Natalie goes for 75!

So I've actually been keeping track of all the books I've read this year and my original goal was 100 but I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen, given that I'm starting college in September. So my goal will be 75 and anything past that will just be a bonus :) At the moment I'm mostly trying to make a dent in my TBR pile but I alternate those with library books, books for school, and random re-reads. So, without further ado, here's what I've read so far! I may review a couple of them, but we'll see. My list will be accompanied by ratings out of five.

1. The Dragon Heir - Cinda Williams Chima - 3.5
2. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins - 4
3. Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld - 4
4. Oscar et la dame rose - Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt - 4.5
5. Anatomy of a Boyfriend - Daria Snadowsky - 1.5
6. Bleed – Laurie Faria Stolarz - 1.5
7. Song Quest - Katherine Roberts - 4
8. Crystal Mask - Katherine Roberts - 3
9. Dark Quetzal - Katherine Roberts - 3
10. The Romance of Arthur - James J. Wilhelm - 4
11. Over Sea, Under Stone - Susan Cooper - 4.5
12. The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper - 5
13. Exploits of a Reluctant (But Extremely Goodlooking) Hero – Maureen Fergus - 2.5
14. Fire - Kristin Cashore - 4
15. Greenwitch - Susan Cooper - 4.5
16. The Grey King - Susan Cooper - 4.5
17. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger - 5
18. Harpist in the Wind - Patricia McKillip - 3.5
19. Iris, Messenger - Sarah Deming - 3
20. Les jeux sont faits - Jean Paul Sartre - 3.5
21. The King - Donald Barthelme - 3
22. Shades of Grey - Jasper Fforde - 5
23. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz - 4.5
24. Lost It - Kristen Tracy - 2.5
25. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart - 4
26. Nerilka's Story - Anne McCaffrey - 3.5
27. On the Road - Jack Kerouac - 5
28. Look Me in the Eye - John Elder Robison - 4
29. Dragonfly - Julia Golding - 3.5
30. The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein - 5
31. A Portrait of Pia - Marisabina Russo - 3
32. Quidditch Through the Ages - JK Rowling - 4
33. The Riddle of the Wren - Charles de Lint - 3.5
34. Silver on the Tree - Susan Cooper - 4
35. Toujours Provence - Peter Mayle - 4
36. The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien - 5
37. Enchanted Glass - Diana Wynne Jones - 4.5
38. Keeper - Mal Peet - 5
39. Number the Stars - Lois Lowry - 4
40. Daddy-Long-Legs - Jean Webster
41. The 101 Dalmatians - Dodie Smith
42. How to Take the Ex out of Ex-Boyfriend - Janette Rallison
43. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green and David Levithan
44. Sabriel - Garth Nix
45. London Calling - Edward Bloor
46. Son of the Mob - Gordon Korman
47. Little Boy Lost - Marghanita Laski
48. The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp - Rick Yancey
49. City of Thieves - David Benioff
50. The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis
51. How to Be Bad - Lauren Myracle, Sarah Mlynowski, E. Lockhart
52. Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle - Gordan Korman
53. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
54. French Lessons - Alice Kaplan
55. Lirael - Garth Nix
56. The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis
57. Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis
58. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
59. Jade Green - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
60. Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese
61. Abhorsen - Garth Nix
62. I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith
63. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis
64. The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis
65. The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis
66. Heartless - Anne Elisabeth Stengl
67. Running Out of Time - Margaret Peterson Haddix
68. The Good Thief - Hannah Tinti
69. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling
70. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - JK Rowling
71. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - JK Rowling
72. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - JK Rowling
73. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - JK Rowling
74. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - JK Rowling
75. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling
76. The Tempest - William Shakespeare
77. Antigone - Sophocles
78. A Doll's House - Henrik Ibsen
79. The Republic - Plato
80. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
81. Concerning the Spiritual in Art - Wassily Kandinsky
82. Atonement - Ian McEwan
83. The Return of Martin Guerre - Natalie Zemon Davis
84. Prisoners in the Palace - Michaela MacColl
85. A Little Princess - Francis Hodgson Burnett
86. The Wee Free Men - Terry Pratchett
87. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
88. The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery
89. Intrigues - Mercedes Lackey
90. King of Shadows - Susan Cooper
91. A Hat Full of Sky - Terry Pratchett
92. Wintersmith - Terry Pratchett
93. The Wanderer - Sharon Creech
94. Lucy Unstrung - Carole Lazar
95. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
96. A Wind in the Door - Madeleine L'Engle
97. If I Stay - Gayle Forman
98. Le Petit Nicolas - Sempe-Goscinny
99. A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
100. Bloodhound - Tamora Pierce

Wish me luck! I may still reach 100 yet.

Edited to fix touchstones.

Welcome to the group, Natalie!

You have a great start on your reading year! More than halfway to 75 already.

Welcome! Nice list for the year.

Thanks to both of you!

