Pushing for 75 in 2009 :-)

Last year I originally set out to read 50 books. Never having paid attention to how many books I read in a year, I didn't know how many I could tackle in a 12-month period. I reached the 50 by August and ammended my goal for 75 by December 31st.

While I didn't quite make that goal (Damn Second Life *shakes fist at the computer*), I think I will hit it this year. Starting out with 75 in mind, I think I'll hop-to and gettur done! (gawd! I hate Larry the Cable Guy references *slaps forehead and remembers she forgot to buy the V-8).

LOL... However, I'm not off to a promising start this year. I've managed to read Bedlam, Bath and Beyond (review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR) and .... that's it *blush*.

Boy, do I have a LONG way to go!

Finished 1, 74 to go.

Currently reading Freedom's Landing, which is a really cool book, on the recommendation of my boyfriend. I'm almost finished with it, and will start Matrimony next. I'll be doing a blog giveaway for a signed copy of the book :-)

Welcome Back!

Good luck to you in 2009.

Welcome! Nice profile pic, BTW...

Just finished Freedom's Landing, my review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, and I rather enjoyed it.

But for my dislike of McCaffrey's writing style, I thought it was a really good book. It's a kind of Survivor meets Lord of the Flies (without the cruel faction and boar's head on a pike), about the survival of a group of "colonists" dumped by an alien species, the Catteni, who conquer planets and take massive groups of the population to worlds they wish to colonize and drops them there. If they survive, then the planet is a good place for the Catteni to live. If not, oh well... you can always get more slaves.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, Freedom's Choice, but I have to wait for it to get here from the BookMooch member from whom I've requested it.

Next up: Matrimony by Joshua Henkin.

Finished 2, 73 to go.. which figures out to be about 2 books a week... I better get crackin'!

In looking over my blog, I realized I forgot to review Prince Caspian (review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR) so that brings my total read to 3! WoOt! lol..

It was a good book, though not my favorite of the series. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

I started Matrimony today, and I'm enjoying it. Here's a fun quote from it:

Julian waited in his dorm room to greet his new roommate,.. who had assured him... that he was bringing the largest stereo system Julian had ever seen... Julian's roommate was right. The promised stereo system... looked like an intercontinental ballistic missile. It wasa stereo system paid for by Ronald Reagan and built by the United States Pentagon and directed at Mikhail Gorbachev and the Soviet Politburo, a stero system that could blow the Russians out of the sky and turn them into a mushroom cloud.

OMG... I laughed so hard when I read that passage that my kids came running to find out what was so funny. Of course, they're too young to get the joke, and walked away shaking their heads at their weird mother.

Finished 3, 72 to go.

Welcome to the group!

Welcome Alisha

I read the Complete Chronicles of Narnia this year, I had never read them before.
Liked your review.

Anita

I finished and posted my review for Matrimony by Joshua Henkin ( review here ). I'm also having a giveaway for a personalized, signed copy of the book.

I'm about a fourth of the way through The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

finished 4, 71 to go!

hang in there. I'll check back to read your comments regarding The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I love C.S. Lewis' books.

I have finished both The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (review here) and The Silver Chair (review here). The former, I found a bit dull and dificult to slosh through, but the latter more than made up for it. In fact, The Silver Chair is my favorite of the Narnia series.

I loved Puddleglum, especially, from The Silver Chair.

Next up is The Last Battle, the final book of the series.

Finished 6, 69 to go!

I finished and posted my review of The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis.

I really, truly loved it. It was probably the most obvious Allegory of all the books, and I suppose, given the nature of the content, that was unavoidable.

Now I'm reading Exit Ghost by Philip Roth. It's not quite what I had expected, though it's my first experience with Roth. At first, I was having difficulty relating to the main character, Nathan Zuckerman, who is a 70+ man struggling with impotance and incontinance after prostate cancer necessitated the removal of said glands. But... it's growing on me, and I'm liking it more and more.

I'm also reading From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz. My last experience (and my only previous experience) with Koontz left me angry and let down by the writer's abrupt and too-neatly-wrapped-up ending. I'm already disliking this one, and if it doesn't improve by page 182 (a fourth of the way through the book), I'm giving it back to my friend unfinished.

Finished 7, 68 to go!

I finished Exit Ghost by Philip Roth and posted my review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR.

It was a little slow going at first, and I didn't think I could connect to the main character, but after I really got into I truly enjoyed it. I like Roth's writing style, very Faulkner-esque. I'll have to read more by him.

Up next is The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. I've really been looking forward to reading this book. It sounds very interesting.

I'm still in the same spot of From the Corner of His Eye.

Finished 8, 67 to go!

I finished The World Without Us by Alan Wesman (review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR), and found it very fascinating and extremely readable. It's shocking to realize the impact we humans have had on this planet, and the knowledge that we have irrevocably changed it forever is sobering. I can't help but look at things differently now.

Next up: Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay. I like the Showtime series "Dexter" and didn't realize it was inspired by Lindsay's Dexter books. It's not the first book in the series, but hopefully I can enjoy it the same.

Also still in the same spot in From the Corner of His Eye. I'll probably get some more of it read tomorrow, since I have some shopping to do and my youngest has a game she's cheering at to go to.

Finished 9, 66 to go :-)

Finished Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay (review here). I rather enjoyed the book. I liked Lindsay's alliteration and irreverant sense of humor. This book does take a bit of a supernatural, or rather paranormal, approach to Dexter's Dark Passenger. I definitely want to read more of the Dexter series.

I read maybe 3 pages in From the Corner of His Eye. Apparently, basketball games are NOT the most conducive of admospheres for reading.

Next up Silas Marner by George Eliot. I read this book once before when I was in high school and have wanted to reread it for a few years now. I have the vaguest of memories of the book. Something about gold, and a baby... and a grumpy old man. That's the end of my recollections.

Finished 10, 65 to go. I've estimated I need to read 6 books a month to be able to finish 75 by Dec 31st. That means I am still about 3 or so books behind schedule. No biggie, but I will be glad to be able to slow it down a notch or two.

Finished Silas Marner (review here), and I'm glad. I had read this in high school, but didn't really remember it. After reading it, though... I can see why. The language is dense and some of the descriptions just went on and on and on... But I do love the story itself.

Haven't touched From the Corner of His Eye since the last time.

Next up is Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day by Winifred Watson. Hopefully it'll be a bit more fun.

Finished 11, 64 to go. :-)

>15 thekoolaidmom: I loved Miss Pettigrew! I started to read it after catching the first half of an hour of the movie, and then polished it off. The edition I read had several pencil sketches scattered throughout, and they were a nice touch. Easily one of my 'newer' favorites. :)

I also admit to liking From The Corner of His Eye quite a bit. It took a little bit to get into, but there are several twists in that one that I never saw coming.

Welcome to our group here......audibly laughed at your profile picture. We share a good many books and thought I'd star ya' and keep track of your reads.

lol.. thanks for enjoying the pic :-) I've been thinking of changing it out for a couple days now, but haven't gotten to that yet. Probably will when I post my finish of Miss Pettigrew. Of course, it'll be a funny one, too ;-) Serious ones are boring :-D

I've finished Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, and adored it! I suppose it was extra-specially pleasurable since I read it after Silas Marner. After seeing the trailer for the movie, I can say with certainty that the movie is a bit different from the book, some of it in ways I don't like. The movie is on my Netflix queue, but I'll probably wait awhile to get it.

I read a couple more chapters of From the Corner of His Eye today. We went to the library to see "Beverly Hills Chihauhau," the family movie this month, and read it while waiting. I'm liking it, sort of, but I can't shake the distrust I have of Koontz after what happened with The Darkest Evening of the Year's ending.

I picked up my Custard and Company book today and was sharing the poems with my oldest daughter. Shel Silverstein is one of her favorite authors, and she perked up when I told her Ogden Nash was one of his, as well as Dr. Seuss' influences. It's a lot of fun reading the poems aloud. :-)

Finished 12, 63 to go!

>19 thekoolaidmom:
Uh oh. My boss is a huge Koontz fan and just lent me The Darkest Evening of the Year. Now I'm not sure that I want to read it.

Have you read Watchers? It's easily my favorite Koontz book, though that's not saying much --I haven't read much of his work other than the first couple of books in the Odd Thomas series and From the Corner of His Eye.

alynnk: I just felt cheated by the last three chapters of The Darkest Evening of the Year, like it was all wriapped up quickly in a nice bow, and he never explained the whole "monster" the guy felt. I've never read any other Koontz book.

I just finished Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, review here, and it's definitely one of my favorite classics :-) How I had managed to live this long without having read it is beyond me!

I haven't read any more of From the Corner of His Eye, Custard and Company or How to Be a Villian.

next up is The Appeal by John Grisham.

finished 13, 62 to go!

I've finished The Appeal by John Grisham (review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR). It's my first time reading John Grisham, and I liked it. I've got about 3 or four other Grisham books in my library, and I'm looking forward to read more by him. The Appeal is definitely an eye-opening look at politics and corporate law, and how business and people can get around the law.

haven't cracked From the Corner of His Eye or Custard and Company since the last post.

Next up: Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. Bit of trivia, Joe Hill is Stephen King's son. This will be the first book by Hill I'll have read, and I'm looking forward to it. I will not approach it with the question in mind of how he will compare to his dad. Every person is different, and the life each of us lives shapes who we are as a writer. BUT... I still can't wait to see if Hill inherited his mom's (Tabitha King, also a writer) and dad's talents ;-)

finished 14, 61 to go. I've now caught up with where I need to be to hit my goal. I figure I'll need to read 6 books a month to hit 75 by December 31st, which is a book and a half a week.

Koolaidmom, I hope you enjoy Heart-Shaped Box as much as I did. If you enjoy shorts, try his 20th Century Ghosts. It's very good. He did inherit his dad's talents and thank god, he has more than his mom. (Sorry, Tabitha)

Koontz has been criticized before about the hollywood endings.

Loved Heart Shaped Box and have been looking for a good used copy of Twentieth Century Ghosts There is a definite King feel to his story but it's not as though he was aping his dad.....he's got his own unique voice also.

