50 Book Challenge for 2011

[wild roses]

What if a book in split into two books, eg. War and Peace, does that then count as one or two books if both books are over 100 pages?

It's one book. And I can explain within a historical context:

From the 1700s-early 1900s, printers didn't have the ability to make text smaller. So, books, especially loooooong ones, were split into parts. From Austen to Dickens to Tolstoy to Fielding to Burney: everybody's published novels got split into parts. For example, Jane Austen's Mansfield Park is 3 "books," even though it is only 1 novel, not 3 separate novels. However, back in the Victorian times, MP would be published in 3 separate books because that how the publishing industry was set up to handle large volumes (and they all wrote 1000 pages opuses back in the day).

Nowadays, printers can handle huge volumes, so it's not necessary to split up 1 novel into 3 separate parts. However, the literary industry is slightly sentimental and likes to honour its past, so when when classics are reprinted, the novel still "split" into separate sections within one book.

In short, W&P is a massive, very long, very wordy book, but it is all ONE book and ONE book only...so NO cheating!

 

[Escale Cherie II]

May I join? This sounds fun

 

[unspoiledbird]

I didn't realize that, like someone pointed out above, this challenge means pretty much reading a book a week So that means starting right away!

I kicked off with The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera). I think I waited too long to get around to reading this one, but it's amazing so far! Read 50 pages in one sitting

 

[mrsjamesdean]

Oh didn't see this thread but I'm going to join in as well or do my best. I use to read a lot but senior year of high school left me no time to read and now that I've finish school I still haven't read anything.

First book to kick off is Slaughterhouse-five by Kurt Vonnegut; read half of this about 3 months ago then stopped because of exams and I just forgot about it, so I'm going to start again.

 

[myown]

Thanks to Belowen for making a separate post for our Book Reviews.
I almost missed seeing it so remember it's there. I just wrote mine out.

Good luck everyone!

I didn't know! Have to Search for it when i am on my Laptop.

 

[Ziegfeld Girl]

I didn't know! Have to Search for it when i am on my Laptop.

Here is the book reviews thread:
http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f51/book-reviews-120247.html

 

[Annu]

I finished my first book, Pieces of Modesty by Peter O'Donnell. I'm currently reading his Modesty serie.. slowly though so 1/50.

Just finished the Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks. It´s a typical Sparks book. Easy to read. But I love his books. I own them all, but not the latest one. I love his books. But mayne people say they are boring haha.

I haven't read his books lately but I just saw Dear John and now I'm wondering if I should read book too.

If I really loathe a book, I'll still finish it just so that way I can write my review on amazon or elsewhere to warn people "this author is overrated! here's why!" (That honour last year belonged to "The Time Traveler's Wife.")

Hah.. i didn't like Time Traveler's wife either even if that is full of ideas I used to love. But I loved her Her Fearful Symmetry.

 

[myown]

^I think if you first saw the movie and then read the book, the book is awful. but if you first read the book and then watch the movie, the movie is awful. full of disappointments.

 

[mmBop]

I've been reading The One You Really Want by Jill Mansell for whole weekend and finally finished it.

1. The One You Really Want by Jill Mansell

 

[e-v-elina]

geez, we have some fast readers here =p

i don't even have an idea of what 50 books to read, i have a list of around 15 that i want to read. i'll probably pick up some inspiration in the book review thread during the year!

 

[MulletProof]

^ I finally came up with a list of 25 books to read before July 1st. I'm kind of laughing at myself cause a few of them are over 600 pages.. I'm so not making it.

Also I think I'll only be adding here the book I just finished instead of the one I'm currently reading or about to read.. I know myself too well, I can start plenty of things but only finish a handful of them..

 

[YoninahAliza]

I am currently reading The Faith Club, The Mill on The Floss by George Elliot, and Tess of D'urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. The last two are for school but luckily they are also books I've always wanted to read! So I should have three books done in the next few weeks. I have a feeling that a bulk of my reading will get done over the summer seeing as I will be off from school, not going anywhere, and most likely recuperating from some surgery.

 

[Lolitadalloway]

I'd love to do this. I'd also really like to read other people's reccomendations.

 

[Lolitadalloway]

I am currently reading The Faith Club, The Mill on The Floss by George Elliot, and Tess of D'urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. The last two are for school but luckily they are also books I've always wanted to read! So I should have three books done in the next few weeks. I have a feeling that a bulk of my reading will get done over the summer seeing as I will be off from school, not going anywhere, and most likely recuperating from some surgery.

also, Tess is so sad, but so beautiful to read. I read it as a teenager then reread it as a twenty something, and it's interesting not only as a novel but as a study of the way women were percieved, and how throughout time they have either been sanctified or villified by men. I know this theory sounds like a sweeping generalisation, and it truly is, however there is some truth in it, and this truth is certainly visible in Tess. Hardy wrote some some good poetry too.

 

[YoninahAliza]

^I'm reading Tess for my British Lit: The Victorians class... so its quite fitting. It seems like such an interesting book and I look forward to analyzing it too.

 

[misspistol]

Brilliant, I'm joining this one. Starting Dry by Augusten Burroughs tonight.

 

[mmBop]

I'm reading Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, and I'm so happy because tomorrow in school I'll have time (7 hours) to read it.

 

[Georgi]

Me in! Im reading The Joy of Living and Dying by The Dalai Lama

 

[kate_is_goddess]

I'm totally motivated right now and just ordered 6 books on amazon

 

[Hebden]

I'd join the club...but I read too fast ...bought P.D. James' The Private Patient yesterday afternoon...finished it by this morning (couldn't sleep last night).

Look forward to seeing what everyone's reading though and remember (according to this pin from a local bookshop)...

Pic: my own