Just powered my way through number 40, Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster, in a couple of hours. I enjoyed it immensely! If I didn't know it was published in 1912 I wouldn't believe it; it reads nearly as easily as a current YA novel. It also had the added bonus of making me really, really excited for college, although I'm sure there have been some changes in the last 100 years :)

4 stars.

#4: I just recently read that one and enjoyed it too. I am glad to see it has found another fan!

41. The 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith. I had been meaning to read this for quite some time and when I saw the book waiting for me at the library I couldn't resist. The Disney film was the first movie I ever watched as a child so I have a fondness for the story and I hoped the book would live up to it. I needn't have worried! If anything, the book is better than the movie (why am I not surprised?). Just a really lovely book and the best thing for an afternoon read on the couch next to my dog. 4 stars.

#6: The only book I have read by Dodie Smith is I Capture the Castle. Perhaps I shall give that one a try too.

#7 - I have now reserved I Capture the Castle at the library! As well as a couple other books I had my eye on, too. I knew a library internship would be bad for my tbr pile....

42. How to Take the Ex out of Exboyfriend by Janette Rallison. After a particularly long Vanity Fair stretch I decided to rest my brain with something mindless. I unearthed this treasure in the depths of my bookshelf and started reading. A few pages in I remembered why I usually avoid mindless teen novels. Boring, annoying characters, flat and cliche plots. It was entertaining for about half an hour until I started feeling like my brain was turning to mush. 1.5 stars.

43. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. I had high hopes for this one. I love most of John Green's stuff and I really really enjoyed Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which David Levithan co-wrote. So perhaps I was expecting too much from this book from the start. Something about didn't seem right to me and I just never really completely got into it. The book got better as it went on and by the end I was genuinely interested but the beginning at least was difficult to get through. Still a decent read, but not what I've come to expect from Green. 3.5 stars.

#8: I think I will skip How to Take the Ex out of Exboyfriend.

I already have Will Grayson, Will Grayson in the BlackHole. I like John Green's books. I am sorry you thought that this one did not measure up to his others.

8: I haven't tried any John Green yet, but I really liked Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist so I may have to look into this one. I will for sure avoid How to Take the Ex out of Ex-Boyfriend!

10 - You should definitely try some John Green! I kind of put his books in the same category as Nick and Norah: new and intelligently written contemporary teen fiction. I've really enjoyed all three of his novels and would recommend any of them, although I suggest starting off with Looking for Alaska or An Abundance of Katherines rather than Paper Towns.

I really enjoyed Mal Peet's Keeper as well, have you tried Tamar?
I read Will Grayson Will Grayson the other week and enjoyed it and I finished David Levithan's Boy meets boy yesterday which felt quite similar in some ways.
Vanity Fair was one of my favourite books that I had to study in high school many many years ago.

Yes! I read Tamar last summer and adored it. Keeper was an excellent read as well. I am a bit of a soccer fanatic and I cannot wait for the world cup so I loved that aspect of the novel, but I think I would have enjoyed it even if I wasn't such a big fan. I couldn't stop reading it.

I think that's part of why I didn't love Will Grayson, Will Grayson: I felt like the entire thing was just a mesh of all the themes and plots of the authors' previous novels.

I am definitely loving Vanity Fair. It's been too long since I read this sort of novel and now that I am I'm kicking myself for having left it on the shelf so long!

Welcome Natalie. I enjoyed The One Hundred and One Dalmations a lot too. Is the Disney version you like the animated one or the Glenn Close as Cruella one? I love the original cartoon film but didn't like the acted remake much at all. There's also a book sequel called The Starlight Barking which I'd recommend too.

The animated one, of course! Definitely one of my favorite films as a child. I dug out our old VHS the other day to watch with my baby cousin and still enjoyed it :)

Thanks for telling me about The Starlight Barking! Unfortunately I just checked and my library system doesn't have it. I'll keep a lookout, though.

44. Sabriel by Garth Nix

What can I say? Started rereading for the group read, got a little carried away.... This has always been one of my favorite series and reading Sabriel again reminded me why. Five stars - an extra star for nostalgia :)

45. London Calling byEdward Bloor

I really enjoyed Tangerine by Bloor a couple years ago and when I spotted it at the library I picked this one up just because I liked the cover. I'm glad I did! A very original story, in my opinion - mystery infused with historical fiction and fantasy, all rolled into a contemporary YA setting. An added bonus was the role of my soccer team, Arsenal FC, in the plot. I'm an avid fan and I love stumbling across my club in books. Four stars.

Welcome to the group! I'm a little late because I didn't see your thread until you posted a link in the Introduction thread, but welcome nonetheless! :)

London Calling sounds interesting. I try to pick up a young adult novel from time to time but have only read a couple this year.

I still haven't read Tangerine so good to know it's a good read. I presume you've read Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch.

#16: I have not yet read Tangerine, but have plans to do so. I might as well put London Calling in the BlackHole too.

Thanks for the recommendation, Natalie!

