The Book Challenge discussion
a-m
>
Crystal's book challenge
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Crystal
(new)
Dec 28, 2007 04:55PM
My goal is to read on average one book a week... so a total of 52 next year, starting on January 1, 2008. Let's see how we all do.
reply
|
flag
Book 2: Just finished The Kindness of Strangers. I really thought this book was well-written and treated difficult material with tact.
Book 3: One for the Money. I am now hooked onto this series. It was a fun, light hearted mystery set in NJ, which I loved. Plus, the characters are great.
Book 4 : Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich. Another great Stephanie Plum book.
Book 5: Bitter is the New Black... by Jen Lancaster. A great real-life chick lit/memoir. I laughed so hard and even had to read passages to my very patient husband. A definite must-read.
Book 6: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I thought it was a good book, nothing I was too overthrilled with. The first half was very slow and tiresome. I liked the second half after their "escape" and to find out what the children grew up to be and how the Congo shaped them (or didn't).
Book 7: The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory. This was a solid read. It took me much longer than expected because of school, but I was glad I read it because I really enjoyed it, especially the last 200 pages or so.
Sarah Gruen has two other books that she wrote before Water for Elephants that are supposed to also be good. One is called Riding Lessons and the other one is Flying Changes.
I have Kindness of Strangers book on my TBR pile.
Book 8: Lamb, The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher MooreI would recommend this book to anyone. I found it to be the funniest, wisest, most brilliant book. I would never even have thought of half of what Moore did. The story flowed quite well and the irony and sarcastic humor made the story seem like I coul dhave been talking with my husband.
Book 9: Citizen Girl (audio book) - Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlinThis book wasn't great. It was better than listening to music on the radio to and from work but was by no means the best book I have ever read (or heard). It was senseless jargon most of the time and it really had no ending. I was interested in finding out what happened to Girl to find out nothing happened.
Book 10: Three to Get Deadly - Janet EvanovichFinished 3/31/08
I enjoyed this book. Out of the 3 I read, it wasn't my favorite but was good reading candy.
Book 11: Forever Fifteen by Kimberly Steele (podiobook)I was "reading" the podiobook on my way to and from school (an hour drive each way). I just finished it today and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at the ending. I really enjoyed the book. I felt that there was some gratuitous sex scenes. However, I felt really invested in Lucy (Lucia) and even though she was the "bad" girl (but not really) I still felt for her plight.
Crystal what is a podiobook and where did you get Forever Fifteen as a podiobook? BJ
BJ... podiobooks are podcats that you can download from podiobooks.com onto itunes and then put them on your ipod/mp3 player.
Book 12: Bright Lights, Big Ass- Jen LancasterI gave this 5 stars because I can relate to Jen in so many ways (and no I haven't learned anything and it isn't a life altering experience by any means)... from my obsession to Target (gotta love that store) to my spoiling of my pets (see my pic) to annoying my husband so much he wants to scream. I love Jen Lancaster and hopefully I can get my hands on her new book soon.
Book 13: The Sweet Potato Quen's First Big Ass Novel... - Jill Conner Browne I just finished listening to this book today. It was extremely cute. However, the recipes at the end weren't necessary on an audiobook. It was predictable but perfect for my commute to and from school. Very cute chick-lit.
Book 14: Twilight - Stephenie MeyersI gave this book 4 stas but it really should be a 4.5 (too bad Goodreads doesn't have half stars). I am thoroughly engrossed in this storyline now and can't wait to find out what happens to Bella and Edward and th erest of the Cullens in New Moon.
Book 15: A Dirty Job - Christopher MooreThis was another good Moore book full of slapstick, dark humor and more subtle nuiances. It wasn't as funny as Lamb but still hilarious and a definite must read for Moore fans.
Book 16: Moloka'i - Alan BrennertI loved this book. It was beautifully written with fluid descriptions, an amazing storyline, and characters you could connect with and felt for. I highly recommend this book!
Book 17: New Moon - Stephenie MeyerRead 5/30.
It was amazing. I found that I enjoyed it even more than Twilight. It kept my interest and had me turning pages and waiting for more. I absolutely love this series.
Book 18: Baby Proof - Emily GiffinI loved this book. I read until about 12:30 last night/this morning, just so I could finish it. I thought it was an enjoyable story with flawed characters who grow through the process. Overall, I would recommend this book.
Book 19: Walking in Circles Before Lying Down - Merill MarkoeThis was a cute, funny chicklit book about a girl who finds out that she can "talk" to dogs. It was funny and quirky. While not a GREAT read, it was cute for a summer read on the beach. At 270 pages, it is short enough to read in one day if you wanted.
Book 20: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi PicoultI enjoyed this book. However, I had figued out the "surprise" ending in the very beginning of the book. I enjoyed the book and it will stick with me for a while. It is a good book, but don't expect a huge surprise at the end.
Book 21- Conversations with the Fat Girl - Liza PalmerThe book was just ok. The ending was good and redeemed the book a little. However, the main character was whiny and I felt somewhat of a connection, but not enough to care about what happened during the whole first 3/4 of the book.
Book 22- A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled HosseiniI LOVED this book. It was well written, had an amazing storyline, and had characters you felt for and cared about.
Book 23- The Accidental Mother - Rowan ColemanThis was chicklit but more of a "deeper" chicklit with morals and a real storyline: What do you do when you're faced with 2 kids that just lost their mother (your best friend)when you have the "perfect" life? I enjoyed it and polished off the almost 400 page book in 2 days. I would actually recommend it.
Book 24 - The Darkest Evening of the Year - Dean KoontzThis was another enjoyable Dean Koontz read and I loved the premise of the dog and the rescue orginization. The beginning was a little slow going, but I love how he made all of the characters meld together so well, and while the ending was good, it didn't blow me away like some of his other books. But it was a great book for the beach or a weekend read.
Book 25 - Kabul Beauty School - Deborah RodriguezI LOVED this book and the amazing stories of this woman and especially her students. This opened my eyes to see that women all over the world sometimes share each others gossip, good or bad, in the beauty salon. It seems the only place where a woman can be understood and universally be accepted is the beauty salon.
Book 26: Eclipse - Stephenie MeyerI love, love, loved this book!!! It's by far, my absolute favorite of the series. I am so looking forward to August 2.
Book 27: Whistling in the Dark - Lesley KagenThe beginning sort of dragged but at the half way point, it started to pick up and I devoured the last 100 pages in one sitting. Overall, I found it a good read.
Book 28: Such a Pretty Fat - Jen LancasterThis is another great book. I felt like towards the end it was more about her growing and changing. Being a heavy girl myself, Jen has opened my eyes and maybe I will take advantage of my gym mebership.
Book 29: Garden Spells - Sarah Addison AllenThis was a good book about 2 sisters living with a magical intuition and garden. It was a lovely story about true love (both romantic and familiar) and home. Beautifully written it sucked me in.
Book 30: Back to the Bedroom - Janet EvanovichThis was a cute read (sorta like the Stephanie Plum novels) with romance, action, and comedy all rolled up into one. I actually finished this in a total of 3 hours.
Book 31: Breaking Dawn - Stephenie MeyerI LOVED this book. It was a great final book to the series and tied up a lot of the loose ends.
Book 32: Uglies - Scott WesterfieldAnother YA book that kept my attention (for the most part). I have to finish the series now to know how Tally's story ends. However, I didn' find it as enjoyable as I thought I would've.
The Book Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Water for Elephants (other topics)New Moon (other topics)
Breaking Dawn (other topics)
