I'm about 50 pages into Judith Henry Wall's Family Secrets, and so far it's a little slow moving, but I've heard good things about it. I'll probably finish in a couple of days.
Yesterday I took some books to my local used bookstore, and no one else was in there at the time, and the owner struck up a conversation about some of the books I took in. Then she mentioned the books she had finished, and the books she had gotten in recently or was reading to review, all things bookish really! It turns out she had just gotten a copy of Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen's first book, and when I mentioned it, she took it off the shelf and sold it to me! This is a book I've picked up and put down several times in Barnes and Noble; I know I really want to read it, but I couldn't bring myself to pay full price (and I'm actually NOT a huge fan of hardcover books in the first place). She told me to bring in a copy of the list of books I want and she'll call whenever she gets some. I swear the longer I live, the more I realize it pays to know people :)
Happy reading to all!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Challenge standings, etc...
I finished Candy Girl by Diablo Cody (who wrote the screenplay for Oscar-nominated Juno) and it was a very interesting and raunchy read. I cannot even give a review, it was that explicit. But, I am always drawn to memoirs in that I find it fascinating to see how others lived.
I have now finished 4 books in my 101 books in 1001 days challenge, and 2 books in the In Their Shoes Challenge. I've read 8 books so far in 2008; updated list is to the side of this post.
It took me longer than expected to finish Barack Obama's book, but it's no matter; it was an excellent but not easy read. I found myself re-reading passages and complete pages several times throughout the book.
For the first time in awhile, I don't know what I'm reading next! Stay tuned :)
I have now finished 4 books in my 101 books in 1001 days challenge, and 2 books in the In Their Shoes Challenge. I've read 8 books so far in 2008; updated list is to the side of this post.
It took me longer than expected to finish Barack Obama's book, but it's no matter; it was an excellent but not easy read. I found myself re-reading passages and complete pages several times throughout the book.
For the first time in awhile, I don't know what I'm reading next! Stay tuned :)
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
Whether or not you agree politically with Obama, you must admit he has character and integrity. He's a very inspiring, honest, educated human being, and as far as I'm concerned, one of the only politicians ever who seems to actually have the greater good in mind for the American people. He came from humble beginnings and so can see the affects of issues such as lagging health care, minimum wage jobs and faltering education on middle- and lower- class Americans.
Obama is genuine in his politics - when running for Senate, he realize he may lose followers if he answered against their beliefs, as long as he was honest. He admitted that if he agreed with the actual issue but disagreed with the manner in which legislators arrived at the policy for said issue, he would have to disagree completely because to not do so would be to lie, and that's not something he stands for.
I don't want to make this a political post, but it's hard to "review" this book without looking at the politics. I won't try to persuade anyone in any manner, I just recommend that people read his work and understand his passion before criticizing him.
Now back to the book. It's definitely not an easy read, meaning that he is so articulate, I often had to reread sections because his words flow so nicely, but I couldn't remember everything I'd read. I found it challenging to read about policy making and his campaigns for Illionis Senate, and then the U.S. Senate, and also to read about his genuine knowledge of history and the Constitution. He is a very smart man, and I wish that every American was as passionate about something as he is about policy making. His passion for politics and his ability to empathize with the American people - characteristics seriously lacking in politics today - are apparent. (Have you noticed the crowd at any of his speeches? They are by far the most vocal and energetic.)
What is the audacity of hope? It's the phrase he used in his 2004 Democratic National Convention address as keynote speaker. And this is what he writes in the book:
Obama is genuine in his politics - when running for Senate, he realize he may lose followers if he answered against their beliefs, as long as he was honest. He admitted that if he agreed with the actual issue but disagreed with the manner in which legislators arrived at the policy for said issue, he would have to disagree completely because to not do so would be to lie, and that's not something he stands for.
I don't want to make this a political post, but it's hard to "review" this book without looking at the politics. I won't try to persuade anyone in any manner, I just recommend that people read his work and understand his passion before criticizing him.
