Judylou's 100 in 2010

Here we go again . . .

I will be watching with interest!

1. Under the Dome by Stephen King

Rating: 4 stars

I really enjoyed this massive story (close to 900 pages) set in a small town in King's usual corner of the world. One morning a dome suddenly appears over the town - nothing comes in, nothing goes out. Families are separated, people are killed when they suddenly come into contact with the invisible barrier. There is only a hint of King's usual horror in this story, he has instead used the "normal" townsfolk to illustrate the horror inherent in these people who are neighbours, friends and family.

There is a huge cast of characters, separated in main into the good guys and the baddies. But there are some interesting characters who, having made a particular decision, suffered a loss, were in the wrong place at the wrong time, or otherwise touched by the coming of the dome, who are a bit of both and they are the people who affected me the most. After all, any one of us could have been there, and how would we have reacted?

Hi Judylou. Thought I would say Hi. Very impressive to start the year with a 900 page book. Not a great SK fan though. Glad you liked it.

Judy, did Under the Dome have a reasonable explantion in the end? I used to be a Stephen King fan many years ago but one of the reasons I stopped reading him was because he always resorted to the "giant monster hiding outside town" as the ultimate source of the problem. It drove me crazy.

Think about it . . what possible reasonable explanation could there be for an impenetrable dome to cover a small town in Maine? LOL!

I don't want to give away the ending . . . so I'll just say that it is an interesting explanation, even a fairly unique one in some ways, but it is anything but reasonable :o)

I'm sure it's not related in any way, but I can't help but think of the Simpsons movie - as I type I've got visions of Homer & Bart saving Springfield, whilst singing 'Spider Pig'.

Just the way my mind works :)

Judy -- you're right. "Reasonable" was a poor choice of a word. But in King's earlier work, freaky stuff just happened. Carrie had those powers, the girl in Firestarter was that way because her parents had been used in gov't experiments, Salems Lot really did have vampires, etc. But in his later work (TommyKnockers, It, that one about the cool store), the ending always involved some monster hidden out of town. I always felt so ripped off. And so I stopped reading him.

I have felt the same about King as well. I haven't read a lot of his later stuff, probably for a very similar reason to you. But I am sensing a bit of a comeback for the old "master of horror" - his last couple of books have been much more interesting to read!

#7> cataluna, I've been singing "Spider-Pig" all day too! I've been wondering why. :)

Spider-Pig - well beloved in our household. Kids sang it for days!!

Judy, you may convert me to Stephen King one of these days.

Ohhhhh, now I'll never get that song out of my mind tonight!

2. The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews

Rating: 5 stars

This was a wonderful story. It is impossible not to compare it to the movie "Little Miss Sunshine". They both share the sullen teenager, the quirky, very individual pre pubescent girl, not to mention the road trip in the daggy old van. Toews is a great writer, she is so readable, making the book come alive in your hands (sorry for the bad cliche, but that is how I felt :)

The Flying Troutmans was one of my favourite books last year !

Ok, I'm adding The Flying Troutmans to the TBR pile. Sigh. I'm supposed to be decreasing my TBR pile, not increasing it, but these threads make that impossible!

I should never read these threads. Another book on my wishlist!

Oh, but this one is worth at least two of your ordinary run of the mill TBRs!

judylou, not helping!!!!

:)

3. The Last Days of the Lacuna Cabal by Sean Dixon

Rating: 3 stars

This book has had a lot of good attention here, but it just didn't grab me. The basic plot: a book group comprised of young women in Montreal, who pride themselves on being anything but run-of-the-mill, embark on a reading of an ancient text carved on stone tablets. The story is The Epic of Gilgamesh. The group are compelled to make the story come to life through their own actions.

An interesting idea, but not really for me.

Loved Little Miss Sunshine, so must have a look for The Flying Troutmans. It is poltergeist free?

I keep on coming across references to the Epic of Gilgamesh lately. I must sit down and read the original! (I generally just crib from Wikipedia for these things, but that doesn't seem quite right after so many references...)

I still haven't seen "Little Miss Sunshine". Must keep an eye out for it.

hahaha No poltergeists in that one!

Wookie if you like feelgood movies with a touch of quirky, you'll love Little Miss Sunshine.

I enjoyed the movie "Little Miss Sunshine" too.

>21 judylou:,22: oh yeah, "Little Miss Sunshine" is one of my favorites. Quirky, yes, but delightful. With an excellent cast including Toni Collette, Steve Carrell, and Alan Arkin.

4. The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

I didn't particularly like this one. I had no connection to the story at all. I didn't find the plot or the characters interesting.

5. The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale

Rating: 1/2 stars

Boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, need I say more?

Oh dear, that's a poor run! I hope your next book is a great read, and makes up for two stinkers!

hmm, so do I!

Hmm somewhere along the line I had heard great things about The Suspicions of Mr Wicher, I am disappointed that you did not like it!

6. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

Rating: 4 stars

This is a lovely sweet story about Agnes, a young lady from a not so well-to-do family who becomes a governess. I liked it.

7. Loaded by Christos Tsiolkas

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Sex: lots of it. Drugs: lots of that too. Rock n Roll: yep, lots and lots.

A day in the life of Ari, an Australian born Greek 19 year old. He is questioning his sexuality, his life, his relationships. Through Ari and his friends, we are forced to consider the importance of identity and family.

Not a book for the squeamish, but a worthwhile read nevertheless.

I still want to read Slap by the same author. I may be getting too old for this one! ;-)

You know, I knew about Loaded and I'd previous read Dead Europe by Tsiolkas, so I knew he generally wrote about sex/drugs/rock & roll. The Slap again reinforced the Angry Young Man stereotype for me.

Then I saw him on a late night news show and he's 1) older than me and 2) remarkably softly spoken and polite. Blew that little stereoptype out of the water. Although I understand that his wish to write The Slap came out of frustration and anger at the attitude of some young Australians he had to once share a tram with. So there's the anger, but it does sound more like a Grumpy Old Man than an Angry Young Man when you hear why! :)

Wookie, I haven't seen much of him before, but like you, I think I might have assumed a few things about him just because of his writing. Although the subject matter doesn't really thrill me, his writing is very good.

Bonnie, don't let it put you off reading The Slap. I thought it was a great book.

8. Things We Didn't See Coming by Steven Amsterdam

Rating: 4 stars

These short stories imagine a number of different futures. Beginning in 1999 when the dangers of the Y2K bug were imminent and travelling through a variety of different outcomes. The protagonist (unnamed) in turn suffers in a world where the rain is unrelenting, where drought is crippling, where food is scarce; at times in control of his own life and at other times heavily reliant on others.

9. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

This was a very entertaining story. Katniss and Peeta are chosen to represent District 12 in the Hunger Games - a fight to the death in an arena where every move they make is watched by all the citizens of their world. Not as simplistic as many YA novels, this one was multilayered and quite thrilling. I have Book no2 in this trilogy on order already.

10. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (Audio)

Rating: 4 stars

Looking for an entertaining and light read, I saw this cross my desk at work and thought it would do just the trick. And I was right. Very entertaining, no thinking involved, just action and adventure and even some romance. I think I will continue to read / listen to this series.

11. Plague 99 by Jean Ure

Rating: 3 stars

Fran returns from an isolated camp to discover most of the people of London, including her parents, dead from a plague. She teams up with a couple of friends from school and sets out to survive. Not a bad YA story, however, it is a bit dated.

