The 50 Book Challenge (2012)

[Belowen]

01: No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
02: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
03: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
04: Consider The Lobster by David Foster Wallace
05: Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
06: The Art Of Travel by Alain De Botton
07: The Beach by Alex Garland
08: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
09: A Dead Man's Memoir (A Theatrical Novel) by Mikhail Bulgakov
10: I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
11: Genesis by Bernard Beckett
12: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
13: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
14: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
15: The Long Walk by Stephen King
16: True Grit by Charles Portis
17: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
18: The Enemy by Charlie Higson

 

[kate_is_goddess]

01 > Das böse Mädchen (The Bad Girl) < Mario Vargas Llosa
02 > The Crossing < Cormac McCarthy
03 > Schachnovelle (Chess Story) < Stefan Zweig
04 > Op. non cit. < Alan Isler
05 > Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close < Jonathan Safran Foer (reread)
06 > Der Schwarm (The Swarm) < Frank Schätzing
07 > Player One < Douglas Coupland
08 > Generation X < Douglas Coupland (reread)
09 > The Gum Thief < Douglas Coupland (reread)
10 > Girlfriend in a Coma < Douglas Coupland
11 > The Calling of the Grave < Simon Beckett
12 > The Hunger Games < Suzanne Collins
13 > Catching Fire < Suzanne Collins
14 > Mockingjay < Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games:
Ok, I've now read the first two books of the Hunger Games trilogy in about a week and I'm about to start the third, but only because I've already bought it and not because I like it that much. Because I honestly don't. First and foremost the writing is really bad. It's so one dimensional and unimaginative (the sentences, not the story). I also wish she would have described everything in more detail, I had a hard time imagining the setting and happenings sometimes because she races through the most important events in just a few sentences.
There were other things bothering me but that would take too long to explain. I guess the story is kinda exciting and you want to know how it all pans out but I don't really see how people can be so overwhelmed by this. But maybe you'd have to be a pubescent teenager with low literary expectations to get the appeal (I don't mean to offend anyone- to each their own)

 

[Niusity]

Belowen is true grit worth to read? The movies weren't bad but a friend of mine said the book isn't that good.

1. The Magus by John Fowles
2. Atonement by Ian McEwan
3. Ciuleandra by Liviu Rebreanu
4. Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel García Márquez
5. Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
6. Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk
7. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
8. The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho
9. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
10. Le Père Goriot by Honoré de Balzac
11. Eugénie Grandet by Honoré de Balzac
12. Short stories by Gabriel García Márquez
13. Mantissa by John Fowles

Currently reading:
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

 

[TanyaKiller]

01. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon - [**]
02. Wild Swans by Jung Chang - [*****]
03. The Black Book of Psychoanalysis by Catherine Meyer - [***]
04. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - [****]
05. Here Comes Trouble by Michael Moore - [****]
06. I Killed Scheherazade by Joumana Haddad - [***]
07. Ímpio by Fábio Marton - [***]
08. Tete-a-tete by Hazel Rowley - [****]
09. Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton - [**]
10. Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin - [****]
11. The Age of Empathy by Frans de Waal - [***]
12. The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick [****]
13. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins [***]
14. Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton [****]
15. Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir and Michele Fitoussi [*****]
16. God is not Great by Christopher Hitchens
[*]
17. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

I finally bought something that looks like fun. *relief*

God is not Great was really difficult to finish. I was bored for the most part of it, it feels like a publicity book to convert believers into atheists.
The big problem with it is that it is just the opposite extreme of religious intolerance, stereotyping and portraying religious people as fanatical,
more naive and little-minded. There is even a part of it when he claims that atheists are statistically more inteligent and better people.
This is disgusting for me.

 

[ChrissyM]

1: The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
2: Bossypants by Tina Fey
3: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
4: Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me by Javier Marias
5: Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
6: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
7: The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

Slowly chiseling away! Moving on to the second book of Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicle trilogy... I have mixed feelings because I'm sure it will be years before he completes the third book, so I'll just have to reread both of these mammoth works again (the first book was nearly 700 pages, and the one I'm starting now is close to 1000), but oh well. They're not particularly difficult, just long.

Looking forward to seeing what happens next at any rate.

 

[Alvedansen]

^my friend wants me to read them, she loves them as well. and she's also scared that it will take years for him to finish editing the last book...he's a bit like George R.R. Martin, isn't he?

it took me forever to get into "the knife of never letting go", but i'm really starting to love it now. the writing style definitely needs getting used to

 

[Karen0193]

01.Never Let Me Go-Kazuo Ishiguro
02. The Virgin Suicides-Jeffrey Eugenides
03. The Great Gastby-F. Scott Fitzgerald
04. Bed of Roses- Nora Roberts
05. Affaire Royale- Nora Roberts
06. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy- John Le Carré
07. The Pillars of the Earth- Ken Follet
08. One Hundred Years of Solitude- Gabriel García Márquez
09. A Farewell to Arms- Ernest Hemingway
10. Silver Girl-Elin Hilderbrand
11. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button(short story)- F. Scott Fitzgerald
12. Madame Bovary- Gustave Flaubert
13. The Fallen- Thomas E. Sniegoski
14. Leviathan-Thomas E. Sniegoski
15. Blue Bloods-Melissa De La Cruz
16. Rising Tides-Nora Roberts
17. A Study in Scarlet- Arthur Conan Doyle

