366

Up Next:
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes post has been put up.

Did you decide to not read The Book Thief? I read it last fall and it has stayed with me ever since....

I saw on your profile that you're reading The Tell-Tale Heart which I really really love. There is an animated version of the short story which, if possible, I love even more than the story itself.

You can find it HERE!

It's not very long (8 min) and absolutely AMAZING and I really urge you to watch it! :) It's being preserved in the United States National Film Registry because it it considered "culturally significant". I especially love how, in this version, the first sentence in the same as the last one, it makes it much more dramatic and schizophrenic ;D

EDIT: Oops, sorry THIS VERSION is better quality!

Hola GUG

I will totally watch it once I'm finished reading it. I'm reading it on www.dailylit.com so I'll be done with it in three days.

7. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2002 by Dave Eggers
Rating: 3.5 stars

A collection of short fiction pieces and non-fiction ones. The first in this series, I believe.

This is a book that I left in the bathroom and read while I had baths (something I wouldn't be upset if I dropped it in the tub) and did other things in there - you know which things. I got it off of the husband's to be given away, donated, or thrown out pile.

An interesting read. Some good pieces, some boring ones. Better than two of the latter ones that I read I believe (2006 and 2007). But it's been awhile since I read them.

Book 7/50 = 14% completed
Pages: 273

Total pages read in this year: 2,639

Up next:
Inferno by Dante Alighieri - DailyLit
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald - DailyLit
A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul
Katherine by Anya Seton
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

I am reading The Brothers Karamazov, too. I am in Book 5 of it. I was reading along pretty well, when, oops, I put it down for a while. I am trying not to do that too much anymore. You have lots of interesting books in your "up next" list. Have a super day!
--BJ

8. Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult
Rating: 4 stars

Willow is born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a disease that causes bones to break very easily. Her life is filled with pain but her family loves her and she is happy. Willow's mother, Charlotte, files a lawsuit saying her ob/gyn should have detected Willow's condition and hopes for a big payout from the medical malpractice insurance to help take care of Willow's expenses. Charlotte's ob/gyn is also her best friend, Piper. The book follows the emotions and actions of the people involved as the lawsuit unfolds.

This book was the March selection for The Happy Bookers Club.

I liked the book. It was a very fast read. But I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. I'm leaning towards disliking the ending. But I just finished the book today and might need to see how I feel about it after I think about it for awhile. I also wondered about the inclusion of Charlotte's lawyer's, Marin, personal story. I get that it was included necessarily to present a certain point of view and aspect of the dilemma. But it did not feel like it was a part of the main story like the rest of the book. I did like the inclusion of recipes and baking terms which illustrated the character's state in the sections which followed (Charlotte is a pastry chef). I also liked that a different font was used for each character's chapters making it easy to know who we were reading.

Book 8/50 = 16% completed
Pages: 477

Total pages read in this year: 3,116

Up next:
Katherine by Anya Seton
The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul

I am going to have to check out one of those Picoult books. They get a definite reaction one way or the other. I think my daughter has one or two of those around. Take care and have a great day!
--BJ

9. Katherine by Anya Seton
Rating: 4.5 stars

A historical fiction about Katheine de Roet who marries a knight, Hugh Swynford, which leads to her great romance with John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.

It's been awhile since I've read a well-written historical fiction. The book was richly detailed as to the time period and locations as well as descriptions of the beautiful countryside and told a compelling and unlikely love story. Although at times, the characters behavior seemed too modern for the time. The story slowed down for me around Ch 25 but I think that's because to veered into the history of the country at the time and away from the personal stories. I slowed down my reading speed and my enjoyment picked up again. The ending seemed unlikely given the times, which made it all the better that is was based on real history.

