cindyp's 50 book challenge

1. Year of Wonders
2. The Forgotten Man
3. Great Expectations
4. Deception Point
5. The Defining Moment:FDR's First Hundred Days
6. The Handmaid's Tale

You are off to a great start, cindyp! Which book have you liked the best so far?
--BJ

7. I'm a Stranger Here Myself

8. The Shack

I've just started The Shack, cindyp. What did you think of it?

The first 75 pages were a little sappy for me and I was not sure I was going to like it, but it was well worth the wait! There are some really interesting insights and ways of looking at free will that I had not thought about before. I thought it worthwhile.

I really enjoyed Handmaid's Tale! I read 1984 last year and it reminded me of that very much. I like the whole dystopian look at society, although it kind of depresses me - which is why I started reading a Bill Bryson book immediately! That guy is so funny!

I just finished Bonfire of the Vanities. That makes #9.

I finished The Associate by John Grisham this weekend. After a brief interlude from his legal thrillers, this book puts him squarely back on track. I love a good romp through a Grisham novel!

...and #11 is Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. What an interesting look at 19th century imperialism.

I finished Brave New World and feel like taking a soma! Had a hard time getting into the book but the end was worth the wait. That's #12

...#13 was Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society for #14.

Hi, Cindy! Just caught your thread. You're reading a real variety of books. Loved David Sedaris, though not his last one nearly as much come to think of it. What did you think of Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society? I really liked it, especially that it was written in the form of letters, but thought it just a bit too saccharine to be a "favorite." What's a "soma" by the way?

Soma is the futuristic drug of choice mentioned in Brave New World. I believe the name comes from a drink used by ancient Hindu and Zoroastrian priests.

Lol! Guess it's been waaay too long since I read A. Huxley!

Hi Bonnie,
I really enjoyed Guernsy Literary and Potato Peel Society. I really liked the format - made it easy to read it between things I was doing. I really liked Juliet - found her all too humanness very endearing, but I agree that there was a bit too much heartstring pulling. I was much more interested in the characters than in the concentration camp stuff.

I just finished Ari Goldman's Search for God at Harvard. What a heart warming book. An Orthodox Jew goes to Harvard's Divinity School to broaden his religious horizon so he can better write for the NYT religion section. IN the process, his faith is strengthened and he comes out a more enlightened father and husband.

#16 is David McCullough's Brave Companions: Portraits in History.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeling L'Engle is #17. What a fun and interesting read! I love the fantasy genre.

#18 is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. I loved this autobiography that seemed so much more than its 244 pages! I laughed and cried and ached for her in this coming of age classic.

Was The Shack good? Everyone I know is talking about it, and I would like another opinion.

I adored A Wrinkle in Time myself. The next one is even better in my opinion.

Calwise,
I really enjoyed The Shack. After reading the book I see God differently. I enjoyed the symbolism and spiritual aspects, but it is also a good story. I hope that helps.

Calwise, thanks for the recommendation! I've already ordered it and cannot wait for it to come!

You're welcome, cindyp, and thank you for your opinion on The Shack.

And now, for #19, Theodore Roosevelt The Naturalist by Paul Russell Cutright. I am a TR fanatic and this book helped define yet another part of an already spectacular man!

I just finished The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. What an interesting book about how humans behave, make decisions and consume. It really makes me think differently about advertising and about the people from whom I take advice. This is book #20 thus far for 2009.

#21 is Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot that I did not know about the interaction between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims/Puritans. It is amazing to me how fast the relationship between them soured! It only took one generation. Something to be learned!

Love those "connectors" when they're on your side! :-)

bonniebooks,
So true!

I just finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and really enjoyed it! What a lovely story told with such an interesting perspective - an autistic boy! That makes #22.

#23 was Fish! A remarkable way to boost morale and improve results.

I read (ok, speed read) Dan Brown's newest The Lost Symbol this weekend. I love his books because of the way he makes us look at ourselves and our history. This time, he focuses on the founding of the U.S. rather than the Christian Church. It amazes me how I can pick up one of his books and be unable to put it down until I finish it. Even when he drifts into political or religious quicksand, the story is strong enough to pull me along. His books are always a fun read! Oh, this is #24

#25 is March. I love Geraldine Brooks and eagerly await another book from her! She really made the Civil War come to life.

#26 is Madeleine L'Engle's sequel to A Wrinkle in Time - it is A Wind in the Door. I loved Wrinkle and it was good to get back to the characters in this story. Altho the story was not as strong as Wrinkle, I enjoyed the good vs. evil portayal.