Womblingstar's books for 2009

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I read this as part of my ravelry book group and really enjoyed it although it is a very moving story. I also liked The Kite Runner by the same author which I read last year.

2. The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory

I like most of the historical ficion by Philippa Gregory but this was not my favourite. I found it jumped between characters too much. However the topic was interesting.

3. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling

I have read and loved the Harry Potter books so it was only natural that I would want to read this one. I was a bit disappointed that the book was so short and felt that it could have been more detailed.

4. The Pirate's Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson

This was entertaining but not one of my favourites.

5. The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Another Ravelry book group choice for the crime theme. Whilst I enjoyed the book I did not feel it had enough suspense or mystery to be considered a crime novel. However it is a very pleasing book, guarenteed to raise your mood.

6. Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith

I carried on in the same series for a while as they are quite enjoyable.

7. Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith

I would like to watch the TV series of these books as they are fun to read and Botswana sounds like a nice place!

8. The Kalahari Typing school for men by Alexander McCall Smith

I needed a change of theme after reading this one but they are nice stories.

9. Nicholas in Trouble by Rene Goscinny

I love the Nicholas series of books, they make me laugh and bring back fun memories from childhood. I think they are written really well and you read them as if you were a child.

10. The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir

Another Ravelry book group choice for the biography theme. As history books go this is very easy to read and the Tudors have always fascinated me so I really enjoyed this book.

11. Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult

This book was ok but I do find her books rather contrived and not that realistic.

12. Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult

Ok again but I found her descriptions of wicca too inaccurate and the ending seemed very obvious from the beginning.

Hi, WomblingStar!
Welcome to the 50 book challenge! You are off to a great start. I have been wanting to read some of those McCall Smith books myself. Sounds like they are good reads. Have a great day! :)
--BJ

Thanks!
I would recommend them if you fancy something light and feel-good.

13. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

Another Ravelry book choice. I really enjoyed this book and I thought the subject of post war Germany living with the holocaust was very sensitively handled. A very good read.

14. Animal Farm by George Orwell

This book is so easy to read and follow, much easier than I expected. I think the animal version of a revolution is very clever and he has been proven to be right so many times. It is at times upsetting to read but I would recommend it to everyone.

It follows a farmyard of animals who overthrow the human owner to take control of the farm for themselves. The pigs become the natural leaders as they are the cleverest. However, the rules of 'animalism' change and very soon the farm is no better for the lower classes than before the revolution.

I thought Animal Farm was a terrific book. I should give it a reread! :)
--BJ

15. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

This was an easy read, nothing challenging about it at all. Yet it was really engaging and I often found myself reading into the small hours. The vampire and human love theme has been done many times before but it still felt a bit original and entertaining. Might have to read the next in the series soon.

16. Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin

This was a really enjoyable book and very interesting. It was very easy to read and explained the technical science in basic language. It covers paeleontology and the finding of a creature that explains a step in evolution. With this example it also covers how we have evolved from single cell organsisms and embryology. Very interesting and would recommend it.

17. Emma by Jane Austen

I love Austen, and this book is one of her best. The character of Emma is great. She is a fun person and really human. She is a romantic that wants everyone to be happy, but makes so many mistakes along the way. I like the era the novel is set in, with everyone very much set in their social status. The other characters are great, my favourite being Miss Bates.

18. One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

I really enjoyed this book. It is set in a 'special' Russian hard labour camp and it portrays the hardships and how important the smallest things in life become. It is also frightening just how little could get you interred into one of these camps. An educational and thought provoking read that I would recommend.

19. Before I Die by Jenny Downham

This book is about a teenager who is dying from cancer, and makes a list of things she would like to do before she dies.
I found it hard to engage with the characters in this book, even though I thought I would find the subject of dying very poignant. The main character is not very nice and neither is her friend and I found for the first part of the book I really did not like her or feel sorry for her. However, it changed in style near the end and the last part was very moving and was better written. I don't think this is a great book, and with such a moving topic it could have been a lot better.

20. The Trial by Franz Kafka

This a quite a strange book but very good. It is about a man who is arrested and on trial but is never told what his crime was. He tries to get people to defend him without success, and tries on his own but it is no help. He seems to go a bit mad in the process. The trial itself is very strange, not held in proper court rooms, no one knows who the officials are. A really interesting psychological story.

21. The Boy in Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

A great book about innocence as seen through a childs eyes. It describes a really horrible part of history as seen by someone who has no understanding of the events going on around him. It is very moving. The author has captured the thoughts of a child really well. I think the scariest thing is the portrayal of his father as someone who cares a lot for his family, and yet is someone who ordered the deaths of thousands of Jews. I would recommend this as a quick read. The film was very good too.

22. Owly: "The Way Home" and "The Bittersweet Summer" by Andy Runton

I love Owly and Wormy. They are so sweet. This book only takes a few minutes to read but it makes you feel warm inside. Who knew a worm could be so expressive?

23. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Carnival of souls by Nancy Holder

This was quite a fun Buffy book for any fan. The story was good and interesting but the ending was a bit daft.

24. My Story ,Blitz: Diary of Edie Benson, London 1940-1941 by Vince Cross

This is part of a nice range of books for kids which tells them about a particular time in history and what it was like to be a child at that time. This one is set in Lewisham, London which was heavily hit by the bombs but had a great Blitz spirit.

25. Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup

Few, half way there!

This is a really easy but entertaining book to read. I have not seen the film yet but would definately like to see it based upon the book. It can be hard to follow in places as it jumps around the main characters life as it shows how he obtained the knowledge to win the contest, but overall it is a great tale. The end twist is very good and finishes the story well.

26. The Rose of Sebastopol by Katherine McMahon

This is a romance story set in the crimean war with a particular interest in looking at the changes in medicine and nursing during this period of history. I found it hard to identify with any of the characters in this book and did not feel for them, which made it hard to really enjoy the story. I did find the medicine parts interesting though.

27. Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks

This was a good James Bond novel and it felt like it was written by Ian Fleming, so I think Sebastian Faulks really did his homework. Bond seems much more real in the novels than he does in the films and much more believable storylines (although sometimes it still requires a lot of imagination). A fun read which I would recommend to every Bond fan.

28. New Moon by Stephenie Meyers

Second book in the Twilight series. I probably did not like it quite as much as the first book but it was still a good read and kept me interested all the way through. I liked the fact that it followed Bella through other relationships rather than just with Edward. It does leave me wanting to find out what happens next in the story (so it is a good thing I already have book 3!).

27. Marsupilami, Tome 0: Capturez un Marsupilami! by Franquin

This book is a collection of short cartoons rather than one story. It was released to celebrate 50 years of Marsupilami. It is fun to read and I just love the Marsupilami characters.

28. Dry Store Room No.1: The secret life of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey

This book is really interesting and a fascinating read. It shows the behind the scenes work of an amazing place and introduces the reader into the work of a researcher and the people past and present at the museum. It reads very easily and a non-scientist would be able to understand and enjoy the book. It really increases my love for museums and I would love to visit the museum after reading this. It also introduces the reader into the important work of identifying all the species in the world and the relevance it has to modern life.

29. A Wicked Deed by Susanna Gregory

This was not my favourite of the Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles, but it was still a good story. It was full of superstition and mystery and the ending was not what I thought it would be. It is set in the 14th Century and not in Cambridge like the other novels, but in rural Suffolk. I liked the intrigue and fighting between the Manor lords and also the way the people believed in the folklore even though at the time this was considered heresy. It was also interesting to read about the devastation of the plague to the rural villages and the problems it left behind for many years. A good crime novel, but not the best.

30. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This is an unusual story about a boy being brought up in a graveyard by ghosts. It is also a bit of a murder mystery and a love story at the same time. The twist at the end was good, I did not see it coming. I liked the portrayal of the ghosts which is very similar to how I would imagine them.

31. Koyasan by Darren Shan

This was a short story that was part of World Book Day in 2006. It is a story about a scary graveyard and a young frightened girl who has to do battle with the graveyard spirits in order to save her little sister's soul.
I thought this was a really good short story and I enjoyed it.

32. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

The third book in the Twilight series. I think this is quite a good series. It is not the most amazing literature but the stories are good enough to keep you hooked and up late reading. The third book sees Bella trying to manage her feelings for both Edward and Jacob and stay alive/become a vampire at the same time. It moves quickly and I think I preferred it to the second book New Moon.

33. Vampire Loves by Joann Sfar

Joann Sfar has an interesting style of graphic novel. It often rambles but includes insights that are very perceptive. This novel is about a vampire called Ferdinand who has no luck in love. It follows him and his strange friends as they try to fall in love. It is quite funny and light hearted but very insightful.

34. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

I finally finished the series and what a finale! I think it was a good end to the series and I enjoyed it.

35. Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck

This is a really moving story which is only short, but it grabs you and makes you want to read it in one go. I read this originally when I was at school so I could remember most of the story but I had forgotten how good it was. A great read.

36. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery

This is a nice children's story about a little prince from another planet who falls to Earth and meets a plane mechanic lost in the desert and teaches him something about life.

37. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

Once I got used to the alternate reality i started to enjoy this book. I like the literary references and it took me a while to figure out that the Jane Eyre ending was wrong!

38. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

I really enjoyed this book. I have liked her fiction on the tudors and it was nice to look at another part of our history. Elizabeth is a really strong character and the mysteries of the time are still not resolved.

39. The Great Plague, the diary of Alice Paynton, London, 1665-1666 by Pamela Oldfield

I like this series of books for kids as they make history very real.

40. The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale

This was a fascinating read and my suggestion for the October book on ravelry. It reads like a novel but is a non-fictional tale which is particularly gruesome in that it concludes that a child murdered her half-brother for revenge. I liked the references to detective stories in that era and how they often used this crime for inspiration, and just how new detectives were.

41. Asterix the Gaul by Rene Goscinny

A great fun book to read. I love Obelix.

42. Lullaby Volume 2: Power Grabber: Power Grabber v. 2 by Ben Avery

43. Yakari and Great Eagle (Yakari) (v. 1) by Derib + Job

Very cute drawings.

44. Queen Margot: The Age of Innocence v. 1 by Olivier Cadic

Interesting story

45. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

I read this on my iPhone for the Ravelry book club November read. I quite enjoyed it which surprised me as I did not like it as a child. Very strange tale though.