Book 9/50 = 18% completed
Pages: 500

Total pages read in this year: 3,616

Up next:
The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul

10. Oystercatchers by Susan Fletcher
Rating: 4 stars
(Someday Book Club's April selection)

The story is told within the framework of Moira filling in Amy, her sister, on her life while Amy is in a coma. Amy has been in a coma for over four years. For most of the book, one isn't sure how her fall on to the rocks occurred but I leaned towards thinking it was intentional instead of accidental. We're never really told exactly what happens or how it happens. When we get up to the time in Moira's telling of the fall, the fall seemed decidedly accidental to me then. Reading the book, I didn't keep waiting for Amy to wake from her coma because the story is more in Moira's reflecting on her life than the story of what happened to Amy.

So why is Moira telling Amy, who is her sister, the story of her life? Amy was born when Moira was 11 years old and Moira views Amy as a betrayal of her already completed family unit. Moira goes away to boarding school, which changes the course of her life, and rarely writes, talks to, or sees her family. She cannot stand her sister. The coma brings about change.

Moira sees herself as so different, in a bad way, a wrong way, from the others. She is shocked at someone falling in love with her. In the end, she finds she can answer to herself how someone could love her as she is.

The writing is detail worded and picture-able. I think I read somewhere that the author was still in her 20s when she wrote this, which increased my view of the book in some ways. A major theme is water and it's imagery. And water and light. Also, imagery of nature and the country side.

I did not expect to like this book but I did. There was one flaw for me. Something occurred in the last part of the book which I didn't like. But thinking about it as I moved on in the book, I could see it was in character of Moira and it furthered her. Fletcher wrote one other book before this one and I plan on reading it.

Book 10/50 = 20% completed
Pages: 320

Total pages read in this year: 3,936

What I'm reading next:
A Separate Peace by John Knowles - The Happy Booker's Club's April selection

11. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Rating: 2.5 stars
(The Happy Booker's Club's April selection)

"One of the most starkly moving parables ever written of the dark forces that brood over the tortured world of adolescence" states the copy on the back copy of the book. I get each of the boys is a different type of personality with a different world view and view of the war. But I don't think I'd call this book one of the most anything. I didn't particularly like any of the characters. They seemed flat and a bit false. I didn't dislike the book, it just didn't hold my interest.

Book 11/50 = 22% completed
Pages: 196

Total pages read in this year: 4,132

What I'm reading next:
Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky - a group read on RGG

I think this is similar to the writings of Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain. It should make for a quick read after this one's dragging.

12. Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky
Rating: 3.5 stars
(RGG side read)

Dana and Hugh Clarke's, a Caucasian couple, new baby has African American physical traits. Hugh is from a prominent New England family who can trace their roots back to the Mayflower. Dana doesn't know who her father is, other than a photo of a Caucasian-looking man and a name. How the family deals with this turn of events is the subject of this book.

Delinsky crafts a range of characters to display the different views people might have of the situation. For the most part, these characters are more realistic as individual people than they are stereotypes of different viewpoints. The biggest qualm I had with a character's actions was Hugh's maintaining that he was 100% certain that he was the father of the baby, Lizzie, and he wanted a paternity test only to prove to his family what he already knew while also making statements to his family, friends, and Dena that it could indeed be possible that she had cheated. I understand why he could have doubts, but later in the book he maintains that he never did despite his remarks previously.

The twist in the story was an evident possibility from the beginning, even if the characters didn't see it coming. The book continues another 100 pages from the reveal of the source of the baby's ancestry to show how the characters deal with the information. This was unexpected as usually books end shortly after the central story is resolved and I liked that Delinsky choose to extend the story.

I saw that the side story of Hugh's case against a powerful senator who fathered an illegitimate child now in need of medical case was included to show Hugh that he was still the same man, good and capable, but it also seemed added on and distracted from the main story. Similar points were made from Hugh's musing on past cases and his past, which felt natural to the story.

I also enjoyed that knitting and yarn were incorporated in the story.

