BethMC90's Brilliant 75 Books

It is my first time doing this challenge and I am pretty excited. Even though I am starting this in May I am determined to get to 75. I want to do some of the “Take it or leave it” challenges as well. I think they would be fun for me. I am an English major/History minor so do not be surprised to see a lot of classics pop up on my list. However, right now it is summer!! Meaning leisure reading is on the rise!! YAY!! If you want to suggest a book to me or talk about a book I am all ears!!!!....or rather eyes? I love talking about books I have already read, and reading new exciting ones, so don’t be afraid to suggest something crazy. Alright, without further ado, here are my lists!!

What I have already read this year! (That I count)

1) The Best War Ever by Michal C.C Adams
2) The Complete stories by Flannery O’Conner
3) The Signet Classic Book of Southern Short Stories by Dorothy Abott
4) Killers of the Dream by Lillian Smith
5) The Unvanquished by William Faulkner
6) Less than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
7) Run for your Life by James Patterson
8) The Final Warning by James Patterson
9) The Movements of the New Left, 1950-1975: A Brief History with Documents by Van Gosse
10) The Rise of Conservatism in America: 1945-2000: A Brief History by Ronald Story and Bruce Laurie
11) The Host by Stephenie Meyer
12) The Shack by William P. Young
13) Worst Case by James Patterson

Books that I have that I want to read

14) Hold Tight by Harlan Coben
15) Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb
16) Blindness by Jose Saramago
17) Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
18) A bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks
19) A Separate Peace by John Knowles (current read)
20) The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
..and some others I can not remember

Books I want to Read but don’t have

21) The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
22) Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera) by Jim Butcher
23) Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika by Tony Kushner (Play)
24) The Road by Cormac McCarthy
25) Animal Farm by George Orwell
26) Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
27) Maximum Ride: Max by James Patterson
28) Maximum Ride: Fang by James Patterson
29) The importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Welcome to the group! Looks like you have made a good start to your reading year!

Hello Beth, welcome to the group! I don't know many of the books you've listed there, but I did read The Road earlier this year and thought it was very good - hope you manage to get a copy soon.

Welcome! Add me to the list of fans of The Road...

Oh...The Road...I'm going to read that one of these days!! ...

Welcome to the group. :)

Hi Beth,

Welcome to the group! I joined last month and have found it to be a new source of LibraryThing friends--great group.

As for your books, two that I really enjoyed from your list were The Road and Blindness. Neither is a very light or happy book, both I though both were very good, and Blindness is one of my favorites because of its satire and the originality of the plot. Angels is America is likewise dark, but good.

Look forward to seeing your progress,
Lisa

Thank you for all the Welcomes!! This group really updates quickly, it's interesting.

It seems like a lot of you are fans of The Road. I had never considered it until this month. It sounds pretty interesting. Most of the reviews for the books are really good as well. I know they have created a movie based off this book, so I am guessing that is why it is so big now. I have never seen the movie though and am guessing it is not as good as the book. I think it will be awhile until I get my hands on the novel. I don't enjoy buying new books because...well I simply don't have the money for them. I use a book trading site instead now, which is turning out to be really helpful. However, popular novels like The Road are hard to get a handle on. I can read my other books though while waiting. They all seem really great.

oh Blindness. I found the book in my college book stores discount section. It does seem very interesting, and I am glad you say its original. I love original books (Who doesn't?). I enjoy satire and whitty characters as well. They are my favorite.

I have read Angels in America Part One already. I thought it was great. It’s weird seeing the actual play done though. My college did it this past year and I was slightly disappointed. It wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t how I visualized it. However, it was weird...some parts that I found serious in the play, while reading, were made funny on stage. The second part I hear is pretty different from the first though. I guess I will see...

I'm the same way with book buying, I just can't afford it right now. But I'm very fortunate to have a library that loans out books for a whole month, so I have all the time in the world to read all the books I want to. :)

It's a small town library so they don't always have the things I want but hey, it's free and they have plenty enough so I can't complain.

