The Book Challenge discussion

I had thought that I was going to be able to break the triple digit mark this year, but as the end of April approaches it becomes ever-clearer that real-life is putting a serious dent in my reading time. As such, I think I'm going to have to try for only 3/4 of my previous goal. Please allow me to present Logan's 2008 75 Book Challenge:

1. Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman 1/2/08
2. Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra 1/24/08
3. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman 2/1/08
4. Tesla: Man Out of Time by Mary Cheney 2/11/08
5. The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things by J.T. LeRoy 2/15/08
6. Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland 2/19/08
7. Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan 3/3/08
8. The Hours by Michael Cunningham 3/6/08
9. The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse 3/12/08
10. The Power & The Glory by Graham Greene 3/15/08
11. The Honorary Consul by Graham Greene 3/19/08
12. Spook Country by William Gibson 3/22/08
13. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick 3/24/08
14. Ubik by Philip K. Dick 3/25/08
15. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick 3/26/08
16. The Road by Cormac McCarthy 3/28/08
17. The Ruins by Scott Smith 4/4/08
18. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami 4/7/08
19. The Best American Non-Required Reading, 2003 ed. by Dave Eggers 4/10/08
20. The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano 4/20/08

21. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams 4/22/08

22. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood 5/6/08
23. Are you there, Vodka? It's me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler 5/6/08

Slow going the past few weeks, but now with finals behind me I am looking forward to diving full tilt into some literature.

24. Blindness by Jose Saramago 5/13/08

Easily the best book that I have read so far this year. One of the first books in a long time that kept me up most of the night because I couldn't/didn't want to put it down.

Starting on:
25. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

I really liked Diva's idea for the 7 Classics Challenge, as there are far too many classics that I've been meaning to read but haven't yet.

Logan's 7 Classics Challenge
1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
2. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodr Dostoevsky
3. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
4. Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway
5. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
6. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
7. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Yeah, that's going to be a lot of Russian Lit.

Four down, three to go. Just finished The Turn of the Screw. It was arduous. To say that I didn't much care for James' style is an understatement.

Finished:

25. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene 5/17/08
26. Yeti, Vol. 5 ed. by Mike McGonigal 5/19/08
27. Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig 5/19/08

Starting on:
28. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
-this one may take a while.

Finished:

28. Rant by Chuck Palahniuk 5/27/08

Still Reading:
29. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Finished:

29. A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore 6/7/08

Still Reading:
30. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Finished:

30. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 6/21/08

A little over a month to read a little over 1k pages. I can't remember a book taking me that long in years. I could hear Queen's "We are the Champions" in my head as I replaced this tome on my shelf. Definitely worth reading, though I still think Wallace needed a better editor.

Starting on:
Six Fang Marks & a Tetanus Shot by Richard de Nooy

31. Six Fang Marks & a Tetanus Shot by Richard De Nooy 6/24/08
32. Esopus Vol. 10 ed. by Todd Lippy 6/25/08
33. Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore 6/26/08

Starting On:
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Finished:
34. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 7/2/08

One of the most enjoyable reads of the year, thus far.

Starting On:
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodr Dostoevsky

Finished:
35. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow 7/5/08
Click Here to Read my Review

Continuing:
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodr Dostoevsky

Starting On:
The Antonio Gramsci Reader by Antonio Gramsci
-It's been far too long since I've read anything besides Fiction, so I figured that it was high time to pick up this book that I special-ordered nearly four years ago.

Finished:
36. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodr Dostoevsky 7/23/08

Fantastic book! I can't believe that I waited this long to read it, but at the same time I'm glad because I got to enjoy it for the first time now. I can tell that this is one that I'll be coming back to again and again.

Continuing:
The Antonio Gramsci Reader by Antonio Gramsci
Postsingular by Rudy Rucker
Synners by Pat Cadigan
The Great & Secret Show by Clive Barker

Figure I should finish at least a couple of these before picking up one of the (many) others lining my shelves.

