50 Book Challenge for 2011

[adorefaith]

01. Saturday - Ian McEwan

done. and what a good one..

next up..

02. Beatrice and Virgil - Yann Martel

 

[misspistol]

Answering Belowen's question, I read in bed, some nights I lose myself in a book and suddenly realise it's 4am and other times I read one page and it makes me so lethargic that I immediately fall asleep

 

[Annu]

papa:if you liked books as a kid, why not start again with some young adult/good kids books? there are amazing kids stories out there with many little pieces of wisdom and which teach great values (Harry Potter or 'the never-ending story' are great examples). most of the time the language is easy, you're sucked right into the story and the characters are likable. maybe that will help getting you back to being interested in reading and then you can go on to more difficult or complex books. i personally love young adult literature (not everything of course), not every book has to be a life-lesson...

I like to read young adult literature too, usually when I go to library, I check that section at first before going to adults. And then my sister and I have mission to read every Nancy Drew book what we can find. I don't normally like to read crime or detective books but if I find Nancy Drew, I do. They are actually pretty good

I usually read afternoons after work when I want to relax little, before going to sleep I like to watch tv.

 

[IAmLordZen]

just finished reading Tom Clancy's "Without Remorse"

To be fair, i think my prejudice on his novels was unfounded. i couldn't have been more shocked that, after being so bored in the first 100 or so pages, i found myself becoming more engrossed to the book and the characters as the plot thickened.

while i enjoyed the book overall, i have a little complaint about the plot and the character development. the plot was a little convoluted but very predictable, it took a lot of discipline for me to NOT skip some pages i thought was unnecessary, and some plot twists i thought were too cliche. in the middle part, where the lead character was chasing down some drug criminals and killing them for revenge (i know, i know), the sequences were a bit dragging and is EXACTLY what you find in modern day action movies (perhaps given that this was written a long time ago spoke for its worth and it was just my misfortune that i only got to read it now). the end part got a bit predictable too, a gun chase, the hunter becoming the hunted.. it's all something you've heard/seen/read before.

overall though, the sheer joy out of discovering the book ended the way you thought it will is enough for me. that said, while it was a bit mediocre, it was a still a great read.

 

[Dora]

finished: "The Winner stands alone" by Paolo Coelho

 

[ChrissyM]

Finished Just Kids by Patti Smith. I cried at the end it was a really good book I am going to write a full review when I get a chance.

just finished this as well
i have to say... i'm kind of blown away by it
found myself tearing up at the end as well
i'll try to write a full review in the book reviews thread soon too

just a beautiful book...
beautiful story of a beautiful relationship that's beautifully told
patti smith's writing just sucks you in whether you were previously aware of hers and robert mapplethorpe's work or not

 

[Alvedansen]

damn it, all you guys really make me want to read that book, but i have SO many books on my to-read list

 

[xerq]

i haven't read in ages, i'm in.

1.No Safe Place- Deborah Ellis
2. Quicksilver- Neal Stephenson

 

[Rigida]

I'm going to join this! is it too late??

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Last I checked it is still very much 2011

Has anyone read Colonel Pettigrew's Last Stand? Am headed to the bookstore & plan to get it ...

 

[falsecontender]

I'm in for this. Already read 2 Georgia Nicolson books, but considering they are aimed at 14 year olds I'm not sure they count but still. Will be reading Enduring Love by Ian McEwan next

 

[Ellin]

Great idea! I think I'm too busy with studying and wasting time on the computer p) to be able to make it to 50 books. But, I've got a long to-read list and maybe this will be a motivation to actually start reading some of those books!

On my to-read list are:
-some of the classics of English literature, because I've started studying English Language and Culture this year and the closest I've been to English literature before studying is watching Pride and Prejudice, the movie
I want to at least read:
. Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma
. Brönte Sisters - Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre
. George Orwell - 1984
. Charles Dickens - Great Expectations
. F. Scott Fitzgerald - the Great Gatsby
-all Harry Potter books in English. Because I love them and it's been a while, and because I've online read them in Dutch.
-some thrillers and chicklit, just for relaxation
-maybe also some contemporary literature, both English and Dutch
Other suggestions are very welcome!!!

I'm not a very active member here, so I might forget about this, but I really love the idea so I'm gonna try to keep up!

 

[lovely lethargy]

01. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
02. I Am Number Four

Now I'm reading several books, seeing as I just visited the book store. I have Pride & Prejudice, Clockwork Angel, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Beastly and Crocodile Tears. So, I'll be busy.

 

[from: sophia]

blueorchid you should get Just Kids its really good!

So this list might be helpful if you are out of ideas.http://www.listology.com/list/1001-books-you-must-read-you-die I have read 45 and I want to read 80 off the list that I know of already. The list is a little lacking especially in mid 20th century books but its a really good starting place.

 

[ChrissyM]

^^just glancing at that list instantly overwhelmed me!

ellin that looks like a great list to start with!
50 books is definitely a tall order but it's a great motivator whether we reach it or not

i just quickly read the tales of beedle the bard by j.k. rowling...
it's a little shrimp of a book but i'm still going to count it
i got it right when it came out and hadn't read a word of it until now, so i view this as an accomplishment since i've managed to remove it from the stack of books that i need to read

so, here's my list so far so i don't lose track...
black is done/read, and grey is what i'm currently reading

1: This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
2: Just Kids by Patti Smith
3: The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
4: Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy

not sure Cormac McCarthy's writing in the Border Trilogy suits me...
I'm only about 30 pages in so far but I'm already remembering why it took me so long to get through the other two...
There are no quotations over the speaking parts, which I suppose you get used to, but I think it's also easy to lose track of who is speaking, who is being spoken to and who they are speaking about. There are no explanations of who the characters are, you basically have to figure it out as you go along but it can make holding on to the threads of the plot difficult
crossing my fingers that i can just plow through rather than continually setting it aside

 

[Teja]

Reading:
1. Burned Alive by Souad

 

[e-v-elina]

finally finished my first book of the year! on to the next one: water for elephants =)

1. the grapes of wrath by john steinbeck

 

[YoninahAliza]

Finished reading my first book The Faith Club! It was fantastic (I will write a review soon) now trying to figure out what to read next.

 

[Ziegfeld Girl]

I got off to a slow start but I'm about to start reading my fourth book. So far there has been an Italian theme to the books I've read so far. My internet connection has been frustratingly slow the past couple of weeks but I will try to post my reviews soon.

01. A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi
02. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
03. See Naples and Die by Penelope Green
04. The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho

 

[Ziegfeld Girl]

blueorchid you should get Just Kids its really good!

So this list might be helpful if you are out of ideas.http://www.listology.com/list/1001-books-you-must-read-you-die I have read 45 and I want to read 80 off the list that I know of already. The list is a little lacking especially in mid 20th century books but its a really good starting place.

I've got that book that list is from and I've been using it for ideas for books to read. One day I would like to have read all the books on the list. So far I've only read 80 books from the list. I've still got a long way to go!