Challenge: 50 Books discussion

1. Calling Home - Janna McMahan

A good beach read.

2. Stalin's Barber - Levitt

Interesting history about Stalin. Got a bit draggy.

3. The Time of the Hero - Mario Vargas Llosa

Very interesting book about bullies, the culture of a military academy, poor vs wealthy and the make up the student body.

4. The Concubine - Amadi

Nice, light reading while learning some African culture

5. Sacred Time - Hegi

My least favorite of her books.

6. We Were Liars - Lockhart

Good YA book dealing with some strong emotional issues

7. Luminaries

It was ok. A lot of things did not tie in together.

8. Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

I just loved this book. It dealt with how difficult it was for a few Nigerians to assimilate in America. It dealt with race, jobs, life in general in very subtle ways. Highly recommended.

9. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

This book was so well written and the story compelling. I highly recommend it. I must share a quote from the protagonist trying to transition back from war to life:
I have tried to resist the slide into this unreal world but I lack the strength, I am tired. Now I am tired in my soul
Many times I have lain down and I have longed for death. I feel unworthy, I feel guilty because I have survived. Death will not come and I am cast adrift in a perpetual present.
I do not know what I have done to live in this existence. I do not know what any of us did to tilt the world into this unnatural orbit. We came here only for a few months.
No child or future generation will ever know what this was like. They will never understand.
When it is over we will go quietly among the living and we will not tell them.
We will talk and sleep and go about our business like human beings.
We will seal what we have seen in the silence of our hearts and no words will reach us.

10. Girl on the Train - Hawkins

Good easy read. Would make a great beach read.

11. The Innovators - Walter Isaacson

Very interesting history of computers and the digital revolution. It is a story about geniuses and collaboration to get great results. It also shows how women played a part.

12. A Hundred Flowers - Gail Tsukiyama

Simple but deep and well written. I always enjoy reading her books.

13. The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah

Kristin Hannah wrote an extremely well written, heart wrenching novel. I cried in a few places and when I finished the book I cried again.

14. The Promise - Weisgarber

Interesting historical fiction taking place in Galveston during the great hurricane at the turn of the century.

15. All The Light We Cannot See - Doerr

16. The Miniaturist

This book really got to me. It takes place mid 1600's in Amsterdam. It deals with all social issues that we deal with today the way it was handled is what separates a few hundred years. Highly recommended.

17. Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clark


This was really not my genre but at least I tried!

18. The Death of Artemio Cruz - Carlos Fuentes

19. The Middlesteins - Jami Attenberg

Good light summer read

20. The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion

I loved this book. I thought it was laugh out loud hilarious

21. The Pearl that Broke its Shell - Nadia Hashimi

It is amazing how awful women can be treated in different countries/cultures.

22. The Watch - Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya

Another great book. This time the setting is the Afghanistan War. A very different take on war with a true "what would you do if........."

23. Everything I Never Told You - Ng

Depressing, depressing, depressing

24. The Queen's Lover - Francine Du Plessix Gray

Very interesting book about the life of Marie Antoinette

25. Marriage of Opposites - Alice Hoffman

Interesting book set in St Thomas and the life about Pissero, an artist I knew nothing about.

26. Under the Wide and Starry Sky - Nancy Horan

I have always had a special love for Robert Louis Stevenson so to read his life story told by Nancy Horan (author of Loving Frank) was a special treat. I was not disappointed. Would be a 5 star but some sections were a little too drawn out.

27. The Haj - Michener

Interesting book about some background material on relations between the Jews and the Arabs

28. The Tiger's Wife - Tea Obreht

I am not a vampire kind of gal

29. New York - Rutherford

I think this should have been a trilogy and the author would have been able to do a history of New York and develop the important characters that were part of the history. As it was, the characters were bland Very disappointed.

30. The Boys In The Boat

What a terrific book about the rowing team that went to the Olympics during the Nazi regime. Thanks Laurie for the recommendation.

31. Euphoria by Lily King

I struggled with this one

32. Circling The Sun

34. An Unnecessary Woman - Rabin Alameddine

35. Island of a Thousand Mirrors. -- Nayomi Munaweera

36. The Boston Girl - Anita Diamant