50 books for me this year

2010 - 50 BOOK CHALLENGE




OK.....will keep my list up here and add to it as I go....just like last year...here goes :)

1. The Road By Cormac McCarthy
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo By Steig Larsson
3. Oliver Twist By Charles Dickens
4. Wide Sargasso Sea By Jean Rhys
5. Slaughterhouse 5 By Kurt Vonnegut
6. The Time Traveler's Wife By Audrey Niffenegger
7. The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

2009 50 Book Challenge
Am going to start my 50 books for the year from now....including the book I am almost finished The Mysteries of Udolpho.




OKAY......so I am going to keep my list up here and add to it as I go.....

1. Mysteries of Udolpho By Anne Radcliffe
2. Cranford By Elizabeth Gaskell
3. Eat, Pray, Love By Elizabeth Gilbert
4. Hope for the Flowers By Trina Paulus
5. The Piano Teacher By Janice Y. K. Lee
6. Brokeback Mountain By Annie Prolux
7. Atonement By Ian McEwan
8. Darkness Visible; A Memoir of Madness By William Styron
9. The Endless Steppe By Esther Hautzig
10. The Winner Stands Alone By Paulo Coelho
11. On Beauty By Zadie Smith
12. The Power of Now By Eckhart Tolle
13. A Thousand Splendid Suns By Khaled Hosseini
14. The Eyre Affair By Jasper Fforde
15. Return to Wuthering Heights By Anna L'Estrange
16. The Hound of the Baskervilles By Arthur Conan Doyle
17. Breaking Dawn By Stephanie Meyer
18. Lost in a Good Book By Jasper Fforde
19. The Waves By Virginia Woolfe
20. The Collector By John Fowles
21. Mary Barton By Elizabeth Gaskell
22. Secrets About Life Every Woman Should Know By Barbara De Angelis
23. Where Angels Fear to Tread By E.M Forster
24. The Magician's Nephew By C.S.Lewis
25. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe By C.S.Lewis
26. Rebecca By Daphne Du Maurier
27. Dead Until Dark By Charlaine Harris
28. Living Dead in Dallas By Charlaine Harris
29. The Well of Lost Plots By Jasper Fforde
30. The Whale Rider By Witi Ihimaera
31. Of Bees and Mist By Erick Setiawan
32. The Bridges of Madison County By Robert James Waller
33. Mao's Last Dancer By Li Cunxin
34. Why Worry? By K. Sri Dhammananda
35. Club Dead By Charlaine Harris
36. Have a Little Faith By Mitch Albom
37. Entry into the Profound By Ven. Man Chien
38. Dead to the World By Charlaine Harris
39. The Book of Tomorrow By Cecilia Ahern
40. The Thorn Birds By Colleen McCullough
41. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society By Mary Ann Shaffer

Oh well...its New Years Eve and I only just made it to 41, but I did start in April this year. Aiming for a full 50 books over 12 months in 2010 and really looking forward to it because my TBR's are piling up now.

Hi, pj77!
Welcome to the 50 book challenge. I look forward to seeing what you think of The Mysteries of Udolpho as it is a book that I have been wanting to read. Have a great day!
--BJ

Welcome! :)

Hey, I read Myseries of Udolpho years ago and loved it. It sent me looking for other gothic stuff. I'd also be interested to know what you thought of it.

Hey...
Thanks for the Welcome!!

I finished The Mysteries of Udolpho today and I have to say that I loved it. My sister and I both wanted to read it after Austen's reference to it in Northanger Abbey. It has taken me a while to finish due to work etc. but I would definitely recommend it. I fell in love with it at the beginning, got a bit lost toward middle (as I was busy and reading just a few pages here and there) but then could not put it down and the pace of the last 100-150 pages is like being on a rollercoaster! The romance, gothic castles, horror, intrigue and mysteries had me hooked and Radcliffe keeps you in suspense till the very end. A really great read :)
Any suggestions re. other Gothic novels QuestingA?

For my part, I'd suggest Romance of the Forest by Radcliffe. The Castle of Wolfenbach is pretty good too, though a little bit genre-confused at some points....

Thanks for suggestions :) Will definitely read when I get my hands on a copy! For now though I'm moving on to book number 2, one that has been sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read for a while. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. I loved North and South and Ruth so have been looking forward to this one.

