Challenge: 50 Books discussion

Not sure whether I'll do what I did last year and half way through abandon the list, but here it goes anyway.

1) Sunday Money by Jeff McGregor
2)Hot Six by Janet Evanovich
3) A is for Alibi
4) B is for Burglar
5) C is for Corpses all three by Sue Grafton
6) Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
7) Engaging Men by Lyndan Curnan
8) New Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
9) Irish Born (trilogy) by Nora Roberts
10) Jane Austen in Scarsfale by Paula Cohen
11) Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clark
12) Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
13) Watchmen by Alan Moore
14) In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen
15) The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wrobleski
16) 2666 by Roberto Bolano
17) I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb
18) Lip Service by Suzanne Simmons
19) Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
20) Beowulf on the Beach by Jack Murnighan
21) I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max
22) The Algebraist by Ian Banks
23) Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend by Robert James Waller
24) Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
25) Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg
26) Light on Snow by Anita Shreve
27) Are You There God, It's me, Vodka by Chelsea Handler
28) I Was Told There Would Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
29) The Women at the Washington Zoo by Margaret Williams
30) The New New Journalism by Robert S Boynton
31) Stealing with Syle by Jenkins
32) Heartless by Alison Gaylin
33) Empire Falls by Richard Russo
34) The Red tent by Anita Diamont
35) Into the Path of Gods by Kathleen Cunningham Guler
36) Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich
37) Wedding Bell Blues by Robyn Amos
38) Outlander by Diane Gabaldon
39) Fortune Rocks by Anita Shreve
40) Dish and Tell, The Miami Bombshells
41) In the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
42) A Delirious Summer by Blackston
43) The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
44) Death in Daytime by Eileen Davidson
45) The Ruins by Scott Smith
46) Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
47) The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet
48) On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle
49) Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe
50) Spying in High Heels by Gemma Holliday

This is in no particular order other than these are the books that I have around my desk and where I keep my laptop in my bedroom. I may intersperse books I get from the library or other interesting books that cross my path. As I said, last year, I only read about half of what I listed. I do want to de-clutter this area, though and that is motivation to read from these piles.

1) Sunday Money, done
2) Hot Six, done

currently working on A is for Alibi

3) Engaging Men by Lynda Curnan

4)Seven Up by Janet Evanovich
5) A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

6) The 4-Day Diet by Ian Smith, MD

7) B is for Burglar
8) Cancellation by Death
9)Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich
10) To the Nines by Janet Evanovich

11) C is for Corpse

12) Winning by Losing by Jillian Michaels

13) Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich

14) Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich

It would appear that I've totally be thrown off of my list.

Heh, heh. Best laid plans. Road to hell. All that cliche stuff. Go with the flow, you'll get back on your track eventually.

Thanks. I'm slightly OCD so I'm determined to finish the Plum novels before I can move onto other things. Fortunately, I read them quickly and I should be done by the weekend.

Thanks. I'm slightly OCD so I'm determined to finish the Plum novels before I can move onto other things. Fortunately, I read them quickly and I should be done by the weekend.

Rita wrote: "Thanks. I'm slightly OCD so I'm determined to finish the Plum novels before I can move onto other things. Fortunately, I read them quickly and I should be done by the weekend."

Rita, quite an ambitious list! What caught my eye (even though I LOVE the Sue Grafton novels) was Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. I don't know if you've seen the actual book, but it's a big honker! It's 700 plus pages...and also a 'strange' book. I skimmed part of the middle as it bogged down, but I think I read at least 500 pages...and I couldn't put it down, as preposterous as it seemed at times. In researching the book later, I found that there was some talk of making it into a movie, which I think would take adaptation very well. Not your usual fairy tale.

Carol, I own the book, but I'll be honest, I haven't even opened it. But yes, it's a big honker. Sometimes I read quickly, especially those types of stories.

I'll be honest, I made this list based on the pile of books that I had in my room at the time. I've since cleaned up and gotten a bookshelf so once I finish the Plum novels I'll need to track down where I put the books.