Now back to the book. It's definitely not an easy read, meaning that he is so articulate, I often had to reread sections because his words flow so nicely, but I couldn't remember everything I'd read. I found it challenging to read about policy making and his campaigns for Illionis Senate, and then the U.S. Senate, and also to read about his genuine knowledge of history and the Constitution. He is a very smart man, and I wish that every American was as passionate about something as he is about policy making. His passion for politics and his ability to empathize with the American people - characteristics seriously lacking in politics today - are apparent. (Have you noticed the crowd at any of his speeches? They are by far the most vocal and energetic.)
What is the audacity of hope? It's the phrase he used in his 2004 Democratic National Convention address as keynote speaker. And this is what he writes in the book:
"The audacity of hope. That was the best of the American spirit, I thought - having the audacity to believe despite all the evidence to the contrary that we could restore a sense of community to a nation torn by conflict, the gall to believe that despite personal setbacks, the loss of a job or an illness in the family or a childhood mired in poverty, we had some control - and therefore responsibility over our own fate. It was that audacity that joined us as a people."
If you want to see where he stands on critical issues facing America, this is the book for you. Click here to read the New York Times review of his book.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Hard Drive Crashed!
I experienced some major computer problems yesterday and it turned out my hard drive is completely shot. A new one is being shipped ASAP, but all is lost, including my four page, alphabetical list (by author, not title) of books I want to read. :(
I have a feeling that through the book blogging world and my yahoo groups and some recommendations (that's a hint) I will have another list in no time. This mishap cost me a lot of time yesterday and I didn't get as much reading done as I hoped. Life goes on, right? I hope to finish my book this weekend.
In the mean time, take it from me - back up everything on our computer!!
I have a feeling that through the book blogging world and my yahoo groups and some recommendations (that's a hint) I will have another list in no time. This mishap cost me a lot of time yesterday and I didn't get as much reading done as I hoped. Life goes on, right? I hope to finish my book this weekend.
In the mean time, take it from me - back up everything on our computer!!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Still here...
...I've just been sidetracked! My business venture has taken up a good portion of my time lately, as I'm sure it will in the months ahead. I am only 90 or so pages into Obama's book, but I will be reading tonight until bedtime, and probably tomorrow for awhile. In the mean time, find me on GoodReads.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Juno
This movie has been hyped up lately and I saw some of the female stars on Oprah the other day, and I just had to see it. It's even generating Oscar buzz! It was a great movie, very sarcastic and hilarious - my type of movie! The screenplay was written by Diablo Cody, who announced on Oprah that it only took her "about two months" to write it. She was formerly a stripper in Minnesota, which she penned a memoir about, titled Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper. Coincidentally, my friend who accompanied me to the movie last night loaned me the book.
I'm currently reading Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope, but guess what I'll be reading next? :) Go see Juno!
I'm currently reading Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope, but guess what I'll be reading next? :) Go see Juno!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The Slow Moon by Elizabeth Cox
Well, I started and finished this book in just over 24 hours - it was so good! It was quite the page-turner; I just couldn't set it down! In short, the story consists of 6 high school boys and a younger teenage girl who attend a party at the start of the book, and something horrific happens to the young girl. The town itself is small - everyone knows everyone, and everyone is connected in ways we don't realize until the middle of the book - and it sends the town spinning until they find out who did it. The end result, while pretty predictable, really goes to show the affects of drugs and alcohol on teenagers.
Next book on my list: The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama. This will be my second book of the 10 I picked to read for the In Their Shoes Challenge.
Next book on my list: The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama. This will be my second book of the 10 I picked to read for the In Their Shoes Challenge.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin
I finished this book last night - what a fun, easy read; total chick lit, exactly what I was in the mood for this weekend. I recommend this book to everyone - it's a true test of friendship and it's full of irony. I had a guess as to how it would end, and I was right about almost everything, but there were a couple major surprises I didn't anticipate - which leaves me wanting to read the next book, Something Blue.
One of the best parts of the book is when Rachel, the main character - the half of the friendship who always ends up getting less than the other - is in London visiting a friend and is reflecting on the past couple months. It is just an ordinary part of the book, but it struck me because it had me feeling reminiscent as well. The story is told from Rachel's point of view, and these are her thoughts:
One of the best parts of the book is when Rachel, the main character - the half of the friendship who always ends up getting less than the other - is in London visiting a friend and is reflecting on the past couple months. It is just an ordinary part of the book, but it struck me because it had me feeling reminiscent as well. The story is told from Rachel's point of view, and these are her thoughts:
"Songs and smells will bring you back to a moment in time more than anything else. It's amazing how much can be conjured with a few notes of a song or a solitary whiff of a room. A song you didn't even pay attention to at the time, a place that you didn't even know had a particular smell."