18 - Of course! One of my favorites :)

46. Son of the Mob - Gordon Korman
I enjoyed this one far more than I expected to! It wasn't amazing but it was certainly entertaining. Pure fun, really. 3.5 stars.

47. Little Boy Lost - Marghanita Laski
Why didn't I pick this up sooner? I found it in my grandma's basement years ago and took it home when my mom told me it had been one of her favorites as a kid. It's been sitting on my shelf for ages and I picked it up on a whim a couple days ago. I'm so glad I did! I couldn't put it down. I feel like I discovered a hidden treasure or something. 4 stars.

Now I'm nearly finished with The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp. I'm not loving it, but at least it's a quick read.

I'm not sure how much time I'll have to read in the next few days! I have my senior barbecue tomorrow, as well as graduation rehearsal. The World Cup starts tomorrow, too, so I'll probably be watching a game and I'll for sure be watching USA vs. England on Saturday! Then I have a plethora of graduation parties and senior recitals to attend over the weekend. Monday is more rehearsal and then Tuesday is graduation! Busy, but exciting busy :)

#21: I loved Little Boy Lost. I am glad you discovered that little gem :)

48. The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp - Rick Yancey
I had a lot of trouble getting into this one and a lot of problems with it. I guess the entire idea of a rather dimwitted hero who saves the world "by accident" really just doesn't appeal to me. I think I like my protagonists a bit smarter. Alfred did grow on me near the end, but not enough to make the book very worthwhile. I'll probably read the 2nd one just to knock off another on the old TBR pile - it was a quick read, at least. 2.5 stars.

Hoping that everything to do with graduation goes well.
I'm pretty sure I didn't finish the Yancey book when I tried it,
Earlier this week I watched The Damned Utd and have to followup by reading the novel as it was quite fascinating.

Just found your thread and have to star it! We read a lot of the same things. What did you think of the latest Diana Wynne Jones?

24: Thanks! I'll have to add The Damned United to my wishlist. I saw a preview for the film and it looked great so I'll probably watch it eventually. The only reason I finished Alfred Kropp is that I absolutely abhor not finishing books. Otherwise it would have gone back to the library fairly quickly.

25: Well, it wasn't my favorite of hers for sure, but it wasn't my least favorite, either. All things aside, though, it still had that lovely sort of charm that's in every single one of her novels and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I guess what I'm saying is that compared to Jones' other stuff it was a bit lacking but compared to a lot of the other YA/children's fiction out there it was splendid.

#23: I think I liked that one marginally better than you did, Natalie. Alfred did grow on me enough that I am going to give book 2 a try.

I've not seen the film, but I've read The Damned Utd. It's very good.

28: Thanks for the additional recommendation! Unfortunately my library doesn't have it. I'll have to keep a lookout at the used bookstores, as I rarely purchase books online and Barnes and Noble doesn't seem to stock it either. You'd think they'd re-release the book to coincide with the film, but apparently not...

49. City of Thieves - David Benioff
I quite liked this one! I've never read much about Leningrad and the story fascinated me. I loved the interactions between Kolya and Lev. A bit gruesome at parts but nothing unbearable. The end was rather abrupt and ruined the story a bit for me but I suppose it was the sort of thing I should have expected from this type of book. 4 stars.

#30: I have got to bump that one up in the BlackHole. It has been there for a while. Thanks for the reminder, Natalie.

50. The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis
I realized the other day that I've never actually read all the chronicles of Narnia and I don't really feel like I can call myself a proper fantasy fan without having done so. My mom bought me The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was younger and, being the stubborn eight year-old I was, I refused to read it and developed a bit of a Narnia prejudice that stayed with me for many years. I never did end up reading the series, so I'm rectifying that mistake now. Having finished this one, I can see why I didn't much like them as a child. Probably a bit too slow for me as an eight year-old. Now, though, I quite enjoyed it, although I'm obviously a bit too old for them now. I'll continue on and finish the series this time, though. 3.5 stars.

51. How to Be Bad - Lauren Myracle, Sarah Mlynowski, E. Lockhart

Decent chick lit, which isn't normally my cup of tea but I'll read it if I want something a bit lighter and it's by an author I like. I've enjoyed E Lockhart's stuff before so I decided to try this one. It's pretty much what I expected: fun, enjoyable, easy, and a bit mindless. 3 stars.

32: Now I feel guilty that I've never read any of them! :) I should take a leaf out of your book and read them too!

#32: I read and loved them all as a kid. My favorite was The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

#32 I read them quite late too and possibly that was the reason for me not liking them much.

34: Haha, don't bother if you don't really want to. I've never really felt any desire to read them and nothing about the books so far is convincing me I really missed out on anything as a kid... but I'm still only on #2 so hopefully they'll get better.

35: I never got to that one when I was younger so hopefully I'll like it!

36: I think it also may just be a certain type of person who likes these books. I have friends who loved them and friends who hated them. I was talking about them with my mom this morning and she said she didn't like them when she read them at the correct age, either.