Ape: oh libraries are great. I am with you on that one. Only one question though, don't you ever want to keep a book? The problem I have with library books is that you actually have to give them back. Now I am all into sharing, but there is always that one book that you really want to hold onto. For example, One time I had checked out a book and I actually really liked it. I liked it enough that I wish I could have kept it. However, I still like libraries. I feel like I am a kid in a candy store when I walk my hometown one. I don't use my hometown library anymore though, but I think we were only allowed around two weeks with the book. Now when I am in school I use my college library...which isn’t fun at all, but I basically live there, go figure.

Well, the waiting game isn’t too bad. It's only bad when you really really want a book. Is there any way you can suggest a book or get it loaned to your library from another library? You can also try trading sites, but you will have to pay for postage....hmm... I feel the need to fix your problem.

I use the library extensively. If I find a book that I want to buy, I have a category for that here on LT: 'Need to Buy.' That way, when I can afford books, I have a list at hand of my priorities.

Welcome Beth.

I quite often buy books that I've already read from the library because I feel a need to own them, or I come across them secondhand and think it would be nice. At least I know I'm not wasting my money. I've also picked up a couple of things from swapping sites because I wanted to own them.

I borrow from 3 different London borough library systems, and in 2 I use online reservations, usually to get books from other branches - each borough will have branches in different locations. Between them, I've more chance of finding books I want though lots of things aren't in any of them.

Beth: Oh, absolutely! It's one of my dreams to own a small house overflowing with books. I'd love to have to swim through them to get from one room to another, to have every wall splattered with them, and to have stacks hidden in the corners that I don't have shelves for yet... And yea, there are always those books that I only wish I could keep, but I just can't afford it right. It wouldn't be so bad if we had a used bookstore in my town, but we don't. You either use the library or buy bestsellers at Wal-Mart for full price. So right now the library is the best option.

My local library does have Inter-Library Loan, but the funny thing is I live in a small town, surrounded by small towns, so it's a big network of tiny small-town libraries.

Still, most of the time it's alright. You see, whenever I go hunting for new books to read, I use my library's online card catalog. So all the books on my wishlist are from my library's listed books. It's perfect! Librarything doesn't help though, because of this blasted group of people who keep reading books I want to read! But those are added to seperate lists of books I'll look into "some day," when I can afford to buy books again. :)

#12: Librarything doesn't help though, because of this blasted group of people who keep reading books I want to read!

You could always ignore our suggestions, Stephen. You do not have to take them :) LOL - as if you can help yourself! No more than I.

#12 & 13: I quite agree with you both, though I look at joining this group the smartest thing I've done in a loooong time. My tbr pile keeps growing in an amazingly speed, but I'm not really complaining. If it weren't for all you guys I would never have heard of the books.

So welcome to the group Beth, I hope you will enjoy it!

alcottacre: That’s a good idea, if you can remember. I’ve never sorted out my books before until now. I find it hard to remember all the books I have read, until someone mentions one.

I have no patience when it comes to adding books to library things, especially if it’s different books from the same author. Wish they had a way to let us add multiple books at once, without having to search again.

Elkiedee: Ya, its great to know you are not wasting your money. I only used to buy brand new books when I was positive I would like it..and even then I could get disappointed. I now hardly ever buy brand new ones. However, that doesn’t stop me from walking into a Barnes in Nobles to browse… and try to retrain myself. What swaping sites do you use? Do you like swaping sites? ..I have another question too…this might sound odd….do you enjoy getting a book someone has already read? For some reason it feels good to me. It’s like…the book has some history to it. It has some memory attached to it…hmm sorry ranting!

London…like England London? Or…like a town in the US that is called London…? That’s pretty interesting. Ya the borrowing system Is great, I have never used it but I know from friends that it has been very helpful for them.

Ape: …that was a very nice visual. Eww Wal-Mart. Not my cup of tea…or coffee for that matter, I am attempting…slowly…to get used to the place. I completely understand now when you say small town, and small towns around it. Well its good you got the system figured out. Oh if the world didn’t have libraries what would we do? It would be a sad day.

Apolline: haha thanks, and your right, there are a lot of recommendations on this site, thank god I am a tad picky.

It's a good thing to be picky from time to time, at least when it comes to books. I prefer reading books in English, but living in a rather small town in Norway, cheap books in English are hard to come by to put it that way. Not much luck in the local library either, so Amazon has come to my rescue many times. The bad thing is that now I have a bunch of books I'll probably never read again, and they might be a bit difficult to get rid off (I don't like to throw books away if someone else can enjoy them), since most of my friends prefer reading in Norwegian. I therefore think I might join one of the book swapping sites too:)

Beth, Oh if the world didn’t have libraries what would we do? It would be a sad day.

