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Monef's 2010 Reading Goal - 50 Books
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1. The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson & the Olympians 4)
Completed on January 4th
3 stars
It now seems unlikely that I will give any of the books from this series anything higher than 3 stars. They are pleasant enough, and incredibly imaginative, but the main characters are just so flat. There has been absolutely no development over the 4 years so far, in essence they feel exactly the same to me now as they did in the first book.
2. The Girl Who Played With Fire
Completed on January 12th
5 stars
A sequel that absolutely lived up to its predecessor's brilliance and if possible drew me in even more quickly. I am salivating for more. I am going to London tomorrow, so will definitely be picking up The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest.
3. The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson, #5) 
Completed on January 19th
3.75 stars
No sooner than I pledged not to give any of the books in this series more than three stars have I had to eat my words. The Last Olympian was a fitting finale to the series, and its incredibly dense mythology and breakneck pace worked well. None of the story felt like filler, and Riordan even managed to elicit actual emotions out of this reader a few times which is something he has never managed before.
4. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (Millenium #3) 
602 pages
Completed on February 7th
4.5 stars
A fitting end to the Millenium saga, the exploits of Lisbeth & co were so utterly engaging in this final installment, it was incredibly hard to say good bye. I will say though that lack of better editing is the only thing that stands in the way of me giving these books 5 stars
The Hunger Games [image error]
374 pages
Completed on February 10th
5 stars.
Amazing seems too small of a word to convey how I really felt about this book. I devoured it, and if it wasn't for the fact that I have a job I feel certain I would finished it in one sitting. It is the kind of book that grips you instantaneously and doesn't let go. It had me laughing, getting teary, and whooping with excitement all at once. I am diving straight into the sequel.
6. Catching Fire
391 pages
Completed February 11th
5 stars
An absolutely spectacular follow up to my favourite read of the year so far. I thought reading this so soon after the Hunger Games would dilute the impact, but it didn't at all. My anticipation was just as high, and I could not put the book down. I am paying for it today with the huge bags under my eyes, but it was definitely worth it
7. White Tiger - Aravind Adiga 
288 pages
Completed February 17th
4.5 stars
I walked into the bookstore and asked for a recommendation for people who enjoy the work of Junot Diaz. The guy behind the counter suggested White Tiger, and while I am not necessarily sure I agree with him, it was a great choice. It was candid, funny and brutally truthful. It really rang true, especially for someone who grew up in a developing country. Highly recommended
8. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
451 pages
Completed February 24th
5 stars
A marvellously exhilarting read, brilliant inevery way. he characters essentially pulled me in from the start and did not let go until I reached the end. I laughed, cried and pondered the nature of humanity and the strength of women. It was just the kinhd of juicy read I always walk into the bookstaore hoping to grab. I look forward to reading more from Kathryn Stockett in the future, her immense talent is undeniable.
9. Naked - David Sedaris
291 pages
Completed February 27th
3.5 stars
I was so excited to finally delve into something by David Sedaris, I felt like teh only person in the world who hadn't read his stuff. It started of well. The childhood stories were genuinely hilarious and the darkness of the humour was pitch perfect. Somewhere just prior to college though, I stopped caring and it all became incredibly tedious. This led to me diverting myself by reading every other book I could get my hands on just to avoid continuing to slog through Naked. Two days ago in an effort to boost my count for the ear, I decided to finish the book. It was still very tedious until I reached the chapter 'ashes'. That chapter alone was brilliant, painful, funny and sad all at once enough to bring the book up to 3.5 or 4 stars. I will likel give another of his books a shot, as what I did like was brilliant.
10 - Twilight - Stephanie Meyer
Ugh. I chose to read the Twilight series after resisting for years because I wanted to understand the pop-cultural significance of the series. I will say that I wasn't creeped out so much as I was simply bored. The vampires who just want to be good? Only drinking animal blood? A forbidden love between a teenage girl and her much older boyfriend? Buffy the Vampire Slayer asked all these questions in a much smarter, more relevant and more significant way. Twilight is just so incredibly shallow and boring, I am baffled.