Book 12/50 = 24% completed
Pages: 358

Total pages read in this year: 4,490

What I'm Reading Next:
Empire Falls by Richard Russo - MaryZorro's Pulitzer Challenge

April Reading Summary

Books completed: 4

Katherine by Anya Seton - 4.5*
Oystercatchers by Susan Fletcher - 4*
A Separate Peace by John Knowles - 2.5*
Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky - 3.5*

% of the 50 Book Challenge completed in April: 8%
Number of pages read in April: 1,374

Favorite book read: Oystercatchers, closely followed by Katherine
Least favorite book read: A Separate Peace

13. Peace Breaks Out by John Knowles
Rating: 2.5 stars

After World War II, Pete Hallam returns to his alma mater, the Devon School, to teach American History and Physical Education. The story follows his reintroduction into civilian life after the war and the lives of several boys in their senior year at the Devon School, including two boys at odd with each other and most of the school, Wexford and Hochschwender.

The book was slightly less flat than A Separate Peace, perhaps, because there seemed to be a bit more depth to the characters and story but not by much. The exposition contained more details but there was overall too much exposition. I felt like I was being told what to think.

It seemed that several of the boys at the Devon School felt left out and guilty for missing war. They talking and thought about the war as some grand adventure and a way to make their marks. Pete Hallam offered the counter balance as to the realities of war. I wonder with less media available at the time and only certain people telling the stories, if the war was idealized to the youth at home in the US.

I also wonder about the purpose of Pete Hallam's ex-wife and chapter about Wexford's weekend in Boston. They seemed like out of the main story inclusions used just to make a point about the characters.

Book 13/50 = 26% completed
Pages: 178

Total pages read in this year: 4,668

Currently reading:
Empire Falls by Richard Russo

I wonder with less media available at the time and only certain people telling the stories, if the war was idealized to the youth at home in the US.

That's probably true, but there are still boys/men who surprisingly can still idealize war, believe it or not, by selecting what they choose to read or listen to.

Oh, I agree. I was thinking about easier to access online blogs and websites with first person accounts now as well as more of those in (perhaps less mainstream) mainstream media, such as magazines, etc. Teens and young men can get all the information they want, should they want it. As opposed to back then, when adults and a few TV and radio stations, which were most likely highly patriotic to the war, were the only source on information to those young boys. I don't mean this to be negative against the military or anything. Just as a comment on how the boys in the time the book was set could think of WWII as a big adventure and exciting undertaking.

14. Thursday Next in First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
Rating: 4 stars

Thursday Next and crew saves the bookworld and the outland once again.

The same usually Thursday Next stuff happens in this book and while I still liked the concept and enjoyed the read, I enjoyed it somewhat less than the previous four books. All are different in plot but the style of the book remains the same. What was novel and interesting in the first book is not quite as novel and interesting as it was the first time. That said, I still liked the book and will continue to read all the Jasper Fforde puts out. The husband really likes the quirkiness and humor so they make good gifts for him and good reads for me while taking a bath.

Book 14/50 = 28% completed
Pages: 363

Total pages read in this year: 5,031

Currently reading:
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Peony in Love by Lisa See - I'm about to start this one for book club.

I totally agree with you! I was just thinking that though there is much more information out there, there are probably still many young men and women who might avoid those sites that would challenge their thinking. (Sometimes you can't even lead the horse to water.)

15. Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Rating:
(MaryZorro's Pulitzer Challenge)

The story of Miles Roby and his daughter, Tick, the Whiting family, and the decline of the town of Empire Falls.

After finishing the book, I thought it would make an excellent book for a compare and contrast paper for school. Nearly any two people in the book could be taken together and compared or contrasted or both on their points of view, personalities, and themes in the book. Another paper could be written on the power each character has and how it affects their positions relative to one another. One could also write about the town of Empire Falls, which is almost a character itself in the book. The descriptions decline of the structures and characters during their slowly detailed lives were immersive. I felted like I could stand in Empire Falls as much the same as any abandoned mill town on a river in New England.

