Gordon361 new for 2010

Starting the thread with a link to the past ('08, '09). http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=26730

A reminder to visitors that I also keep a running total of pages because I read mostly non-fiction and that helps to keep me apace of novel readers using the 300 page clause (300 pp = 1 novel). So, I'm 259 into book 1 for the year, 50 pp were read before Jan. 1 so the count stands at 209.

1) Papa Spy. I really don't know why that took so long to read, maybe just busy holidays. Minus the 50 pp read before the new year that makes for 294 from Jan. 1. Review to follow.

2) Nautilus 90 North. Just a quick read while waiting for another ER. A well told story of the first trans polar cruise by a submarine. 239 pp mkes for 448.

3) The Terrible Hours. Yep, another sub story, but really another one of those great bios of a person that has done amazing thing but is sort of invisible. 259pp to make 707, is it really mid January? Still waiting on ER.

4) Seizing The Enigma. More on subs. Pretty entertaining treatment of a potentially overwhelmingly technical subject. Anyway, 282 to add for 989. Where is the ER?

Hi Gordon. Pleased to see another fan of non-fiction. I read both.

I was intrigued by your second post, re keeping apace of the novel readers. When joing this challenge I agonised over how to do the calculations and opted just to count the books. The reasoning behind this? I figure the slow-to-get-thru non-fictions are balanced out by read-in-one-day Ngaio Marsh's and Georgette Heyers' (and others of that ilk).

Anyway, good luck with the challenge.

5) The First Salute. Another fine effort by Tuchman. An interesting angle on the leadup to the Revolutionary victory at Yorktown. That's 300 more for a total of 1289 pp, a blistering pace that probably won't hold (5 books in a month too!).

6) Trafalgar: The Nelson touch. Howarth has a knack for bring out much detail and first person accounts from distant historical events. The finished page count is 239 but that includes many diagrams and illistrations, regardless, that brings the page count to 1528 and 6 books in one month.

7) A Storm in Flanders. OK, that was pretty gruesome yet informative. 262 to add to 1528 makes 1790 pp. to date, Haven't decided what's next.

8) Crime and Punishment. And so ends my first foray into Russian lit. I'll try another sometime before passing judgement, someone other than Dostoevsky. It was a good chunk of 472 pp to bring the total to an even 2000 (couldn't have planned that!).

9) The Economic Consequences of the Peace. Amazingly prophetic for it's time. Begining and end very good, middle dry. Make that 279 to total 2279.

10) The Zimmermann Telegram. I'm really getting to love Tuchman, she is such a great story teller. For now I need to venture from WWI for a while. That was an even 200 more for 2479.

Just a quick post to note that I'm 350+ into almost 700 pages of current read, keeping pace of 50+ a day.

11) Titan. An outstanding bio, well worth the 700+ pages. Balanced and impartial for such a controversial figure. An easy 676 pages to total 3155.

12) Submarine. Smething short and light after the last long tome. Full of photos and diagrams to fill 250 pages. With 250 ( +8 from the forward and intro from Titan ) that makes 3413. Now, back to substance.

13) Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal Boy did I jump into the deep end of the philosophy pool. I can accept most of objectivism in principle but as all other philosophies that try to practice among living humans it fails. Anyway, it will make for further investigative reading. That adds 337 pages to total 3750.

14) Sea of Glory. A very interesting and detailed account of America's first 'voyage of discovery' that no one has ever heard of yet sowed the seeds of the Smithsonian, The National Botanic Gardens and many other institutions. A very nice 373 pp topping out at 4123.

15) The Siege of Vienna. This was a difficult 200 pages. The book used the siege of Vienna by the Turks as a catalyst to run through all the political entanglements and intrigues of late 17th century Europe. In that scope this volume was much to short to make clear a very complicated subject. Descriptions of life under siege, the works of those laying siege and the climactic battle were much to short. We do add 197 pp. to make 4320 so far.

16) Commodore. The facts are plenty but the writing and layout shy next to something by a Chernow or Massie. Given the lack of published material on Vandebilt not a bad effort. 332 (incl. forward) makes for 4652 pp and 16 books in 3 mos.

17) We the Living. A late marathon session to finish this and all I can think is that it seemed like another Russian tragedy though my only experience with that was 'Crime and Punishment'. I may have more thoughts later. Mark 464 more for 5116.

18) A History of Israel. Wow, that was a long read, 835 pp. but well worth it. I might do a quick review on that later, anyway , that brings the total to 5951 (53 pp/day).