12. The Unexpected Elements of Love by Kate Legge

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Roy is a sculptor, he is succumbing to dementia; his wife Beth is immobilized with arthritis; their daughter Dale is single, 40 and desperate for a child; her friend Janet is torn between career, family and her small son who suffers from ADHD and irrational fears of the weather. This interplay of lives is couched in terms of a world facing weather extremes and climate change.

Judy, I'm not that fond of fantasy/science fiction, but really enjoyed The Hunger Games as long as I accepted it for the YA level book it was. I didn't enjoy the last scene at the cornucopia, but the author was really good at creating tension/excitement and making you want to keep reading, wasn't she?

I'm the same way. I hate fantasy but LOVED Hunger Games. Catching Fire is even better. If you like reading about the future a lot, The Bar Code Tattoo(1) and The Bar Code Rebellion(2) by Suzanne Weyn are GREAT.

bonnie, you are right. She had me captured from the beginning.

tigerfan21, I have Catching Fire on hold at the library. I've also added you recommendations to the list!

Now it is time to catch up with what I have been reading.

13. Mathilda Savitch by Victor Lodato

Rating: 4 stars

This was an excellent book. Mathilda's older sister is dead. Her parents are falling apart. Mathilda sieves through her sister's belongings so she can find out what happened. Her voice is as believable as that of the young girl in The Earth Hums in B Flat.

Recommended.

14. Flashforward by Robert J Sawyer

Rating: 3 stars

I read this as a distraction from life (my father died) and it served its purpose.

15. The Host by Stephanie Meyer

Rating: 2 stars

This is a version of The Bodysnatchers, but much longer and nowhere near as good. If this is representative of Meyer's writing, I will not be reading the Twilight series.

16. Relentless by Dean Koontz

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

SPOILERS
An author and his family are being pursued by someone with what seems to be supernatural powers. But he is in fact the leader of some weird group tha wants to prevent cultural change. So they have been targetting authors, artists, etc. They are saved by the 6yo genius son who can apparently control time.

What the??????

17. Dogboy by Eva Hornung

Rating: 4 stars

A small boy is left alone and abandoned in Moscow. He is taken in by a pack of dogs with whom he lives for a number of years. This is a fascinating story and very well written.

Excellent.

18. Howard's End is on the Landing by Susan Hill

Rating: 3 stars

Susan Hill is a reader, writer, publisher, critic. She decides to read only the books she owns and not to buy anything new. sounds familiar hey?

19. Girls Like Funny Boys by Dave Franklin

This was my first ever early reader book, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish it. It just did nothing for me at all.

20. A Woman of my Age by Nina Bawden

Rating: 4 stars

Elizabeth is 40ish, on a holiday with her husband in North Africa, and questioning her life as a wife, mother and carer.

Very good.

So is your 3-star rating of Howard's End in on the Landing a good-3-stars (you recommend it) or a bad-3-stars (not worth it)? It's on my TBR list, and I'm wondering if it's worthwhile.

It is worth reading. I scored it lower because it focused on older books, with very few references to anything current. But it was very readable and I did enjoy it.

#38> Judy, I'm sorry to hear about your dad. *hugs*

I also got Girls Like Funny Boys as a ARC - it's going to be the next one I pick up. I hope I like it more than you do!

Thanks wookie - I hope you like it better than I did too. After reading the reviews it seems I am on my own - everyone else seemed to like it.

21. The Truth about Celia by Kevin Brockmeier

Rating: 4 stars

The small daughter of an author and his wife disappears one day from their small town backyard. This is a very close look at how grief, loss and despair affect her parents. An excellent book.

22. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

I found this on the shelf of books my husband should read - and because the movie looks interesting decided to read it. It wasn't a bad story. A good adventure with a twist in the tale!

23. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Part 2 of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Sookie goes to Dallas to find a lost vampire. She is kidnapped by The Fellowship - a bunch of fanatics who want to destroy vampires and the humans who love them. Stuff happens, she escapes, has more sex with her vampire boyfriend (I could do with less of that in these books) and lives to have another adventure in part 3! A good escapist story, but I'll have to have a considerable break before I can read any more in the series.

24. I Dream of Magda by Stefan Laszczuk on Audio

Rating: 4 stars

This literary award winner made me laugh out loud in places and then be on the verge of tears soon after. Two brothers share a house - Matthew is recovering from a bad car accident in which his girlfriend was killed. George is suffering through the breakup of his own relationship. Their father died tragically and their mother is barely able to function normally.

A real study of grief and obsession and love.

25. 1001 Children's Books you must read before you grow up

Rating: 4 stars

I had a lot of fun with this book. Discovered I had read many of the books for younger and older readers, and that I should read more in the middle!

Oh, I've been drooling over 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up! It looks like a lovely reference title!

It is definitely worth taking a look at it wookie.

26. A Boy of Good Breeding by Miriam Toews

Rating: 5 stars

This is the third book by Toews that I have read and I have loved every one of them. In this one we meet the mayor of "the smallest town in Canada" - so long as the population remains at 15000 people. Hosea Funk (the mayor) is an obsessive kind of guy who is desperate to meet the Prime Minister who has promised to visit Canada's smallest town on Canada day. So follows a funny and poignant few weeks with Hosea desperate to keep the population stable despite births, deaths, unexpected arrivals and ulktimatums from his girlfriend.
Well worth reading for anyone.

27. What Came Between by Patrick Cullen

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Newcastle is a city which has been defined in recent years by two major events. The first was the Newcastle earthquake which caused much damage and a number of deaths; the second was the closing of the landmark BHP steelworks - which could also be said to have caused much damage and a number of deaths.

This is the story of three couples - neighbours in central Newcastle - who live through these events. They contend with fear and heartbreak, loss and love, and the many other emotions that we all experience.

It is told simply, with sparse prose which cannot help but draw you in to the stoy and feel yourself a part of Laman Street.

Judy, A Boy Of Good Breeding looks really good. Thanks for the recommendation.

Yes, it does. I've heard of A Boy of Good Breeding, but I had no idea what it was about. On to the wishlist with that one.

I'm pretty sure that you will both like it.

Thanks, Judy- I will have to put A Boy of Good Breeding on my TBR list. I have loved the two books by Miriam Toews that I have read.

28. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Rating: 4 stars

A coming of age story about 12 year Miranda where her best friend stops talking to her, her mother becomes a contestant on a quiz show, there is a loony guy hanging around on the corner and she is finding really strange notes from a really strange unknown person.

Teenage angst and time travel ~ I liked it!

29. The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist

Rating: 4 stars

When a woman turns 50 and a man turns 60, if they are dispensible (ie the have no children and are in "unnecessary" jobs) they enter The Unit where they are used for medical experiments and organ donations. When Dorrit enters the Unit she falls in love, makes friends and ultimately has a better life on the inside than on the outside.

I did like this story. But there were some annoying thig about it. For example, it seems that this practice is not worldwide, so why do these 50 & 60 year olds go submissively into The Unit knowing that they will not live much longer. I kept thinking that I would have migrated long before! Everyone is just so annoyingly accepting, and does what they are told all the time. But it was a really good premise and would be a good choice for a book club - so many questions!!!

30. Peony in Love by Lisa See

Rating: 1 1/2 stars

I have one word to say about this Kimmy . . . . melodramatic claptrap!!!!!!!!