I have always felt that music brings back a wave of nostalgia, at least for me. Everytime I hear a song from when I was little, I'm back in my mom's car with my little sister, and I can sometimes even remember where we were going. Same thing goes when I hear even one or two lines of a popular song from high school. It's ironic to me that I was just thinking about this days ago, and then a book summarized my exact feelings. This is why I read so much; I always feel connected to the book in some way!
I'll probably start a new book later today - either Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope, or The Slow Moon by Elizabeth Cox, which was just loaned to me by a friend with the quote, "It's soooo good!"
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Favorite Reads
I'm currently reading Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin, and I will probably finish it in the next couple of days. Until then, I wanted to share some of my favorite books from the past.
Jodi Picoult - She is by far my favorite author, and my all-time fave of hers is My Sister's Keeper, followed closely by Harvesting the Heart, Nineteen Minutes, Salem Falls, Plain Truth, Perfect Match and Mercy. Vanishing Acts, The Pact, and Change of Heart (to be released early March 2008) are all on my TBR pile.
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all-time favorites as well. While I loved this book when we were forced to read it in high school, it took a few years for me to really appreciate Lee's work.
I loved Cammie MacGovern's Eye Contact. It was a quick read, a book I surprisingly couldn't put down. I can't even say what exactly hooked me right off the bat, but it's truly a worthy read.
Anna Quindlen's One True Thing - by far one of the best books I've ever read. It's probably not a book I would have picked out to read, but a friend loaned it to me and I loved it. I recently gave a copy to my best friend back home in Michigan, and I'm dying to hear what she has to say about it.
I also love memoirs - some of the favorites that stick out in my mind are Mary Karr's The Liars Club, Jeanette Walls' The Glass Castle and Michael J. Fox's Lucky Man. Another one that I loved was Stephanie Klein's Straight Up and Dirty...and while I really recommend this book, I must warn you it is NOT a clean read. But that's partly what makes it so good!
I'm getting back to my book now...happy reading to all!
Jodi Picoult - She is by far my favorite author, and my all-time fave of hers is My Sister's Keeper, followed closely by Harvesting the Heart, Nineteen Minutes, Salem Falls, Plain Truth, Perfect Match and Mercy. Vanishing Acts, The Pact, and Change of Heart (to be released early March 2008) are all on my TBR pile.
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all-time favorites as well. While I loved this book when we were forced to read it in high school, it took a few years for me to really appreciate Lee's work.
I loved Cammie MacGovern's Eye Contact. It was a quick read, a book I surprisingly couldn't put down. I can't even say what exactly hooked me right off the bat, but it's truly a worthy read.
Anna Quindlen's One True Thing - by far one of the best books I've ever read. It's probably not a book I would have picked out to read, but a friend loaned it to me and I loved it. I recently gave a copy to my best friend back home in Michigan, and I'm dying to hear what she has to say about it.
I also love memoirs - some of the favorites that stick out in my mind are Mary Karr's The Liars Club, Jeanette Walls' The Glass Castle and Michael J. Fox's Lucky Man. Another one that I loved was Stephanie Klein's Straight Up and Dirty...and while I really recommend this book, I must warn you it is NOT a clean read. But that's partly what makes it so good!
I'm getting back to my book now...happy reading to all!
Friday, January 11, 2008
3 more books to add to my list...
Yes, I admit, I hoard books. I just can't seem to stay away from bookstores! Thankfully I still have a gift card for Barnes and Noble from Christmas, and I have some credit at a local used bookstore. In the past week, I've gotten these 3 books:
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See
- The Dive from Clausen's Pier - Ann Packer
- The Pilot's Wife - Anita Shreve
I've heard so many great things about the first two books, but I've heard conflicting opinions about Shreve's book, which was an Oprah Book Club pick back in 1999. I read Shreve's A Wedding in December 2 years ago, and absolutely hated it. What compelled me to pick up The Pilot's Wife, I have no idea. I hope it's worth it!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
I just finished this book this morning after starting it a couple days ago, it's really a quick read. Then again, it is a Young Adult book. This book was published in 2001, the year I graduated from high school, and so I considered my high school years while reading it. It's a good story of friendship, in that the Pants unite 4 girls otherwise completely different in personality.