52.Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle - Gordon Korman
Not quite as good as the first one but still enjoyable and fun. 3 stars.

A belated welcome, Natalie! Good grief!!! Why do you think that you won't read 100? At this rate, you're well on the way even if you don't read much of anything else after September; you have the whole summer! (You go, girl!)

39: Thanks for the welcome and the support! I hope you're right. In 2008 I read a huge amount during the summer but last year I did a homestay in France for a month and my reading time was cut drasticallyyy. However, I have absolutely nothing planned for this summer so I predict lots of books :)

53. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
Liked this one a bit better than The Magician's Nephew. I think the reason I never much liked C.S. Lewis is the writing style. His books have always struck me as a bit condescending and preachy and I still have that impression reading them now. And I think it must be the writing style that's preventing me from really liking the Narnia books because I quite enjoyed the movie version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I saw it when it came out a couple years ago. And I'm not the sort of person who usually likes the movie more than the book. 3.5 stars.

All the same, I will persevere. I went to the library yesterday and checked out the four books in the series that I don't own. Started #3 this morning.

54. French Lessons - Alice Kaplan
Thanks to sibyx for this recommendation! Aside from being a captivating and well-written memoir, I absolutely identified with the author's devotion to French and France. After spending a month with host family last summer, I knew exactly what she was talking about when she described the paralyzing fear of making some mistake or grammatical error or faux pas that would mark you as the stupid American. I loved all her early descriptions of Switzerland and France and learning the French "R" and her college year abroad. The book trailed off a bit for me in the last 50 pages when she really got into Deconstructionism and Fascism and her PhD but I still enjoyed it and overall it was excellent. 4 stars.

#42: Somehow I missed that one on Lucy's list. Now I have it though!

#41 I recently had a go at CS Lewis - I seemed to have missed the Narnia books when I was a kid. I've so far read the first two books (by date of publication, rather than internal chronology), and found them very disappointing - patronising and thin on plot.

#44 - Yeah, I'm definitely having trouble with the same things you are. I guess I'm too old now? But I never much liked them before, either, so I guess it's just a matter of taste. I'm taking a break from Narnia before getting into The Horse and His Boy, which is the first I haven't read before, so we'll see if that helps.

55. Lirael by Garth Nix
Revisiting an old favorite for this month's group read. My copy is absurdly beat up and may be the most mistreated of all my books. It's just as good as I remembered and I'm really glad it's stood the test of time. And I still love the Disreputable Dog just as much as ever. 5 stars.

56. The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis
I liked this one quite a bit more than the first two! I think it may have had something to do with the tone or perhaps the setting or maybe just the main character himself. I found Shasta (or Cor, rather) much more likeable than the characters in the first two books and I loved Bree, too. It also may have had something to do with my unfamiliarity with the plot. 4 stars.

57. Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis
Narnia is just getting better and better as it goes on! I hope the trend continues. Enjoyed this one even more than The Horse and His Boy. Not much else to say. 4 stars.

I'm making myself read the first part of The Once and Future King (which isn't really a chore) and fifty more pages of Vanity Fair (which I sort of forgot about) before continuing Narnia, so we'll see how that goes. I also realized I still have an ER book from around April that I need to get to! It came when I was visiting colleges and it went straight over my head.

#47: I am glad Narnia is improving for you, Natalie!

I've been reading a lot lately but I've spread it amongst several books and so have only managed to finish one! Number 58 is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Not usually the kind of book I go for but I figured I'd try it out. The first half was a little slow for me but once I got to the middle I couldn't stop and stayed up till 2 AM until I finished it. Entertaining and I'll probably read the sequels. 3.5 stars.

59. Jade Green - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Read this in elementary school and I remember being terrified by it. Doesn't have quite the effect now as it did when I was younger, but it's still quite creepy at times. 3 stars.

I loved The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo when I read it earlier this year and recommend that you go see the Swedish movies. Very good!

#51 I am planning on seeing the movies! I'll have to round up a friend to go with me.

60. Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese
Absolutely incredible and probably my favorite book I've read this year. The writing style is deceptively addictive - I'd start reading, not be too into it, and then get sucked in and read for several hours. I loved the story and the characters and the setting (Ethiopia) and pretty much everything about it, including the medical tidbits scattered around the book. I'm definitely recommending this one to my dad, who served in Ethiopia in the Peace Corps. 5 stars.

#52: I have read a couple of Verghese's books but not gotten to that one yet. I must remedy that!

#53: Would you recommend his others? I was thinking about picking them up.

#54: I loved his book My Own Country. I have also read The Tennis Partner, but I did not care for it nearly as much, although a lot of people here in the group liked it much better than I did.

I thought Cutting for Stone was great, I hope someone will publish his non-fiction over here as at the moment it's quite pricy to buy.