So far I've not been able to put the book down, and it's now 1:30 am, I've got sleepy in my eye, but I'm too creeped out to sleep. PLUS, I have to know what happens next. I haven't had a sense of reading a King book with it yet, but I have thought of a King book here or there... for some reason Lisey's Story popped in my head.

I definitely agree Hill has his own unique voice, but it reminds me more of Richard Bachman (a pen name King used) than an actual "Stephen King" style. Hill has that kind of rough-around-the-edges scary feel to his writing.

well... back to the book :-D

Okay... I just finished Heart-Shaped Box (review here), and I really loved it. It was scary and gritty and a bit naughty... It was quite fun to read and some of the images will be with me for a long time, like the black dogs and the scribbles over the ghosts' eyes. King's influence is felt, but doesn't dominate. Sometime, I'll have to get 20th Century Ghosts, too.

I did read a few pages in From the Corner of His Eye yesterday at my daughter's game. Nothing further in Custard and Company and only a couple pages in How to be a Villian by Zawacki.

Next up, Derailed by James Siegel. I believe it's been made into a movie, but I've not seen it.

finished 15, 60 to go :-)

Glad you agreed on Heart-Shaped Box. For me, the King feel had to do with how Hill used some of the same types of images.....off the top of my head, having the character chased on the highway, which is a popular King image. Looking forward to more from him.

Finished Derailed by James Siegel (review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR), and it was good. I doubt it'll stand out im memory, but it was a thrilling, exciting read.

Haven't gone any further in the other three books.

I went through Mt. TBR's shelves and pulled out all the ARCs and other books I've promised, but not done yet, reviews for and stacked them in the "Books on Deck" position. Looks like April and May's reading is planned out.... maybe even part of June.

Next up: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

finished 16, 59 to go. According to the calculator, that's 21% of my reading this year.

I read The Book Thief in 2008 and loved it. I hope you enjoy it too!

This week has been a busy one for me with dentist appointments, kids' choir concerts, teachers' meetings, and trying to get some cleaning done. I managed to read the book and a half quota with no problems, though.

I wrote about 5 blog post today In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, trying to get caught up with it. One of which included a guest review from Maggie for the book The Tutu Ballet by Sally O. Lee. It was one of the books for which I had owed a long-overdue review for, so it was nice to at least clear ONE out of the way (35 more to go *sigh*).

Here is the review for The Tutu Ballet. It's a cute little story, written and illustrated by Sally Lee who also wrote and illustrated The Rabbit and the Snowman, which I read and reviewed (with Maggie as a guest reviewer for that one, as well) last year.

The major post of the day, though, was my review of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I absolutely loved The Book Thief, and it is now my all-time favorite book. I finished the book on Tuesday, but I just wanted to take the book in before writing the review.

AND, because I loved it so much, I thought about rejecting the request for it at BookMooch. In the end, however, I wrote a Companion Post for the review in which I included all my favorite quotes from the book and discussed some of my thoughts about the blasphemous idea that they are making it into a movie.

With all the appointments this past week, I made a bit of progress in From the Corner of His Eye, though I often found myself staring at the pages while pondering The Book Thief. I'm up to Junior's realization Bartholomew is a baby and Phimie tells Celie she wants her daughter to be named Angel, then dies. It's a good book, but then again, so was The Darkest Evening of the Year until the last few chapters. I just can't let it go....

I've also snacked on Ogden Nash's Custard and Company some. I have discovered that his poems suck when you only read them with your eyes, but they are fantastically fun when you read them outloud. What's more, they are best read to an audience and not just to yourself. Odd how that works. I love sharing them with my oldest daughter, who is a big Shel Silverstein fan.

I've only nibbled at How to Be a Villain: Evil Laughs, Secret Lairs, Master Plans, and More!!!. I'm starting to get a little impatient with it, so I might just pull it out and read it. It's a funny book, don't get me wrong, but it's been the "throne room read," and I'm beginning to want to hurry through it. Dunno why...

Oh! I picked up a copy of Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe at our Catholic thrift store. I'm up to Act 1 Scene 4. It's okay, but despite some lit. theorists (they must be on crack, honestly), it's no Shakespeare. Marlowe wrote one of my all-time favorite poems, "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love," but the play kinda sucks. Meh... I could read it in a couple hours, but I'm trying to savor it (laugh).

I started Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince today and am up to chapter 4 or 5. Phlem De La Couer is staying behind with Bill while the trio (Harry, Hermione, and Ron), along with Ginny and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley go shopping for school supplies in Diagon Alley.

finished 18, 57 to go.

I was able to obtain a copy of The Book Thief from my library and plan to read it this week. I enjoyed your glowing review.

I read The Book Thief last year and also loved it. It's one of my all-time favorite books. I hope you enjoy it Whisper, and I'll be watching for your review.

I just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and my review is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR. It's okay, but it just seems to be the same thing over and over again. I'm really starting to want to gag on the boy who lived, the boy who sees evil hiding in the woodwork and tells everyone and no one believes him and then have to say sorry when they get bit. It's like this perpetual "See, I was right" with every book. It does, however, look like Deathly Hollows will be different than the last six since, apparently, Harry, Ron and Hermione aren't going to go back to Hogwarts, choosing to hunt down and destroy Voldemort instead. Maybe I'll read it next year.

Everything is the same in the other books except with Doctor Faustus. I'm in scene 6 when Lucifer and Mephistophilis are about to take Faustus to be entertained by the Seven Deadlies. I could just finish this up in one sitting, but I'm stretching it out to enjoy it more.... and understand it more, too, as it is in Elizabethan English. I'm having a bit more fun with it than at first and, as I've always done when reading plays (particularly Shakespearean ones), am reading it outloud and affecting the lines. Some of them are an absolute riot! Like when Faustus tells Meph to get him a wife saying, "For I am wanton and lascivious." I could just picture that being performed... lol.

Next up is Brisingr by Christopher Paolini. I love the Inheritance Cycle, and grabbed this book as soon as it came out... but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I'm excited to be diving in now :-))) Mmm... Eragon and Murtagh sandwich... I won't sleep a wink all week!

Finished 19, 56 to go.

#33: Have you read Goethe's version of Faust? I was just wondering how it compares to Marlowe's. I have only read Goethe's.

no, I haven't read Goethe's yet. I just happen to see Marlowe's sitting on the thrift store's shelf and grabbed it on a whim. It's 56 pages, so a quick enough read, and it's added a nice variety of flavor to my reading as a whole. I might have to either revisit or read a new-to-me Shakespeare play when I'm done with Doctor Faustus. I haven't read Much Ado About Nothing for a long while now, and it's my favorite of his comedies. I might be ready for a good comedy soon, too, with the books I have on deck ;-)

#35: OK, just curious :)

I finished Doctor Faustus today, and posted my review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR. The review was a lot of fun to do, partly because the book is a really intellectually and morally stimulating idea, but also because I included the Saturday Night Life skit with John Lovitz playing Mephistopheles, the defendant... lol, it's the one where he says "Worship Me!! I command you! Become my willing throng!!" It's really a great micro-version of the play, except that the devil wins in the play... Though, had Faustus brought his case before Judge Wapner, who knows what might have happened :-D

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I'm almost a third of the way through Brisingr. It's a bit slow going, and I don't know whether it's me or the book, but it seems hard to get into. That's one of the reasons I decided to just finish Faustus today instead of read Brisingr.

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I read a few more pages in Custard and Company, a page in How to Be a Villain: Evil Laughs, Secret Lairs, Master Plans, and More!!!, and haven't touched From the Corner of His Eye.

Dunno whether I should pick up another play, or just read what I've already started. I'm really, REALLY wanting to re-read Much Ado About Nothing, it's my favorite Shakespeare Comedy. I love Beatrice! and the banter between her and Benedick is the best of all of Shakespeare's plays, save maybe the scenes in Midsummer Night's Dream after Puck applied the flower juice to Lysander's eyes instead of Demetrius', then goes back and gets Demetrius' eyelids, and then all manner of craziness ensues. "I may be little, but I am fierce!" is Hermia's line, which is quoted by Red in Seabiscuit to describe the horse "She may be little, but she is fierce!"

Finished 20, 55 to go

I received my February ER book this afternoon, The Stettheimer Dollhouse by Sheila W. Clark (no TS for that book yet). It's such a beautiful little book :-) and I keep forgetting to mention the lovely bookmark Pomegranate (the publisher) sent with the book. I've read the book cover to cover already, examined all the pictures... even sniffed the book several times, the scent reminds me of my mom's craft room where she used to build dollhouses. My youngest daughter has already cabbaged onto it and won't allow me to mooch it away, even. Needless to say, it's one of the best ER or ARC books I've ever gotten :-D I was the first one to post a review for it on LT, and my review is also In the Shadow of Mt. TBR

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I'm not quite 2/3 of the way through Brisingr. It's a long book, almost 800 pages, and I feel like I'm not getting books read while reading it alone. Plus, I keep getting bored with it, so I pick up other books.

Like The Icy Hand... I'm almost 3/4 the way through this book. It's the second installment of Chris Mould's Something Wickedly Wierd book series. I'll probably post the review for it tomorrow, as it won't take much longer to finish.

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Not read much of the other three books.

Finished 21, 54 to go

Finished The Icy Hand by Chris Mould today (review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR). It was so-so. The best thing about the book was the illustrations. The worst, the writing... lol. Seriously, the book's timing was non-existant and the characters were just so blah. Maggie handed it back to me after a few pages saying, "No thanks. I like books with a main character." She's ten. That's how sad the character develpment was. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. I think if they took the whole series, they could make one really great movie out of it, though.

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Pretty much the same spot in Brisingr, but I'm dying to be done with it. It'll probably be my next finished book, and maybe finished tomorrow evening.

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Didn't touch any of the others since the last post.

Finished 22, 53 to go.

Even thee stars is A LOT if the characters were so bad, IMHO. Hope your next read is better!

girlunderglass: The Icy Hand wasn't completely horrible, it did have its good parts, too. It was definitely disappointing, though. And TY, btw... my next read was better :-)
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Okay... So, I was on my way out of the house, but didn't really feel like reading From the Corner of His Eye while out, so I grabbed Night of the Crash-Test Dummies by Gary Larson off Mt. TBR book shelf 2 and carted it along. As it is a collection of Far Side comic pics, it didn't take too long to read. Of course, I got several looks from other customers in Subway while I read and laughed out loud. I've always loved The Far Side! My review for it is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR.