I like the fact that the Traveling Pants came from a secondhand store; I feel compelled to mention my business blog while discussing this, as I'm currently trying to open my own store - consignment to be exact. I love when people are thrilled with their purchase from such a store!
Back to the book - it was a good, fun read, and I may eventually read the next 3 in the series. I enjoyed the quotes Brashares included on the pages in between chapters, I'll share a couple below.
I like the fact that the Traveling Pants came from a secondhand store; I feel compelled to mention my business blog while discussing this, as I'm currently trying to open my own store - consignment to be exact. I love when people are thrilled with their purchase from such a store!
Back to the book - it was a good, fun read, and I may eventually read the next 3 in the series. I enjoyed the quotes Brashares included on the pages in between chapters, I'll share a couple below.
- "Sometimes you're the windshield: sometimes you're the bug." - Mark Knopfler
- "You will make all kinds of mistakes: but as long as you are generous and true and also fierce you cannot hurt the world or even seriously distress her." - Winston Churchill
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
1 down, 100 books to go!
I just finished Michael J. Fox's memoir, Lucky Man. I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone; whether or not you've been affected by Parkinson's Disease or any other neurological disorder, it's an intriguing read.
The book moves rather slowly at first, but it does so to show Fox's humble upbringing and for him to reflect back on the choices he made throughout his life. (Did you know he dropped out of high school to pursue acting in Los Angeles?)
Fox was around 30 when he was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's, being among the rare who are hit with symptoms which usually take affect between the ages of 50 and 60. Fox chose to hide his P.D. from the public for 7 years before revealing his diagnosis while still working on Spin City. He then became an advocate for the disease and even spoke to politicians to raise awareness and fight for money for research, including embryonic stem cell research.
I have cared for a child with a neurological disorder, and it's affects are crippling. This is why it was a very personal read to me, and it affected me more than it may affect others who read this memoir.
I'll leave you with a quote that I really enjoyed: "It seems to me that the quality of a moment in time is not always a reflection of the moment in and of itself - what happens before and what happens after are often what give it its savor."
The book moves rather slowly at first, but it does so to show Fox's humble upbringing and for him to reflect back on the choices he made throughout his life. (Did you know he dropped out of high school to pursue acting in Los Angeles?)
Fox was around 30 when he was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's, being among the rare who are hit with symptoms which usually take affect between the ages of 50 and 60. Fox chose to hide his P.D. from the public for 7 years before revealing his diagnosis while still working on Spin City. He then became an advocate for the disease and even spoke to politicians to raise awareness and fight for money for research, including embryonic stem cell research.
I have cared for a child with a neurological disorder, and it's affects are crippling. This is why it was a very personal read to me, and it affected me more than it may affect others who read this memoir.
I'll leave you with a quote that I really enjoyed: "It seems to me that the quality of a moment in time is not always a reflection of the moment in and of itself - what happens before and what happens after are often what give it its savor."
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Harry Potter...to read or not to read?
I know, I'm one of the only people you know who've yet to dive into the HP series, right?!
A couple years ago, a friend mentioned that she had gotten the first HP book and couldn't put it down. I didn't think twice about it, since I've never been into wizards or the like. As time went on, however, I realized everyone around me was engrossed in the series. This recently made me wonder if I'm missing out. As of now, I don't know what I'm missing out on, and having a whole shelf full of books that I haven't read yet, I didn't really care that I wasn't reading HP. But I have this strange feeling that if I pick up the first book, I'll have to finish the series, which would add 7 more books to my pile and countless more hours I'd be spending on wizards.
Something tells me I should just go for it.
A couple years ago, a friend mentioned that she had gotten the first HP book and couldn't put it down. I didn't think twice about it, since I've never been into wizards or the like. As time went on, however, I realized everyone around me was engrossed in the series. This recently made me wonder if I'm missing out. As of now, I don't know what I'm missing out on, and having a whole shelf full of books that I haven't read yet, I didn't really care that I wasn't reading HP. But I have this strange feeling that if I pick up the first book, I'll have to finish the series, which would add 7 more books to my pile and countless more hours I'd be spending on wizards.