Book 15/50 = 30% completed
Pages: 483

Total pages read in this year: 5,514

Thanks for your review on Katherine - I've been looking for some good historical fiction lately.

16. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
Rating:

Bella LOVES Edward. Bella's best friend, Jacob, loves her. The serial killings in Seattle maybe the work of newborn vampires.

What to say about the third book of the Twilight Saga? Bella is still obsessed with Edward. The writing is still poor. There is a plot throughout the book other than Bella's love for Edward.

Book 16/50 = 32% completed
Pages: 629

Total pages read in this year: 6,143

17. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
Rating:

Bella LOVES Edward. Does Bella marry Edward? Does Bella FINALLY become a vampire? Oh, and the Volturi are coming.

This book was not what I expected after reading the first three books. I read this one even faster.

Book 17/50 = 34% completed
Pages: 756

Total pages read in this year: 6,899

May Reading Summary

Books completed: 5

Peace Breaks Out by John Knowles
Thursday Next in First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

% of the 50 Book Challenge completed in April: 10%
Number of pages read in April: 2,409

Favorite books read: Empire Falls and First Among Sequels
Least favorite book read: Peace Breaks Out

18. Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson
Rating:

Jane meets her childhood imaginary friend, Micheal, again as an adult.

I read this book easily in an afternoon while recuperating at my mama's. It was an enjoyable read while reading it but after I had finished, I felt dissatisfied by the ending and the story as a whole. It could have been more detailed, less stereotypical characters, and better written. It was not the enjoyable, light read that Patterson's previous two romances were.

Book 18/50 = 36% completed
Pages: 281

Total pages read in this year: 7,180

What I'm reading next:
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

19. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
March 2009 Early Reviewer book
Rating: excellent

In May 1992 during the Siege of Sarajevo, mortar shells struck a market where people were waiting in line to buy bread. 22 people were killed. Each day for 22 days, a cellist who lives across from the market played Albinoni's Adagio at the time the mortars hit to honor the dead. This true event inspires Galloway's novel of four people struggling to come to terms with the life they lead during the Siege. Along with the cellist, there is Arrow, a university student turned sniper; Kenan, a husband and father who risks his life weekly to get the cleanest water he can for his family; and Dragan, a man whose family has escaped the city and is on his way to get a meal from the place where he works when he is waylaid at a street crossing under sniper's fire.

There were two major flaws in this book for me. One was the heavy use of street names, areas of the city, and their direction in relation to one another. This was, I suppose, to give us a layout of the city and the distances between things. For someone not familiar with Sarajevo, it is confusing. I think a map would have been highly beneficial here and enhanced the reading of the book.

Related to this, an introduction with similar but expanded information found in the afterword would have also been helpful to a reader unfamiliar with the history and politics of the region and the Siege. Who attackers were and the reason for the attack wasn't clear in the book. The book could be read as an everybook about people living in a city besieged by war but I found I wanted more information.

The second flaw is that the characters of Kenan and Dragan read very similar to me. I found myself having to look back to their last chapter (the book is written in alternating chapters for each character) to remember which was which and where they left off. Arrow is written quite distinctively and her chapters were my favorites to read.

Complaints aside, I thought this was a thoughtful and informative book about what it is like to live in a city under a long-term siege. Each character reaching the conclusion in their own way that living true to themselves, not ruled solely by fear, is the way to keep hope alive for the future of the city, the community, and themselves one day.

Also aesthetically, I liked the offset list of names with the character leading the chapter having their name in bold and that the pages separating the parts of the book were black, perhaps to show the bleakness of the city and the character's lives.

Book 19/50 = 38% completed
Pages: 235

Total pages read in this year: 7,415

What I'm reading next:
Forbidden Bread by Erica Johnson Debeljak - April ER book
Methland by Nick Reding - May ER book

20. Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory
Rating: above average

The book follows the story of John Tradescant as he becomes a skilled gardener, marries and starts a family, and serves two lords and a king.