55. I'll keep a lookout for My Own Country, I think.

61. Abhorsen - Garth Nix
Not my favorite of the trilogy but still a satisfying conclusion. I always wish the rest of Nix's books compared to these - the only one I've enjoyed on a similar level is Shade's Children. Hopefully he'll start writing for an older age group again, as I think that's my issue with the Keys to the Kingdom and Seventh Tower books. 4 stars.

62. I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith
Loved this so so much. Wonderfully written and absolutely delightful. I wish Dodie Smith had written more for young adults. I've recommended it to my mom, too - it's exactly her kind of thing. 4.5 stars.

63. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis
More Narnia! Getting farther in the series is making me wish I'd gone past The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was younger. I'm sure I would have liked these later ones if I'd read them. I absolutely love Reepicheep. 4 stars.

I have loved Reepicheep for years now! He was always my favorite character.

Dawn Treader was always my favorite in the series. And I'm very excited that the film version is actually coming out -- I hope they do a good job of it.

#61: So do I! It is my favorite as well.

The Horse and the Boy was always my favorite, but I enjoyed Dawn Treader a lot too.

Glad to see I'm not alone in the Reepicheep love! And Dawn Treader is probably my favorite so far. I have high hopes for the film!

64. The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis
I liked this one quite a bit too! I was a bit worried about missing the Pevensies but I thought Jill and Eustace were perfect for this one. Puddleglum definitely earned favorite character honors, though. 3.5 stars.

65. The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis

Rather too preachy for me on the whole but I did like the ending and adored the Reepicheep reunion. Did Susan really miss out on the whole thing, though? I feel awful for her. Did she really deserve the exclusion? And if Peter, Edmund, Lucy, and their parents were all in the train accident, then Susan's just lost her parents and all her siblings at the same time... am I missing something or is this Lewis's cruel side?

3 stars, and 3.5 stars for the series as a whole. Definitely not my favorite and I don't think I would have liked it any better if I'd read it when I was younger, but I am glad that I read it and now I don't feel as if I've been completely ignoring a fantasy classic.

>65 curioussquared:: Yes, Susan missed it. C. S. Lewis remarked that she had turned into a materialistic young woman who cared about nothing important and was no longer a friend of Narnia. He went on to add, however, that the books explicitly do not say what happened to her and, should she rediscover herself, she could still find her way to Narnia.

Given Lewis' religious beliefs...which are so heavily present in the Narnia series...it doesn't really surprise me that he should put an "apostate" in the story.

66 - I'm not too surprised, either, but it definitely rather spoiled the last book for me, if not the entire series.

66. Heartless - Anne Elisabeth Stengl

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did! The first few chapters didn't bode well but the characters and plot seemed to gain strength as the novel went on. I never fell in love with Una, the protagonist, but a few other characters (notably Felix and Aethelbald) managed to carry the story on their own. The poetry was a bit dodgy, too. Overall mediocre, with a few very good things and a few very bad things, but certainly readable and at times even engrossing.

67. Running Out of Time - Margaret Peterson Haddix
Realized I'd never read this, even though I knew most of the plot, and decided to get it from the library. I'm glad I did! Despite my foreknowledge I thoroughly enjoyed it. 4 stars.

I got my wisdom teeth out this morning so I'm a bit loopy from the painkillers... apologies in advance for anything not making sense.

#68: I have read several of Haddix's books, but not that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Natalie. I will look for the book.

I hope you recover from the wisdom teeth extractions quickly!

>67 curioussquared:: I liked Heartless more than I expected to as well! I didn't find it overwhelmingly wonderful either, but a good solid read with some moments where I gripped the book and couldn't put it down.

I got my wisdom teeth out this morning so I'm a bit loopy from the painkillers... apologies in advance for anything not making sense.

Oh, don't worry Natalie, just because you had your wisdom teeth removed doesn't mean you'll stop making sense!

...

*groan* I know, that was lame, sorry! :(

I hope your wisdom tooth vacancies are pain free! :)

69 - It's a very quick read, but worth it :)

70 - Exactly!

71 - Haha, thank you! I grinned a bit.

Haven't really felt much like reading these past few days (have instead been watching endless movies and TV reruns) but today I think I might try and make a dent in The Good Thief. We'll see how I feel as the day goes on. I've been mostly pain free but I am quite swollen and chipmunk-esque.

68. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
Kind of odd but highly enjoyable! Historical fiction that read almost like fantasy. What it reminded me of most, though, was a classic adventure story - something like Treasure Island or Robinson Crusoe. A really fun, quick read! 4 stars.

#73: Glad you liked that one. I read it last year and enjoyed it as well.

Haven't posted in quite awhile, mostly because I haven't been reading anything supremely exciting.

69. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling
70. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - JK Rowling
71. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - JK Rowling
72. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - JK Rowling
73. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - JK Rowling

Very hard for me to rate these objectively at all, so let's just call them all five stars.