Great review of Peony in Love. I didn't think much of Snowflower and the Secret Fan, so I never planned to read this one (and if my bookclub picks it, I'll be busy that month).

Good plan!

31. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E Pearson

Rating: 4 stars

Another good YA novel. This one is set in the not too distant future where the overuse of antibiotics has caused mass deaths and where huge leaps in medical technology have caused major ethical problems. Jenna awakes from a coma following a devastating accident to find that she is not quite the same person. The story explores her search for identity and the part memories play in life.

Recommended.

>61 judylou:: bought that one for my daughter -- she enjoys futuristic, dystopian novels (like The Hunger Games), and this sounded like it would be right up her street. She enjoyed it.

Hey, Judy! I can't remember--have you read anything else by Toews? I love, loved A Complicated Kindness. The characters in The Flying Troutmans were a bit over the top, but that was a pretty good read too.

I will have to check out A Boy of Good Breeding. I wasn't a fan of A Complicated Kindness but was convinced to read The Flying Troutmans anyway, and loved it. Now I am curious which is the exception ;)

I'll be curious too. I really didn't like the main character in A Boy of Good Breeding so didn't find it even a little bit funny.

Laura, I thought The Hunger Games was so good that I just finished reading the second one in the trilogy. I tend to gravitate towards YA dystopias when I need an uncomplicated book to lose myself in.

Bonnie, I have read all three of those Toews books. I was equally happy with each of them. I thought they were all brilliant!

amckie, since I liked them all, I can't help you with your question :)

32. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

This is part two of "The Hunger Games". It is as good as the first. Katniss and Peeta are thrust back into the games. But there is unrest in the Districts and they become a focus for revolution. Loved the action, loved the characters, loved the relationships between the characters.

33. A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Tassie is a farm girl who goes to the city to attend College. She becomes the babysitter for a couple who adopt a baby. There is something strange about the couple, but then again, Tassie is a bit strange herself. I felt that the story sort of went nowhere, getting bogged down, and seeming to move in fits and starts. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.

34. The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

As Mary Gooch becomes bigger, her world becomes smaller. She becomes so limited because of her size that she finds herself unable to do little more than go to work at the pharmacy and sneak huge amounts of food at home, hiding her eating habits from her husband. her husband finally has enough and disappears on their anniversary. She is forced out of her inertia to go and find him, but instead she manages to find herself.

35. Novel About my Wife by Emily Perkins

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

I quite liked this one, after I got over the annoying accent of the reader (listened to it in the car). An interesting story about Tom and his wife Anne. Something is not quite right though. Anne is pregnant, but Tom makes fleeting references to some strange behaviour on her part. There is quite a sense of doom throughout the story. Finally we begin to understand what is happening.

Judy, you have read some good books recently. Thankfully I have read them also so I don't have to add them to the TBR list.

36. Beside the Sea by Veronique Olmi

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

A woman takes her two young boys (ages 9 & 5) to a seaside town for a short holiday. They will see the sea for the first time. But there is something wrong. Throughout this short novel there is such an impending sense of doom, but it is compelling, and oh so readable. This is not an uplifting book, but it is beautiful in its construction and in its prose.

37. The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

This is a follow up from the "A Series of Unfortunate Events" books. I enjoyed it.

I've got The Wife's Tale on my wish list, so glad to know you liked it too!

Bonnie, I am pretty sure that you will like it.

38. Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith

Rating: 3 stars

This wasn't much of a story, but listening to Hugh Laurie read it was an absolute treat. The accents he put on were outrageous!!!!

39. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

Rating: 5 stars

Brilliant, just brilliant!

In this story, set in New York, we meet a diverse group of people whose lives are all in disrepair and who are all ultimately connected. They are all connected through the actions of a tightrope walker who walks between the towers of the World Trade Centre.

The Irish monk who has his entire life purpose and religious beliefs questioned through the love he has for a single mother of two; the street walker mother of two with whom he attends court in order to save her children from being wiothout her; her mother, also a street walker, who "takes the rap" for her and finds herself in jail; the monk's brother who comes to New York to find a better life, but struggles with his directions; and finally, the group of women from very different backgrounds - from Park Ave to the projects - who are all brought together through the deaths of their sons in Vietnam.

These characters are all developed so beautifully that they become people. Their lives are ordinary in so many ways but they are each living their own personal nightmares. And it all comes back to the tightrope walker.

This book is a treat to read and highly recommended.

Your review is terrific - I will have to move the book up on my TBR pile. Thank you1

Thanks torontoc! I liked this book so much that I am glad it shows through in my comments.

40. Daughters of the North by Sarah Hall
aka The Carhullan Army

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Set in the near future, this book was interesting, but not fantastic. Society has collapsed and everyone must live within the city and exist, rather than live their lives. We follow 'Sister' who escapes the city for what she thinks will be a paradise, a utopian collective run by women. She finds her way there but it is not the place she expects it to be.

I have heard much about Let the Great World Spin but for some reason haven't gotten around to picking it up. Glad to see you liked it so much, I might have to find it sooner!

@73> Interesting review for Let the Great World Spin. Would the tightrope walker happen to be Philippe Petit? He has written a book about his escapade tightrope walking between the twin towers in Man on Wire, which was made into an Oscar winning documentary recently.

>77 iftyzaidi: I believe it was written around the escapades of M. Petit.

41. The Repossession Mambo by Eric Garcia

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Set in the near future, in a world where artificial organs are sold in shopping malls and where loans are easily gained, but at very high interest rates. But if you default on your loan, the bio repo man will come to claim the organ back for the company. This is done with a can of ether, a taser and a set of scalpels!

A promising story which didn't quite deliver for me. It was good, at times funny in the creepy dark way I like, but it was just a bit overlong I think. Nevertheless, still worth a try if you like that sort of thing.

42. Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith

Rating: 3 stars

Entertaining story in the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.

43. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Rating: 4 stars

There is probably nothing left to say about this lovely novel, except that I liked it!

Catching up... And now I'm *definitely* adding Hunger Games and Let The Great World Spin to the wishlist! Too many people have highly recommended them both for me to ignore these books any longer.

Love the idea of Hugh Laurie reading the Prof. von Igelfeld books. It's a perfect match, really.

I rather liked Novel About My Wife and The Repossession Mambo. You're right, they're not perfect, but they were good reads.

Tania, I'm shocked that you haven't read Hunger Games yet!

*blush* I keep on wanting to get it from the library, since it's going to be a quick read from all accounts. But my local branch doesn't have it (but has the second book), and I keep on forgetting to request it from another branch. I'm not always very organised! :)

Tania, are you not able to order through the library online? It is a great read and you are sure to love it.

I did like The Repossession Mambo. It was such an intriguing storyline, very different. But it just wasn't wonderful for me.

44. Solar by Ian McEwan

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

This was such a treat to read. I enjoyed every word. Michael Beard is a Nobel Prize winning physicist who, at the beginning of the story is married to his fifth wife and having his eleventh affair (for this marriage). He is a pompous, selfish know-it-all who treats friends, lovers and colleagues with disdain.

While this book deals with a serious topic (climate change), there are a number of very funny passages. There were two laugh out loud moments that I really enojyed. When Beard needed to do a wee in the middle of a glacier in ridiculously cold temperatures, and the scene in the train had me cracking up.