Something tells me I should just go for it.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
101 books
My book list for my 101 books in 1001 days challenge:
1. Ellen Burstyn - Lessons in Becoming Myself
2. Eliza Minot - The Brambles
3. Laura Zigman - Piece of Work
4. Diane Setterfield - The Thirteenth Tale
5. Jennifer Weiner - Little Earthquakes
6. Rosellen Brown - Before and After
7. Martha Moody - Best Friends
8. Julie K. L. Dam - Some Like it Haute
9. Carole Radziwill - What Remains
10. Tania Aebi - Maiden Voyage
11. Danielle Steel - Sisters
12. Jennifer Weiner - Goodnight Nobody
13. Liza Lutz - The Spellman Files
14. Julie Powell - Julie & Julia
15. Morag Jones - Half Broken Things
16. John Grisham - The Innocent Man
17. Alice Sebold - The Lovely Bones
18. Dan Brown - The DaVinci Code
19. Plum Sykes - Bergdorf Blondes
20. Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife
21. Elizabeth Berg - The Year of Pleasures
22. Cecelia Ahern - Love, Rosie
23. Jodi Picoult - The Pact
24. Jen Lancaster - Bitter is the New Black
25. Zadie Smith - On Beauty
26. Elizabeth Edwards - Saving Graces
27. Beth Gutcheon - Five Fortunes
28. Wendy Wasserstein - Elements of Style
29. Elizabeth Noble - Alphabet Weekends
30. Susan Isaacs - Any Place I Hang My Hat
31. Debrah Williamson - Singing With the Top Down
32. Cecelia Ahern - If You Could See Me Now
33. Darri Stephens & Megan DeSales - Spooning
34. Jane Green - Swapping Lives
35. Emily Giffin - Something Borrowed
36. Finola Hughes - Soapsuds
37. Joan Biskupic - Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became its Most Influential Justice
38. Terry Gamble - Good Family
39. Wally Lamb - She's Come Undone
40. Kate Atkinson - Case Histories
41. Chris Bohjalian - Midwives
42. Joyce Carol Oates - Missing Mom
43. Sebastian Junger - A Death In Belmont
44. Jennifer Weiner - Good In Bed
45. Truman Capote - In Cold Blood
46. Cathy Kelly - Always and Forever
47. Tom Perrotta - Little Children
48. Sarab Webb - It Had to Be You
49. Joseph Heller - Catch 22
50. Harriet Evans - Going Home
51. Lauren Weisberger - Everyone Worth Knowing
52. Laura Pederson - The Big Shuffle
53. Jeffrey Eugenides - Middlesex
54. A.J. Jacobs - Know-it-All
55. Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita
56. Shannon Kring Biro & Natalie Biro - Sister Salty, Sister Sweet
57. Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
58. Mark Haddon - A Spot of Bother
59. Ernest Hemingway - The Short Stories
60. Karen Joy Fowler - The Jane Austen Book Club
61. Richard Powers - The Echo Maker
62. Elizabeth Gilbert - Eat, Pray, Love
63. Ken Follett - The Pillars of the Earth
64. Laura Fitzgerald - Veil of Roses
65. Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Love in the Time of Cholera
66. Marianne Fredriksson - Hanna's Daughters
67. Petra Nemcova - Love Always, Petra
68. Lionel Shriver - We Need to Talk About Kevin
69. Meg Cabot - Queen of Babble
70. Jen Schefft - Better Single Than Sorry
71. Vendela Vida - Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name
72. Jeffrey Eugenides - The Virgin Suicides
73. Doug Crandell - The Flawless Skin of Ugly People
74. James Ellroy - The Black Dahlia
75. Judith Henry Wall - Family Secrets
76. Michael J. Fox - Lucky Man: A Memoir
77. Mary Lawson - Crow Lake
78. Jennifer Kaufman & Karen Mack - Literacy and Longing in LA
79. Don Cheadle & John Prendergast - Not on Our Watch
80. Arthur Golden - Memoirs of a Geisha
81. Dennis Lehane - Mystic River
82. Barack Obama - The Audacity of Hope
83. Jodi Picoult - Vanishing Acts
84. Ann Brashares - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
85. Ed. by Elizabeth Merrick - This is Not Chick Lit: Original Stories by America's Best Women Writers
86. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J. K. Rowling**
#87-101 - I'm leaving these spots open for now to accommodate new releases in the next couple of years. Looking over the list, I have some good reading ahead! As time goes on, I'll update the list; I'll also probably add more than 101 in hopes that I achieve that and continue on to 150 books.