I'm trying to finish the series before I leave for school on Sunday, partly as a sort of end-of-childhood off-to-college thing and partly because I want to reread the series before the new movie comes out and don't want to take my heavy hardcovers with me. I only have a few days left and I haven't even really started to pack! Time to get down to business....

#75: Very hard for me to rate these objectively at all, so let's just call them all five stars.

I know how that goes with favorites! I do the same thing.

Good luck with school, Natalie. Check in every now and again as you can and let us know how you are doing.

I usually reserve 5 stars for favorites and did the same thing for the Harry Potter series. How can they not be favorites? :)

Looks like you've been having fun re-reading the Potters. Good luck at school!

Thanks for the well-wishes everyone! I'll definitely be checking in as much as possible.

74. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling - 5 stars

I also forgot to mention that my 14 year old brother and I read the first book aloud to each other, which was really fun. If anybody has seen the spoof Wizard People, Dear Reader, we read it in that style :)

75. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling

Woohoooo! That's 75 for me. If I make it to 100 I'll be ecstatic.

76. The Tempest - Shakespeare
Just finished my summer reading, which is good because my first class is tomorrow. Based on my limited experience, I quite like Shakespeare, but I definitely need to read more. This is my second time reading The Tempest (we read it my freshman year of high school, too) and while I enjoyed it, I wish they'd chosen another one just so I could have expanded my Shakespeare repertoire. 4.5 stars

Congratulations! :)

Congrats on hitting 75!

Hey, congratulations on hitting the 75 book mark, Natalie!!

Congrats!

Thanks guys! I'm pretty pleased, too. I've already surpassed last year's reading mark and my winter break starts at Thanksgiving and goes through the whole of December so I do still have a chance at 100! Wish me luck :)

Good luck, Natalie! Sounds like you will make 100 fairly easily. Good for you.

77. Antigone by Sophocles
My first foray into Sophocles and my first assignment for my English class. I liked this way more than I thought I would! The translation was excellent and the story and style fascinated me. The Chorus puzzled me a bit but I got used to them over the course of the play. Overall enjoyable. 4 stars.

#88: If you are reading a lot of Greek plays you will need to get used to The Chorus. I am glad you enjoyed your first foray into the Greeks.

78. A Doll's House - Henrik Ibsen
Really liked this. A bit creepy and a bit disturbing but entertaining and easy to read. 4 stars.

#90: I hate to think how many years it has been since I read A Doll's House. I feel old!

79. The Republic - Plato

Not a fan. Meh. I can see the merits and I suppose I'm glad to have read it but let's just say I'm glad it's over. Now to write a paper on it....

I've found that writing papers about books I've read makes them way less enjoyable...so I couldn't bring myself to be an English major, haha :)

#93: I am with you, Marie!

80. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

Finally finished! Such a fantastic series. I haven't really made up my mind about the ending yet but overall it was excellent. 4.5 stars.

#95: Glad you enjoyed that one, Natalie! I am looking forward to reading it one of these days.

95: Yes, SUCH a fantastic series. It really lived up to the hype.

81. Concerning the Spiritual in Art - Wassily Kandinsky
Read this for my Freshman Studies class; definitely interesting when contrasted with Plato's views of art in The Republic (wrote an essay about that contrast, in fact). One of the professors at my school gave a lecture about Kandinsky which I particularly enjoyed and made me extremely excited to be taking an art history course with her in the Spring! 4 stars.

I'm well into three other books at the moment which should be finished in the next two weeks if I don't have to write too many essays. We're reading The Return of Martin Guerre in my Freshman Studies class which is wonderfully interesting and unlike anything I've read before, Atonement in my English class which I've been wanting to read for ages and which has been worth the wait so far, and Prisoners in the Palace which I received from the ER program and is good fun.

98: I was an art history major and I remember reading excerpts from Kandinsky's work. I really ought to go back and read the whole thing. What course are you taking in the Spring?

Loved Atonement and hopefully you will too!

99: I'm taking a survey of western art from renaissance to modern :) Hopefully it'll be fun! I've never taken any art history before but it's something I'm really interested in so I'm excited.

82. Atonement - Ian McEwan
I wasn't supposed to finish this book before class tomorrow, but I couldn't really stop and finished it on Thursday instead. I absolutely loved it. Hopefully the essay I have to write on it won't decrease my enjoyment. 4 stars.

83. The Return of Martin Guerre - Natalie Zemon Davis
Really really good - history that reads like a novel while managing to stay a history. Tells the story of the impersonation of Martin Guerre and offers insights into the life of a French peasant in the late 1500s. 4 stars.

100: I hope you enjoy it. I miss taking art classes.

Glad you also liked Atonement. It's really good. Are you planning to watch the movie?

#101: Thanks for the recommendation of the Davis book, Natalie. I will look for it.

102: Yes! My class is having a movie night on Wednesday so I'll watch it now. I've heard good things and I hope it stands up to expectations.