Highly recommended!

45. The Island at the end of the World by Sam Taylor

Rating: 3 stars

I seem to have forgotten to add this one to the list. It was ok. Not great. But an entertaining read.

#83> Can't do it online, which is annoying. I can ring and ask the librarians to transfer it to my branch for pick-up, but that always feels a bit awkward. I generally ask them when I'm in and browsing, but I walked off with so many books yesterday from the library shelves that I wasn't about to add another one. :)

I'll just go and buy a copy, it's YA, it won't be expensive, and I'm sure my sister'll borrow it afterwards too, which means we'll be getting our money's worth. :)

Glad you liked Solar too! My funniest scene was that final meal he's having at Blooberry's. So... much... cheese...

You're talking about Hunger Games, right? My daughter just whipped through the first two. She even used her hard-earned babysitting money to buy the second one in hardcover (I told her I could order the softcover from Amazon.ca, but she had to have it NOW). I will definitely read this series when I can get around to it, although they sound a little grim.

Young adult novels often cross over into "grim" territory. (The children's bookshop up the road from work also peppers its YA shelves with the occasional classic, which startles me. I don't think I would have enjoyed Dickens or one of the Russians at 16! But I think it's great that they're not being constrained by what children "should" or "ought" to like, even as I do a double-take.)

A reflection of the grimness of some teenagers' lives, and/or a response to the macabre amongst us. (If I was a teen now, I'd be totally emo, so I'm a fan of the grimmer books. So long as they're fantasy, not based in reality.)

Oh, I almost picked up Tomorrow, When the War Began which is one of those books I really must read, but the pile of books in my arms was already so high... I find it hard to think of a grimmer title in YA!

You haven't read the "tomorrow" series???? IMO they should one day become a classic. Tania, you really should read them!

Ack! The guilt! The guilt!

I know I should read them, I've heard NOTHING but good. And I came *this* close to picking it up at the library yesterday, but already had a slightly ridiculous pile (four books, one audio book, plus the two books I still had out), and thought "it'll be available another time" and put it back.

Oh, and I now have a copy of The Hunger Games on my desk. (I remembered why I kept on putting it back! All that "the book Stephanie Meyer loves!" comments. But I suppose one can be a good reader, and a poor writer.)

hahahaha I think in this case she has proven the theorem!

46. Wonders of a Godless World by Andrew McGahan

Rating: 4 stars

This is one of those books that I loved while I was reading it, but when I was finished, I wondered if I did love it or not. My rating went from 3 to 4 1/2 then back again. I finally settled on 4 because I thought it was a rivetting story, even though there were some aspects of it that I didn't quite appreciate. It is a huge story that encompasses so much.

On an island, in a hospital for the insane, lives the orphan - a young woman who does not speak, cannot comprehend the world, but helps to care for the patients. Then the foreigner is found on the island. He is comatose. But when he is put onto the wards, the patients react in strange and sometimes violent ways. The orphan, the hospital and the island itself are in turmoil.

This is a story about madness and reality and the sometimes fine line between them both.

I'm yet to read an Andrew McGahan (I have The White Earth on Mt TBR), and I do have to say I've been *awfully* tempted by Wonders of a Godless World at the bookshop.

I like McGahan. I've read a few of his, but this latest one is quite different to his others.

47. The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

You cannot fault Atwood's style. She is a wonderful writer. This was an interesting story set in the 60s and featuring the radical changes in attitudes during those times. I liked it.

>87 wookiebender:. I just finished the last book in the tomorrow series, I'd never read them before, but I really enjoyed the books. I haven't read the Ellie Chronicles yet but I'm looking forward to reading them also. John Marsden is such a great writer, Winter & Checkers were two of my favorites of his.

I'm hoping that they don't ruin the movie, after enjoying the books so much, it would be a disappointment.

I haven't read the Ellie Chronicles either. My daughter was not overwhelmed by them and I usually trust her judgement so I have put them on to the backburner for now. But he is a masterful writer. Some of his books are very powerful.

I guess it is always a gamble when a movie is made from a well loved book. You can never tell what it will become.

48. Horns by Joe Hill

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

i was a bit disappointed by this one. I read Hill's first book last year and thought it was great, so expected a lot from this one. But the very promising story sort of fizzled out half way through. There was none of the creepiness and real scariness of The Heart Shaped Box. It was, in fact, a bit difficult to understand where Hill was going with his story. It was a romance with a bit of weird stuff thrown in basically. Anyway, I don't regret the time it took to read, but I wouldn't find it easy to recommend to lovers of the genre either.

I'm still going to give Horns a go, I did like Heart-Shaped Box. I'm sorry it was a so-so read for you.

wookie, a lot of other people thought it was wonderful. So don't just take my word for it.

49. The Girl who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson

Rating: 4 stars

50. The Wasp Factory by Iain M Banks

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Sensational! I loved this crazy story set against a landscape of ocean, dunes and small town isolation in Scotland. I loved the way the story of Francis was revealed piece by piece, oh so slowly, until the dramatic conclusion brought the whole of the tale together. Fantastic story, told beautifully, but the incidents of animal cruelty will not make this book enjoyable for everyone.

Oh, I've got that one on Mt TBR! I've enjoyed Banks' sci-fi, but am yet to dip my toe into his non-genre books. Might just bump it up Mt TBR a bit...

I've added The Wasp Factory to my wishlist. I've never read anything by Iain Banks, and this one sounds good. Thanks for the recommendation!

51. The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen

Rating: 3 stars

Set during the last days of WW1 with the Spanish flu epidemic at its worst, a small mill town closes all roads to the outside world and outlaws any contact with outsiders. A young guard is forced to shoot a soldier who attempts to gain entry. An interesting story.

@101> I'm a fairly big fan of Iain Banks, but when I read The Wasp Factory a few years ago, I just couldn't get into it. I'm not sure if it was me, but I found it tough going and never really got particularly involved with the main character. As such, the 'shocking' parts of the book didn't have much of an impact. Maybe I need to give it another try some day...

iftyzaidi I have never read anything by Banks before, this was my first one. I can see why it wouldn't appeal to everyone, but I just found it mesmerising.

52. The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg

Rating: 4 stars

A lovely coming of age story for the 50 year old woman. Told in a series of letters and journal entries, Nan comes to terms with her life while she travels the countryside.

53. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Excellent! Loved the way Eugenides told the story of Lisbon girls' suicides. It was almost clinical, yet still somehow, so very moving.

54. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Rating: 4 stars

This was a thrilling story written for young adults. A group of settlers take up residence on a new planet. They battle aliens and illness only to find their main threat comes from the religious zealotry of some of the residents. Todd is about to become a man - but he has no idea what that really means and what he has to go through to find out will keep you reading for this book's almost 500 pages!

55. Bottersnikes and other lost things by Juliet o'Conor

This was a very interesting look at Australian illustrated books for children from the early days of colonisation up to the present. It was put together very well. Lots of illustrations (of course) and not too much comment. A great book to dip in and out of.

Oh, I've been tempted by that one in the shops! Trying to resist, but it's hard with positive comments sometimes. :) Glad you liked it.

56. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

I definitely preferred the first half of this book. There was a real sense of tension building and I had no idea where the story was going. UNfortunately about halfway through it got a bit silly and I didn't really like how the story progressed. You probably know that I love a good ghost story, but this one just wasn't that good.

