2009 Reading

This looks like fun - I know it's half way through the year, so here is the list of what I've read in 2009. I just joined Library Thing today, so I've posted no reviews. This could suck me in and keep me going for hours...

January
1.The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman
2.Skeletons At the Feast - Chris Bohjalian
3.Mao's Last Dancer - Li Cunxin
4.Desert Queen - Janet Walach
5.Running With Angels - Pamela Hansen
6.Her Royal Spyness - Rhys Bowen
7.A Royal Pain - Rhys Bowen
8.Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Schaffer

February
1.Little Heathens - Mildred Kalish
2.Chocolat - Joanne Harris
3.The Right Attitude to Rain - Alexander McCall Smith
4.Sarah - Orson Scott Card
5.Leap Into Darkness - Leo Bretholz
6.Silent in the Sanctuary - Deanna Raybourn
7.Rebekah - Orson Scott Card
8.Rachel and Leah - Orson Scott Card
9.Things I've Been Silent About - Azir Nafisi
10.Enchantment - Orson Scott Card
11.The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch

March
1.The Christmas Sweater - Glenn Beck
2.The Ten Year Nap - Meg Wolitzer
3.Infidel- Ayan Hirsi Ali
4.The Double Bind - Chris Bohjalian
5.The Total Money Makeover - Dave Ramsey
6.Silent in the Grave - Deanna Raybourn
7.The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne
8.Things I Want My Daughters To Know - Elizabeth Noble
9.Silent On the Moor - Deanna Raybourn

April
1.People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks
2.Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford
3.The Careful Use of Compliments - Alexander McCall Smith
4.Playing for Pizza - John Grisham
5.E=mc2 - David Bodanis
6.Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen
7.The Loop - Nicholas Evans
8.The Great Conversation - Robert Hutchins
9.The Star Garden - Nancy E. Turner
10.The Sugar Queen - Sarah Addison Allen

May
1.Cultural Literacy - E.D. Hirsch
2.The Worst Day of My Life, So Far- M.A. Harper
3.The Egyptologist - Arthur Phillips
4.Comfort Me With Apples - Ruth Reichl
5.Encore Provence - Peter Mayle
6.Tender At the Bone - Ruth Reichl
7.Garlic and Sapphires - Ruth Reichl
8.Riding Freedom - Pam Munoz Ryan
9.The Survivor's Club - Ben Sherwood
10.Sarah's Key- Tatiana de Rosnay
11.The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield
12.The Pale Blue Eye - Louis Bayard

June
1.1066 and All That - W.C. Sellar
2.The Little Book - Selden Edwards
3.The Real George Washington - Andrew M. Allison
4.44 Scotland Street - Alexander McCall Smith
5.Mudbound - Hillary Jordan

July
1.First Democracy:the Challenge of an Ancient Idea - Paul Woodruff
2.The Girl From the Golden Horn - Kurban Said
Currently reading Liberal Fascism Jonah Goldberg, In the Cage Henry James and listening to The Odyessy Homer on a playaway - my new favorite thing at the library.

Can you tell my kids are out of school? I am reading about half as much as I usually do.

Nice list. Welcome to our little corner of LT!

Welcome to our well-read and friendly group.

I've read a number of the books on your list, including Mudbound, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

Thanks for the welcome.
I am still learning how to use Touchstones, and the whole site, really, but what a great place for an avid reader!

Hello, nice to have you here!

Welcome to both Library Thing and our group!

Hello there! Any favorite reads so far?

Favorites - I have lots of favorites.
Some of my favorites from this year's reading are: Desert Queen:The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Infidel, E=mc2, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, The Survivor's Club:The Secrets and Science That Could Save Your Life and The Real George Washington.

Welcome, Nittnut! You've read some great books this year. I've got Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell on my TBR list. I'm glad to hear that you liked it.

And I know what you mean about summer. It seems like the pace should be slower and I should read more, but in fact, I spend a lot of time playing with my two boys!

To continue my list - you must know I was at the pool nearly every day in July, and my list includes a large number of books I could read and yet not forget to watch my kids.

July
3. The Odyessy - Homer
4-8. Sigma Force by James Rollins, series #'s 1-5 (compulsive behavior, I believe)
9. Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber (more compulsive behavior)
10. The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones - I actually reviewed this one. Probably one of the best books I've read all year.
11. The Ride of Our Lives by Mike Leonard - a fun book, but beware, Grandma has a potty mouth.