84. Prisoners in the Palace Michaela MacColl
Got this from ERs and loved it! The plot reminded me a bit of A Little Princess, the writing style recollected Tamora Pierce, and the era brought to mind the Sorcery and Cecelia series - all three excellent recommendations in my book. I don't have much time for pleasure reading and when I do get to read a bit it's usually something light and easy to provide some contrast from the dense school stuff. This fit the bill perfectly. Fun, well-written, and with a bit of historic relevance, I found it difficult to put down and return to class reading! I might also take advantage of the Further Reading section at the end and find out more about Victoria's reign. On a side note, I love the cover! 4 stars.

16 books until I hit 100... can I do it before 2011? I'm leaning towards yes because I have a six week break from Thanksgiving to the first few days of January. I'll be doing a lot of reading!

#104: Congratulations to you in getting an ER book that you really loved! It sounds like a very good one!

I think you will hit 100 and beyond with those 6 weeks off school.

85. A Little Princess - Francis Hodgson Burnett
My ultimate comfort read and the perfect thing to read while taking a break from studying for finals! I absolutely adore everything about this book; I always have and I always will. I remember a great aunt I'm not very fond of gave it to me for Christmas when I was seven or eight - probably the best thing she's ever done for me! I've been wanting to reread it for awhile now so when I found it online... I didn't hesitate. 5 stars.

#106: My ultimate comfort read

I love those books! They are simply the best.

I love The Little Princess too. Every time!

106: Love comfort books! Her Secret Garden book is one of mine, but actually I have not read this one. I should though!

Came across Burnett randomly in a book shop and liked both A Little Princess and Secret Garden.

I much prefer A Little Princess to The Secret Garden, but I did read The Secret Garden second and a bit late, too - not until I was 13.

I'm home! It's so nice to be back - my reunions with my dog and my bed were emotional.

86. The Wee Free Men - Terry Pratchett
Read partly at school and partly on the plane. Another comfort read for me, but for a reason - I have I Shall Wear Midnight on hold at the library and I want to reread the series before getting it! This was my first Pratchett and it's still one of my favorites. 5 stars.

87. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
Finally finished! It took far too long. Been reading this one on and off since summer but as soon as school started I just couldn't concentrate on it. I took the opportunity presented by my long flight to finally finish it up. As expected, it was entirely lovely. My mom has been pestering me to watch the movie with her for ages and now I finally can! 4.5 stars.

88. The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery
I had mixed feelings on this one. I loved the writing style but had trouble getting into it at first - the author takes rather a long time to introduce everything. Once I got past the first part, though, I was hooked. I read all day - the joys of winter break - and finished feeling satisfied, if not completely wowed. Even throughout the part I couldn't put down I still liked some bits far more than others, and I found myself skimming at times. 3.5 stars.

#111: Which version of Sense and Sensibility are you going to watch? I love the one with Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant!

113 - That's the one we're planning on watching! It's on Netflix so I imagine we'll be having a movie night soon.

89. Intrigues - Mercedes Lackey
She keeps writing them, I keep reading them... I can't quite seem to stop. I was a bit obsessed with the Valdemar series in middle school and reading the new ones has become a bit of a habit despite the fact that I know they won't be very good. At least I'm not buying them anymore? 2.5 stars.

LOL I know exactly what you mean about the Valdemar books. I also am waiting for the library or a cheap paperback to become available for these. I loved the first trilogy and the Oathbound series, and have read most of the rest (not the owl ones or the last griffin one), but am in the habit of reading the core Valdemar ones.

I hope you enjoy I shall Wear Midnight--I know I certainly did!

I like the Emma Thompson Sense and Sensibility too--have it on DVD and must rewatch it at some time.

#114: I hope you enjoy the film, Natalie!

115 - I'm the same! I loved all the books up until around the Wind series, where they went a bit downhill - I still read them all, though. And I just keep reading them...

116 - Thanks!

90. King of Shadows - Susan Cooper
I love Susan Cooper. I wish I'd read more of her books when I was younger. I had The Boggart, which I loved, but a teacher made me read The Grey King without reading the rest of the series first which put me off trying any other books of hers - unfortunately, because I'm sure I would have loved this in elementary school. I loved it now, so I'm glad I did manage to find it eventually! It reminded me a lot of The Shakespeare Stealer, which I adore, so that's always good. 4 stars.

91. A Hat Full of Sky - Terry Pratchett
Always enjoyable, and I have really fond memories of the first time I read it. 4 stars.

>101 curioussquared:: Have you ever watched the French film 'La Retour de Martin Guerre' with Gerard Depardieu? We had to watch it ages ago in high school French class, but I remember actually enjoying it quite a bit. You can get a version with subtitles if you need them, but it might be a nice complement to having read the book (if you haven't seen it yet).

118 - I really want to see the film! The author, Natalie Zemon Davis, actually worked on the film before writing her book, so she referenced it quite a bit. My school had a couple of showings on campus but I wasn't able to make it to either of them. To Netflix!