Finished:
37. Synners by Pat Cadigan 7/30/08
38. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck 8/2/08

Synners was good but didn't interest me as much as I had hoped it would. Cannery Row was beauty incarnate. I can't wait to read more Steinbeck.

Continuing:
Postsingular by Rudy Rucker
The Great & Secret Show by Clive Barker

Starting:
Not sure yet. I have ten different books in the mail on their way to me that I really want to read right now, so think that I'll plug away at some of my other current reads before picking up a new one.

39. Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling 8/5/08

This was the science fiction odyssey that I've been longing to read all summer. I'm glad that I finally found one that captivated me from start to finish as I was starting to think I might be burnt out on the genre- a frightening thought.

I have to admit that this is one of very few Sterling novels that I've enjoyed with no hesitation. It had everything cyberpunk is supposed to have and I can finally see why he is viewed as a godfather of this genre. I have another collection of his works here and I'm sorely tempted to keep the Sterling binge going.

40. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James 8/11/08

Ugh. What a pain in the ass this short novella turned out to be. I remembered after about 10 pages why I generally avoid 19th Century literature, it's just so very very dry and I constantly find myself wanting to throttle the characters. Still, I can't completely give up on James yet. I'll probably try another next year.

Currently Reading:
The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall

41. The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall 8/10/08

A great read that I really couldn't put down. So pleased that I ended up reading this sooner rather than later, especially after the snoozefest that was The Turn of the Screw.

Currently Reading:
My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler

42. My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler 8/12/08

Hilarious, as always. Magnificently endowed midgets, an Adonis of a stripper known only as THUNDER, a cruise ship performer- her conquests stack up rather quickly and fortunately for the reader nearly always end in tears and/or vodka. Chelsea is always willing to skewer herself for the cause of a good joke and this book is full of them. Definitely not for the easily offended or delicately sensible.

Currently Reading:
The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien

43. The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien 8/16/08

This was a great read. A fun mixture of surreal metaphysics and biting satire. O'Brien's got a fantastic way with words and I can't wait to read more of his works.

Currently Reading:
Monster Island by David Wellington

So I take it the spoilers you encountered didn't spoil the entire thing for you?

I'm really intrigued by this and At Swim-Two-Birds. They seem to pop up on a lot of lists I'm working on. I'll have to remember to pick them up this weekend when I'm at the bookstore.

The spoiler that I brazenly read definitely changed the context of the book for me and I still wish that I hadn't read it, but I still enjoyed The Third Policeman far more than most books I've read recently, which is really saying something. I'm really intrigued by O'Brien now and can definitely see myself getting more of his books very soon.

44. Monster Island by David Wellington 8/19/08

Mediocre zombie book. Still it was enjoyable fluff.

Currently Reading:
Monster Nation by David Wellington
The Great & Secret Show by Clive Barker

45. Monster Nation by David Wellington 8/20/08

Significantly better zombie book. Forced me to move directly to its sequel.

Currently Reading:
Monster Planet by David Wellington
The Great & Secret Show by Clive Barker

46. Monster Planet by David Wellington 8/22/08

All-in-all a great conclusion to a fun series.

Currently Reading:
The Great & Secret Show by Clive Barker
Cider House Rules by John Irving

47. The Great & Secret Show by Clive Barker 8/25/08
48. 13 Bullets by David Wellington 8/27/08

Currently Reading:
Cider House Rules by John Irving
Postsingular by Rudy Rucker

49. Cider House Rules by John Irving 9/1/08
50. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carre 9/2/08

Currently Reading:
Plague Zone by David Wellington
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

51. Plague Zone by David Wellington 9/5/08
52. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz 9/7/08

Currently Reading:
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay
Postsingular by Rudy Rucker

Logan, i added Monster Island and the rest of the series to my tobuy list... I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. How was Plague Zone? Thats a stand alone novel, is it not?