I have also heard wonderful things about Cranford! Thanks for the review of The Mysteries of Udolpho. :) Have a great day!
--BJ

I recommend The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg. Even more, I recommend Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen. I also recommend
I loved the atmosphere of Mysteries of Udolpho. I read it about 10 years ago and still remember the dark castle and spooky atmosphere.

Finished Cranford this afternoon. Loved it. A really well written and humourous novel by one of my favourite authors.
Next on my list is Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

I have several Gaskell novels, but not Cranford or Ruth. I hope to find the time to read one of them this summer.
--BJ

Hey BJ

Ruth is a fantastic novel, I highly recommend it!! Very different to Cranford, but both great! My sister got me a copy of Elizabeth Gaskell's Gothic Tales today, which I did not even realise she had written, so I'm looking forward to that too now :)

Hi pj77,

You are very lucky to have such a wonderful sister who buys you books.

Hehehehe :)

--ag83

PS. I think Kazuo Ishiguro's new book comes out in May.

PPS. Check out Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami - Banoo wrote an amazing review

Hi ag83,

Yep! I am extremely blessed to have such a beautiful and kind hearted sister who always looks out for me, but most importantly, who also buys me books!!! :)

Am definitely going to check out Blind, Willow, Sleeping Woman. I read Banoo's review and it is just the sort of thing I think i'll love.

I'll have to look into Ishiguro's new book, as I don't know anything about it. But, as you know, I am desperate to read his novel The Unconsoled. I think I'll just order it online because it is never in stock at our fav. bookstore :) Has anyone read it before??

Just finished Eat, Pray, Love. It is such an amazing book, you don't want to put it down once you've started. So 3 down now and only 47 to go!!! YAY!!

Am going to read one of Elizabeth Gaskell's Gothic Tales and then jump into The Piano Teacher while I still have it on loan.

--pj77 ;)

Got distracted by a beautiful book called Hope for the Flowers......a must read, just brilliant.

Am halfway through Disappearances in Gaskell's Gothic Tales and am a little into The Piano Teacher.

Just finished The Piano Teacher......what a great book! Set in Hong Kong, the story follows the life of Will Truesdale a British expatriate as WWII breaks out. Lee, switches between Will's life in 1942 during the War and after it in 1953. An intriguing series of relationships, events and experiences really draw you in after about the first 100 pages and then keep you reading to the end. I really enjoyed Lee's writing style and highly recommend this book if you're interested.

Also read Brokeback Mountain By Annie Prolux. Thought I would like this more than I did.

Next for me.....Atonement By Ian McEwan

Sounds like a good one! I will add it to the wishlist!
--BJ

Finished Atonement and really enjoyed it.
Am moving onto William Styron's Darkness Visible.

I am hoping to read Atonement this month. But I seem to be so behind. But my daughter will only graduate from high school once! :) She liked this book as well. Did you see the movie? (At least, I think there is a movie.) Have a great day!
--BJ

Hey BJ....No I purposely did not see the movie because I like to read the book first. So I am looking forward to watching it now very much.

Finished Darkness Visible last night which was just brilliant. I couldn't put it down. It was so honest and real.Styron explored the true depths of depression and it's impact on his life and the lives of others, but still managed to show that there is hope, that you can come out of it. Styron's comments about the use of medication were really interesting and valid too.

Anyway, now I have started The Power of Now and The Endless Steppe.

pj77 :)

The movie is actually quite good, I thought it captured the spirit of the book really well. Of course, I'd recommend the book first - McEwan's writing is gorgeous and the ending doesn't pack quite the same emotional punch in the movie as it does on the page. But they are both very good.

Hey spacepotatoes.....thanks for your message...am going to try and watch the movie tonight....have you read any other Ian McEwans novels? I'd be interested in reading another that is recommended by anyone.

Finished The Endless Steppe....thought it was quite good...not a masterpiece, but definitely a good read and as with most historical fiction associated with war quite confronting at times, but reading about the lives of people during these times and the hardships and terror they endured gives you some perspective.

Am still reading The Power of Now in small bits at a time, but have started On Beauty by Zadie Smith as my next fiction novel. First few pages have already hooked me, so hopefully it will be a great read! :)

Hi pj77...no, I haven't read any other McEwan books yet but have several on the TBR. I'd like to read On Chesil Beach and Saturday sometime. I've seen mixed reviews of both but I've also seen a few poor reviews of Atonement so...to each their own! I'll let you know if I get to either of these in the near future.