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I already feel like I'm never going to finish Brisingr, and now I'm going around it and and all the other Books-on-Deck, including the ARC-alanche.... *tsks and shakes her head in the mirror... Naughty, Naughty!*

Finished 23, 52 to go.... Tomorrow I WILL finish Brisingr! and I mean it! lol...

Tomorrow I WILL finish Brisingr! and I mean it! lol...

I hope this is not an April Fool's joke :)

LOL... alcottacre, I hope it's not an AF's joke on myself myself...

I accidentally finished Custard and Company last night. I didn't mean to, I was reading it while the computer was updating its spyware and running scans, and was shocked when I realized I only had one poem left... I saved "Custard the Dragon and the Wicked Knight" for last :-)

My favorites were "The Boy Who Laughed at Santa Claus," "The Adventures of Isabel" and a few other mildly-anti-children poems that made me think of my dad. I rather enjoyed Ogden Nash :-D My review is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, which includes a funny fan-vid of "The Tale of Custard the Dragon" as told through HALO... lol... it's worth watching.

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I read about 50 or 60 pages more in Brisingr last night before passing into oblivion, aka "fell asleep." It is sad when you can read that many pages and not even be able to see the progress when you shut the book. As thick as it is, 50 pages barely seems to move the bookmark. But I should be done today... I hope.

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With Custard and Company finished, I'm down to From the Corner of His Eye and How to Be a Villain: Evil Laughs, Secret Lairs, Master Plans, and More!!! as my other books, neither of which I've done much with.

I also picked up and read the first few pages of my ARC copy of Mischief Maker's Manual by Sir John Hargrave. I thought it a fitting book to read today ;-)

Finished 24, 51 to go. Brisingr will take me to 1/3 of the way, welll ahead of schedule :-D

Congratulations on being ahead of schedule :) That's always nice.

Okay, a day later than I had hoped, but finally, FINALLY! I've finished Brisingr *dances a jig of joy* My review is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR. It just drug on and on and on... and was 750 pages.... and was a bit of a let down. It wasn't bad, per se, but it wasn't good, either. I gave it 3 stars. There were a lot of things in the book that I like, now that I'm done with it and can say, "Looking back..." It was just mind-numbingly BOOOOORING in a lot of places, too. I'm looking forward to the final book, though. :-)

I've read a few more pages in How to Be a Villian, but nothing more in Corner of His Eye.

I've also started reading The Magician's Nephew with my kids. It's a re-read for me, but first time for them. I've promised them only one chapter a day, as sometimes I can get carried away with reading ;-)

My next main book is The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry. Is that the author's real name? Brunonia? sounds made up. I had wanted to win a copy through LT's ER program, but didn't. I tried to snag a copy on various blog giveaways, too, but with no luck. I finally broke down and bought myself a copy as a Christmas present. I'm excited to finally get to read it, as I've heard good things about it. :-D

Finished 25, 50 to go. I am a third of the way to my goal... YaY!!!

I just finished The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR), and I was a bit mixed about it. It hit close to home for me, and I had a few nightmares from reading it. TBH, it wasn't that the book itself was scary, and I have had a bad head and chest cold for a couple days, rather, I was able to really relate to Towner in a lot of ways. While I've never heard of lace reading, it makes sense. Personally, I've always preferred tarot cards, even read tea leaves a couple times, it's simple a matter of having a focal point to be able to relax and receive.

lol... I generally don't go into that stuff with people simply because I've been raised that outsiders don't understand and will think your crazy for it. It'll be interesting to see if I get any responses from my review.

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Ive been reading Sir John Hargrave's Mischief Maker's Manual, which has been a lot of fun and a welcome divergance from Lace Reader. I'm about 1/4 of the way through. I could just finish it off, but I want to enjoy it slowly.

I'm also about 1/4 through How to Be a Villain: Evil Laughs, Secret Lairs, Master Plans, and More!!!

I haven't touched From the Corner of His Eye since the last time.

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Next up for my main book is Love Over Scotland by Alexander McCall Smith.

Finished 26, 49 to go. Oh, point of interest, Brisingr was my 100th review posted on LT.

#45: Congratulations on reading 25! And you have already made a start on the second 25, so you are well on your way.

Lol... yeah, alcottacre, you'd think I'd slow down now (and I am really trying to slow down) and just slowly enjoy what I'm reading, but I'm fighting momentum. Oddly enough, one of the ER books for April is about reading slower. I've requested it ;-)

Maggie, my youngest, has a Scholastic Book Fair this week, and today she brought home one of my most wish listed books, Bad Kitty Gets a Bath by Nick Bruel. We sat and devoured that immediately. Unlike the first Bad Kitty book, this one was a chapter book, but it was super funny and we laughed (I choked from laughing a lot, too, because of my cold) the whole way through the book. My review is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, complete with illustrations and youtube clips of cats getting baths. :-D

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I had several errands to run today, so I'm now about 1/2 way through Mischief Maker's Manual. I'm also really gotten into Love Over Scotland and am about 3/4 the way through. I'll probably have it finished and reviewed tomorrow ;-)

A bit further into How to Be a Villian, but nothing further in From the Corner of His Eye. I also pulled out and started The Forbidden Daughter yesterday. It's an unbound galley, the first one I've ever read, and I thought that might put me off a bit, but it's a good book so far, and I barely notice it.

Finished 27, 48 more to go :-D

I have, with much regret, finished Love Over Scotland... *sniff*. I really enjoyed the book and will miss the characters in it. I've got 44 Scotland Street coming from PBS, and have put Espresso Tales, the second book, and The World According to Bertie, which came out last year, on my Wish list. And I'm thinking about grabbing a copy of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, also by Alexander McCall Smith.

Bertie, Angus and Cyril, and Mattew were my favorite characters, but I'm also rather fond of Big Lou, too. I had fun posting the review, In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, because the vid clip I put in it has some smexy drumming group performing on the street in Edinburgh. Alba go bragh, let me tell you! :-p

all other reads are pretty much the same.

Next main book is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine l'Engle. I have started, but never finished, this book three or four times in my life. The farthest I've gotten so far is chapter 4, but I swear, this time I am going to finish this book or die trying!

Finished 28, 47 to go

*Runs to put Love Over Scotland on my TBR list.*

Tears and endearing characters....*sigh*...my favorite.

#49: I think 'die trying' might be a little much for any book. I love books, but I am not sure it is worth dying to finish one :)

Lol... okay, I doubt I'll "die" from reading the book. The thing about that particular book is that I've never been able to finish it, one of the few books to beat me. I was saying I couldn't figure out why I've not been able to finish it, until I started from the beginning again. OMG! Meg has got to be the whiniest character ever! I've gotten even farther than before, though. I'm now on Cozmotz and they've just realized all the kids are playing in a sync'd rhythm, which is kind of creepy. It's actually beginning to get good, though, I'm almost halfway through now.

I finished A Wrinkle in Time (review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR), and it didn't kill me ;-) Actually, I'm very glad I didn't give up on this book. I was very much surprised by a few things in the book. It's overtly Christian, including Bible passages, but expresses science and religion harmoniously. And of course, there's the whole "Wow, a female hero" thing going, which was something special in 1962. It definitely has me thinking. I included a video clip of a mathematician explaining a tesseract at the end of the review. I also watched Carl Sagan's explanation, but didn't post it. I had never really watched him before and he's a bit of a goofy guy, though his explanation made sense.

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I read a few more pages in How to Be a Villain: Evil Laughs, Secret Lairs, Master Plans, and More!!! today, but that's about it. My youngest daughter's school had a book fair today, and I went a little silly and bought about 5 or 6 books. Mags and I sat in Subway and read their backs and first pages. I'm eager to get to two or three of them.

One is called Skeleton Creek, which says "Read it. Watch the videos. Solve the mystery." on the cover, but it doesn't have a DVD or anything inside, so I'm curious about how that will work. Another is called How to Steal a Dog, which is about a girl whose family is living in their car, and she gets the idea if she "borrows" someones dog they'll be able to get money by getting the reward. The other book I'm really looking forward to is called Horns and Wrinkles.

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Next up, though, is Empire Falls by Richard Russo. I've got the movie on my Netflix queue, so as soon as I finish, I'll get the DVD.

Finished 29, 46 to go.

#53: A Wrinkle In Time sounds very interesting! Hope my library has that one. :)

My oldest daughter had a long visit to the dentist today, which gave me time finish up Sir Joh Hargrave's Mischief Maker's Manual. My review is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, which includes a vid clip from the makers of the M3. It was funny and gave me quite a few evil ideas, but it kinda got boring after a while. I don't know if I'd pay full price for it myself, but maybe for my nephew's birthday present >:-D~ *Bwah-ha-ha!*

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I'm about 1/3 of the way through Empire Falls by Richard Russo, and really enjoying it. I love Russo's characters. They're very real. I hate Janine, Miles' soon-to-be ex-wife, as well as Walt and Max. Love Horace, and I'm on the fence about David. He's good, I think.... Part of me wants to just sit and read it straight thru, and part of me wants to stay in Empire Falls, Maine forever. :-)

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I've read another six or so pages in How to Be a Villian, but none of anything else.

Finished 30, 45 to go.

I participating in the Dewey 24-hour Read-a-Thon Saturday, and finished Empire Falls that morning. I just posted the review, In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, which includes a trailer for the HBO mini-series Empire Falls and a "making of clip".

I really liked this book, and gave it 4 1/2 stars... though I don't know why I didn't give it 5. Maybe I'll change it after it's set in me awhile.

It's a beautifully moving and intimate portrayal of life in a small town. It has an It's a Wonderful Life feel to it, but in a way that's "This the Bedford Falls in which George Baily just went along with Mr. Potter, obligingly." And it asks the question: How far might you go to keep your kid from making all the mistakes you did?

I recommend Empire Falls, highly. :-)

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I also finished How to Be a Villain: Evil Laughs, Secret Lairs, Master Plans, and More!!! Saturday, but have yet to write the review. I'll post more about it when I do.