 

[TanyaKiller]

01. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon -
[*]
02. Wild Swans by Jung Chang - [*****]
03. The Black Book of Psychoanalysis by Catherine Meyer - [***]
04. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - [****]
05. Here Comes Trouble by Michael Moore - [****]
06. I Killed Scheherazade by Joumana Haddad - [***]
07. Ímpio by Fábio Marton - [***]
08. Tete-a-tete by Hazel Rowley - [****]
09. Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton - [**]
10. Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin - [****]
11. The Age of Empathy by Frans de Waal - [***]
12. The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick [****]
13. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins [***]
14. Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton [****]
15. Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir and Michele Fitoussi [*****]
16. God is not Great by Christopher Hitchens
[*]
17. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi [***]
18. Justice by Michael Sandel

Shatter Me wasn't exactly fun. It was pretty silly rip-off of X-men.
I prefer Hunger Games even though it is an irregular series.

 

[Alvedansen]

just because we had a discussion about these books a few pages back



also
http://50shadesofsuck.tumblr.com/

the writing is so so bad

 

[Hazel]

^ hahaha , Ellen would make a great reader for the audio book version of that crap. Thanks for the links, it always lifts my spirits when I see people making fun of that book .

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
2. Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
3. The Road - Cormac McCarthy
4. Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann
5. The Paris Wife - Paula McLain
6. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
7. Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy
8. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
9. Child of God - Cormac McCarthy
10. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

Currently reading:
11. About a Boy - Nick Hornby

 

[Niusity]

^^OMG she's priceless! Adore her so much!

 

[cloudyshambles]

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling
2. Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
3. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
4. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
5. Unbearable Lightness - Portia de Rossi

Portia's book is incredible! She is completely honest about her eating disorder and self-hate it was sometimes heartbreaking to read, but at the same time I enjoyed her writing style. I think it definitely gives a better understanding of the mindset of an eating disordered person and the severity of these disorders. She was very brave for describing her struggles in that much detail.

 

[TanyaKiller]

01. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon -
[*]
02. Wild Swans by Jung Chang - [*****]
03. The Black Book of Psychoanalysis by Catherine Meyer - [**]
04. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - [***]
05. Here Comes Trouble by Michael Moore - [***]
06. I Killed Scheherazade by Joumana Haddad - [**]
07. Ímpio by Fábio Marton - [**]
08. Tete-a-tete by Hazel Rowley - [****]
09. Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton -
[*]
10. Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin - [****]
11. The Age of Empathy by Frans de Waal - [***]
12. The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick [****]
13. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins [***]
14. Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton [****]
15. Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir and Michele Fitoussi [*****]
16. God is not Great by Christopher Hitchens
[*]
17. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi [**]
18. Anna and the French Kiss [****]
19. Justice by Michael Sandel

I noticed I was being very generous with my ratings, so I changed many ratings of the books that disappointed me.
I just finished Anna and the French Kiss, and I have to say this is the most light and real fun read of this year till now. I'm so glad I gave it a chance bc it was really worth it, since basically there was no other book as fun as this one. All the others that I actually loved were more like the type of books where you learn about stuff, more insightful, engaging reads, but more serious. After sometime I got tired of this harsh reality thing.

 

[ChrissyM]

^my friend wants me to read them, she loves them as well. and she's also scared that it will take years for him to finish editing the last book...he's a bit like George R.R. Martin, isn't he?

it took me forever to get into "the knife of never letting go", but i'm really starting to love it now. the writing style definitely needs getting used to

I haven't tackled any of the George R.R. Martin books yet, but I suspect they're sort of similar!

 

[rox_yr_sox]

1. On Cats by Doris Lessing
2. Mastiff by Tamora Pierce
3. Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman
4. Medea and other plays by Euripides
5. Eating Fire: Selected Poetry, 1965-1995 by Margaret Atwood
6. A Crimson Warning by Tasha Alexander
7. Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled his Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk
8. Evaluation Research by Alan Clarke
9. Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson
10. The Lamp of Memory/Cambridge School of Art Inaugural Address/Of Kings' Treasures/Traffic (Penguin Great Ideas Compendium) by John Ruskin
11. Useful Work v. Useless Toil/Gothic Architecture/The Lesser Arts/How I Became a Socialist (Penguin Great Ideas Compendium) by William Morris
12. Annabel: an unconventional life by Annabel Goldsmith
13. In Tearing Haste by Deborah Devonshire and Patrick Leigh Fermor
14. Fourth Generation Evaluation by Egon G Guba and Yvonna S Lincoln
15. The First Ladies of Rome: The Women Behind the Caesars by Annelise Freisenbruch
16. History of Madness by Michel Foucault
17. Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein
18. The Antichrist by Friedrich Nietzsche
19. Empress of Rome: The Life of Livia by Matthew Dennison
20. Animal Farm by George Orwell
21. Everyday Evaluation on the Run by Yolanda Wadsworth
22. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (currently reading)