Thanks spacepotatoes....I was thinking along the lines of Saturday By Ian McEwan too, so I might get hold of a copy soon.


As for now, I know I said I was going to read On Beauty By Zadie Smith, but I was given a copy of Paulo Coelho's new book The Winner Stands Alone and seeing as he is one of my favourite authors I got straight into that. His writing is so amazing, but I must admit, that even though I enjoyed and devoured it pretty quickly, this was not one of my favourite books by Coehlo. I think that some of his other books are just so very beautiful and profound, that they will be hard to beat....

Anyway, so now I am going back to On Beauty By Zadie Smith and I am also continuing to read The Power of Now By Eckhart Tolle.

10 wonderful books finished now!! 40 more wonderful books to go!!!!

-pj77 :)

Finished On Beauty and The Power of Now. Both great books!!



'On Beauty' surprised me as I did not think I would enjoy it as much as I actually did. Smith's writing is very easy to read and she captures the spirit of her characters really well.

I found that 'The Power of Now' was a great book and is definitely one that has challenged me to look at my life, thoughts and beliefs, however his writing was in places very difficult to understand and I found myself having to re-read whole sections to grasp the full meaning. I think it's one of those books that I need to read a second time in the near future.

Anyway am now reading A Thousand Splendid Suns By Khaled Hosseini and The Lost Art of Being Happy By Tony Wilkinson.

Hi again, pj77! If you liked Zadie Smith's writing, I'd recommend her other novel White Teeth as well. It's quite long but I think it's worth it. She really does write her characters very well.

Hi all :)

>spacepotatoes...thanks for the recommendation, I will definitely read White Teeth....it is now on my TBR list!!



Finished A Thousand Splendid Suns this morning.....what can I say? Hosseini tells stories so beautifully, so full of emotion.....heartbreaking.....

I think I need a more lighthearted story far from the grips of reality and I have the perfect novel in mind......it has intrigued me so much that I asked my sister to grab me a copy when she was next in the bookshop (as I am currently unable to get there), and being the amazingly beautiful sister she is I already have it sitting right next to me ready to go.......The Eyre Affair By Jasper Fforde......it sounds almost too bizarre for me and I am pretty open minded, but the reviews people have written are amazing and I think I am really going to enjoy it....anyone else heard of it/read it?? What did you think?

-pj77 :)

WOW! The Eyre Affair By Jasper Fforde is the first of the Thursday Next series, and was a book that I just couldn't put down. I Loved it. I loved getting away from reality for a while, I loved the excitement, I loved the way Fforde used great Literature as part of his narrative, I loved the humour and I love that there are 3 more to read in the series! This was a book outside my usual genre boundaries, but I am so glad I read it. If you're up for an 'out there' science fiction/mystery/adventure it is definitely a must read. Cool cover too :) I know that shouldn't matter, but I do love books with covers that reflect the story they have to tell in an original and appealing manner.

-pj77 :)

Loved your review, pj! My younger daughter is an artist and the cover of a book is really important to her, too. I think she has this book, but I don't think she has it with this cover. I will have to show it to her. Have a great day!
--BJ

Thanks BJ :)


One of my beautiful friends bought me a copy of Return to Wuthering Heights knowing how much I love the original. I was quickly swept up in the story and really enjoyed this novel. Writing a sequel to 'The Greats' would be no easy task, but Anna L'Estrange did a really great job.

Am going to read The Hound of the Baskervilles next for the genre challenge as it is 'Mystery Month'. I've never read a Sherlock Holmes novel before! I'm not usually a 'mystery' fan, but am looking forward to it :)

>pj77 :)

Finished The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle this morning. Read it as part of the genre challenge - mystery. Not really my sort of novel, found myself having to push through till the end.

okay.....yes I admit it, I read the Twilight series......of the four books, Breaking Dawn was definitely the best and I really did find myself enjoying the read....

Finished Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde.....Great book, great series, so clever, so funny...looking forward to book 3! :)

pj77 :)

Finished The Waves by Virginia Woolf last night. This was the first book by Woolf that I have read. It was not an easy book to read but I really loved it....sometimes i found myself so caught up in her beautiful prose, and there was something so familiar, so real about it that i'd catch myself thinking 'yes, that's exactly what i feel'....i was blown away by this book...it's definitely one I will re-read soon and it is the sort of book where you know that after each read you will get more and more from it....

pj77 :)

Finished The Collector By John Fowles tonight. This is definitely not my type of book. I read it as part of the genre challenge (psychological suspense), but I had to push myself to keep going and cannot say I enjoyed it. I can acknowledge that it is well written etc., but it is not the type of novel or genre that I am glad that I read. Extremely creepy. Extremely disturbing.