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I'm about halfway through Marked: a House of Night Novel by P. C. Cast. It's rather interesting and compelling... reminds me a bit of Harry Potter at the moment, though... Vampy Potter, lol.

Finished 32, 43 to go.

okay, posted my review for How to Be a Villain, In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, which includes a cute vid clip of a couple guys having fun doing a skit.

An odd point: The LT "will I like it" thing says I prob won't like this book, which is wrong. I thought it was quite cute. It said I prob won't like Marked either, and it's wrong on that one to. Then again, I don't seem to NOT like books very often... lol.

:-D Off to finish Marked now, then big, bad Dune is next. That book looks intimidating!

Finished 32, 43 to go.

Dune, as it turns out, only looks long. It's going super-fast, and I've actually had to force myself to sit down and finish up Marked today. I only had about 30 pages of it to go, and I wanted to get the review written and the book back to the library.

Marked has a bit of sexual stuff in it. Compared to like, Tan Lines, which I read last year, the sex is light in this book, but I don't really want my 16-year-old picking up the book. If she thinks of it, and goes to the library, and remembers the title and picks it up, well... But I'm not making it easy for her.

And by sexual stuff, I mean a blow job scene the main character walks in on near the beginning of the book, shortly after she arrives at the vamp school.

LOL... but anyway....

I liked the book, and my review is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR.

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I'm a little bit over 1/4 of the way through Dune, and now that Marked is done, I can immerse myself in Arrakis :-D I've got the first of the three disc of the Dune mini-series from Netflix already. It wasn't suppose to come yet, but some glitch in the queue system sent it instead of Maggie's last disc of Ragnarok. :-/

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I'm reading The Magician's Nephew again, this time with my kids, and we're starting chapter 7 today. The Witch managed to get back to our world, Polly's gone home and Uncle Andrew thinks he's gonna hook up with Jadis... at such a rediculous thought, my kids laughed hard. Uncle Andrew was bumming money off his sister Letitia when Jadis walked in, and that's where we've left off.

and that's about it for the extra books.

Finished 33, 42 to go.

#58: I am slated to read Dune this year, so it is nice to know it moves along!

yeah, the book is really great. I watched the first disc from the sci-fi channel miniseries... complete trash. I'm going to knock the other two discs out of my queue. It's like a bad-acting, bad-screenwriting version of the 80s movie. I swear that that old movie, the one with Sting in it as Feyd, was a lot closer to the book than this miniseries.

AND the Paul of the mini-series is a whiny baby. bah... it goes back with a single star.

One of the games my friends and I used to play was: "Cast Dune with any actors you want from any time period."

None of the answers ever remotely matched either the DiLaurentis mistake nor the Sci-Fi channel mistake.

I still think of Stilgar as a younger Anthony Quinn. :-)

Young Anthony Quinn as Stilgar... I can totally see that. It'd have to be someone with presence and could feel like he could hurt you if he wanted.

I kind of liked the actor the Sci-Fi channel one chose for Duncan Idaho, though, but did NOT like how they pretty much cut out Duncan's importance. I do still think of Feyd as Sting, but that may be just because I saw the movie when I was young, and it impressed me greatly. I've never read the book, even tried to read it, until now.

That'd be a fun game to play, Tad :-)

I actually stayed away from reading Dune because of the 1980 film version with Kyle Mc.... But reading it about a year or two ago was a revelation. I ahve stayed away from all of the sequels on the advice of most of those who love the original. Some say they are passable but no one seems to love them like the first.

I've been fighting with Worpress for the last hour or so. It keeps eating my review of Dune. Here's the depressing blah third-times a charm version: In the Shadow of Mt. TBR.

I really liked Dune, and wish I could be reading for the first time again. Alia was my favorite character, and I'm eager to read the next book, Dune Messiah to find out what happens next. As to whether it'd compare to the first book, I'm certain it won't because it will never give me the sense of wonder and awe as the first one did. If I re-read Dune it wouldn't be the same, either. but I'm eager to see what happens with all of them anyways. :-D

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I've started reading Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank, which is hilarious! and I need to really get a move on with Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet as my blog tour date is May 11th. I hate leaving things to the last minute!

Finished 34, 41 to go :-)

OMG, y'all! Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank by Celia Rivenbark was hilarious and such fun! I definitely needed the break from the more serious novel-reading I've been doing. My review is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, and includes a video clip of Celia Rivenbark at a book signing.

Throughout the whole book I just heard my mom's voice over and over. I'm going to buy a copy of the book and have it sent to her for Mother's Day. I'm sure she'll enjoy it, as well :-)

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I started reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford in earnest this afternoon. I've really got to get cracking on it. I'm reviewing it for a blog tour, and my date is May 11th, so I have to have it read, reviewed and posted in ten days. I'm sure I can, but I hate having a deadline that close. AND I have They Plotted Revenge Against America by Abe March to guest post, author interview, and post the book review May 18-20th, so I've got a lot of work to do in the next couple weeks.

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The kids and I just finished chapter 11 in The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis. They're really enjoying it, and even though I just read it less than six months ago, I'm enjoying it just as much as if it were my first time, as well. Perhaps it's because I'm reading it with them, but I think the book has a bit of magic to it :-) I soooo cannot wait to get to The Horse and His Boy with them, and we'll definitely have to have the Kleenex box on the table for the last half of The Last Battle OMG! How are they going to react to Susan's situation? and... oooh! *sigh* I could read it again and again. The whole series is wonderful!

Finished 35, 40 to go

Lol.. I'm terribly naughty for this but... instead of being responsible and reading the book I'm scheduled to host in a week, I grabbed a book that's been on my TBR pile since BEFORE Mt. TBR and before I joined LT... back when I called it my "I'm gonna read that soon" pile.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was sooooooo worth the wait (my review is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR). I only wish I'd read it sooner! And I'm not mooching it away, either. I'm keeping it and re-reading it again and again. It makes ya think, and I love thinkin' books. Plus, is so prophetic. He wrote it in the early 50s, but a lot of the technology in it has only been invented in the past 10 years. MP3 players, for instance, are described in it. Loved this book, and Bradbury is one of my favorite authors.

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I'm on page 29 of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (my blog tour book). It's a good book, a little sad and painful, very touching and sweet. I'm enjoying it so far.

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We are getting ready to read chapter 13 in The Magician's Nephew, and Maggie's getting antsy to finish and take her Accelerated Reader test on it. They're all loving it (they sooo love Aslan!), and their favorite part (all 3 agree, amazingly!) is when the animals decide the unconcious Uncle Andrew is a tree wanting planted and watered. They laugh and laugh and laugh! at the thought and the picture.

I wonder, though, do I count this book as part of my 75 since it's a re-read? Clearly, I'm not in need of the numbers, I'll most likely exceed 75 this year (barring tragedy, illness or addiction to SecondLife again). Doesn't matter, I guess..

Finished 36, 39 to go :-D

#66: A number of people here on LT count re-reads, myself included, but others do not. I entirely up to you.

I enjoyed Fahrenheit 451 a lot when I read it several years ago, but IMO it is not Bradbury's best work. It is certainly better than The Martian Chronicles which I read earlier this year and was very disappointed with. I loved Dandelion Wine, though and Bradbury will be hard-pressed to top that one in my book. If Bradbury is one of your favorites, I am sure you have already read it.

#67 alcottacre: My favorite Bradbury is Something Wicked This Way Comes, and has been one of my fav books since high school. A couple years ago, I read it with my oldest daughter. I gave her tests and stuff on it, and until she read To Kill a Mockingbird, Something Wicked was her favorite book.

Currently, she's reading Twilight, and I'm not sure if that's her favorite book now or if The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton is.

Martian Chronicles is on my Mt. TBR, btw. I've never picked up a copy of Dandelion Wine, though, dunno why....

#68: I read Something Wicked last year and enjoyed it, but Dandelion Wine is still my favorite.

Where have you been hiding this wonderful thread? How is it that I just found it .. !

I love both of those Bradbury's, but Dandelion Wine is my favorite. I have read it many times. I do love Bradbury~

Oh, and Brisingr is officially off my list...

#70 mckait: Love your holy sheep :-D I dunno about where I've been hiding this thread... maybe I just don't read as fast as the others who are blowing up the group's thread list thingy. hehehe.

I'm giving away my copy of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. You have the opportunity to increase your chance to win by earning 21 bonus entries! Click In the Shadow of Mt. TBR for details!

I like your website.

I know it's late but you are the only other person I have "met" that has even heard of the book The World Without Us. I saw Alan Weisman on The Colbert Report promoting the book and I picked it up like a month later because I like that kind of stuff. Glad to see that you liked it too.

#74 rstuckey: Thanks for the compliment on my blog :-) I came across The World Without Us, I believe, when I saw Weisman on the NBC Today Show talking about the book. The History Channel also had a show that was based on the book's concept and research which was fascinating, but not quite as in depth as the book. The knurdles of plastic that are ending up in the digestion of aquatic life still bother me, btw. It's probably the most disconcerting discovery of the whole book!

Finished Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and posted the review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR. I really enjoyed this book and thought of my own parents as well as Mags. I knew a bit about the Japanese internment, but I learned a lot reading this book. It definitely makes you think, if the gov't could treat its own citizens thusly, what makes us think we're any safer?

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I'm about 1/3 of the way through Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. It's def not my thing. It's grosser than Rant was, and I read someone's review somewhere that Haunted is the book for the truest Palahniuk fans, and I believe it.

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finished 37, 38 to go (I'm right at halfway:-D )

Congratulations on hitting the halfway point!

Thank you, alcottacre :-)

I just finished Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk and posted my review (which includes a fun video with Chuck Palahniuk). Haunted was okay, but it wasn't my favorite Palahniuk book. Actually, the only other Palahniuk book I've read was Rant, so I don't have a whole lot to judge by. I do have a few others on Mt. TBR, but I think I'll wait a while before picking up another by him. Don't know if my stomach can take it right now.

I gave it 3 1/2 stars.

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I started reading They Plotted Revenge Against America by Abe March today. It's my next blog tour book. I'm only about 30 pages in, so it's not really going yet. It's an easy enough read, though, and shouldn't take too long.