The best parts of the book were reading all the descriptions of the flowers, plants, gardens, and countryside. There was a craze for tulips as a commodity instead of just lovely flowers. I didn't like that John didn't seem to care for his family enough at times. I think by the end of life he realized how much he did. Also, time passes more slowly in the first part of the book and then speeds up. I needed to pay attention to when it was in the chapter headings towards the end of the book.

Book 20/50 = 40% completed
Pages: 516

Total pages read in this year: 7,931

What I'm reading next:
Forbidden Bread by Erica Johnson Debeljak - April ER book
Runaway by Alice Munro - SIGTR August selection

21. Runaway by Alice Munro
August Someday Book Club selection
Rating: average

A dreary short story collection about women in odd situations, set in Canada.

I'll confess that I didn't really enjoy this book. I didn't read more than one story per day and in between stories, I did think about them when I wasn't reading. Because they were odd? Because I couldn't related to them much? Perhaps I found the book more interesting as I read it than I did at the end as a whole.

The story I liked best was "Tricks", which features Shakespeare's plays and has a Shakespearean end, and contains superstition versus psychology on the matter of fate. The story I liked the least was "Trespasses". I felt so sad for the young girl, burdened with so much knowledge.

Book 21/50 = 42% completed
Pages: 335

Total pages read in this year: 8,266

What I'm reading next:
Forbidden Bread by Erica Johnson Debeljak - April ER book
The Red Pony by Steinbeck - RGG Side Read

Sorry you didn't like Runaway, Chrine. Munro is one of my favourite authors and this is actually my favourite of her anthologies (so far). I wonder if Munro is an acquired taste? When I first tried to read one of her older collections (Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage), I couldn't get through it to save my life and the first time I read Runaway, I was disappointed in that one too. But I came back to it two years later and something just clicked.

I get what you mean about the odd characters, though. That was my initial problem with Munro, that I thought her characters were unlikeable. Well, that and her endings always seemed to come out of left field. I can't explain why they work for me now, though, they just do. I'd say come back to Munro again sometime in the future and see if her stories still produce the same effect.

Yeah, I'm not opposed to trying another book by her or reading her again in the future. I usually like quirky short stories or novels. So I can't put my finger on why I didn't like it. The characters are unlikeable though.

22. The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
August RGG Side Read
Rating: good

Jody Tiftin is a 10 year old boy growing up on a ranch in the west many years ago. The book is four short stories featuring Jody. In "The Red Pony", Jody's father brings home a pony from town for Jody. In "The Great Mountains", an old Indian turns up on the ranch. In "The Promise", Jody cares for a mare in hopes of raising her colt. In "The Leader of the People", Jody's grandfather comes to visit and tells stories of leading a wagon train west to the sea.

The simple stories are well-written and truly give the feel of what it was like to be a 10 year old living on a ranch back then. The theme of death is present throughout. I thought the first three stories made a better whole but appreciate the compassion in Jody that the fourth story demonstrates.

Book 22/50 = 44% completed
Pages: 95

Total pages read in this year: 8,361

What I'm reading next:
Forbidden Bread by Erica Johnson Debeljak - April ER book
The Pearl by Steinbeck - RGG Side Read

23. Forbidden Bread by Erica Johnson Debeljak
April ER book
Rating: good

A memoir. Erica falls in love with Ales (pronounced Alesh) while he is in American studying and moves to Slovenia to marry him. Life in Slovenia is very different from life in America.

I kept picking up and putting down this books in between other reads. I'm still not sure if it was the book or I just wasn't in the mood for this book at this time. I did like the book well enough. But I started reading it just before I got seriously sick and the resulting testing to try to find out what it was, which put me out of commission for about two months and had me not reading much at all. So I can't say that might not have factored in. Perhaps if I'd started the book without all that going on, I'd have read it straight through and formed a different opinion of it. All that said, it took me over a month to read the bulk of the book post-illness so it might well have been the book. I just wanted to be sure to disclaim.