19) Economics in One Lesson. A true classic and with good reason, the truth never gets old. Since 1946 a couple of intro to economics books have come out that out pace this one in simplicity and bredth, but this one bears the strongest message, look at the big picture and unanticipated consequences. A valuable 183 pp to make 6134. Now on to something with 'teeth'.

20) Dracula. Told you this one would have teeth. I can see where many modern thrillers get their inspiration. I can't belive that's 20 titles in three months and 418 more for 6552.

21) Peter the Great. Another good Massie, not great, but good. That puts 855 more in the rearview for 7407 pp. to date. A couple of lighter volumes are in my future.

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I'm also now reading and enjoying Dracula. This is from someone who generally doesn 't like mysteries or classics. It's really fun to be able to go back to the source to see why vampire lore about Count Dracula started to become so popular.

> SqueakyChu & gordon361: you guys might try "Carmilla" by Sheridan Le Fanu as well; it's a short story out of the collection In a Glass Darkly, and that was the pre-cursor for Dracula; watching the inspiration develop through from Le Fanu to Stoker up to present time really is fascinating :) Good reading, meanwhile!

Thanks for your suggestion, Jennifer. I just added In a Glass Darkly to my wishlist. I like short stories, especially spooky ones. Sounds like a fun read!

From the little I know about Dracula lore, some things stick out, such as the use of the crucifix and garlic or the fact that vampires are immortal. Its fun to trace these ideas from such old literature. Since I'm not usualy "into" vampire literature, I'm feeling a bit more enlightened now. :)

22) Blink. I honestly don't know what to think of Gladwell. I enjoy the anecdotal stories and the individual theories are interesting but I just don't really see it all tied up in an earth shattering new idea. For me it's one of those things where I'll remember a fact from it in a year and not know why I know it. Anyway it's a quick 259 pp for a total of 7666.

23) The Irregulars. Want to know the social dynamics in DC during WWII? Read this book. Want to know how the British fought the isolationists in the U.S. during WWII? Find another book. This book follows Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Choclate Factory) during his years working for British intelligence in Washington during WWII and concentrates on his social life not much on his actual work. Well written but disappointing in content. It does add 348 pp for a total of 8014.

24) Franklin and Winston. An interesting presentation in covering a unique and important friendship. add 370 pp to hit 8384, better than halfway home.

25) David and Winston. A pretty good tracking of paralell lives, one must have more than a rudementary knowledge of the British political system to get the full bredth of the story. That's 25 by mid June, I might actually make a legitimate 50. Add 248 more for 8632.

26) Thirteen Days. An inside look at decisions made during the Cuban missle crisis. Seemed to be a quite fair however glossy treatment of the episode. 150 more making 8782.

27) The Metaphysical Club. I can't believe it took me two weeks to read this. I honestly don't know what to think of it, I will have to reflect. Anyway we add 442 pp to make 9224.

#31 & 32 - Two books on Winston! I have been on something of a Churchill bender myself and have read both these books this year.

Judging by your reading material, you may be interested in having a look at my reading list for 2010 (Part 1, and Part II), or even 2009 (Start Here).

28) Andrew Carnegie. This was an OK bio. but I just didn't get that attatched to it, don't know why. It was voluminous though, 801 pp. to get to 10025.

29)The price of Admiralty Interesting naval reading but nothing really new, as the subtitle says it's about the evolution from sail to steel to air to subs. That logs 275 pp more for 10300.

30) The Fountainhead. I read this as a prelude to reading Atlas Shrugged sometime in the future, that future is a long way off. I really did not like this book and only finished reading out of respect for the complexity of the plot construction. There are no redeeming values in any of the characters (even Roark), they exist only to populate the book's social commentary and I failed care what happened to any of them. I understand the point of the book (I lean quite right) and I know postmodernism supplies no clear cut endings, it's just not my thing. This is why I stick mostly to non fiction. It does add 704 pp. (including end notes) to bring a seven month total to 11004.

31) Grand Avenues. This was a nice little bio. of an obscure early American (actually French) and the infancy of Washingon D.C. 282 pp. to total 11286, still 50+ per day.

32) Live From Cape Canaveral. I read this more as a 'quick read' than anything else and found myself wishing it was longer and more detailed. It hovered somewhere between memoir and a history of the U.S. space program (as advertised) but it could have been much more. Still good for what it was. It adds 307 to the tote board for 11593.