92. Wintersmith - Terry Pratchett
This was a disappointment the first time I read it and now, the second time, it still was. Taken on its own it's a fine book and it has its moments, but I just don't think it compares in plot or humor to the rest of the series or many of the other Discworld books. I still read it and enjoy it, but I hope I Shall Wear Midnight returns a bit to the absurdity of the first two books in the series. 3.5 stars.

#119: Sorry to hear that Wintersmith is not a better book, Natalie. I am up to that point in the Tiffany Aching series, but my local library does not have that one yet. I am not in a hurry to rush out and buy it either.

While agreeing that Wintersmith is probably my least favorite of the series, it is, as you say, still a good book and better than many books out there. With Tiffany growing up, I'm not sure we'll ever get quite as absurd as the early books, but I think I Shall Wear Midnight is an excellent story and that you will really enjoy it!

121 - Good to hear you enjoyed I Shall Wear Midnight! I'm planning on reading it before I go back to school, so within the next two weeks. I'll be sure to post what I think about it.

93. The Wanderer - Sharon Creech
This was an impulsive reread! I've always really liked Sharon Creech and never understood why many of my friends don't. This lived up to my fond memory of it. 4 stars.

94. Lucy Unstrung - Carole Lazar
Received this in the August ER batch, but accidentally had it sent home rather than to my school so I only just got my hands on it. It was a quick read, suited for an age a bit younger than YA, in my opinion, although it did have some mature themes. All in all an enjoyable story, but the author couldn't seem to choose between writing a children's or YA novel. 3 stars.

95. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
Another impulsive reread. I guess being home surrounded by all my books encourages these things. I hadn't read this since at least 5th grade so this was due a reading, I guess. If possible, it was better than I remembered! I'm working on the sequel now. 4.5 stars.

#122: I have not read The Wanderer by Sharon Creech yet. I have read a couple of her others though and enjoyed them, so I will look for that one.

A Wrinkle in Time is one of my all-time favorite books. I am glad it has another fan!

BTW, Natalie - the new group for 2011 is up and running. I do hope you will join us again!: http://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin20111

123 - Definitely planning on joining next year's group! And this year I'll start at the same time as everybody else.

96. A Wind in the Door - Madeleine L'Engle
Another satisfying reread. Whenever I read or hear about mitochondria, I always think immediately of this book, even though until now I hadn't read it since elementary school. Apart from the fact that mitochondria were involved, though, I didn't remember anything about the plot, so it was good to go back. 4 stars.

97. I I Stay - Gayle Forman
I seriously did not expect to like this book. I'm very picky about my contemporary young adult fiction and nothing I'd heard about this really convinced me it was worth my time. Then I won Where She Went, the sequel, in last month's ER batch and I figured I should read the first one. The quote on the front recommending it for fans of Twilight did not bode well, but I started it anyway. Fifty pages in I was hooked and by the end I was crying. Seriously unexpected emotional connection... one of my favorite YA books of the year. I probably liked it more just because I was so sure I wouldn't. 4.5 stars.

Three more to go until I reach my goal! I'm in the middle of a couple that I hope to be done with soon. I will reach 100 before 2011!

#124: I am glad to hear you will be back with us again in 2011!

98. Le petit Nicolas - Sempe-Goscinny
The first French book I've ever read on my own! Granted, they were children's stories at about the equivalent reading level of Winnie the Pooh in English, but I'm still proud. I've read French novels before, but only in class. I'd read a few of the stories before and decided to get the full collection. They were adorable and hilarious and I would read more! 5 stars.

99. A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
Not my normal reading material at all, but Bill Bryson's writing can get me into anything. Really interesting and useful stuff - the kind of scientific information that everybody should know and yet a lot of people miss out on because there's nobody to explain it to us non-scientists. 4.5 stars.

One more until 100!!!

Woohoo! Hope you reach 100, Natalie! :)

#126: they were children's stories at about the equivalent reading level of Winnie the Pooh in English, but I'm still proud.

You should be! You have to start somewhere, right?

100. Bloodhound - Tamora Pierce
GOAL REACHED!!! And I finally got around to this one! I've loved Tamora Pierce since elementary school and break was a perfect time to read this one, since I didn't want to lug a fairly large hardback on a plane. I don't like this series quite as much as her previous Tortall books; I don't think the first person diary format really suits Pierce's writing and I eagerly await the day when she returns to more traditional prose. Despite these complaints, I enjoyed this installment and can't wait for the next one. Now that we're nearly in 2011, next November seems a lot closer :)

I hope everybody had a lovely holiday season and wish you all a great 2011! Thanks for your support this year. I'll definitely be back in 2011!

Congratulations! :)

Woo hoo 100! Have a great New Years!

Congrats on 100!

Congratulations on hitting 100, Natalie! Happy New Year too!

101. Fairest - Gail Carson Levine
I somehow managed to squeeze one more in before the new year! This was light, enjoyable, and fun. 3 stars.

It is now officially January so I'm off to start my new thread :)