57. Happiness by Denis Robert

Rating: 1/2 star

1/2 a star? Enough said!

I've got a copy of Her Fearful Symmetry that I *MUST* read soon... It sounds ... interesting.

#112 - Yikes! Sounds like Happiness made you unhappy. Are you sure you don't want to say more? When I read 1/2 star books I can't restrain myself from a good tromping. It usually feels quite good.

wookie, you might like it more than me . . .

hahaha nickelini . . . that book was recommended to me by a work colleague. Now I'm worried that if she thinks I'd like stuff like that, what kind of reader does she think I am???????

58. Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn

Rating: 4 stars

Book 1 in the Tales of the Otori series, I enjoyed this romp through ancient Japan in the company of ninjas and samurai and Lords and Ladies. Looking forward to getting into the rest of the series.

59. The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell

Rating: 4 stars

I found this one a bit slow to get going, but once it did, I was hooked. There are two stories that slowly intertwine to finally become one. Lexie is a woman of the 60s - enjoying her life as a liberated woman; while Elina is an artist in modern times. Both of these women have baby boys. Their connection is always just around the corner, almost within reach as you read this book, but it is not until the final pages that it is revealed.

Recommended!

60. This is How by M J Hyland

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

This is an exceptional book. Young Patrick has moved to a small town by the sea after he breaks up with his fiance. He is trying to make a life of his own away from his domineering mother. He moves into a boarding house with the lovely Bridget and two rather snooty businessmen. Something happens (don't want to spoil the story) and he ends up in jail. Hyland builds the tension from the beginning and this is such an atmospheric book, it is superb!

61. Precious by Sapphire

Rating: 3 1/2

I am still not really sure if this is the original book - titled Push - or if it is a different version written after the release of the film. Anyway, it was quite a harrowing story of incest and abuse. Precious is 16, illiterate and pregnant with her father's second child. She is suspended from school. Luckily, there is one teacher who goes the extra yards for her and she is enrolled in an alternative school. Through her own strong will and determination she starts to make something of her life.

62. Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende

Rating: 4 stars

I am not a big fan of historical fiction, but if Allende writes it, I will read it! This one didn't disappoint. It was a huge story covering the history of Haiti from the time of French colonisation and the slave rebellion. We follow the story through the eyes of Tete sold as a slave to the Valmorain family at the age of 7. We follow her life through loves and losses, children and lovers, turmoil and peace. A really lovely story which was really easy to read.

>120 judylou:: I love Isabel Allende. Glad to hear you enjoyed this.

She is good, isn't she!

63. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

I know this one is very popular here amongst LTers. But I didn't get it. I didn't think it was written very well - but wonder if that is the fault of the author or the translator and didn't get very interested in the story either.

64. The Anatomy of Wings by Karen Foxlee

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Set in a small outback mining town in the early 80s, 10 year old Jennifer is trying to piece together the secrets of the last days of her older sister. Amid a house seeped in grief, and in the hope of finding her lost singing voice, Jennifer and her friend begin to visit places and people to discover what happened. Meanwhile, every other house in their street hides a secret. Only when Jenny finds her voice do their neighbours come to terms with their own problems.

Loved this book!

The Anatomy of Wings looks very good. Onto the TBR mountain it goes. Thanks Judy.

Book 64 - The anatomy of wings - does sound intriguing. Is it in a The Dressmaker kind of style? Or more, shall we say, realist?

captainsflat, it never occurred to me to compare it to The Dressmaker which I read a while ago. But when I think about it, I'm not sure that it is similar at all. My memory is a bit wonky, perhaps I am missing something??

Well, it might be totally wrong, but the description "only when jenny finds her voice do their neighbours come to terms with their own problems" put me a bit in mind of it, although of course it is totally different. I asked, becuase there seemed to be a hint of the atmospherics, but on the other hand the description could also be taken as a straight forward read with no atmospherics. I just did what I should have done initially, and linked to the book. I think from the reviews, it sits somewhere in the middle. I'm sorry if this just makes sense to me.

Never mind captainsflat . . . I get where you are going with this. I think you would find The Anatomy of Wings to be more real life than The Dressmaker which had quite a chilling atmosphere. Either way though, I really really liked it!

65. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

An excellent story, told beautifully, and so descriptive - that rain, that heat - it was all pervasive!

66. Atomised by Michel Houllebecq

Rating: 1 star

I didn't like this at all. I only read 100 pages. I tried to read it all but there was just one too many masturbation scenes for me . . . so I gave up :0(

I tried to read it all but there was just one too many masturbation scenes for me

I've never heard of that book, but I'm so with you on masturbation scenes. Ugh. I sooooooo don't care.

Damn, that one's on Mt TBR. (It's a "1001" book, which is why it's there.) I'll give it a go, I guess. And if I don't finish it, it won't be the first 1001 book that I've given up on...

Sounds like a good one to pass on. Very funny review though.

Judy, I recommended it to you on the Off the shelf group because I thought it was brilliant. Feel free to ignore my recommendations in future!

Worth a try, Tania.

I know, I really wanted to read it and I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't do either :(

It just didn't grab me at all. I didn't like the characters and I didn't care about them. There was nothing in it that I could relate to. And I rarely give up on a book, but this time I just had to.

A case of booktus interruptis?

Well said Bonnie!

67. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

Rating: 4 stars

Second book in the Chaos Walking series. This one, though not quite the thrill-a-minute ride the first in the series offered, was still a great read!

68. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Rating: 4 stars

The third (and last :() in the Chaos Walking series. A fitting end to the story of Todd and Viola.

69. The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

Rating: 4 stars

I liked this one. There were a number of stories running concurrently, but the two main ones were about Ann Eliza - the 19th wife of Brigham Young, and BeckyLyn - a modern day 19th wife accused of murdering her husband.

Judy, I have just picked up The Knife of Never Letting Go and are looking forward to the series. Good to see you thought they were worthy.

dianestm, hope you are enjoying the series . . .

70. Thinner than Thou by Kit Reed

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

The body beautiful is the new religion. The Reverend Earl is the one with all the power to reward or punish those who achieve his ideals of beauty or those who fail to make the grade.

I liked the extracts in the review section of book 70. (wow, you're going to hit at least 150 books at this rate). I suspect you would have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it thoroughly though, and it does sound a bit uneven. But I think I'll have to remember it, in case I get into that mood.

captainsflat, you're right. It was a bit uneven. The narrative struggled to carry the story for the entire time. I did like it, but I might have liked it more if it was a bit shorter???

71. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

Nuh, just wasn't able to get into this one. I liked his Eyre Affair series quite a bit, but I was disappointed in myself for not liking this one.

72. The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith

Rating: 4 stars

I keep on being surprised by this series. After reading the first two some years ago, I threw them on the floor in disgust, but I have been listening to them in the car, and maybe it's the storytelling aspect of the books, but I am really enjoying them now.

I love the voice of the person who reads the audiobooks - I don't know her name. She's perfect for the stories, I think.

I don't know her name either, b ut you are right, she is perfect for the stories!

73. The Radleys by Matt Haig

Rating: 4 stars

The Radleys are vampires, but they are abstainers and have always tried to integrate in their neighbourhood, and with their friends and colleagues. But when their two children become teenagers, it becomes increasingly hard to keep up the pretence. This was a lighthearted and funny story, recommended.