More so in the beginning of the book, the chapters seem to follow the following format. Erica would begin a chapter by relating an event in her life briefly, then digress into related but unnecessary information about the topic and Slovenian life. Sometimes this was just a couple of paragraphs. Sometimes it was pages of details. Then she would return to the incident and related it in greater detail. I found the digressions a distraction from her story and sometimes hard to follow if one wasn't up-to-date on the recent past history of that geographical area. I would have much rather she just gave more depth and details about these experiences and her feelings on living in a new and very foreign country. The book was drifting there towards the end.

I feel the book could have also benefited from a map or maps of the area and maybe the area as it was in the recent past as well as a map of the city she lived in. There were often mentions of geographical details, cities, and other locations. Seeing it in map form would have made reading it clearer to me. It felt like the book would read easier to someone familiar with the area.

There was also a lot of information about the recent history of Slovenia. It was not simple explanations to increase understanding of the story. It was detailed information that seemed hard keep up with without a decent prior knowledge of recent Slovenian history. It felt unneeded.

I should add that I hated the author's use of the term poet-lover. She seemed to intend it as endearing and cute but it came off as pretentious. This purely my opinion though.

Overall, I did find the parts of the book that were just the memoir interesting and wish she had just stuck to that. I found myself wishing that she'd written in more detail about her experiences and feelings. It felt like just the surface at times. I think if she'd given the level detail on those that she did on the geographical, historical, and cultural information, it would have been a better book.

One of the parts I enjoyed was Erica's explanations of the section headings: Singular, Dual, and Plural. Taken straight forwardly, these are Erica herself, as a couple, and as a family. But she relates a story about attending langauge classes. She has been in Slovenia for a little while by this time and she was finally beginning to feel like she was getting the hang of the language at last. Then the teacher teaches her class about the words for the singular, the dual, and the plural. But the plural only applies to three to five items then the singular use is used again, implying six or more items is a single group. Erica is frustrated by the continuing complexity of the language and the culture, especially when it doesn't make much logical sense. When she is ranting on the topic to Ales that evening, he talks about the beauty of using all the words for dual in writing poetry. The language takes on an aspect of beauty to her then and the section titles take on more meaning. I wish the book had contained more of the connection, complexity, depth of emotions, and detail of experience that this incident had.

Book 23/50 = 46% completed
Pages: 281

Total pages read in this year: 8,642

What I'm reading next:
The Pearl by Steinbeck - RGG Side Read
Methland by Nick Reding - May ER book

Oooh, looking forward to your review of The Pearl! I just heard of it as I was reading False Economy (the author makes a reference to it) and Belva gave it a very good recommendation so it's on the TBR, waiting.

24. The Seduction of an Unknown Lady by Samantha James
Rating: above average

Fionn Hawkes runs a bookshop, Every Book and Cranny, and she has two secrets. One, she is F.J. Sparrow, a popular author of erotic horror stories. Two, her mother is mad and lives in an asylum for the insane. She meets Lord Aiden McBride on one of her nightly walks after midnight.

Book 24/50 = 48% completed
Pages: 360

Total pages read in this year: 8,721

What I'm reading next:
Forbidden Bread by Erica Johnson Debeljak - April ER book
The Pearl by Steinbeck - RGG Side Read

Not very many stars, but I had fun reading your review--sounds like it would be a good "guilty pleasure" book!

Hola Bonnie. A close friend of mine loves romances and I've loved buying them for her on birthdays and Christmas, trying to get the most risque sounding ones or the least dressed males on the covers. She is moving and held a yard sale. Before she did, she gave me several romances. I have never read a romance before. But I think I kind of like them, in a brain candy sort of way. So, there are five more romances coming up and I plan to take any others that she didn't sell that look interesting off her hands before she gives them to the used book shop.