33) Sputnik: Shock of the Century. A pretty good account of the political and social results of the Russians launching a satelite before the U.S. 247 more for 11840 pp.

34) Conquering Gotham. I really enjoyed this. It was of a proper length for what it covered, plenty of background bio of the people involved and not overly technical in the building specifics. The author is a pleasant find, I have anther book of hers in my TBR which will quickly move toward the top. The 315 pages make for a total of 12115. Waiting on a ER, hhmm...

35) The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. This was an outstanding book. I have read many volumes on naval engagments, most are confusing and packed with nautical terms and strategies that take from the overall story. This telling stayed focused on the heroism and laid out the engagment methodicaly and was clever in its repatition of persons and ship names to keep the action clear and focused. A very enjoyable 427 pp to make 12542.

36) The Justice from Beacon Hill. This was a well researched and enjoyable bio of Oliver Wendall Holmes Jr. Lots of background of the relationships he had with the VIP's of his time and the development of his jurisprudence. Adding 643 to make 13185.

37) Eiffel's Tower. This was a collection of biographies intermingled and set against the world exposition in Paris in 1889. With this and Conquering Gotham I have bebome a fan of Jonnes and look forward to reading Empires of Light. 311 pp more makes 13496.

38) An American Requiem. Very good is all I can say right now having just completed it. 279 pp. totals 13775.

39) Frankenstein. Another horror classic read ( see #24) although my take was that this was more moralistic than horror it is interesting to see how far modern versions have drifted from the original. Including a long introduction I add 263 pp for a total of 14038. Now finally on to a long awaited ER.

40) Golden Gate. A fun, quick read, review to follow. 196 pp. to total 14234.

41) Moon Shot. This was good and entertaining but I wish I had not read it so soon after Live From Cape Canaveral as they share an author and cover the same basic subject. It did cover 365 pp. to make a total of 14599.

42) The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and other stories. Several good stories and one unreadable. 336 pp. more for 14935

43) Spycatcher. A good look at counterespianage through the eyes of one who was there. But more importantly 382 pp. puts me over 15,000, 15317 to be exact! That's 51 books by the 300 page clause but I believe I'll make 50 actual titles.

44) The Pilgrims Progress. A week to read this, really? Sloth is a deadly sin, oh well. With intro. there were 270 pp. for a total of 15587. Next up an ER.

45) In the Shadow of the Red Banner. Some parts enlightening other parts dry, see review. Adding these 378 pp gives a total of 15965. on to the next ER.

46) 303 Squadron: The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron. Put in it's contex this was entertaining. As a serious coverage of the Polish contribution to the battle of Britain, look elsewhere. Review to follow. The page count here is generous as the text was filled with photographs and charts, including forward, intro, etc. it accounted for 337 pp. for a total of 16302.

47) The Tallest Tower. A history of the Eiffel tower, about two thirds dedicated to building, final third history since. Not a bad story and reminded me to read Tuchman's treatment. 229 pp. to total 16531. Waiting on another ER.

48) The Scarlet Letter. One more from the lit. pile. 251 pp. to total 16782.

49) Ultra Goes to War. This is a watershed book, the first to document the use of cracked enigma messages on the battlefront. It redefines everything written prior to 1978 about WWII. It's 363 pp. bring the total to 17145, now on to the big 5-0!

50) Brute. Well, that milestone is reached, number 50. With 347 pp. that totals 17492, meaning only 508 to reach the second goal of 18000 pages, I think I can do that in a month. And that was an ER so review to follow.

51) Running with Scissors. Did not care for this at all, I'll stick to non fic. and lit. 304 pp. in two days is not bad, making a total of 17796. Now back to red meat and the 18k barrier.

Just passed through the 18,000 page mark while reading Holy Warriors. This was the second of the year's goals and I made it with 16 days to spare. Until I'm retired this will most likely be the most I do in a year, it was a push.

52) Holy Warriors. That's the end of the push, these 357 pp. brings the total to 18153. Maybe something light until the new year when I delve into a specific program.

Here is the final entry for the year. Right now I'm 268 pages into my current book bringing the total to 18421 for the year and attaining my goal of 50 pages per day. I also completed 52 books on the year, for the first time surpassing 50. Tomorrow I will make a last entry here with a link to the 2011 thread with my reading goals for the new year (it won't be based on volume). Happy New Year!

Follow this to the new thread. http://www.librarything.com/topic/106108&newpost=1#lastmsg