I've not really read much else. I need to get busy on From the Corner of His Eye since it's a friend's book. I don't like keeping other people's books forever. And I'm really wanting to get through Emma so I can get over this hump in my Jane-a-thon.

Of course... with all of that... the ARC-alanche stares at me... laughing at me... mocking me... AND growing. *sigh*

Finished 38, 37 to go... over halfway and about 7 weeks ahead of schedule... late start and all!

"but I think I'll wait a while before picking up another by him. Don't know if my stomach can take it right now."

when you're up for another one, you should try Invisible Monsters or Fight Club - both very good, the second one better.

#79 girlunderglass: I do have both of those, as well as Stranger Than Fiction and Survivor. I've thought of picking up Fight Club a few times, especially since I liked the movie so much. Just not sure how soon that will be... lol.

I think I'll enjoy Gaiman right now. Right mix of weird and fantasy, and, generally speaking, not gross-out gross.

Seems like forever since I finished a book... almost 10 days.... wow.

Well, I finished They Plotted Revenge Against America by Abe F. March. Since yesterday was my blog tour day, I posted my review then, but I finished it today.

And here's my final, in closing take on it. While it had an interesting concept, and it created conflict within me... do I root for the terrorists? or root they get caught? In the end, I'm going to have to say the dislikes finally tipped the scales. I believe the book is supposed to be in final form, but it had mistakes throughout. The most annoying of them were MISSING QUOTATION MARKS, and a couple of times the wrong character was named, Mary was printed but Brenda was meant. It got so politically preachy in the last few pages I was skimming, and there was no real climax to the story, it just kind of fizzled out. I kind of soft-peddled the review, but I hadn't finished it yet, and I was really rooting for it, hoping it'd end with a bang... so to speak.

Maybe a BANG would have helped.

I think I'll leave it at 3 1/2 stars, though. I think it's self-published, and I really want to be a cheerleader for that ventrure. It seems to have a fan club, so I think it'll be fine.

Hope I didn't step on Mr. March's toes with this.

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On the happy side of the books, I'm absolutely loving Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I'm about 2/3 the way through and will probably finish it tomorrow. I do so love Gaiman! I can't figure out how to add him to my fav author list. Is there a limit? and if so, can I delete a couple?

I'm also about 1/2 way through The Sandman : Preludes and Nocturnes, also by Neil Gaiman. It's my first serious look at a Graphic Novel, and I'm finding it very cool :-D

Finished 39, 38 more to go!

What do you love about Neverwhere?

I am trying to decide if I should try another Gaiman.

mckait:

Well, I like Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar. They're creepy and slimy, and they're wonderful baddies, just the sort of creatures you were certain lurked in the closet and under the bed as a child. Before reading it, I'd thought Neverwhere was like a parallel London, but it's not... not really, anyway. It's more like all the things and people that go unnoticed or unwanted might slip down into the London Below. People forgotten and ignored become citizens of the Below world, and are almost invisible and quickly forgotten by the busy, self-interested people of the Above world. The creature that lives under the subway platform and the reason to "mind the rail" for Below worlders, is an example of that "Grimms fairy tales made real" kind of feel the book has. It's only the second Gaiman book I've read, the first being Fragile Things, and it's not quite as good as that, but it's very cool.

Neverwhere is an urban Grimms fantasy.

Finished Neverwhere and really enjoyed it. Magic, adventure, danger, alternate reality.... Gaiman can really spin a captivating yarn :-) My review is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, and includes a video clip of a Q&A with Gaiman answering where he gets his story ideas.

If you like a gritty, edgy fantasy with a mystery and danger, I recommend Neverwhere :-)

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I didn't read any Sandman yet today, so I'm still 1/2 way, dunno if I'll finish it tomorrow, or just keep reading a little at a time like I have been. It seems that graphic novels (manga, comic strip books, etc) give me a headache and sick stomach if I read them for a long period of time.

Also, while I finished The Magician's Nephew with Maggie so she could take the Accelerated Reader test on it, I'm still 2 chapters out with the older two. Should have it finished tomorrow, if we don't forget to read it.

I'll be starting You Suck: a Love Story sometime this weekend, too. It won't take long at all, to be sure. and I'm really eager to get started on the next Dune book, Dune Messiah.

Finished 40, 35 more to go... picking up some momentum again :-D

I finished You Suck by Christopher Moore and posted my review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR. I really enjoyed this book, and couldn't put it down. Moore' wit, knack for finding humor in the absurd, and peculiar (but fun) characters made for a very fun read. It was my first Moore book, but it won't be my last :-)

Next up is Goblins! by Royce Buckingham. I have a spare copy to giveaway, and it looks like a fun and quick book, as well.

Finished 41, 34 more to go :-)

Nice. I've been meaning to read more Moore but I feel to make myself a more well rounded person I should read a variety of authors and not just everything one guy and then move on to the next author.

You Suck might be the next one I pick up when I get done with the back log of books I have at the moment (although I am anal enough were I would have to read Bloodsucking Fiends first regardless of how well it stands alone). I am quite interested in Fool though...hell I'll figure it out when the time comes.

lol.. I usually do try to read the first book in a series, but I'd bought You Suck without knowing it was a second book, and I'd read the book and was writing the review when I found out. It's that good as a stand-alone.

Thanks for the info.. I appreciate it..

I don't think I will be putting that one on the pile just now..
and I can't even say why. It just isn't sounding like me.
I just finished of Bees and Mist which is an adult fable..
I really liked it a lot.. you might like it, too?

I'm about 30 pages from the end of Goblins! An UnderEarth Adventure, which I'll finish tomorrow because I'm watching The Uninvited with Mags right now. I posted my review of it In the Shadow of Mt. TBR. It's been just a joy of a book to read. It was like being 10 again and on the playground. It's not going to be an award winner, it's not a serious book with meaning, and if it had a lesson, I surely didn't feel like I was being taught it. It was just. plain. fun. Serious books are good and important, but so is play time and fun. :-D

Next up is either Katka, my next book for a blog tour, June 9th, or Darkly Dreaming Dexter, another fun and play book.

Finished 42, 33 to go for goal! :-) I could read faster, but I've been watching a LOT of movies and shows that I've missed while reading non-stop.

I should probably read Bees, since it's for the B&N First Look program. Thanks for the reminder, mckait :-)

I finished up Goblins! An UnderEarth Adventure by Royce Buckingham today, and I would just like to say it again: I had so much fun reading this book! I smiled most of the time while reading it. It was like a romp ofn the playground. I hope the author writes a sequel :-)

I also read The Curious Case of Benjamin Button today (review is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR) I was not terribly impressed with this book. It was a short story, but I think it would have made a much better novel... there was just so much detail that could've been added, so much more emotion. I'm betting the movie will be better than the book.

I also started Katka by Stephen Meier today. I'm about 1/4 the way through. It's a "novella," and only 107 pages long... Thank GAWD! I really do NOT like it. It's for a blog tour and my date is June 9th, so I have the next 8 days to figure out the nicest way to say it's a stinker.

Maybe it'll get better??? *she said, trying to sound hopeful, but without the slightest conviction* argh... there's just so much wrong with this book that the typos, forgotten punctuation and misuse of words like "too" instead of "to" aren't noticeably.

That's it... that's the "good" angle for it: "This book proves that if you struggle with spelling and grammar, no one will notice it if you write as badly as you possibly can." Yeah, that doesn't sound too mean, does it?

Finished 43, 32 to go!

Oh! The Univited was a really great thriller/horror movie. I highly recommend it if you like movies like Sixth Sense and Hide and Seek.

#90: Goblins does look like fun! I will see if I can find it. Thanks for the recommendation.

okay, finished Katka and I feel bad for not liking it. I know, it's dumb to feel that way, but I just have such a deep sympathy for the writer. Here he is, spent 7 years working on getting this story out there, spent money self-publishing it, and i just sit back, get a free book then crap on his baby. Boo to me.

But, at the same time, they ask for honest reviews. And I gave it JUST THAT... an honest review. It doesn't post until June 9th, which is my blog's stop date, and maybe I'll cave and rewrite it by then... but it's on the book's LT page right now... It's not mean, but it's the truth.

OH WELL..... Can't love 'em all.

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I'm working through Emma right now, and she is proving to be my LEAST favorite of Jane Austen's books. I'm sick of little Miss Woodhouse and want to have done with her. P&P is still my reigning favorite, and I got so excited yesterday when I picked up a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies yesterday. My mom thought it sounded weird, and scoffed at the thought and description, but I can't wait to read it!

I think I'll pick up Of Bees and Mist by Erik Setiawan next, though. I've got to read it quick so I can participate in the B&N's First Look discussions on it, since that's where I got the book.

Finished 44, 31 to go.

Hehehe.... it's been a couple days since I updated this thread. Maybe I should check back in a little more, even if I don't have a book to say, "I finished."

But, as it is... I have two books that I've finished and posted the reviews for them today.

First off, I finally, FINALLY! finished Emma by Jane Austen. It was NOT even close to being one of my favorite books. Truth be told, I came close to hating it... but, I'm glad I read it. Austen does a fabulous job at expressing and impressing the sense of desperate isolation that bordered on claustrophobic, claw-the-walls desire to escape felt by the women of Austen's time. Men could express themselves freely, could vote, go into politics, and, when they wanted to strike out on their own, they could go to the Americas and make their own way. Women had no such freedoms. Marry well or be a nobody. Be a governess or destitute. It was a choice of how you wanted to be miserable. I'd have to say I found a deeper respect for the women of that era. (my review is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR)

I also finished Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. I read it all in a few hours when the internets was down. I had already read the 3rd book first, so it was cool to read the 1st book second... lol. I'll read the 2nd book 3rd, but the rest in order. :-D I love the Showtime series, and the book was different enough to still be suspenseful and a surprise in the end. (review here)

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So now I'm about 3/4 the way through The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. I guess I'm in the LT minority, but I really love it. It's a bit Lifetimey, but good. The introduction of Rosemary has thrown me through a loop and has made it a new book again. I can't wait to see how it will end.

