Marie's 50 Book Challenge

Well, summer is here and I've just graduated college, so I thought I'd pose a challenge for myself and finally read some books not for a class. I also hope to finish reading a handful of books that I started and never got back to. My first book, which has been on my shelf for a decade is...

1. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

2. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
3. Religions of World Series: Islam by Jamal Elias (Read for an on-line class)

4. The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley (Read for an on-line class)

Congratulations! Good luck with your challenge. I rarely read anything in college for pleasure because I was so swamped with required reading. 17 years later I am going back for a masters degree, so I am reading like a fiend now because I may not have the time when my courses begin!

5. The Wayward Muse by Elizabeth Hickey

Congrats on going back to college AMQS! I have thought about taking the plunge into grad school myself, but figured I'd take some time to make some money. Plus, it's nice to be able to pick up a novel not intended for an essay. (Though it may take me some time to stop feeling like I need to read everything with a highlighter...)

6. The Song Is You: A Novel by Arthur Phillips

You're doing well! Are you planning on reading the rest of the Hitch Hiker's trilogy? I adore Douglas Adams.

7. The Last Summer (Of You and Me) by Ann Brashares

Thank you puffinmuck! Yes, I do plan to read the rest of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's books. I find them very funny, with that special brand of British humor. However, I am planning to spread them out, so that I don't burn out on his writing style.

8. Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood by Jenny McCarthy

I needed a simple book that I could finish in a day. Jenny McCarthy is pretty funny, even if you don't even have or want kids.

9. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Okay, to be fair, I have read this book before but it has been years and I'd like to finish this book and read the rest of the series. Maybe not one after another, but hopefully during the summer. (Also, I have no idea why but I had never listed it on LT)

10. Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

11. Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Was I supposed to read something in college? Hmmm....

12. Chronicles of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Had to take a break from Anne for a minute, but still on my LM Montgomery kick. And ManofMiracles, it was less reading and more 'skimming' the pages for what the professor wanted you to learn. :)

13. Further Chronicles of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

14. Anne of Windy Poplars by Lucy Maud Montgomery

15. Anne's House of Dreams by Lucy Maud Montgomery

I remember this happening the last time I tried to read through all of Anne's book. Anne just starts to get...beyond me with getting married and having children. I just want to keep her young and full of trouble. I shall prevail this time though.

16. If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern

Man, I've been reading kind of light (but likable) books for awhile now. Time to move on to something challenging...(Though in my defense I started a new job.)

Any suggestions?

17. I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert

Okay, so maybe I didn't go more challenging...but I did go more fun!

18. Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica

19. Austenland by Shannon Hale

20. The Camera My Mother Gave Me by Susanna Kaysen

Twenty!

21. The Martian Child by David Gerrold

22. Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman

23. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris

24. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

25. The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

26. Love Is A Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song At A Time by Rob Sheffield

27. That's Not In My American History Book by Thomas Ayers

28. Holidays on Ice: Stories by David Sedaris

29. A Mad Desire to Dance by Elie Wiesel

30. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

31. Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel

This has been a really fun series. Now I need to find the third book...

32. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

33. Animal Farm by George Orwell

Ugh, what a horrible book to read. It took me forever to finish it, even though it's such a tiny book.

34. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

What did you think of Never Let Me Go? I love it, but there are such widely ranging views on that one from even the folks who love Ishiguro elsewhere that I'm always curious :)

Hi there! I'm curious to know what you thought of A Mad Desire to Dance. That one sparked some fun debates around here a while back. Also, when I looked at #3 on your list, I thought, "Hmmmm, Religions of the World Series. I wonder what that's all about!" Then I looked again.

@31

You know...days later I am still asking myself that same question. I liked the writing, I liked how the story unfolded itself and I felt connected to the characters. I think perhaps what makes me so uncertain was that I kept waiting for a turning point and it seemed to happen without my knowing it. Pretty soon I was reading the last chapter and thought, wait...what? I expected more of a fight and it never came, which I think was intentional and makes it stand out against other stories with the same premise. I would be interested to read more by Ishiguro. Do you have any recommendations written by him?

@32

When I checked A Mad Desire to Dance out at the library I had really only read Night by him while still in middle school, so I think I had expected something much different. I have to admit it took me awhile to get through the beginning of the narrative, but once the story settled down to the relationship between the main character and his psychiatrist I felt...enchanted by their discussions. The stories he told about his past were sad, yes, but also very compelling. The questions he raised about humanity were smart, thought out and made me want to jump into their conversations. Do you have a link to these fun debates? I'd love to see what others thought.

Ah, and as for my Islamic book, I took a three week class this summer and ended up learning quite a bit for such a small amount of time. The book you mentioned was fairly compact, but it gave me a good idea of the basics. It is definitely a religion I'd be interested in learning more about.

#34> You'll find a discussion of A Mad Desire to Dance, mostly between myself and the very erudite richardderus in one of Richard's 75-book challenge threads: http://www.librarything.com/topic/68941

My review of the book and Richard's are both to be found linked to the work's main page under "Reviews." I agreed with your assessment more than Richard did, I think. He found the work worthwhile reading but less compelling overall than you and I did.

35. Around The World In Eighty Days by Jules Verne

36. Persuasion by Jane Austen

37. The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson

Wow, I took about a month off there and re-read a book by Carlos Ruiz Zafon instead of reading anything new. And unfortunately it took me awhile to finish this latest book by Erik Larson. 13 to go in about two months...the pressure is on!

38. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

39. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann

40. The Penelopiad : The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus by Margaret Atwood

41. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

42. The Awakening by Kate Chopin

I know I'm going back a bit in your posts, but what did you think of David Sedaris' Holidays on Ice. I recently finished When You Are Engulfed in Flames and I loved it (for the most part) but have yet to read anything else by him. What did you think? Have you read anything else by him in the past? Thanks!

I have to admit that it's hard to think one way or the other about Sedaris after only reading a handful of holiday stories from him. I have the feeling that this author has much more to say than what I read in Holidays on Ice. It's like listening to a Christmas album from a musician who has several other non-holiday records.

From what I do know though, Sedaris has a unique perspective on the world. Or rather, he gives voice to opinions a lot of us have and are too polite to express. I'd be interested to read more by him. What did you think of When You Are Engulfed in Flames?

43. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

44. Sideways: A Novel by Rex Pickett

I need to read 6 books in 30 days...yikes!

45. A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

46. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

47. Stardust by Neil Gaiman

48. Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky

49. Anne of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery

50. The Copenhagen Connection by Elizabeth Peters

FIFTY! Phew, and done!

Just a few days ahead of 2010.

I'm trying my hand a new challenge next year and you can follow along here!

51. The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman

52. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohen and David Levithan