The biggest bee in my bonnet is the sculpted, marble perfection of Edward. Oh.My.God. Over and over again, all I learned about Edward was that he was marble, he was perfect, he was sculpted. Oh and of course, the crooked smile. Okay. I am not really accustomed to reading books that continue to repeat the same thing is over and over again. If edited properly, Twilight would have been the most slender of volumes as it never really had anything to say at all. I'm not going to bother dissecting the stupidity of the sparkling, I just don't get it.
Bella is insipid which wouldn't be so much of a crime if the story wasn't told from her POV. It makes the whole thing incredibly tedious. I struggled to get through the book, not just because it was really badly written, but because I was so incredibly bored. I have to say that I am really regretting promising other people that I would read the whole series, if they are anywhere near as boring and horrendously written as this one, I might need some eye-bleach
11. The House on Mango Street - Sandra Cisneros
I adored this book, but it really felt like getting an appetiser vs a main course. The lyricism of the prse is utterly enchanting, and the vignettes are incredibly vibrant and colourful, yet poignant and heratfelt. It did however take me about a third of the book to shake the feeling that I was simply reading a series of poems featuring the same players.
12. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
1 star. New Moon was even more ridiculous than Twilight. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but it was. On the plus side, the entire novel isn't full of paragraphs dedicated to the marble perfection of Edward. It is however full of multiple episodes of Bella, the clumsy yet fragile angel swooning, fainting and passing out.
My chief complaint is mainly the same with its predecessor, nothing happens. It is a long novel with a lot of waffle about nothing. Additionally Bella's head is really the most boring place ever. Without any sign of self esteem whatsoever, Bella is a incredibly tedious narrator.
13. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
2 stars. Okay, so this one was a little better than New Moon, but honestly still incredibly boring. I can't understand how these enormous tomes with horrible prose don't get edited a little better. Lots of prattling on about nothing, and doing it in horrible language. I can't believe that after 3 books, I don't care how this saga ends, and all the people who promised me things would get better with this series are lying liars who lie.
14 . Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
1 star, and I am actually being generous. This one started off better than the rest. The quality of the writing seemed drastically improved, and I thought to myself "Things are looking up". No sooner had I thought it than it all went downhill. This turns out to be the worst of the lot. It seemed to be going for darkness, but was simply disgusting, and only served to underline the pointlessness of the series. I actually felt incredibly stupid for subjecting myself to this series. This is one curiousity I should never have bothered to satisfy.
15. The Thing Around Your Neck - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely love Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I always look forward to anything new from her. That said, I was fairly dissatisfied and honestly a bit disappointed with this book. I compare it to Uwem Akpan's collection of short stories, 'Say you are one of them' and Chimamanda comes up short, very short. As the product of a mixed tribe marriage myself, and a member of one of Nigeria's minority tribes I find all the tribal divisions to be beyond pointless. They may have proven useful in shedding light on slights in the past, but in today's world her continued insistence on perpetrating a Nigerian world in which every single character is Igbo rings false.
That said, I found the stories set in America to be incredibly powerful, poignant and spot on. It is unfortunate that she insisted on making those characters exclusively Igbo too, as any Nigerian really would have fit the bill.
I really hope she switches it up next time, or she risks becoming a relic.
16. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
When this book was chosen as the read of the month, I was really excited. After the first 20 or so pages, my excitement began to wane as I thought it might be more of a tedious reading experience than anything else.
I stuck with it however, and in the end while I found it to be a rather brilliant, interesting and exciting book, I also thought it was incredibly uneven. The pacing is all over the place and so for a period of time I would be flying through the book, hanging on to every word, and then would suddenly find myself mired in tedium.
My experience reading this book was essentially as unpredictable as the world inhabited by its characters. It was interesting enough, but ultimately too taxing for the slightness of the rewards. I am not convinced that I will continue with this series
17. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
4 stars and many, many tears shed. Given that I didn't grow up in the US, Flowers for Algernon was not on any of my reading lists at school. I had vaguely heard the name of the book bandied around, but it wasn't until it came up as the group read for April that I decided to pick it up. I was so glad I did.
What a breath of fresh air after reading so many heavily stylised novels recently, to dip into something that was honest, touching and heartfelt. It certainly raised a lot of questions that are still incredibly difficult to answer today.
18. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
4.5 stars for sure. I went back and forth multiple times in my head on this one. I wasnted to give it 5 stars and for most of the book I was certain I would, but things were tied up a little too tidily for my taste towards the end. The thing I enjoyed the most about this book was that reading it gave me the same sensation I felt as I child when I first read Anne of Green Gables and Little Women.
That sense of whimsy and wit rolled together transporting me to a world so vivid and real yet alien to mine. It was adorable without being precious, and I absolutely devoured it. An incredibly satisfying read.
19. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
3.5 stars. Sacrilege I know, but as much as I enojoyed significant chunks of the story, I could have done without the endless excessively verbose paragraphs on jewellry, embroidery and other works of art. It made for somewhat tedious reading at points. That aside, the story was an absolute corker and was brilliantly executed.
20. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See
4 stars
21. The Time Traveller's Wife- Audrey Niffenegger
5 stars
I'm falling behind my target. I should be at 25 books by the end of June to stay on track but I have The Count of Monte Cristo and One Hundred Years of Solitude coming up. I'm just glad one of July's reads will be less than 200 pages, that ought to help.
22. I am the Messenger - Markus Zusak
4 stars
23. Twenties Girl - Sophie Kinsella
3 stars
As predicted, The Count of Monte Cristo coupled with a hectic work schedule has succeeded in throwing a massive spanner in my book reading progress. As interesting as the book is I was getting very bogged down around the middle and it was taking ages to read. I decided to cleanse my palate with a fluffy bit of chick lit, and given how much I adore the shopaholic series, I though Sophie Kinsella's latest would definitely do the trick.
It was a nice quick fluffy read, but for Kinsella it was a bit of a letdown. One of the main characters in the book is a ghost and she spends about two thirds of the book being so incredibly irritating, I almost had to stop reading. She does an about face soon enough and in true Kinsella fashion everything is tied up with a nice neat bow, but not before what started as a nice interesting concept has been tainted.
24. Best Friends Forever - Jennifer Weiner
1.5 stars
Good lord. I had heard from people that Jennifer Weiner was chick lit with a difference. The sort of stuff that isn't really done justice by putting it under that umbrella, so it is really with great sadness that I report how hugely disappointing I found this book. It was essentially...awful.
25. The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
3.5 stars
I quite enjoyed this book, it was decent but I wasn't really blown away. Perhaps my high expectations contributed to the feeling of disappointment I experienced post reading.
26. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
5 stars
Words are inadequate to convey all that I felt about this book. I will need to collect my thoughts and come back to review it properly.
27. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives - Lola Shoneyin
3.75 stars
A really juicy and enjoyable romp of a book.
28. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
5 stars
If every classic was this juicy I would have read them all! It was worth toting around the massive brick of a tome because it turned out to be one of the most satisfying reading experiences of my life.
29. Gregor the Overlander - Suzanne Collins
3.8 stars
The genius of Suzanne Collins shone through for me in this book, but given how much I know about her masterful skill and pacing having read 'The Hunger Games' trilogy, I had to take off a star because the end of the book felt very rushed.
30. Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane - Suzanne Collins
4 stars
The series is really starting to come into its own and I find myself extremely excited to see where it will go next.
31. Eva Luna - Isabel Allende
4.5 stars
Such a delicious and satisfying books. I am still seeking the elusive Allende high that I acheived from 'The House of the Spirits' but this is the closest I have come so far, so bravo!
32. Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods - Suzanne Collins
4.15 stars
Oooh these books are really taking off getting better and better. Still not paced as perfectly as I would like, but the larger philosophical questions and com[elling characters make me inclined to overlook that. I am really looking forward to seeing how this ends.
33. Gregor and the Marks of Secret - Suzanne Collins
4.5 stars
The most enjoyable book of the series so far with some truly touching moments and some very difficult questions about humanity and the nature of war.
34. Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay
3 stars
Mediocre. It satrted off really strong and I wanted to love it as I have been dying to read it for ages. The historical facts surrounding France in WW2 were fascinating but are easily the only reason I gave the book 3 stars. Every thing else was just blah.
35. Gregor and the Code of Claw - Suzanne Collins
4 stars.
The only reason this book loses points compared to the two that came before it is that I found the love story aspect to be annoying and a real hinderance to the story. Other than that, it was a wonderfully brave and ambiguous ending to a spectacularly ambitious tale that turned out to be so much more than a story for children.