August - Not as much reading, still working on Liberal Facism, and on a long vacation (NM, AZ, CA, OR, WA, ID, UT) this month.
1. The Turn of the Screw Not my favorite. I think if you want to read a spooky century ghost story go for Poe or Bronte. I have liked his other books better.
2. Lost In Translation by Nicole Mones - I really like her books!
3. Glenn Beck's Common Sense by Glenn Beck - a lot to like here, but I have to say that my favorite part was Thomas Paine's Common Sense at the end.

September
1. Hegemon: China's Plan to Dominate Asia and the World by Steven W. Mosher - anyone feeling paranoid? That said, informative and probably fairly accurate.
2. The Doomsday Key by James Rollins (have I mentioned compulsive behavior) Please, no more Sigma Force.
3. Common Sense by Thomas Paine - not only did I learn some interesting things, but I was vastly entertained.

Currently (still) working on Liberal Facism, started American Progressivism, and a friend gave me My Life in France to read.

So, I'm at 72. Feeling pretty good about that. I'm hoping that now that school has started I will have some time to review books a little better as I read them. I've enjoyed eavesdropping on some of your book discussions, and I'd love to hear what people think about books we have in common.

Okay, let's start with this: Skeletons at the Feast. Richard says "Ghastly." Kath says "not so much--read it!" I'm still wavering. What's your take?

#10: I just finished American Progressivism myself. I will be interested in seeing your take on it.

Sorry, I've been away for a bit.
I read Skeletons at the Feast because I have read other books by Chris Bohjalian and liked them quite well. Also it got rave reviews on Amazon and other sites.
My take: Another WWII book, not the best one I've read, and I've read lots of them.
I did like that it was based on true experiences of several different people, and that it dealt with an often neglected aspect of WWII - average non-Jewish families. However, I didn't connect with the characters very well. I'm not sure if it's because it's hard to feel badly for someone who has left their home to run from the war in contrast with victims of the Holocaust? So many years in the future, I'm afraid all our readings of WWII history will be very darkly colored by our knowledge of the true circumstances.
I'm not sorry I read it, I think it's healthy to look at other sides of a story.
I hope that was helpful...

# 11
Sorry, I've been away for a bit.
I read Skeletons at the Feast because I have read other books by Chris Bohjalian and liked them quite well. Also it got rave reviews on Amazon and other sites.
My take: Another WWII book, not the best one I've read, and I've read lots of them.
I did like that it was based on true experiences of several different people, and that it dealt with an often neglected aspect of WWII - average non-Jewish families. However, I didn't connect with the characters very well. I'm not sure if it's because it's hard to feel badly for someone who has left their home to run from the war in contrast with victims of the Holocaust? So many years in the future, I'm afraid all our readings of WWII history will be very darkly colored by our knowledge of the true circumstances.
I'm not sorry I read it, I think it's healthy to look at other sides of a story.
I hope that was helpful...

#12
I'm still working away on American Progressivism. Loved the section on Progressivism and religion - it made so many things clearer for me. Will update soon.

I just had to pop in and say hello because of your username - is it related to NittNut in Imagination Movers? (if not, never mind...but my kids loved that show till we ditched our TV.)

You're reading some great books. I loved Ruth Reichl's ones, especially Tender at the Bone. I have The Odyssey waiting patiently for me (the Fagles translation)...it's been waiting 10 years and never quite beats out the competition!

#12 - Hello - I haven't been spending much time on the computer lately - but I finished American Progressivism, and would love to talk about it.

I loved the introduction, the discussions of progressivism and politics, religion, etc. I have occasionally wondered at what point service or the desire to do good and government welfare programs became intertwined. I thought that was fairly well explained.
Anyway, when you have a minute, a discussion would be lovely.

Updates on reading - I'm getting so much more reading done with kids in school and snow on the ground (ick). I can't honestly say that my choices have been particularly intellectual...