 

[kate_is_goddess]

01 > Das böse Mädchen (The Bad Girl) < Mario Vargas Llosa
02 > The Crossing < Cormac McCarthy
03 > Schachnovelle (Chess Story) < Stefan Zweig
04 > Op. non cit. < Alan Isler
05 > Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close < Jonathan Safran Foer (reread)
06 > Der Schwarm (The Swarm) < Frank Schätzing
07 > Player One < Douglas Coupland
08 > Generation X < Douglas Coupland (reread)
09 > The Gum Thief < Douglas Coupland (reread)
10 > Girlfriend in a Coma < Douglas Coupland
11 > The Calling of the Grave < Simon Beckett
12 > The Hunger Games < Suzanne Collins
13 > Catching Fire < Suzanne Collins
14 > Mockingjay < Suzanne Collins
15 > Eleanor Rigby < Douglas Coupland

 

[Alvedansen]

01. Jon Krakauer - Under the banner of heaven
02. Sharon M. Draper - Tears of a tiger
03. David Benioff - City of thieves
04. Isaac Marion - Warm bodies
05. George R. R. Martin - A feast for crows (ASOIAF #4)
06. Robert Schneider - Schlafes Bruder (English title: Brother of Sleep)
07. Neil Gaiman - American Gods
08. Max Brooks - The zombie survival guide
09. Orson Scott Card - Ender's game
10. Ann Rule - The stranger beside me
11. Patrick Ness - The knife of never letting go
12. Richelle Mead - Last sacrifice
13. Stephanie Perkins - Anna and the French kiss
14. Patrick Ness - A monster calls
15. Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games (re-read)
16. Victor Hugo - Les Misérables (English version)
17. Bill Bryson - Bill Bryson's African diary
18. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - A study in scarlet
19. Birgit Vanderbeke - Alberta empfängt einen Liebhaber
20. William Shakespeare - Henry V

finally finished "The knife of never letting go", nice start into a series, but it took me ages to get used to the writing style and i still don't like it

 

[MissKateCherie]

1)The Vampire Diaries: The Return, Shadow Souls by L. J. Smith
2)La tete du chat by Βασίλης Αλεξάκης
3)The shadow of August by Sue Welford
4)The Runaways by Kristin Butcher
5)Gossip Girl: You know You Love me by Cecily von Ziegesar
6)The Vampire Diaries: The Return, Midnight by L. J. Smith
7)Gossip Girl: All I want is Everything by Cecily von Ziegesar
8)Desert Flower by Waris Dirie Cathleen Miller
9)The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
10)Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
11)Mockinjay by Suzanne Collins
12)The Clique by Lisi Harrison
13)Extras by Scott Westerfeld
14)Η ελπίδα πεθαίνει πάντα τελευταία by Ελπίδα Ισμαήλ
15)Fallen: Passion by Lauren Kate
16)Η γυναίκα στους μακρινούς πολιτισμούς by Θεόδωρος Καρζής
17)Vamire Academy: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
18)The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries, Origins based on the novels by L.J. Smith
19)The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries, Bloodlust based on the novels by L.J. Smith
20)Μαμά 2 και ο μπαμπάς στον κόσμο του! by Κατερίνα Μανανεδάκη
21)Θράσος by Τατιάνα Αβέρωφ
22)Skins: The Novel by Ali Cronin

 

[ChrissyM]

22)Skins: The Novel by Ali Cronin

Does that have anything to do with the television show of the same name? British teens?

 

[MissKateCherie]

^
It's actually based on the TV show..it describes how the characters of the 2nd generation spent their summer.

1)The Vampire Diaries: The Return, Shadow Souls by L. J. Smith
2)La tete du chat by Βασίλης Αλεξάκης
3)The shadow of August by Sue Welford
4)The Runaways by Kristin Butcher
5)Gossip Girl: You know You Love me by Cecily von Ziegesar
6)The Vampire Diaries: The Return, Midnight by L. J. Smith
7)Gossip Girl: All I want is Everything by Cecily von Ziegesar
8)Desert Flower by Waris Dirie Cathleen Miller
9)The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
10)Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
11)Mockinjay by Suzanne Collins
12)The Clique by Lisi Harrison
13)Extras by Scott Westerfeld
14)Η ελπίδα πεθαίνει πάντα τελευταία by Ελπίδα Ισμαήλ
15)Fallen: Passion by Lauren Kate
16)Η γυναίκα στους μακρινούς πολιτισμούς by Θεόδωρος Καρζής
17)Vamire Academy: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
18)The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries, Origins based on the novels by L.J. Smith
19)The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries, Bloodlust based on the novels by L.J. Smith
20)Μαμά 2 και ο μπαμπάς στον κόσμο του! by Κατερίνα Μανανεδάκη
21)Θράσος by Τατιάνα Αβέρωφ
22)Skins: The Novel by Ali Cronin
23)Η ψίχα εκείνου του καλοκαιριού by Ισίδωρος Ζούργος