74. Sydney Bridge Upside Down by David Ballantyne

Rating: 4 stars

Recently rereleased after its original publication in 1968, this book is considered a classic in New Zealand. Harry lives with his one-legged Dad and little brother Cal in Calliope Bay - a small town at what seems like the end of the earth. Harry's Mum has gone to the city, and continues to delay her return, making excuses. Meanwhile a cousin comes to stay in Calliope Bay and Harry is smitten by her and becomes very protective and jealous of her attention. Harry's summer began with days of fun and children's games with Cal and his mate Dibbs, but it ends in confusion, loss and tragedy, when Harry is forced to grow up way too soon.

75. The DeadTossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Rating: 3 stars

Somewhat disappointing sequel to The Forest of Hands and Feet. I found it overly dramatic and way too wordy. I found myself rewriting copious paragraphs - condensing them into a few sentences.

76. A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Light, funny, easy to listen to. Just what I was after!

77. We are all made of Glue by Marina Lewycka

Rating: 4 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I like Lewycka's style. She manages to write a story which has a veneer of humour covering some really difficult issues.
Recommended!

78. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

Rating: 5 stars

13 yo Charlie, book lover and not very popular, lives in small town Corrigan during the Vietnam war era. One night he is woken by a tap on his window. Jasper Jones, local bad boy, part aboriginal and the town's scapegoat for all its troubles, takes Charlie into the bush where they come face to face with a tragedy. The tragedy rocks the town, but Charlie is determined to stick by his new friend and help him to prove his innocence. Charlie's best friend is Jeffrey Lu, the son of the only Vietnamese migrants in town. He is a cricket tragic and strives to prove himself a worthy team member in the face of blatant prejudice from the other boys and the coach alike. Then there is Mad Jack, an old recluse - which of the stories and rumours about him are true and where does he fit in to the story? There are so many minor storylines happening here, that your attention never wanders.

This book has been compared to To Kill a Mockingbird for its themes and its storyline. It is a worthy comparison. I think Jasper Jonescould become an Australian classic.

79. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Rating: 3 stars

A book clearly written for children. I didn't find it up to the standard of his classic Shadow of the Wind, but it was written well before that. I didn't really like it much.

80. The Strain by Guillermo del Toro

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

An exciting adventure and mostly entertaining, but a bit silly really. A plane lands in New York, and almost everyone on board is dead. A really creepy start to the book. The bodies are removed and delivered to the morgue, but then they start to return to their homes. The Master Vampire has come to town, and he is on a mission (along with some very rich and influential New Yorkers) to take over the world. This is when it gets silly. I did start to get really annoyed by the male hero's female partner though. Her entire reason for being there was so she could scream at rats, look after the kid, and help prop up the hero. Definitely not an empowering character!

Oh, I'm glad you liked Jasper Jones, I thought it was a brilliant read. I also saw aspects of Huckleberry Finn in it, but I did read the two of them fairly close together.

@80> Hmm, almost bought this the other day. After reading your review I'm glad I didn't.

Her entire reason for being there was so she could scream at rats...

Sounds annoying, but at least your comment was good for a laugh! :-)

I'm back from two weeks in Malaysia where the food was good and the weather was HOT! I didn't read a huge amount, but managed to finish a few books which were left behind so they could be replaced in the suitcases by sarongs, etc!

81. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

Rating: 4 stars

I finished this on the morning we left for Malaysia. I was annoyed that I had to rush through the ending, I would have preferred to take my time with it. On her 9th birthday, Rose's Mum bakes her a lemon cake. But Rose is unable to enjoy the cake, as she is tasting not the sweet lemony flavours she expects, but her mother's unhappiness and despair at her life. This continues with Rose's ability developing so she can not only taste the emotions of the cook, but the origins of the ingredients and the nature of the factory in which food is processed.
Combine this with a genius nonsocial brother with a tendency to disappear, a crush on his mate, a distant father, an unhappy mother and an unhappy school life, and this a story that had me enthralled.

82. Tethered by AMy MacKinnon

Rating: 2 1/2stars

Clare is a mortician. She works with a man who she considers her father, but because of some childhood trauma she does not trust easily. There is a policeman who has lost his wife and unborn baby - you just know that their shared hurts will bring them together. There is a small girl who has been murdered and buried by Clare's funeral home. There is another small girl who hangs around the funeral home. It finally comes together in the end, but I didn't particularly like the way it did!

83. In the Company of Angels by N M Kelby

Rating: 2 stars

During WW2 in Belgium, a small girl is discovered hiding from the nazis by two nuns. It seems that she is an angel. But I'm still waiting to find out. Not my cup of tea.

84. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Rating: 4 stars

After I got into it, I started to really enjoy this book. It was difficult in the beginning because I don't speak Spanish, so had to make up my own bits of the story - lots of Spanish dialogue and phrases and what I guessed were swear words.

Oscar lives his life in the shadow fo the family curse. He doesn't expect much and therefore doesn't get much. I did like the footnotes in the story (usually they put me right off) but this time I found them unobtrusive and valuable to the story.

85. The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander

Rating: 1 star

Perhaps this was not holiday reading, but I just could not get this book. I read the first twenty or so pages twice and still couldn't understand what was going on. So I persevered and read the required 50+ pages and then gave it up. My sister also tried to read it, and my brother-in-law (he lived through this period in South America) but neither of them got it either. Perhaps I'll try again one day.

This one I read after the holiday.

86. The Dead Fathers Club by Matt Haig

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

I picked this up because I really liked The Radleys. It was good, written in the same style, with humour being overlaid by more serious issues. Philip's dad has died in a car accident. His ghost appears to Philip and orders him to kill his Uncle Alan, as he had murdered his father. Poor Philip. He is 11 and unliked at school. Picked on by all the bullies and now the much disliked Uncle Alan is making a move on his mum.

Oh, how lovely! A holiday!

And I'm really going to have to put The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake on my wishlist, it just keeps on getting good reviews!

Sorry the rest of your holiday reading didn't seem to quite match up with that one. But at least you didn't have to bring them home with you. :)

87. Old Filth by Jane Gardam

Rating: 4 stars

A slow start to this one, but it kept getting better. A really enjoyable story, told beautifully.

I felt the same way- I am looking forward to reading the Gardem's book about "Old Filth's} wife.

Cyrel, I like her style so much that I found an audio book of Faith Fox which I am now listening to in the car.

88. Brick Lane by Monica Ali

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

A simple village girl from Bangladesh marries a man living in London. She has left everything she knows behind to live in a foreign country, unable to speak the language, confused and lonely, with a stranger. Luckily her new husband treats her well and she begins to make a new life for herself and her new family. But life is not simple and, as it turns out, neither is she.

Very good!

89. Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

Meh . . this did nothing for me. A teenage daughter, seemingly perfect, but secretly drug addicted and running wild. Mum is a recovered alcoholic and step-dad is too good to be true. There are lots of lies and plenty of self-loathing, and creepily, lots of smelling of necks (yuk). I did not like the writing either - way too melodramatic. I think I will always remember this line . . . . "He was spooning her when she woke, still patting her with sympathy and the pats turned to love" OMG WTF???

90. The Eighth Day by Mitsuyo Kakuta

Rtaing: 3 1/2 stars

Kiwako is forced to have an abortion by her married lover. He then has a child with his wife. Kiwako steals the baby and raises her as her own. This was a very interesting novel. But yet again I felt a little frustrated at the need to read it in translation. Perhaps the original language may not have been as clunky.