September (continued)
4.My Life in France loved it, loved it. I also really enjoyed the movie, Julie and Julia.
October
1. Firefly Lane a "beach book" but an interesting portrait of two women and their life-long friendship. I couldn't put it down.
2. When Lightning Strikes For a study in how an author's writing can improve tremendously with time and practice, read this and #1 together. Amazing. The writing was frankly awful.
3. Year of Wonders Great read! The only downside was the ending. It wrapped up pretty quickly, and I was unsatisfied. An interesting study, isolating a group of people living in tragic circumstances and observe the way people adapt, change and either survive and even thrive, or do not survive.
4. The Cellist of Sarajevo Oddly similar to #3 in some ways. I loved how the author spent time with each character, portraying how their circumstances and their outlook were altered by the action of one person. I like being reminded that the actions of one person can have great influence. I also think that survival can be a choice (to a certain extent, anyway).
5. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict I didn't like it much, I think the "voice" of the main character bothered me.
6. Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict oddly, better than the first one, perhaps I liked the main character better.
7. Venetia I love Georgette Heyer. She has taken me through my teen years, 2 awful pregnancies, and a couple bouts with the flu - as in this week when I had the flu. The mother of the modern romance novel; she writes witty, clever heroines and gentlemanly gentlemen, she is incomparable. My favorite part is that she never ever gives you too much information.
8. Sylvester See #7
9. American Progressivism Loved the first part of the book. Became exhausted by the speeches and writings of progressive intellectuals.
10. The Maze of Bones Recommended to me by my 10 year old. Great read. Some history, some mystery and adventure.
11. Slummy Mummy Can't really claim this one, as I did not finish it. A bit too slummy for me.

Am currently working on Nine Parts of Desire and Riding Lessons is next in the pile.

October (continued)
12. Nine Parts of DesireA fascinating narrative of Geraldine Brooks' time working as a reporter in the middle east. Her treatment of Islam seems fairly balanced, she is careful to point out the differences between culture and religion, but does not underestimate the power of the fundamentalist factions.
13. Riding Lessons This book was a big disappointment after Water For Elephants. The main character was a total basket case - whiny, obnoxious, self-absorbed and just plain annoying.

November
1. The Faraday Girls Pretty good book - interesting story. Some aspects were a bit far-fetched for me. Mostly about family relationships - how they shape the lives of the individuals in the family.
2. Half Broke Horses Loosely biographical, Half Broke Horses tells the life story of the author's grandmother, and inadvertently her mother.
3. The Candy Shop War Another recommendation by my son. Not as great a read for me as for him, but a pretty good book.
4. Criss Cross A coming of age book - wish I'd read this when I was in Jr. High. Fantastic book!
5. The Hunger Games Creepy and disturbing. I also couldn't put it down.
6. Olive Kitteridge I liked it and I didn't. Very depressing, but also had some interesting and uplifting stories that made it possible to continue on.
7. Dear John Not a big Nicholas Sparks fan, but late one night at the grocery store, I picked it up. Pretty good story. I liked his take on what a person would be willing to do if they truly loved someone.
8. New Moon I had to - the movie is out.

December (now I'm really on fire)
1. Pastwatch Revisionist, sort of sci-fi. Interesting.
2. P.S. I Love You Good story. I liked the characters better in the book than the movie. Why do they change a good thing for a movie? Don't answer that.
3. The Plague Tales Futuristic post-holocaust type thriller. Okay read, many literary problems.
4. Catching Fire So much better than the first one. The author hit her stride. I read this in one sitting. Looking forward to the next one.
5. The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt Couldn't get into it. Loved Posession. I may have to try again another time.
6. And Only to Deceive A mystery, fun, entertaining, historical references that are interesting and accurate.
7. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer - It was sort of compulsive after seeing New Moon.
8. Breaking Dawn Yep, compulsive.
9. A Poisoned Season Not as good as And Only to Deceive, but still entertaining.
10. A Fatal Waltz Much better than A Poisoned Season and of course it's always gratifying to have the romance work out the way you want it to.
11. Pieces of Happily Ever After A good beach read about relationships and growing up.

Still reading The 5000 Year Leap and The Eloquent Essay and enjoying both very much.

I have loved keeping track of what I've read this year. I have also loved adding to my reading list by seeing what you are all reading. Thanks! See you in 2010.

Jenn, I hope you will be joining us in the 2010 challenge! The group is up and running.

I'll be looking forward to seeing what you read in 2010!