Rita, in decluttering my house, I decided to store my 'extra' books (those I don't think I will be interested in for awhile) in a storage area off-premises. I'm packing them into the half-size Xerox boxes I get from work, and I have to say that I am becoming more and more astonished as I unearth books in the strangest and most unlikely places.

With JS&MrN, I was so taken by the book (which was given to me much used) that when I saw it on the 'cheap shelf' at Barnes & Noble for, like, 5 bucks (new), I seriously thought of buying it...just so I could have a better looking copy! I sat on it, tho, and when I went back, of course it was gone.

Ugh,I hate when that happens. It just reinforces the fact that impulse book buying is a good thing. Right?

Rita, glad I got your permission to indulge myself next time...

Carol, have you gotten the book yet?

15) Twelve Sharp and 16) Plum Lovin' both by Janet Evanovich

Next up: Well, 13 and 14 of the Plum series, plus Plum Spooky. Then I'll have read all the ones I own. I only have to get 15 from the library. I can't get to anything else until I finish these. I don't know why, but there ya go.

I have only read a few Stephanie Plums, and although she is certainly quirky and likeable, and her off-again-on-again boyfriend sounds scrumptious, she didn't end up in the inner circle of those herioines that I like the most. I could, however, see (even in the few I did read) the character of Stephanie Plum evolve, even if only ever so slightly. I also thought that the first book would make a good movie. The character of Lulu, how they met, and how Lulu became integrated into Steph's life by the end of the book was interesting to me.

Maybe I'll change my mind later...I did with Rita Mae Brown. Couldn't stand the addendum 'with Sneaky Pie Brown' (her CAT), I just thought that was too cutesy, but I read a book one dry spell with nothing to do, and ended up liking it a lot and she became one of my favorites, in the inner circle. So, who knows...

How many Stephanie Plums are there, by the way? And I know that Evanovich has written other books besides the SP series.

Yea, sometimes Stephanie gets on my nerves, but I like her and I love Lulu. There are 15 in total with 3 (I think) between the numbers. #16 comes out this summer I believe.

I love the family too, I can definitely relate.

17) Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich. I'm finally done with it. These are getting to be a little predictable.

Rita wrote: "17) Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich. I'm finally done with it. These are getting to be a little predictable."

But that's part of the fun! You know before you start that:

Stephanie's going to lose a car.
Grandma's going to a funeral.
Lulu's going to do something outrageous.
Ranger's going to show up.

You probably shouldn't try to read too many in too short a time period. If you had taken them as they came, once a year or so, I doubt that they would get tedious. Predictability isn't always a bad thing - it can be an old friend coming for a visit.

Hear, hear, Peg!

Thank you for that perspective Peg! I will take a break from them. I've got four more, so I think I'll finish Angels & Demons and then move on to Emma.

18) Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

19) The Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Noble

20) Little Bitty Lies by Mary Kay Anderson.

I've just started reading for the Seasonal Challenge, Summer and I've completely decimated my initial list above. Ah well, such is life.

21) Simmer Down by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant

Just finished
22) The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

23) Carrie's Diary by Candace Bushnell
24)The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
25) Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn (10 volume graphic novel)

27) Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich

26) Sick Puppy by Carl Hiaason
27) Frankly My Dear I'm Dead by Livinia J Washburn

28) Charlotte's Web

29) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabahan

30) Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stout

31) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

32) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

33) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
34) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

35) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

36) Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson
37) Sex, Murder and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis

38) 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

39) Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

40) The Help
41) The Confession by John Grisham

42) The Ming and I by Tamara Meyers

43) Rachel's Holiday by Mariane Keyes
44) Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

45)Murder Under the Mistletoe by Jennifer Jordan
46) Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke

It's nice to see by your book choice that you're in the holiday spirit.

Susan,

thanks!! Yea, I scoured my bookshelves to find holiday books.