I'm also stressing out about getting The 19th Wife finished by Thursday evening. I'm only about 70 pages in, and it's a 500 page book. I may have to write the review without having finished, which I've done once or twice to make the tour date. I really love it, so no issues.

I've had to set Of Bees and Mist aside so I could read 19th Wife, and I can't wait to get back into it. And I picked up The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch from the library on the reco of my mom.

Still in the same spot in The Sandman : Preludes and Nocturnes and I haven't touched From the Corner of His Eye in forever

so, that makes 46 finished, with 29 to go.

Finished The Memory Keeper's Daughter earlier this week, but I've been focused on reading The 19th Wife fo review. I missed finishing 19th Wife by the deadline, so I posted a review already, but I'm still reading it so it doesnt' count as finished yet.

Anyway... I really enjoyed Memory Keeper, my review's In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, but, oddly enough, LT thinks the probability is high that I'll hate the book. Go figure, lol... 4 out of 5 stars... yep, I hated it. That's why I wait until AFTER I read a book to see if it thinks I'll like it ;-) So I'm not prejudiced for or against it.

I'm about 1/2 through The Last Lecture, too. I could just finish it and go... it's a short book... but I'm trying to savor it more. I love the concept in it that "Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how much we want it." Sad that we've lost such a great philosopher in Randy Pausch!

finished 47, 28 to go.

Finished The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, and I was greatly inspired. He lived life up to the very end, and chose to be optimistic. He was given a diagnosis of four good months to live and he asked himself, "What legacy am I leaving behind?" He left his wife and three small children an amazing amount of proof of his love and didn't waste a minute wishing he had longer. (review here)

finished 48, 27 to go.

koolmom, I am very glad to hear that you liked Memory Keepers Daughter:)

mckait, did you like it, as well?

I finished The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff tonight. It's a very good book, but the historical parts of it drag a little toward the end. It's possible that I was just wanting to solve the mystery of who killed Jordan's dad. The answer was a surprise. I didn't see that coming. My review is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR.

I'm almost 1/2 way thru Water for Elephants, and love it. I'll be starting Something Beyond Greatness Judy Rodgers and Gayatri Naraine tonight or tomorrow. It's 102 pages of big type with wide spaces, so it won't take long, maybe a few hours. I'll be giving away a copy on Mt TBR, too. The review for it will be up June 29.

Finished 49, 26 to go. Almost 2/3 the way thru. WooT! I may hit 100 by Dec. 31st!

I loved it! So many here did not, but when I was at Half Price Books last week, it flew off the shelf and landed in front of me..

A woman my age wandered around the corner to see what she had caused to fall, and we started to talk. She loved it too :)

now, I could not even open the cover of Water for Elephants. I tried, really I did.. so never read it.

mckait, why couldn't you get into Water for Elephants?

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I finished Water for Elephants and posted the review. Enchanting, gritty, magical and a sense of realism, Gruen researched the subject and travelled to several historical circus-related places. She said she'd actually never saw a circus until doing the research for this book, and that wonder and excitement of seeing a circus for the first time shines through. Exceptional book, and definitely one of my top reads for the year.

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I'm a little over 1/2 way through Something Beyond Greatness, and plan to finish it today. The review for the blog tour is due up tomorrow night, which shouldn't be any trouble. I'll be having a giveaway of the book, as well.

I'm also reading Fruits Basket, volume 1 and enjoying it. I love the anime show, too... I guess I'm a girl after all.

finished 50, 25 more to go. That means I'm 2/3 the way to my goal and three months ahead of schedule :-D

No idea, kool. I just couldn't even open it. I am having the same problem with The Girl Who Played With Fire . Sometimes that happens. No one else have that problem?

Not being able to open a book? IDK... sometimes, I suppose. Is it the cover? or that you don't feel like reading the story, per se? I usually have that issue if I know something about the story, and I'm just not in the mood for that at the moment. I've had Water for Elephants on Mt. TBR for over a year, and just now picked it up, so I suppose I just didn't feel into it until then.

TBH, the only reason I grabbed it now is that Simply Audio sent the audio book, so destiny or random forces in the universe were why I read it this time. I like to read along wihile listening when I can. I'm an audio-visual learner, so I get the most out of a book this way.

#100

I had an image someone akin to the Monster Book in Harry Potter, except the book actually WON'T open, with you desperately forcing your fingernails under the cover to force it open.

Just found your thread koolaid (can i call you that?) and can't believe I haven't found you before. Will definitely be following you now.

It is sort of hard to explain. I pick it up and take it to my chair... then get up and get a drink. Then get up and get a cookie or something. Then I go and sweep the porch. I pick it up and take it to my room... and watch a rerun of something.
No matter what I do, sometimes for days. The cover stays shut.
So then I give it away or mooch it away or something... It is seriously like I am unable to peel it open.

I know what you mean about not feeling into a book just now.. not the same thing for me.

#102 lunacat sure, you can call me koolaid :-D LOL..

#103, mckait I've solved the problem, then... Just rip off the front cover and first couple pages... now that silly little cover won't stay shut to ya ;-)

Actually, though, I know what you mean. I've had similar experiences. That's part of why I can't just read one book at a time. Just don't feel like reading this book... fall asleep everytime I crack the binding on that one.. Oh! Can't put this one down! And the next time, it's mixed up and the sleeper is now the one I can't put down. Something Beyond Greatness was a sleeper for the last two days and Fruits Basket the one I read with gusto. But I'm blazing through Greatness and haven't touched Fruits today. Funny that way, eh?

Finished up Something Beyond Greatness last night, just posted my review In the shadow of Mt. TBR. I'm also giving away a copy of the the book.

I didn't think it was that much of a book when I first started reading it. It seemed to just tell me things I already knew. However, after finishing it, I'm noticing the info in it bubbling up in everything I do, so I think it's a lot more of a book than I had first thought.

Like for instance, I watched Defiance tonight, and I couldn't help but examine what Tevia Beilski was doing through the lense of the book.

I like books that stick with you.

Finished 51, 24 more to go. I know I'm going to hit 75, no problem... should I bump it up to 100 now? or wait 'til I hit it?

kool... wish that would work :P

I am waiting until after work to choose another book. I read 3 over the weekend and need a breather. Who knows what might turn up in the mail today, so....

Greatness sounds like a good one.

Something Beyond Greatness looks very good. I will look for it. Thanks for the recommendation!

I keep forgetting to update here... lol.

I finished Fruits Basket, volume 1 and Fruits Basket, volume 2 by Natsuki Takaya. They're absolutely sweet and hilarious manga books, and I enjoyed them very much. I've posted the reviews here:

Volume 1
Volume 2

I'm completely scatter brained of late, and I've got about 8 or 9 books going right now. Manga seems to be the only books I can really pay attention to without getting distracted.

I went to the beach today and took a few books with me, hoping to get a couple finished. I didn't get near as much done as I wanted, but I read about 2/3 of Neil Armstrong is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle-Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino. It's quite a fun book and brings back feelings and good memories of childhood.

Finished 53, 22 to go :-)

I finished Neil Armstrong is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino yesterday. It was a fun book that brought back memories and feelings from my own childhood. I was definitely a Tamara as a kid. (My review)

I picked up The Inconvenient Adventures of Uncle Chestnut by Paul Nowak today. It's only 55 pages, so it won't take long. It's not what I had expected. I figured it'd be "crazy, demented (but harmless) uncle escapes the home" kind of thing, but it's more philosophical and nostalgic. Uncle Chestnut is a bit eccentric, there's no denying that, but not flat out nuts. It's a real treat of a book. :-)

Finished 54, 21 to go. Is it just me, or am I picking up speed? 21 to go, wow... I might hit 100 this year.

Read and reviewed The Inconvenient Adventures of Uncle Chestnut by Paul Nowak (review here). I enjoyed it very much, but I wish it'd been longer (how often do you hear people say THAT about a book). I hope Nowak writes the next one soon, I want more Uncle Chestnut! He's just so full of good sense and wisdom, which I definitely need more of ;-)

I'll probably work on finishing up the books I've got going now, which are:
Home Repair by Liz Rosenberg
Fruits Basket, volume 3 by Natsuki Takaya ~ yeah, like I need my arm twisted for this one ;-)
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor ~ rather interesting book. I may continue the series.
The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman ~ sat it aside and kinda forgot
Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan ~ yeah, I so blew that B&N thing, but I had blog tour dates to hit on time.
From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz ~ Gotta finish this one before my friend demands its return.

Finished 55, 20 more to go!

I know the feeling of hating for a book to end. Sad, isn't it?

I really liked your last two when I read them.

Just to sneak a note in here about the two versions of Dune out there--I absolutely loved the book, introduced most of my sibs and both my children to it, and managed to read only two of Herbert's sequels before I got weary of the plotting. That being said, I have both the original film and the mini-series and the sequel mini-series. However, what I've discovered with these type of films is that the "extended" or "director's cut" is generally closer to the story. I, too, would love to mix up the casts and pull the storylines together, but that's like fantasy baseball or football, isn't it? The sequel mini-series "Children of Dune" is actually a condensation of the second two books, and works to good advantage for that reason. The "Paul" who is so obnoxious in the first mini grows some and Leto is played by James McAvoy (*sigh*) while Susan Sarandan plays the Princess Irulan's (Julie Cox) sister to very nice effect. I also do like Ian McNeice as the Baron (although I always a problem when I first see him because he did such a nice job as Potiphar in Donny Osmond's version of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"). That's a very long way of saying the sequel is better than the first, but also that the extended versions have those snips back in which make the story have better continuity.

Finally, I also tend to like Herbert's other (non-Dune) books much better than the sequels.

And, have you seen the film made of Something Wicked This Way Comes? I love that Bradbury, and the film is quite a treat.

Prop2gether: Thanks for letting me know that the Children of Dune miniseries is both the sequels. I'll wait until I read them to get the show. Yes, btw, I did see the movie of Something Wicked. I saw it when I was a kid, long before I knew it was a book, and it was always one of my favorites. The only thing I wish they would've put in the movie from the book is the part where the witch in the balloon is marking the house. That, for me, was the scariest moment (maybe because it wasn't in the movie, though). Actually, I think that book might be due for a new movie, too. It seems every generations has to have their own versions of great books and movies.