I usually read literary fiction, historical fiction, and classics mostly so I think that romances will most likely not get more than 3.5 stars (good) from me since the written is not going to be on par with those kinds of books. Indeed, I wasn't even sure how to write a review for the book so I just did a summary. I didn't want to critique every little thing because such a book is supposed to be a light fun read, not a literary masterpiece. I did have the idea to put "Best Romance-y Lines" at the end of each review with the funniest/most unique lines describing anatomy but I thought people might think I was mocking the book/those who read romances or that it was too risque to post on LT.

This particular romance happens to be the second book in a trilogy/series. I didn't know that when I started reading it. It wasn't stated anywhere on the book. The first and third books were both rated higher on LT. I did enjoy the book but can't say how it would compare to other romances. The heroine was way too independent for the time period though.

In my twenties, I'd read anything, including more than a few trashy romances. For some people, that's all they read. I was in a used/new book store in (small town), Oregon recently and there were rows and rows of authors that I had never heard of, all with covers that looked like that. I just turned 60 and I'm starting to feel the panic of so many books, so little time, so I wouldn't even take them for free from a friend anymore. But then, I'll waste an incredible amount of time watching junky TV. Each to their own vices, I guess. I wouldn't be afraid of saying what you think on LT though. There's enough diversity that you'll always find a group of people who will agree with you and just as many who won't! :-)

Hola Bonnie. I am finding them good to read in bed at night on the nights when I'm really tired. I have trouble falling asleep no matter how tired I am. So I always read before bed in bed to get sleepy. When I'm very tired, I sometimes need to reread what I'd read the next day. The romances will be good for that. Actually, I think any light, fun book would be. Books like that don't tend to be what I seek out and read so I don't have many or have read many. I do usually read my normal current reads before bed if I get in early enough or am not sleepy. I also am a slow reader but I found I read the romance in 4 days and it was of normal book length. I also think they would be good to read in the bath tub. I like to take long baths and read during them but I won't take a library book in the tub or a book I haven't read in case I want to keep it. I know I'd drop it in the tub if I did.

What kind of junky TV do you watch, that is, which shows? I know most current TV is junky but I also watch a lot.

Finally catching up on my starred threads.... I just LOVE your plot summaries of the Eclipse and Breaking Dawn!

Well, I love the Office and So You Think You Can Dance. And I saw the first episode of The Good Wife and loved it. But I don't think any of those are junky; I think they are all great shows when it comes to TV. I'm embarrassed to admit all the junk I watch. Maybe if you start first... (smile)

lol For starters, I watch a soap opera - Days of our Lives. I've been watching it since I was in high school.

25. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
August RGG Side Read
Rating: good

I finished this mid-month and just hadn't put the review up yet.

Kino, his wife Juana, and their son Coyotito live in the poor outskirts of a town on the seaside. Kino is a pearl diver. One day he finds a large beautiful pearl, which he knows he will get much money for and better his family's life. The pearl buyer's in the town offer him little so he sets off with his family to a big city followed by people who want to steal his pearl.

I read The Red Pony right before this book. I was more interested while reading this story but I enjoyed reading The Red Pony more.

Book 25/50 = 50% completed
Pages: 87

Total pages read in this year: 8,808

What I'm reading next:
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Dracula by Bram Stoker

I'M HALFWAY DONE WITH MY 50 BOOK CHALLENGE!!

Oh yeah, there are a lot of people hooked on their soaps! Lol!

26. The Seduction of an English Scoundrel by Jillian Hunter
Romance #2
Rating: Average

Lady Jane Welsham has been left at the altar by Sir Nigel Boscastle. Shocking! But it is part of her secret plan with him. Best friends since childhood, they are not in love. She wants to marry for love and he is in love with his governess, whom he has eloped with. The wedding was to have been held in the chapel of Grayson Boscastle, the Marguess of Sedgecroft. A recent scoundrel made head of the family by his father's unexpected death, Sedgecroft is determined to save Lady Welsham's reputation.