Hey pj!
Loved reading your review of Virginia Woolf! I have not read any of her books and have been a little intimidated. You have encouraged me to look into one of her books. Have a great day!
--BJ

Thanks BJ! I felt really intimidated too...this was my third attempt at The Waves...i am really glad i finished it this time...it was definitely worth it.



Just finished Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell and thoroughly enjoyed it as I have all her works. It felt great to go back to one of my favourite authors.

Finished Secrets about life every woman should know by Barbara De Angelis and Where Angels Fear to Tread. Absolutely loved Secrets about life...written from the heart and full of beautiful truths and wisdom about life and living...definitely five stars

Where Angels Fear to Tread surprised me. It was not what I was expecting but I really enjoyed it. Was fascinated when reading about Forster's life and the way it impacted on the themes in this and his other works too.

Have always wanted to read the complete Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis, so I am finally going to do it. I loved The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when I was younger. Just finished Book 1 The Magician's Nephew which I enjoyed. Onto Book 2 now. Three stars for The Magician's Nephew.

Just finished The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis. Picked it up after The Magician's Nephew and didn't put it down till I'd finished it. I love this book. I enjoy it every time I read it :)

Finished Rebecca today by Daphne Du Maurier. Found myself really enjoying it at times and 'really not' at others! At least I know who Mrs Danvers is now when reading Jasper Ffordes Thursday Next Series! :)

pj77

Finished Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the rest of the series!


pj77 :)

Glad you liked Dead Until Dark! I've been keeping an eye out for LT opinions on this series lately, one of my friends has just gotten into it and recommended it so I'm thinking of checking it out.

Finished Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris and really enjoyed it too. They are not the most well written books I have come across, but they are fast paced, easy to read and I find myself really enjoying them at the moment.

pj77 :)

Finished The Well of Lost Plots By Jasper Fforde. Am really enjoying the Thursday Next Series. Looking forward to Something Rotten!!
pj77 :)

How have I not found you earlier?! I love your 'bibliography' (as it were) - loads that I've read and loads more from my TBR pile/wishlist, more so than anyone's thread I've found yet I think!

I haven't started the Thursday Next series yet, but I read one from the Nursery Crime series - The Big Over Easy. It was so clever - Jack Spratt and Mary Mary (NOT contrary) are detectives in the Nursery Crime Division, and have to solve the mystery of the death of Humperdinck van Dumpty when he is found shattered next to his favourite wall...

hi ellie.....i am definitely going to read the Nursery Crime Series too.....i have loved the Thursday Next series...like you said Fforde's work is so very clever! and funny :)



just finished The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera. Loved the movie and was curious about the novel....definitely worth a read......read from cover to cover cause I couldn't put it down....

Just finished Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan. What a wonderfully unique and captivating story. I just loved this book and the magical way that Setiawan explored the characters and their relationships. Definitely recommended .....

Read The Bridges of Madison County yesterday. Loved the movie and was curious to read the book. A beautiful story of love and sacrifice. I love the line "In a universe of ambiguity, this kind of certainty comes only once, and never again, no matter how many lifetimes you live."

Tried to read The Julie/Julia Project, but just could not finish it. First book this year I couldn't finish :( Definitely don't recommend it, check out my review if you are considering it.
pj77

Great book with lots of great advice and truths. Some parts not my belief but overall really open minded, easy to read and to relate to. Loved the fables as a way to explore the concept of worry and emotions.

pj77 :)

I don't know what it is with this series, but I keep on reading and enjoying them even though they are not the sort of thing I would normally read. They are easy to read and fast paced and are stories you can just read without much thought. It does annoy me though that each book, although a series, restates/introduces key people, concepts etc etc......pj77 :)

pj77 :)

Mitch Albom's writing is so beautiful and real. This was such a moving story that really embraces everyone, no matter what religion and brings then together as one. Definitely recommend this book. pj77 :)

An interesting read giving you an introduction to Humanistic Buddhism. pj77 :)

finished number 4 in the series and am still hooked...love that i can come back to this series for a quick and easy read that i know i will enjoy..... pj77 :)

really enjoyed reading this book...haven't read Cecilia Ahern's work before....am keen to look at other novels she has written....easy read, but keeps you hooked because you just have to find out what Rosalene is up to! pj77 :)

what a saga! characters you fall in love with, beautiful descriptive writing, and such an amazing story.....loved this book, definitely recommend it...pj77 :)

I've definitely been enjoying your thread! I am interested in many of the same books, so thanks for your thoughts. Of course, now, I have more books to add to my tbr list! Such is life for a reader......