Lori, Plague Zone was a stand alone novel. Still had zombies, but it was all in a different fictional universe than the Monster Island zombies. Let me know how you like the series when you get to them. It was like eating Pringles; they're not particularly good but once you start you really have a hard time stopping.

53. Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay 9/9/08
54. The End of the Affair by Graham Greene 9/11/08

Currently Reading:
It Can Happen Here by Joe Conason
Postsingular by Rudy Rucker

55. It Can Happen Here by Joe Conason 9/14/08

Currently Reading:
Seeing by Jose Saramago
Postsingular by Rudy Rucker

56. Seeing by Jose Saramago 9/16/08
-Amazing book. Completely different from Blindness but fantastic satire in the vein of Dr. Strangelove.

Currently Reading:
The Places in Between by Rory Stewart
Postsingular by Rudy Rucker

57. The Places in Between by Rory Stewart 9/22/08

Currently Reading:
Nemesis by Chalmers Johnson
Postsingular by Rudy Rucker

58. Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic by Chalmers Johnson 9/28/08
59. Postsingular by Rudy Rucker 9/28/08

Currently Reading:
Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne & Eric Knutzen

60. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess 10/4/08
61. Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson 10/6/08

Currently Reading:
Vacation by Jeremy C. Shipp
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

62. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris 10/7/08

Currently Reading:
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Vacation by Jeremy C. Shipp

63. Vacation by Jeremy C. Shipp 10/10/08
64. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris 10/13/08

Currently Reading:
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Battlestar Galactica by Jeffrey Carver

You make me feel like such a slacker. :-)

65. Battlestar Galactica by Jeffrey A. Carver 10/16/08
66. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez 10/18/08
67. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris 10/19/08
68. A Good Old-Fashioned Future by Bruce Sterling 10/20/08

Currently Reading:
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Frostbite by David Wellington

69. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe 10/22/08

I don't feel so bad about constantly putting this book off now that I've actually read it. It was exactly what I expected it to be.

Currently Reading:
????

70. Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk 10/26/08
71. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris 10/27/08

Currently Reading:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Frostbite by David Wellington

72. Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway 11/2/08

Currently Reading:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Frostbite by David Wellington

73. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris 11/6/08

The election is a massive distraction when it comes to my reading pace.

Currently Reading:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Esopus, Vol. 11 ed. by Tod Lippy

74. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris 10/8/08
75. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris 11/8/08

So I guess that completes my challenge for this year. I didn't think I'd manage 75 books with my pace being slowed so significantly by real life distractions but here it is, the beginning of November, and my challenge has been completed. I wonder how far I can still push my number this year? I don't think it's possible to beat my All-Time Best of 114 books per year, but I think I can at least knock off 5 more books, bringing my total up to 80 for the year. Considering the length and complexity of some of the books I have on my plate, I think that's a realistic number to shoot for.

Currently Reading:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Esopus, Vol. 11 ed. by Tod Lippy

76. East of Eden by John Steinbeck 11/17/08
77. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman 11/18/08

Currently Reading:
Flicker by Theodore Roszak
Esopus, Vol. 11 ed. by Tod Lippy

78. Smashed, Squashed, Splattered, Chewed, Chunked & Spewed by Lance Carbuncle 11/21/08

Currently Reading:
Flicker by Theodore Roszak
War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Esopus, Vol. 11 ed. by Tod Lippy

79. Flicker by Theodore Roszak 11/28/08

Currently Reading:
From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Esopus, Vol. 11 ed. by Tod Lippy
Yeti, Vol. 6 ed. by Mike McGonigal

80. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris 11/30/08

Currently Reading:
War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Esopus, Vol. 11 ed. by Tod Lippy
Yeti, Vol. 6 ed. by Mike McGonigal

81. World War Z by Max Brooks 12/14/08
82. Frostbite by David Wellington 12/15/08

Currently Reading:
War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Esopus, Vol. 11 ed. by Tod Lippy
Yeti, Vol. 6 ed. by Mike McGonigal