I took a bit of a break from reading and discovered World of Warcraft, but now I'm back reading again. Since my last post here I've read:

The Looking Glass Wars by Frand Beddor (reviewed here)

Quick word on this book... I really didn't like it. The only think I did like in the book was Hatter Madigan. It was a great idea, but for whatever reason, it just didn't fly for me.

Undiscovered Gyrl by Allison Burnett (reviewed here) - This book was a frightening look into the modern teen's life. Not all teens are going to be like this, but it makes my heart freeze to think my own daughters may have friends like this (my brain won't go closer than that.)

Fruits Basket, volume 3 and Fruits Basket, volume 4 by Natsuki Takaya (reviewed here) - continued story of the sweet and naive Tohru Honda befriending members of the cursed Sohma family.

Home Repair by Liz Rosenberg (reviewed here) -A comfort, homey read that reminds us that we’re not alone and gives us hope. It tells us that we’re stronger than we think and love is the best home repair.

Finished 59, 16 more to go. I'm about halfway through Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper and COnfessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. I'm really loving Gwen's book and each chapter is a story and message of their own :-)

Nice reviews. I am going to look and see if I can find Home Repair.

Okay, after a month of the flu at our house and Halloween in the mix of it all, too, I finally got around to posting reviews this week. I didn't get a whole lot read, especially while I was down with the flu for a whole week and change. But I got a few done.

Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper (reviewed here) - An inspirational and heart-warming story of how a blind wonder-cat changed Gwen's life, taught her how to see the value in those whom you might otherwise pass over, and taught her how to be brave and how to love. I had already become friends with Gwen before I read the book through a fellow blogger, but after reading it, I really felt like we'd known each other forever. She's a really sweet person, and Homer is a superhero-cat :-)

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (reviewed here) - Light-hearted bit of fluff. It wasn't my favorite... I think for this genre I'd rather read a Stephanie Plum novel (chick comedy lit). But it was fun. I don't plan on reading more Shopaholic books, though.

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (reviewed here) - A beautiful and moving story of an immigrant family from Bengali and how life in America affects them and what it's like for the second-generation. It was a very good book.

Out of the three, I think Homer was my favorite, but then again, it seems everyone who comes across this amazing cat becomes his fan, whether by book or in the fur.

Finished 62, 13 to go. I'll have to hep it to get them done, but still doable. I'm in the third chapter of Three to Get Deadly and I want to read BoneMan's Daughters... it's staring at me on my desk right here... lol. Oh, so many books and so little time!

I hope the flu has finally left your domain once and for all!

I have both Homer's Odyssey and The Namesake in the BlackHole so I do not have to add them.

in the BlackHole? you mean your TBR pile? lol

#118: Yes, it has gone through another renaming ceremony: first it was Mount TBR, then it went to Continent TBR, then Planet TBR, and finally now it is the BlackHole (and will never have to be renamed again!)

LOL... it just sucks everything in... money, time, space in your house... Good name for it ;-)

I've finished BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker (a href="http://thekoolaidmom.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/bonemans-daughters-by-ted-dekker/">review)... a woeful disappointment... and Nation by Terry Pratchett (review), a rich and wonderful YA fantasy. This is just a perfect example of how reading goes. Sometimes, you get duds, other times, pure gems.

I had expected BoneMan's Daughters to be a suspense/horror kind of book based on the feel of the website, but it was more of a crime drama. Also, Dekker never really developed the characters, and was a bit unbelievable in the story line. I gave it 2 stars.

Nation, on the other hand, was fascinating and engaging, kept me turning pages and I was held in anxious suspense as Mau defended himself and his new Nation against Cox and the cannibals. I gave it a 5 out of 5, and it's one of my favorites. I definitely want to read it again.

I was going to read Dewey next, but I can't seem to find my copy. He's lost somewhere in Mt. TBR... or the BlackHole, as alcottacre says. He'll turn up eventually, and in the meantime, I'll pick up The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

Finished 64, 11 to go. I can do it :-) Last year, I managed to read 5 books in the week the kids all went to dads', so 11 shouldn't be an issue. This time last year, I still had about 20 to go, and I think I ended 5 shy of 75.

Books have a habit of popping out of the BlackHole when I least expect them to, so I am sure Dewey will turn up soon!

Cats seem to enjoy hiding from us, don't they?? :D

I'm still on about wanting to read Dewey, so I picked it up from the library... lol. Whenever I finally come across it in the bookshelves, I'll post it to the swap sites. Hope the little kitty is worth it ;-) Though, Maggie says she peeked and read the end and said it was sad... D-:

Just found your thread! Wondered how I'd missed it, but you took your break from reading just about the time I joined the 75 challenge . . . and lately, I've been too busy to explore threads not already starred . . . but I've starred you now. Just in time for the end of the year. . .

Love your thread! Lots of good books & reviews!

#122 alcottacre ~ yes, they do at that. I'm still waiting for Confessions of a Shopaholic to pop out of the hole. I had a copy, but couldn't find it when I went to read it (Dewey wasn't the first one ;-) ), so I bought another copy at the thrift store. I've read it, and mooched it away, so whenever the first copy I had resurfaces, I'll just post it directly to BM and PBS. In the meantime, I got Dewey from the library. I'll be done with it pretty quickly.

#123 amwmsw04 - Yes, those furry little critters sure do! We just took in a stray kitten just before T-giving, and he's already found the tops of every book shelf and curio cabinet (and broke more than a few collectables in the process. You have to admit, at least when a cat shoves a book from the top shelf, there are no small pieces to pick up ;-) )

#125 tymfos - Welcome to the thread and to the group :-) Yes, I took a bit of a break to explore Azeroth (or in non-geek terms: To play World of Warcraft). After a while, I grow bored with whatever distraction has taken me from books and I come back. Right now, facebook is trying to keep me from hitting 75 books. Those darn games are so addictive!

Finished Dewey last night and reviewed it today. Very heart-warming, and I enjoyed the small-town angle of it. One person wrote a review for it here on LT saying that there was too much small-town stuff in it for their taste, and all I can say is, "DUH! did ya not read the title? "Small-Town Library Cat"? I suppose there's someone... somewhere... who griped there was too much "cat" stuff in the book. Oh well! Can't please everyone. A lesson, btw, told in the book.. lol.

AND... after reading the book, the whole "Dewey lost in Mt. TBR range" and going to the library for a copy... I have to laugh, because that is SO very Dewey! Like his spirit haunts the books, even! lol

finished 65, with 10 more to go. I'm started to get a little nervous about it. I might not quite make 75... though I'm still counting on a big reading burst when the kids go to their dads' for Christmas break. Up next is The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne. Gwen, my middle daughter, keeps bugging me about it... "Didja readit yet? Dija readit yet??" LOL... they read it last year in her class, and she's eager to talk about it.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is very good. I hope you and your daughter have a good time talking about it!

Finished The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas this morning and posted the review. It was okay, but I didn't think it was worthy of all the hype. I think The Book Thief was much better. But I think it's a good children's book. It's easy enough to read, and kids can relate to 9-year-old Bruno. I'm going to pass it along to Mags and Sam.

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I'm a little past the halfway mark in Three to Get Deadly, and it's hitting the Laugh-Out-Loud quality Evanovich is known for. I actually drew stares and glares last night when reading it while waiting for Mags to finish her Karate class. Ranger's forced 5-mile runs at 5:30 in the morning when even the SUN has enough sense to stay in bed... lol. Morelli is a dog, whereas Ranger is a cat... what animal Stephanie is, I'm not sure, though I suspect she's a hamster like Rex... lol.

Finished 66, 9 more to go! Woot! I'm in single digits now :-D The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is next.

Finished The Glass Castle (review here). It's shocking how some people can call themselves parents. AND amazing that Jeannette and her brother and sisters LIVED to see adulthood, let alone to be anything close to successful. It's a really good and compelling read.

I've got about 1/4 the way to go in Three to Get Deadly. I don't think it's one of the best Plums, but it's good. The Morelli-Stephanie-Ranger triangle is starting to warm up.

Finished 67, 8 more to go. I started over reading Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism, though a book about an orphan suffering hunger, filth and hardship in a humorous way is not nearly as appealing after The Glass Castle.

#130: I agree with you about The Glass Castle - I have no idea how Walls' parents could call themselves parents!

Finished Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism this morning and reviewed it. It was a cute, but I think I should've put a couple books between it and Glass Castle. Plus, I think it would've been much more fun with Mags... it just seemed to be juvenile by myself. (DUH! It's a children's book!)

I've got 2 more Austens to read, and I wanted to finish them this year, so I think I'll pick up Northanger Abbey next. That'll just leave Persuasion, then.

I'm still in the same spot in Three to Get Deadly, though I'll prolly get more of that read tomorrow while Mags is in Karate class.

Finished 68, 7 more to go. I think I can do it... just have to get rid of this monster migraine... bah, hate headaches!

Hope the migraine goes away soon!

I just checked last year's thread and found out I finished 63 books, so I've already read more this year than last :-)

Thanks, alcottacre, on the hope for the headache to be gone. I think it wanted some food and sleep... much better now :-)

I've been glued to Northanger Abbey, and am surprised by how I could've missed this one! It's so much fun. Austen's wit and satire writing a parody of a literary genre she loved. Though, tbh, I'm having a little trouble believing Catherine's sudden change in trying to understand the mechanations of those around her. In the beginning of the novel, she thinks nothing of anyone else's motives. Then, suddenly, the arrival at Northanger Abbey makes her mind race to invent a sinister history for the General. Erm, oookay. But, I guess it is a parody, so I should keep that in mind... maybe that was Austen's point.