WOW! Please read this book if you have not already. It is so beautifully written and tells such a touching story. I cried, but mostly this book makes you smile and even laugh. The characters are beautiful and the way they live as a community and care for each other will touch your soul.

I want to live with these people in Guernsey too, just like Juliet!! pj77 :)

Thanks kaida46 :) I too find my TBR list piling higher and higher...luckily i am on holidays at the moment, so i can do some catching up....happy new year to you for tomorrow!....pj77 :)

2010 - 50 BOOK CHALLENGE

Finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy yesterday.....really great read....gripping and heart wrenching....McCarthy's writing is really amazing....a quick read, because you can't put it down!!....definitely recommend....pj77 :)

Finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo By Steig larsson.....I kept putting off reading this because I don't really enjoy thrillers or reading about horrible crimes and there is alot of that in this book, but i have to say that Larsson's writing is amazing.....his characters, particularly Lisbeth are so well developed that you really do form an attachment to them and the plot of this book was exceptionally clever and intricate....if you do start reading this book you have to keep going till the end because you are hooked after the very first few pages....pj77 :)

Book Number 3....Oliver Twist By Charles Dickens


Finished my first Charles Dickens novel today - Oliver Twist and loved it.....what an amazing author....i never realised Charles Dickens was so witty and so good at telling a great story.....and his characters are so vivid....the whole time i felt myself wishing for some good luck to come Oliver's way and when it eventually did I loved the way everything came together.....pj77:)

I have finally caught up with all of your reviews. Coincidentally, my daughter just read Oliver Twist and I was thinking that I need to read that book someday, too. :) And my other daughter just finished The Road and is starting The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. You have lots of good titles in your thread. Happy New Year!
--BJ

Hey BJ....Happy New Year to you too!! Oliver Twist is definitely worth the read when you're up for it.....I listened to half of the book from the librivox website recordings....it was the first time I've used this website....it is great if you like audio books/classics!

Book Number 4. Wide Sargasoo Sea By Jean Rhys


Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys is written as a prequel to Jane Eyre and tells the story of Bertha Mason, Mr Rochester’s “mad” wife. The story is set in the West Indies and is divided into 3 parts. The first is about her childhood, written from her perspective, the second details her marriage to an English man (who is never named, but who is assumed to be Mr Rochester) during which she begins her descent into madness, told from the perspective of Mr Rochester and the third is during her time locked up in the heights of Thornfield Hall from Jane Eyre with her carer Grace Poole whose perspective this section is told from. It was a great read, short, but very well written. Jean Rhys certainly had a talent for beautiful and sensory descriptive writing.

Book Number 5. Slaughterhouse 5 By Kurt Vonnegut


wow.....so not what I was expecting, but so good....i couldn't put it down...a deeply moving story about the Dresden bombing with an important message told from the remnants of Billy Pilgrim's tortured mind which can seem absurd, but which really makes it all the more poignant...definitely worth reading!

Book Number 6. The Time Traveler's Wife By Audrey Niffenegger


The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger was a book that I had not initially intended reading, but became curious about due to the conversations others were having. I have mixed opinions about this book because I really struggled to become invested in the plot and characters for the first half, but then absolutely loved the second half!! In general though, I would have given up if I was not really hooked in the first 100 pages, and with The Time Traveler’s Wife, it took 250 pages , but I am so glad I persevered. Overall, a beautiful love story with a unique time travel/sci-fi twist which will ultimately tug at your heart.

Book Number 7. The Book Thief By Markus Zusak


The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was a wonderfully pleasant surprise for me because it was not what I expected at all. This is the story of a young girl growing up in Germany under Hitler’s reign but the story is actually narrated by “Death”. I really thought the personification of Death was going to be morbid and dark, but Zusak gives Death a deeply moving, compassionate and humane voice which is captivating. The characters are beautifully developed and the story will stay with you forever. I definitely recommend this book.

You've been reading lots of good books lately and your reviews make me want to read all of them!
--BJ