Book 26/50 = 52% completed
Pages: 371

Total pages read in this year: 9,092

Currently reading:
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers - THBC September selection
Dracula by Bram Stoker - 75 Books Challenge Halloween group read

27. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
THBC September Selection
Rating: good

Mute John Singer lived with his mute friend, Antonapoulos, until Antonapoulos was committed to a mental institution. Once he is living alone, four other lonely people come to visit with him weekly, each imposing on the mute their own impressions of him. Mick Kelly is a poor girl whose family owns the boarding house Singer lives in and who dreams of writing music. Biff Brannon runs the New York Cafe. Jake Blount believes he is one of the people who knows the truth about things. Doctor Benedict Mady Copeland is a negro physician who wants to advance the standing of his race.

I've been thinking about this book since I've read it and thinking about what to say about it. I still don't know. But a book that sticks in my mind once I'm finished is a good thing. I liked that it is just a short slice in these characters lives, without a finite wrapped-up ending, during which they knew John Singer. Yet during that time events happen and they change, but life for them remains more of the same that they had all along. I found my reading slowed in the middle as the characters lingered more on introspection of their lives. I feel like there is more I should say about this book.

Book 27/50 = 54% completed
Pages: 307

Total pages read in this year: 9,399

What I'm reading next:
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Elephant Song by Wilbur Smith (TBC November selection)

28. Elephant Song by Wilbur Smith
TNB November Selection
Rating: nah

Dr. Daniel Armstrong witnesses a horrible event in Africa, which leads to his own personal vendetta. Along the way, he becomes involved with two women and overthrows a government.

Blech. I have never written a bad review on LT before this. This book had too much telling and not enough showing. It had stereotypical, unrealistic characters that I could not care about. It had obvious story arches and editing mistakes. One good thing about the book is the straightforward by vivid descriptions of Africa's different landscapes. It also doesn't sugar coat the atrocities that are happening on this continent.

Book 28/50 = 56% completed
Pages: 498

Total pages read in this year: 9,897

What I'm reading next:
The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington (MZ's Pulitzer Challenge)
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (TBN December selection)
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (THBC Side Read)

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29. The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington
MaryZorro's Pulitzer Challenge - November book
Rating: average

Georgie Amberson Minafer gets his comeuppance and learns his lesson along the way.

I think Georgie Amberson Minafer is a thoroughly unlikeable character. What Lucy Morgan, his love interest, saw in him is beyond me. She did not need his money, perhaps it was his charm and good looks. I did not enjoy this book, though it was an easy read. Around where Georgie and Lucy parted ways, it started to become blatantly obvious that the author was writing a commentary on how the old ways and new ways co-mingled using the story's characters to set forth different examples.

Book 29/50 = 58% completed
Pages: 516

Total pages read in this year: 10,413

What I'm reading next
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
San Francisco Panorama

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30. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
TBN December selection
Rating: very good

Enzo the dog is dying of old age and poor hips. He loves his master - Denny, Denny's wife - Eve, and their daughter - Zoe; and he loves racing cars.

This is not a book for shocking twists and turns of story. This is a book where the story plays out as it should. This is a book that touches the emotions where it should, like a Hallmark movie or one of Mitch Albom's stories. It is the kind of book that is what it is and is not trying to be more and it is good at what it is: touching, sentimental, and ending as it should.

I read this book quickly while being sick, which is perhaps a good time for the reading of it. It is perhaps not the best time for the writing of reviews though. I can say I teared up at the part about Denny's mother. I can compare it to Marley and Me, which I liked better but read before it was so popular that I wasn't expecting something built up to be so much more than it was. I can say that I liked that the book had a finite ending, whether it truly happened or only happened for Enzo's soul.

Enzo learned to be in the current moment, acting instinctively to do what is needed, and he learned to look ahead to future events with victory.

Book 30/50 = 60% completed
Pages: 321

Total pages read in this year: 10,734

What I'm reading next
Midnight in Death by J.D. Robb
San Francisco Panorama