It's so true. They are a source of infinite happiness. The thought that e-readers could be putting them at risk is not a fun thought. :(

#17 Bente, bookswapping sites are a great idea, especially if you are intending to pass on lots of books once you have read them. I've started using Bookmooch a few months ago, and it is great to be able to send books off to people who will appreciate them, and accumulate points towards acquiring some of the books on my wishlist.

Apolline: those poor poor books : (. I like Amazon, but the only issue i have with it is the shipping cost. Sometimes the shipping cost is more than the book! Meh!! NOOO!! no throwing away!! Yes a book trading site might do wonders for you! I use Bookmooch, like gennyt does. It’s wonderful. I think you will like it. There are plenty of people on the site who are probably very willing to send to your country.

Ape: e-readers “shivers”. The understand if you want an e reader if you are having issues with text size, but other than that the thing is icky. I like having an actually BOOK in my hand, something to hold. Idk everyone is different.
SAVE OUR LIBRARIES!!!

I love the excitement of finding books in charity shops. I love the excitement of finding something I really want on Bookmooch or having a swap accepted or initiated on Read It Swap It. I love the excitement of getting books in the post. I'm easily excited....

Well, I have an iPad with iBook, Kindle and B&N readers. I'm in the middle of Under the Dome on it while on a trip. This thing saves from having to haul three or four books with me when I travel.

On the other hand, more than 75% of the books I read come from our local library, and I'm a *big* supporter of the library. So it's possible to combine real books and ebooks in a way that makes sense and keeps both around!

i suppose it is good to have on a trips, I just don't want books to be replaced. I am having that problem right now. I am going on a trip and I am trying to stuff three books into my bag. I like how you combine both, just wish others would too.

I have a fear that something crazy will happen whipping everything off computers. Once this happens I fear we will lose our history because we didn’t preserve it enough in books. Our great grandchildren won’t know all that has happened.

#17 & 20 Don't worry, I never throw books away! But I did start of with thinking I would keep every book I bought for my personal little library, but if someone else could enjoy the books I'm likely never to read again, I'm ready to part with them. Bookmooch seems like a very good idea. Thank you both:) As for the shipping costs on Amazon, I'm willing to agree with you on that one. But the book prices in Norway are much higher than the ones on Amazon, so all in all it adds up, or is actually cheaper than I would get it here:)

Hi. Just wanted to add my welcome, and to say that I also love libraries. All the books I read are either borrowed from friends, borrowed from libraries, or bought second hand. This does mean some books stay on my "wish list" for years because I don't want to buy them new, but it also means I read somewhat at random, which can throw up serendipitous combinations occasionally. And it means I never walk past a second hand shop if I can help it. I hope you find your books easily.

Happy to help! How much is an average book in Norway?

JametinLondon: Oh another library lover! Random reading is good. In order to truly leisurely read I believe you have to be in the mood. Second hand shops are awesome as well. I wish I had more around were I live. I hope YOU find your wishlist books. Its a really great feeling when you actually get it. Its like...oh whats the saying... time makes the heart grow fonder?

The randomness is the most fun part of the library. I have all kinds of wish lists, but I go in there knowing that I'm only going to get 2-3 books from the lists, and the other 2-3 books will be completely random. I love browsing the shelves, and having no idea what I'll be reading in the coming weeks. I know book buying has a similar feeling, but I'm checking out the books to read immediately, so it's a lot of fun.

I think it helps me be more diverse too. Usually, I'll grab, say, a science fiction novel. Then, instead of grabbing 5 more, I'll go to another section because I already have my sci-fi fix. Each batch of books I bring home is always a strange concoction of genres and topics. I love it. :)

#26 It depends on it being hardcover or paperback. A new hardcover would approximately cost +/- $54. A paperback is $15-$23.

Ape: That's a pretty good idea. Usually I just stay in the same section.
Apolline: WOW that's a hell of a lot of money. Your paper backs are as much as our hardcovers. No wonder you buy online.

oh! and just finished The Shack by William P. Young. Not so life changing.