I doubt I will be reading these in order, as I tend to grab whatever I'm in the mood for; I just picked up Lucky Man last night, so that's first!
**Please look for a future post on the subject of Harry Potter!
1. Ellen Burstyn - Lessons in Becoming Myself
2. Eliza Minot - The Brambles
3. Laura Zigman - Piece of Work
4. Diane Setterfield - The Thirteenth Tale
5. Jennifer Weiner - Little Earthquakes
6. Rosellen Brown - Before and After
7. Martha Moody - Best Friends
8. Julie K. L. Dam - Some Like it Haute
9. Carole Radziwill - What Remains
10. Tania Aebi - Maiden Voyage
11. Danielle Steel - Sisters
12. Jennifer Weiner - Goodnight Nobody
13. Liza Lutz - The Spellman Files
14. Julie Powell - Julie & Julia
15. Morag Jones - Half Broken Things
16. John Grisham - The Innocent Man
17. Alice Sebold - The Lovely Bones
18. Dan Brown - The DaVinci Code
19. Plum Sykes - Bergdorf Blondes
20. Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife
21. Elizabeth Berg - The Year of Pleasures
22. Cecelia Ahern - Love, Rosie
23. Jodi Picoult - The Pact
24. Jen Lancaster - Bitter is the New Black
25. Zadie Smith - On Beauty
26. Elizabeth Edwards - Saving Graces
27. Beth Gutcheon - Five Fortunes
28. Wendy Wasserstein - Elements of Style
29. Elizabeth Noble - Alphabet Weekends
30. Susan Isaacs - Any Place I Hang My Hat
31. Debrah Williamson - Singing With the Top Down
32. Cecelia Ahern - If You Could See Me Now
33. Darri Stephens & Megan DeSales - Spooning
34. Jane Green - Swapping Lives
35. Emily Giffin - Something Borrowed
36. Finola Hughes - Soapsuds
37. Joan Biskupic - Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became its Most Influential Justice
38. Terry Gamble - Good Family
39. Wally Lamb - She's Come Undone
40. Kate Atkinson - Case Histories
41. Chris Bohjalian - Midwives
42. Joyce Carol Oates - Missing Mom
43. Sebastian Junger - A Death In Belmont
44. Jennifer Weiner - Good In Bed
45. Truman Capote - In Cold Blood
46. Cathy Kelly - Always and Forever
47. Tom Perrotta - Little Children
48. Sarab Webb - It Had to Be You
49. Joseph Heller - Catch 22
50. Harriet Evans - Going Home
51. Lauren Weisberger - Everyone Worth Knowing
52. Laura Pederson - The Big Shuffle
53. Jeffrey Eugenides - Middlesex
54. A.J. Jacobs - Know-it-All
55. Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita
56. Shannon Kring Biro & Natalie Biro - Sister Salty, Sister Sweet
57. Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
58. Mark Haddon - A Spot of Bother
59. Ernest Hemingway - The Short Stories
60. Karen Joy Fowler - The Jane Austen Book Club
61. Richard Powers - The Echo Maker
62. Elizabeth Gilbert - Eat, Pray, Love
63. Ken Follett - The Pillars of the Earth
64. Laura Fitzgerald - Veil of Roses
65. Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Love in the Time of Cholera
66. Marianne Fredriksson - Hanna's Daughters
67. Petra Nemcova - Love Always, Petra
68. Lionel Shriver - We Need to Talk About Kevin
69. Meg Cabot - Queen of Babble
70. Jen Schefft - Better Single Than Sorry
71. Vendela Vida - Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name
72. Jeffrey Eugenides - The Virgin Suicides
73. Doug Crandell - The Flawless Skin of Ugly People
74. James Ellroy - The Black Dahlia
75. Judith Henry Wall - Family Secrets
76. Michael J. Fox - Lucky Man: A Memoir
77. Mary Lawson - Crow Lake
78. Jennifer Kaufman & Karen Mack - Literacy and Longing in LA
79. Don Cheadle & John Prendergast - Not on Our Watch
80. Arthur Golden - Memoirs of a Geisha
81. Dennis Lehane - Mystic River
82. Barack Obama - The Audacity of Hope
83. Jodi Picoult - Vanishing Acts
84. Ann Brashares - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
85. Ed. by Elizabeth Merrick - This is Not Chick Lit: Original Stories by America's Best Women Writers
86. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J. K. Rowling**
#87-101 - I'm leaving these spots open for now to accommodate new releases in the next couple of years. Looking over the list, I have some good reading ahead! As time goes on, I'll update the list; I'll also probably add more than 101 in hopes that I achieve that and continue on to 150 books.