91. The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

A group of modern day vampires alive and living in Sydney. They are weak, sickly and surviving only on a diet of guinea pigs. They band together to foil a plot to kill them off.

A bit of fun.

92. The Geographer's Library by Jon Fasman

Rating: 0 stars

I read 50 pages of this. It was dull and boring and not worth finishing.

93. Making Rounds with Oscar by David Dosa

Rating: 3 stars

Dr Dosa is a geriatrician working with dementia patients. Oscar is one of several cats living in the nursing home. He appears to be able to predict when a patient is about to die, and spends their last hours with them.

Interesting.

94. Q & A by Vikas Swarup

Rating: 4 stars

Very entertaining novel about Ram Mohamed Thomas - an orphan boy who wins One Billion Rupees on a game show. He is accused of cheating, so to prove his innocence he relates stories from his life.

The movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' was based on this book.

Agreed with you on Reformed Vampire Support Group. It was rather fun (especially being set in Sydney!), but nothing spectacular.

Regarding Making Rounds with Oscar: now, that is one cat you wouldn't want jumping into your lap. (No! Go away! I'm not going to die, damn you!)

I've got Q and A on Mt TBR somewhere. I did enjoy the movie!

Wookie Q and A is very readable. I found myself wanting to read it all in one hit.

You might be right about Oscar. I wondered throughout the book whether the residents of the nursing home were aware of his "ability"?

Meh . . this did nothing for me. A teenage daughter, seemingly perfect, but secretly drug addicted and running wild. Mum is a recovered alcoholic and step-dad is too good to be true. There are lots of lies and plenty of self-loathing, and creepily, lots of smelling of necks (yuk). I did not like the writing either - way too melodramatic. I think I will always remember this line . . . . "He was spooning her when she woke, still patting her with sympathy and the pats turned to love" OMG WTF???

Great review, Judy! I read that as an ER book last winter and my reaction was similar. I didn't even bother to pass it along to my sister-in-law, and I give her almost everything.

Good to know it wasn't just me!

95. A Good and Happy Child by Justin Evans

Rating: 3 stars

George finds himself unable to touch his newborn son. He fears that something will harm his baby if he does. He goes to a therapist who suggests he writes about the time when he was 11 and was seeing a psychiatrist - a part of George's life that he has apparently forgotten about.

So we meet a young boy of extreme intelligence, his father is recently dead, his mother has a new boyfriend, he is bullied at school, his only friends are adult friends of his parents, themselves a little strange.

This is a ripe environment for supernatural events, demons and exorcisms. I enjoyed this book, but it was no literary masterpiece ;)

96. Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

Rating: 4 stars

A great story about a couple of ordinary people in the course of one not so ordinary day. Maggie is approaching middle age, she has a drop out son, a prissy daughter about to leave for college, and a granddaughter that she hasn't seen for some years. Maggie is a meddler. She tells people things which are perhaps only half-truths in order to make things turn out better, or her version of better. Unfortunately, Maggie is not clever enough to carry off her "schemes" and she always seems to get caught out.

I found this quiet story to be well-paced and continually surprising; with Maggie's recollections of her life, and her bumbling well-meaning manner.

97. Faith Fox by Jane Gardam

Rating: 5 stars

I just loved this book. I listened to it in the car and the reader provided the most wonderful accents for each character. Gardam has written these people so well that I felt that I was hearing my own parents and grandparents in the story.

Faith is the new born daughter of Holly Fox who dies giving birth. Husband Andrew is forced to find a home for his daughter when Holly's mother disappears. His parents - Dolly and Toots (I loved this wonderful couple) are elderly and unable to care for her, so he takes Faith to his brother, a religious man living on the moors with his wife, stepson, the Mrs (housekeeper), a couple of lads, and a barn full of Tibetans.

Just wonderful!

...and a barn full of Tibetans

I do have to say I boggled at that bit. :) Will keep my eye open for it!

98. Nightingale Wood by Stella Gibbons

Rating: 1 star

After enjoying Cold Comfort Farm a while ago, I thought this would be worth reading, but unfortunately, it wasn't.

99. In the Heart of the Canyon by Elisabeth Hyde

Rating: 4 stars

A great adventure story. A group of disparate rafters come together to join a rafting tour of the Colorado river. Each member of the group discovers something about themselves thanks to the trials and tribulations of negotiating the river.

100. A Small Free Kiss in the Dark by Glenda Millard

rating: 4 stars

A runner-up in the CBCA, this YA book deserves its place. Skip is an artist, a young boy living on the streets, with no-one to care for him. When war breaks out he is thrust under the wing of Billy, an old homeless man. When they leave the city to escape its destruction, they take a small boy who has lost his mother; they also meet up with a young girl and her baby. Very good!

101. Room by Emma Donoghue

Rating: 5 stars

This is by far the best book I have read this year. It was just excellent. 5 year old Jack lives with his Ma in Room - an 11 x 11 foot space which holds everything he knows. Ma has told him that everything he sees on TV is make believe and all that is real is here in Room. But now that he is 5, Ma decides it is time for him to become aware of the truth.

This is one of those guaranteed good reads. It sucks you in from the first sentence and doesn't spit you out until the last.

102. What Alice Forgot by Lian Moriarty

Rating: 4 stars

I enjoyed listening to this story about Alice who has a fall at the gym one day and loses 10 years of her life. She remembers nothing about the birth of her three children, the break down of relationships with family and friends, or the collapse of her marriage. She still sees herself as very happily married and newly pregnant. I guess this is what is known as chick-lit, but I liked it anyway!

103. Replay by Ken Grimwood

Rating: 4 stars

Imagine if you could wake up as an 18 year old and live your life over again. WHat would you do differently, and what would the consequences be? I liked this book. Well written and consistently interesting.

104. The Little Girl who was too Fond of Matches by Gaetan Soucy

Rating: 4 stars

An intriguing little book. It was interesting reading it so soon after Room which also dealt with isolation, but in an entirely different way.

When their father dies, two children are forced to come into contact with the outside world. Their story is teased out with exquisite slowness and with each fact we discover, another question arises.

The language is superb. The children speak in a strange patois which is quite beautiful in its construction. I can only guess how difficult it must have been for the translator to make the invented words and strange speech forms to work.

Congratulations on reaching 100 books read! I have to read Room. Thanks for the review.

Yes, congrats on reaching 100! I've added Room to my wishlist.

Thanks :)

I encourage both of you to read Room soon!

Congratulations on reading 100 books! Huzzah!

And squee! on the 5 stars for Room, my workmate just handed me her copy, and it's going straight to the top of Mt TBR! She loved it too, can't wait!

Thanks wookie, hope you like it too.

105. The Winds of Heaven by Judith Clarke

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Fan and Clementine are cousins whose lives could not be any different. Fan lives in the country, her father long gone and her mother bitter and abusive. Clementine lives in the city, loved by her parents and a star at school. They meet up a few times during their childhood and a strong bond develops. As they grow older their lives become even more different. This was a well written story, quite lovely and very moving.

106. Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Another very intriguing story. Henry is an author who becomes entwined in the life of another Henry, a taxidermist with a very strange manner. He has written a play which he reveals to Henry slowly.

This is a very curious story which won me over about a third of the way in. I can recommend it to those who like strange little stories.