36. The Postmistress - Sarah Blake
2 stars
Oh this book, I found it quite unbearable to be honest. I have to say it was possibly one of the most boring and tedious things I have ever read. I know that calling something boring may often come across as a lazy critique, but I really don't think there is a more apt description to be had. The story is told from three different POVs, and although at first I found one of those perspectives more interesting than the others, eventually they all just melded into one big, fat ball of meh.
The characters were all frustrating and flat. Even when I was supposed to be feeling something for them, I simply couldn't bring myself to care enough. It is such a shame that given the time when this novel was set and the subject matter, the author’s 'voice' constantly got in the way of the story taking me out of it every step of the way. Doors are never just opened, they always shudder open. We never simply hear someone's footsteps, said footsteps always echo. It became incredibly tedious in a novel where the stores were flat and the plot was mediocre at best. All in all, it felt like much ado about nothing.
Monef wrote: "36. The Postmistress - Sarah Blake2 stars
Oh this book, I found it quite unbearable to be honest. I have to say it was possibly one of the most boring and..."
The cover is beautiful though don't you think? I felt the same way about the book.
Lahni wrote: "Monef wrote: "36. The Postmistress - Sarah Blake2 stars
Oh this book, I found it quite unbearable to be honest. I have to say it was possibly one of the most ..."
The cover is absolutely stunning, one of the best I have ever seen on a book. I have to admit it played a large role in my decision to read the bookk. Guess that is what I get for judgeing by the cover:)
37. Peony in Love - Lisa See
4 stars.
Oddly enough, a third of the way through this book, it took a twist that I absolutely hated and I almost stopped reading. I was so sure that the turn in events would ruin the book for me and I would detest it. The only reason I continued to read is because I cannot stand to leave a book unfinished, and boy was I proven wrong.
It turned out to be thought provoking and intruiging. Some aspects of the book (never ending lovesickness) I still have hard time relating to, and that keeps me from giving this a full 5 stars, but overall a very enjoyable book that I am glad to have read.
38. The Children's Book - A.S Byatt
3.5 stars.
This is the book that completely destroyed my ambitions of making 50 books by the end of the year. it took me a month and a week to get through it. it was very interesting in some ways, and incredibly overstuffed and boring in others. I'm glad I read it, and really enjoyed it for the most part, but i'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone else.
So over the course of the year I was aiming for 50 but only managed 38. I'm proud of the 38 that I read, particularly tackling The Count of Monte Cristo and The Children's Book as they were absolute doorstoppers and they were incredibly long winded reads. I hope to set the same goal for 2011, and actually achieve it this time! Thanks to everyone who commented in this thread.
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To help me along the way, I joined the 50 books a year group. I am keeping it simple to begin with just to get a bit of a flow going and reduce my TBR shelf substantially. If it goes better than I could have imagined, then I might make it more interesting.
Books I have read in 2010 so far
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1. The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson & the Olympians#4)- Rick Riordan
2. The GirlWho Played With Fire (Millenium #2) - Stieg Larsson
3. The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson & the Olypians #5) - Rick Riordan
4. The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (Millenium #3) - Stieg Larsson
5. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
6. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
7. The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga
8. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
9. Naked - David Sedaris
10. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer
11. The House on Mango Street - Sandra Cisneros
12. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
13. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
14. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
15. The Thing Around Your Neck - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
16. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
17. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
18. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society - Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows
19. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
20. Snow Flower & the Secret Fan - Lisa See
21. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenger
22. I am the Messenger - Markus Zusak
23. Twenties Girl - Sophie Kinsella
24. Best Friends Forever - Jennifer Weiner
25. The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
26. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
27. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives - Lola Shoneyin
28. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
29. Gregor the Overlander - Suzanne Collins
30. Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane - Suzanne Collins
31. Eva Luna - Isabel Allende
32. Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods - Suzanne Collins
33. Gregor and the Marks of Secret - Suzanne Collins
34. Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay
35. Gregor and the Code of Claw - Suzanne Collins
36. The Postmistress - Sarah Blake
37. Peony in Love - Lisa See
38. The Children's Book - A.S. Byatt