I should finish the book tomorrow (I only have 50 pages to go), which is good, because Mags has a school play performance tomorrow night. :-)

I just finished Northanger Abbey this afternoon (I haven't wrote the review yet, though), and I can't imagine how or why I hadn't read it before. P & P had always been my favorite, but I think it's supplanted by NA now. It's so much fun! It's got the social interplay and romantic expectations that Austen is known for, but also has a satirical wit and parody that had me laughing out loud and held me in suspense as much, if not more, than a modern novel. The odious John Thorpe is very familiar to me, and did NOT die out with Victorian England. And Isabella was shameful for any era... I think someone commented in this thread they had known several Isabellas in high school, and I second that. I'll add that I could name a couple in my acquaintance even now, so age doesn't cure it. I've said it before, and I say it again: A classic is one that can be just as current in whatever time period it's read as it was in it's initial publication, and Austen always meets that requirement :-)

AND.... I must admit to having a new Austen book crush for Henry Tilney. I really enjoyed his sense of humor, his play with linguistics (teasing them over the use of "nice" and "faithfully promised"), as well as his stand-up-ness to go to Catherine despite his hot-headed father's objections to her.

Dunno whether to hit Persuasion next, or leave it for after the kids go back to school. Maybe grab a non-fiction next... Plato and Platypus Walk Into a Bar or An Inconvenient Book perhaps?

I've still got a little more than 1/4 the way to go in Three to Get Deadly.

Finished 69, 6 more to go. AND... erm... just 2 weeks to accomplish it. That's 3 books a week... with kids at my elbow.. constantly. Eek!

"It's shocking how some people can call themselves parents"

The stories I could tell....

Just finished Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar, but haven't reviewed it or Northanger yet. I really enjoyed Plato and a Platypus, it was an interesting concept of presenting an intro to many schools of philosophy and illustrating their intents through jokes. Some of the jokes are clunkers, but a lot of them are funny. Some of their explainations of particular philosophical thought are too fast and I'm still unclear about them, but quite a few are understandable. One thing it did for me was to inspire me to look more deeply into a few of the philosophers, or to revisit some of my favorites. I've always liked Hegel, and after this book I think I'd like to look him up again. Kierkegaard is one of those philosophers that I never really got the first time through... and I'm not sure I'd get him a second time, either... lol.

Finished 70, only 5 more to go! I can count the remainder on one hand :-D WOOT! Not sure whether to pick up another book today, or just sit and veg in front of the TV and watch the third season of The Tudors. I think I'll read Dune Messiah next. I'm in the mood for a bit of Sci-Fi.

Just finished Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich. It was a lot of fun, though I don't think they make good appointment books. By the time I got to the end, I'd forgotten some of the stuff that came at the beginning. Perhaps I should read the next Plum as a main, instead.

I'm now getting backed up on my reviews, but I'm trying to get my 75 read. I have thoughts of waiting until I'm done to write all the reviews, but think I might forget some of the earlier ones, so that might not be a good idea. As it stands, I have 3 reviews to write. Maybe I should take a break and write them before starting another book.

Finished 71, 4 more to go. I think I can do that in the next 11 days ;-) I'm thinking of starting either Visions of Sugar Plums or Dune Messiah next... not sure which.

#138: Visions of Sugar Plums is fairly lightweight, if that has any bearing on your decision. I have no idea about Dune Messiah since I have not read that one.

alcottacre ~ The quick read-ness of the Plum book does bear a little, as does the fact it's a Christmas book. Also, having just finished one Plum book, I'm not opposed to another. In the end, though, I went ahead and picked up Dune Messiah because it was on my desk and I have to hunt for Visions of Sugar Plums, which is somewhere on Mt. TBR... possibly buried, even.

The Dune book is very thick, descriptive and plot-wise. It's not a long book, but it takes a lot of brain power. I had forgotten just how much intrigue and plotting was in the first one. 38 pages in, and I'm remembering all the stuff I'd loved with the first book, but also how much work it had been.

I just read Dune this year, so I know what you mean about the intrigue and plotting!

I found my Visions of Sugar Plums this morning, right out in the open... in the middle and front of one of my TBR bookcases, so I went for it. I finished it just a few minutes ago, and really enjoyed it. It was funny, and I laughed so much at it that the kids kept running into my room wanting share in my merriment. Of course, it is an R-rated book, so I couldn't really tell them much. My favorite part in the book is when they find Grandma Mazur's teeth and Mary Alice admits to decorating them with waterproof markers.

The only thing that really bugged me with the book was the supernatural stuff in it. I've always enjoyed the rational, albeit far-fetched statistically, events that happen in a Plum novel. I almost feel a bit cheated by the kitchy resort to superheroes... like, what? We couldn't enjoy a good, sexy romp without it? meh.... 3 stars.

While in Mt. TBR, extracating the Plum Christmas book, I decided to take it's neighbor, too. I pulled out Politically Correct Holiday Stories, which is a satirical take on how PC is affecting the holiday season. I laughed especially hard over the whole, "You didn't give me any private parts, and why would you assign my gender without asking me first any way? I prefer to be a persun of snow" said Frosty. Mags, on the other hand, did NOT get it and found it rather annoying. Oh, how a ten-year-old can so fully understand yet not get it!

Finished 72, 3 more to go. I got this... it's in the bag. Unless I die, of course... or someone breaks in and steals all my books... "No! Not the books! Anything but the books!"

You are right - it's in the bag. Congratulations!

Just finished Dune Messiah. I really enjoyed it, and it took me away to Arrakis and all the intrigues of the Imperium of Muad'Dib. I had thought the plot more complicated, but in the end it was simple: Everyone wanted Paul's genes. The Bene Gesserit's wanted it for their genetic program (remember, they've been making a Kwizatz Haderach for about 50 generations), and without it they'd have to go back several generations and try to get the right combo again. This book also brings the Bene Tleilaxu to the readers attention. They are of the school of thought that everything is energy, and they would be the "practical application" to the BG's "philosophy of science" program (though, they hate each other). The Tleilaxu also want Paul's genetic material so they can make a KH they can control, but they also want control of the spice and the Atreidies share of CHOAM. The Guildsmen lost their golden goose when Paul became Emporer, that is, they lost the stranglehold and riches therein from the shipment of spice... I don't think they care about who gets Paul's seed, they just want the spice back. Irulan wants to be the mother of the Imperial line out of pride, I think.

Some interesting things in Dune Messiah are the ghola of Duncan Idaho and Bijaz, the dwarf who's a human data dump. A ghola is a Tleilaxu creation involving the reanimation (and cloning, I think) of a deceased person. Hayt, the name of the ghola of Duncan Idaho, is a "gift" to Paul from the Guild, and is meant to be Paul's destruction. Bijaz is also a Tleilaxu creation and is meant to "turn on" Hayt's latent purpose.

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I'm also about half way through Politically Correct Holiday Stories, though finding it a little draggy now.

Finished 73, 2 more to go. I think I want a no-brainer after the Dune book. Something that won't require any thinking at all.

I finished Politically Correct Holiday Stories today. It was okay, I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads, but haven't wrote the review yet. The best part of the book is the revamp of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, which was pretty funny. The Frosty one was cute, then Rudolph was a bit annoying, and when he got to A Christmas Carol, or it could've been called "The Re-education of Ebeneezer Scrooge", the whole shtick had grown tiresome. There is just too many revisions of the Dickens classic to make this one something you WANT to read. Then, the whole PC revamping of it made it agonizingly slow. And if I ever read the words "wommon" or "womyn" again, I'll take a pencil eraser to it until it disappears. Look, just because you have a cause (and as my dad always said, "Lord, spare me people with causes!"), doesn't give you a license to MISPELL words to suit your fancy and philosophy. Get over it!

*breathe*

I'm about 2/3 through with An Inconvenient Book by Glenn Beck. Funny, I claimed to want a no-brainer, then picked this book... lol. It's very smart and thought provoking, as well as insightful. I like Beck anyway (I know, I'm a hatemongering conservative.. get the tar and feathers!), but never really watched him much, other than when my brother sent me the videos. He's quite funny! I was reading a long with the audio book, I find reading along often works well for me as I'm an audio-visual learner, but apparently it was an abridged version and left whole chapters out. So, I marked the skipped ones and am now going back to read them rather than pausing the ab for them. It's set up like a text book with little widgets, graphs and inserts, which is good for those of up with ADD.

Finished 74, 1 more :-D

#145: I read Glenn Beck's Common Sense earlier this year, before he stirred up a ton of controversy and thought it was pretty good. I will be interested in your review of An Inconvenient Book.

alcottacre I also have Glenn Beck's Common Sense on Mt. TBR. I've always found his show funny and him smart and insightful (and, I'm a conservative, so often he preaches to the choir with me), but I mostly only watch the clips my brother sends me. I tend to stay away from most news commentators, political ones especially, because all they ever really seem to do is whine and gripe about the other side. Beck doesn't really do that very much in this book, so it's pleasant and thought-provoking... and really funny, lol.

OH, what controversy is it that he stirred up? My brother never sent that clip...

I finished Glenn Beck's An Inconvenient Book today, and was very impressed. I think I'll keep it to reread, next time with a highlighter and notepad handy.

I've got a couple of started-but-not-finished books I think I'll try to complete:

Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan, which I got from Barnes & Noble for their Early Look program. I'm about 1/4 the way through, last I looked.

Neil Gaiman's The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes ~ This one I really like, but I was trying to pace myself with it so as to enjoy it, but set it aside for a minute and forgot to pick it back up.

Fruits Basket volume 5 ~ Maggie gets unhappy if I read ahead of her, and she's been a little fart in a whirlwind when I try to read WITH her, so we're not very far into it.

Also, I've got a book from the library (Magic for Beginners) that was recommended for me by one of the librarians. It seems to be a book of short stories, and she'd read some of it but quit because it got too weird for her. She thought it'd be right up my alley, though.

Finished 75! Yay! Hit goal :-D with about 5 days to spare. I'm going for 75 again in 2010. Maybe I should try for 76, but I raced this last month and didn't really get to fully enjoy some of them, I think.

lol... love the graphic alcottacre :-)

I just finished The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes, which was my first graphic novel, unless you count manga and Robot Dreams, which was illustrated without any words. I had set it aside with less than 100 pages to go, so it was a quick finish. LOL, I could've hit 75 so much faster if I'd have just picked it back up ;-)

Ah well, it's all good :-)

Finished 76, now in overkill mode :-D

Congrats!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to you on reaching the goal. Happy New Year.

Happy New Year, Alisha!

Thank you, Stasia :-) And have a happy New Year, yourself ;-)