107. The Painted Darkness by Brian James Freeman

Rating: 3 stars

Something nasty happened to Henry in the woods when he was a child. As an artist he now "paints against the darkness". A bit of a slow start, this story improved as it went on. But the ending was a bit of a disappointment.

Wow, you reached 100, you can totally relax now! You have moved Room and Gaetan Soucy up from read if I come across them, to actively search.

Time to catch up I think . . . .

108. The Passage by Justin Cronin

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

An excellent story of vampires that kept me reading avidly until the end.

109. Indelible Ink by Fiona McGregor

Rating: 4 stars

Middle aged, single, mother of three awful adults, . . time for a change? How about expressing yourself through tattoos?

110. Inside Out Upside Down by Monica McInerney

Rating: 3 stars

An enjoyable romance full of misunderstandings and humour.

111. Death of a River Guide by Richard Flanagan

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

A rather haunting story of the life of a river guide in Tasmania, told through his visions as he lays drowning in the river.

112. Trespass by Rose Tremain

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

A dark tale of revenge and lies set in a beautifully wrought landscape.

113. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Precious Ramotswe is back and as interesting as ever.

111. Death of a River Guide by Richard Flanagan

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

A rather haunting story of the life of a river guide in Tasmania, told through his visions as he lays drowning in the river.

You got to it! Well done, Judy! This one has been in my TBR since about 2003. I gave it to my mom to read and she returned it and told me it was not for her/unreadable. Then I gave it to my hubby to read, but he only reads on holidays or before bed, and he's sooooo tired at night that he needs something very, very straight forward and linear, and he said he couldn't do it either. So from that I got an idea that it was perhaps more "literary" than I originally expected it to be. Three and a half stars is still worth reading, I think --? I was still hoping to get to it before the end of the year.

114. The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Thrilling story with wonderful characters and a sensational setting.

115. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

A young man's rant against phoniness.

116. Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Ruby begins her story in her mother's womb. Her story evolves as we hear the stories of her forebears.

114. The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Thrilling story with wonderful characters and a sensational setting.

115. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

A young man's rant against phoniness.

116. Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Ruby begins her story in her mother's womb. Her story evolves as we hear the stories of her forebears.

#189> I'm a bit of a Richard Flanagan fan - I thought his Gould's Book of Fish simply marvellous, and Wanting was interesting, although quite flawed. (But I rather like my literature flawed, I'd prefer that people made an effort to do something extraordinary and fail, than do something safe and succeed. Extraordinary and successful is, of course, what we all hang out for on opening each new book!)

I'm yet to read Death of a River Guide, but I'm looking forward to sourcing a copy! (According to the LT elves, I also own The Sound of One Hand Clapping and The Unknown Terrorist.

So, to answer your question, yes, it is worth a read, IMHO.

I second that Death of a River Guide is worth a read. And wookie - "extraordinary and successful is what we hang out for, but extraordinary and fail is better than safe and succeed", love it.

jfetting, some cracking reads in there.

wookie I'm also a big fan of Flanagan, rating him as one of my favourite authors. But, perhaps it was because I read it while on a tiring overseas trip, it just didn't grab me as his others have.

117. C by Tom McCarthy

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

I picked this one up becuase it sounded interesting and it was on the shortlist for this year's Booker. But I found myself skimming over parts of it. There wasn't really anything wrong with it, it just didn't interest me.

118. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Rating: 5 stars

This one, on the other hand, was a real winner. What a sensational story. Two sisters live with an elderly uncle in a big old house in splendid isolation. But they reveal their story little by little throughout the book, and what a story it is!

Oh, yes, isn't We Have Always Lived in the Castle splendid? I recently got her The Lottery and Other Stories, I'm looking forward to that one too!

just to lurking to agree about We Have Always Lived in the Castle, it is a favourite of mine. I am in the midst of The Lottery and Other Stories right now and it's.. well it's plain odd.

It is going to be one of my top reads for 2010!

119. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Rating: 4 stars

A really good and exciting story. This is the third in the Hunger Games series and it has not lost its edge.

>195 judylou:: Whew! I thought you were saying those negative things about We Have Always Lived in a Castle which I just bought--no wait! Maybe I bought another "...Castle" book. Have to go check my list out again--which may be a bad sign that I have too many books on my TBR pile.

Bonnie if it is the one you bought . . . . go and read it. Now!

120. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin

Rating: 5 stars

Baba Segi is a very happy man. He has three wives and seven children and all is good at home. Then he invites Bolanle to be wife number four. She unwittingly becomes the catalyst for major change in the family. What began as a bit of a lighthearted romp, soon changed into a much more substantial story.

121. I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Rating: 4 stars

This YA thriller kept me up late at night reading. Nine children were brought to Earth with their guardians when their planet was destroyed by another alien race. Now they are being hunted on Earth and their survival is all that stands between Earth's survival and destruction.

122. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

ENjoying this series again. It is fun to listen to.

Actually, I just bought I Capture the Castle which I realized as I started reading it that I had read it before, but read it again anyway. Surprisingly good, considering it was written in 1948.

123. Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Rating: 3 stars

Here's one I forgot earlier . . . .

Listened to this one which might have been a mistake. I found myself zoning out at times and then coming back to the voices wondering what had been going on! I found the story interesting, but perhaps a bit too overdone.

124. Nation by Terry Pratchett

Rating: 3 stars

Listened to this on our recent trip up north. It was ok to listen to, but not wonderful.

125. Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Listened to this one as well. It was much better. I have been enjoying listening to this series.

126. Rocks in the Belly by Jon Bauer

Rating: 5 stars

Excellent story! Told alternately by an 8 year old and his 28 year old adult self, this story is a no holds barred picture of a little boy who feels himself shoved aside by his mother who takes on foster children. What happens in this family is gut wrenching and how, as an adult, he sees himself as that little lost boy is heart rending. Well worth it!

127. Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

Rating: 4 stars

Four short stories.
1) A version of The Telltale Heart. Ok.
2) A full-on revenge story as only Stephen King can do. Very readable.
3) Deal with the devil and this is what you get. Ok.
4) Just because you have been married for 25 years, doesn't mean you really know your husband. Excellent.

128. Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie

Rating: 4 stars

Listened to this lovely story which follows the life of a young Japanese woman from the bombing of Nagasaki, her life in India, and finally in the USA. An excellent story which I should have read, rather than listened to as the reader was very annoyingly bad at all the different accents!

129. The Long Song by Andrea Levy

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Another beautifully told story. This one set in Jamaica and following the story of July, a house slave on a sugar plantation, during the chaos of the end of slavery.

130. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Another entry in the Sookie Stackhouse series. These are fun to listen to.

Oh, I'm glad you liked Rocks in the Belly! I have to read that one for bookgroup in the new year, and wasn't convinced by it. I'm feeling better about it now.

And I've got The Long Song and Burnt Shadows on Mt TBR too, they might get bumped up a notch or too!

131. Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Rating: 4 stars

This will probably be the last one for 2010, and I am glad to have finished up with such a fun read. Lindqvist has been one of my newly discovered authors and he hasn't failed to satisfy yet. This book was a Stephen Kingesque tale of ordinary people set against the extraordinary, but with the action occurring on a small island in Sweden. Fascinating setting and a dammed good story!!

I am eagerly awaitng Harbour in paperback, nice to see it garner another good review