Challenge: 50 Books discussion

Currently reading:

I decided to make this a calendar year challenge, ending on Dec. 31, 2009. I have read so far in 2009:
1. Eclipse
2. Tam Lin
3. Fledgling
4. Mr. White's Confession A Novel
5. Astrid and Veronika
6. Term Limits
7. Outlander
8. The Best American Comics 2008
9. Watchmen

Welcome!

Aprile wrote: "Welcome!"

Thanks! I'm looking forward to being part of this group.

Finished 10 - Eyes of Prey.

Finished 11 - 300.

Finished 12.
The Reader

Finished 13.

[image error]

14.

What did you think about Blood Brothers? I just recently finished it this week and really enjoyed it. I am reading the second one The Hollow right now. Do plan on finishing out the trilogy?

Natalie wrote: "What did you think about Blood Brothers? I just recently finished it this week and really enjoyed it. I am reading the second one The Hollow right now. Do plan on finishing out the trilogy?"

Natalie,
I thought it was weak compared to Roberts' typical writing. I will not be reading the other two books. I found her attempts to create scary events laughable and I could not take it seriously. I'm tired of Roberts contriving some thin plot device that manages to get everyone basically living together. This does not happen in real life, and while I can see suspending disbelief to allow for supernatural happenings, these contrivances detract from the part of the story that should be believable -- the relationships. I am also becoming disappointed with how similar all of her characters are. I found myself thinking that the character traits in the Sign of 7 trilogy are almost identical to those in the Circle trilogy. In fact, I could probably say that about every trilogy/saga she has written.

Despite my opinions, I do hope you enjoy them.

I completely agree that there are WAY too many similarities between this trilogy and the circle trilogy. 3 girls 3 guys and they all pair off...yeah that is a little ridiculous. I also hate Robert's cheesy one liner diolauge between the characters, it is so annoying. Despite these things I find them entertaining and super fast easy reads. I do, however, see why it could be not likeable to others, and I agree with many of your points! Thanks for your input!

15. [image error]

16. [image error]

It's 10:30 pm and I am going to finish The Alchemist before I will allow myself to go to bed!

Finished! 17. [image error]

18.

19. [image error]

20.

21.

22.

23. [image error]

24.

25. [image error]

Half way!

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

I am sorry to have to count this one, I feel dumber having read it.

32.

Since January 2009, I have read 32 books. That is a lot for me, but unfortunately there aren't enough weeks left in the year for me to realistically and legitimately finish reading 50 by December 31st. And by 'legitimately,' I mean reading books that I actually want to read instead of reading fluff or shorter things just to meet the deadline. For me, it's about more than just the number of books; it's about addressing my constant frustration of not having time to read and not being able to make any progress on my to-read list. Now, I'm sure I'll still have a to-read list hundreds of titles long when I leave this plane of existence. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't try.

Let's face it, it has been a rough year for everyone, and I have not escaped that downward spiral. The past few months have been pretty rough, despite happy occasions like graduation and a new house thrown in. I am grateful for those things, but I still have a lot of work to do. Most people, at some point during my acquaintance with them, tell me I'm too hard on myself. My new boss observed this just the other day. And so, with the holiday season and the end of the year fast approaching, I have decided to give myself a little break.

That's right, I am adjusting my 50 Books a Year Challenge deadline to one year from the day I signed up for the group. It happens to be April 16th, and so the deadline in 2010 will coincide with my fifth wedding anniversary. I love having multiple celebrations. I don't consider this to be cheating; just about everyone I talked to thought this is what I should have done to begin with when I signed up. I will adjust the number of books I have read to start since my sign-up date and the new deadline is April 16, 2010.

Wish me luck!

So, now that I have revised the deadline of my book-reading challenge, I have revised the number as well, to be fair. Here is the revised list. I am on #24.

1 ) Eyes of Prey - John Sandford
2 ) 300 - Frank Miller
3 ) The Reader - Bernhard Schlink
4 ) Blood Brothers - Nora Roberts
5 ) Amazonia - James Rollins
6 ) Cemetery Dance - Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
7 ) Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
8 ) The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
9 ) Innocent Traitor - Alison Weir
10 ) Blink - Malcolm Gladwell
11 ) Stardust - Neil Gaiman
12 ) Under the Banner of Heaven - Jon Krakauer
13 ) The Rule of Four - Ian Caldwell
14 ) The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
15 ) Sandstorm - James Rollins
16 ) Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell
17 ) The Demon in the Freezer - Richard Preston
18 ) Keeping the Moon - Sarah Dessen
19 ) The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
20 ) The Other Queen - Philippa Gregory
21 ) The Killer Angels - Michael Shaara
22 ) The Murder of King Tut - James Patterson & Martin Dugard
23 ) Terminal Freeze - Lincoln Child

24.

25.

Now I'm halfway.

26.

27.

28.

Tina, how did you like 'Talk To The Hand'? I read the reviews and they were mixed as to her intent in writing and content appropriateness.

Carol wrote: "Tina, how did you like 'Talk To The Hand'? I read the reviews and they were mixed as to her intent in writing and content appropriateness."

Carol, I was disappointed with it. Honestly, it sounded like a whiny rant about how mean people are. I wanted Truss to leave us with some great lesson, but it fell short.

29.

30.

Tina, lots of other people felt the same way about 'Talk To The Hand'...I, therefore, feel compelled to read it just to debunk a 'myth', or to perhaps agree with it ('Yep, it was awful/gross/whiny/etc.') LOL I suspect it will be more 'awful' for me than 'informative'. I know...I'll skim!

35.
34.
33.
32.
31.

36.

50.
49.
48.
47.
46.
45.
44.
43.
42.
41.
40.
39.
38.
37.

Finished!

Cool! Congratulations!