I doubt I will be reading these in order, as I tend to grab whatever I'm in the mood for; I just picked up Lucky Man last night, so that's first!
**Please look for a future post on the subject of Harry Potter!
Friday, January 4, 2008
In Their Shoes Challenge
So inside of my big challenge - 101 books in 1001 days - I decided to first strive for a mini goal: reading more memoirs/autobiography/biography, and so I joined the In Their Shoes Challenge.
The rules are that I get to pick how many books I want to complete and I must complete them between January 1 and December 31, 2008. Not too hard, right, and I am only chosing 10 books:
Lucky Man: A Memoir - Michael J. Fox
Love Always, Petra - Petra Nemcova
Bitter is the New Black - Jen Lancaster
Sister Salty, Sister Sweet: A Memoir of Sibling Rivalry - Shannon Kring Biro & Natalie Kring
Lessons in Becoming Myself - Ellen Burstyn
Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
Saving Graces - Elizabeth Edwards
What Remains - Carole Radziwill
Maiden Voyage - Tania Aebi
The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama
I already have 9 of these, and one is my boyfriend's, so I don't even have to purchase any new books to read! I'm starting Lucky Man this weekend.
The rules are that I get to pick how many books I want to complete and I must complete them between January 1 and December 31, 2008. Not too hard, right, and I am only chosing 10 books:
Lucky Man: A Memoir - Michael J. Fox
Love Always, Petra - Petra Nemcova
Bitter is the New Black - Jen Lancaster
Sister Salty, Sister Sweet: A Memoir of Sibling Rivalry - Shannon Kring Biro & Natalie Kring
Lessons in Becoming Myself - Ellen Burstyn
Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
Saving Graces - Elizabeth Edwards
What Remains - Carole Radziwill
Maiden Voyage - Tania Aebi
The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama
I already have 9 of these, and one is my boyfriend's, so I don't even have to purchase any new books to read! I'm starting Lucky Man this weekend.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge!
Well I did it. I created a reading/book blog to track my love of books. I have been keeping track of what I've read since I finished college in April 2006 and was surprised to realize - via my insane book blog stalking of late - that there are so many books out there that I've yet to read!
I decided awhile back that I wanted to start a book blog, I just didn't have the time or motivation to do it, nor did I know exactly what I wanted to create. So here's my challenge for myself: read 101 books in 1001 days. To further challenge myself, I would love to hit 150 books in that time, but I'm going to stick with 101 for now, mostly because I know that's more attainable with my future plans (head on over to my other blog to learn more!)
I will be compiling my list in the next week or so, but I know it won't be complete; I'll be leaving 20-30 slots blank for now to allow for new releases. According to this calculator, based on my start date of Thursday, January 3, 2008, my end date will be Thursday, September 30, 2010.
Here I go!
I decided awhile back that I wanted to start a book blog, I just didn't have the time or motivation to do it, nor did I know exactly what I wanted to create. So here's my challenge for myself: read 101 books in 1001 days. To further challenge myself, I would love to hit 150 books in that time, but I'm going to stick with 101 for now, mostly because I know that's more attainable with my future plans (head on over to my other blog to learn more!)
I will be compiling my list in the next week or so, but I know it won't be complete; I'll be leaving 20-30 slots blank for now to allow for new releases. According to this calculator, based on my start date of Thursday, January 3, 2008, my end date will be Thursday, September 30, 2010.
Here I go!
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