31. Read 150 books for pleasure. Here is the list to keep track
Total:
| |
91 / 150 (60.0%) |
This year:
| |
58 / 50 (114.0%) |
I have some catching up to do. I only made it through 33 books last year.
| Date | Book | Link or comments |
|---|---|---|
| January 6/07 | David Baldacci, The Camel Club | The amount of detail and conspiracy he attempted to cram into 400+ pages boggled a bit. As well, the Oliver Stone character is completely unlikely within the context of this story. |
| January 9/07 | Pernille Rygg, The Butterfly Effect | No, not The The Butterfly Effect |
| January 19, 2007 | Bruce Schneier, Beyond Fear | Author had some interesting points, but the fact that this is a completely unreferenced work is distracting. The author makes some claims that would be more impactful if he provided sources for. |
| January 21, 2007 | Malcolm Gladwell, Blink | Makes me want to learn what all those muscles he's talking about are. *g* |
| January 22, 2007 | Augusten Burroughs, Running with Scissors | Dark, dark story. |
| February 1, 2007 | Peter Beinart, The Good Fight: Why Liberals-and Only Liberals-Can Win the War on Terror and Make America Great Again |
Two hundred page book, of which the author only talks about the future for ~30. The rest of the time is a discussion of the historically shifting position of the left in the US over the past 60 years. Does not deliver what the title promises. Ironic that his premise is libs have no clear vision, and he doesn't offer one either. |
| February 10, 2007 | Frank Rich, The Greatest Story Ever Sold | A factual timeline of the continued deception perpetrated by the Bush administration in order to justify the invasion of Iraq. Very few new revelations, but shocking in its entirety. |
| February 13, 2007 | Hugo Hamilton, The Speckled People | A friend of mine lent this to me a couple of years ago, I had never heard of it, and wasn't sure it would interest me. It is a heartbreaking story of a German/Irish boy growing up in Ireland after WWII, allowed only to speak Irish or German, but not English. I love stories that are told with an interesting voice, a character who shines through the words. This book evokes memories of childhood, of trying to sort out the pain of the adults around you, while still preserving the wonderful world of a child. |
| February 18, 2007 | John Grogan, Marley & Me | If you want a book that will make you laugh out loud, uncontrollably, in the most inappropriate of places, read this book. Read it up until the toboggan run. If you want a book that will break your heart and make you bawl your eyes out, read the rest of the book. The author has managed to capture the heartbreak and joy our pets bring to our lives in a light, easy to read novel. Hug your furbabies! |
| March 4, 2007 | John Grisham, A Painted House | A really enjoyable read |
| April 12, 2007 | Ayelet Waldman, Murder Plays House | Funny read, will look for others in series |
| April 15, 2007 | Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, She's Not There | Will look for the first Poppy Rice novel, not spectacular, but a good cottage read. |
| April 16, 2007 | Scott Frost, Run The Risk | Too convenient, 'mastermind' was too smart, to no end. |
| April 24, 2007 | Todd Gitlin, Sacrifice | Not a terribly captivating book. Older messed up son reading his father's journals to try to understand him better; after father's suicide. Father was a psychoanalyst who re-wrote some of the major father/son storylines of the bible. |
| April 27, 2007 | Sidney Sheldon, Memories of Midnight | Sequel, but readable on its own. Standard Sheldon world of super evil and clueless victims. |
| May 1, 2007 | Terry McMillan, A Day Late and a Dollar Short | This was the first Terry M. book I've read, and I'm not sure I'll read another. The biggest issue I had with it was how everyone and everything seemed to wrap up so neatly in the end. The chances of all these family members suddenly straightening out after thirty some-odd years of messing up just does not ring true. And while the letters made me cry a little, please. |
| May 5, 2007 | Stephen J. Cannell, Cold Hit | Entertaining story, got a bit over the top at the end, can see the 'made for TV'ness of it (no wonder given SJC's background). May try others to see how they go. Think the character is re-occurring. |
| May 8, 2007 | Joan Hess, The Deadly Ackee | Entertaining short stories, one of which I'd read in another anthology. Cute 'novel'. |
| May 14, 2007 | Liz Curtis Higgs, Mixed Signals | This book was disappointing. I was expecting a women's fiction novel and ended up with a Christian Romance instead. Not only does every character find their personal god, and develop their saving grace, but the heroine is immature and her reactions to predicable situations (seeing the object of her affection hugging another woman etc) are infantile at best. If one more person had shed one more tear in this book I would have torn the book in too. Best thing I can say about it is that I'm finished reading it. |
| May 18, 2007 | Hugh Zachary, Munday | Of all the 3/$10 fiction books I recently bought, this was the only disappointment. Storylines are started and abandoned, and the abrupt ending is jarring and unsatisfying. The sexist tone of the author was also annoying. |
| May 20, 2007 | Stephen R. Donaldson, The Man Who Fought Alone | |
| May 21, 2007 | Patricia Cornwell, From Potter's Field | Somewhere along the way I stopped reading this series, I have some catching up to do. |
| May 22, 2007 | Patricia Cornwell, Cause of Death | |
| May 24, 2007 | Patricia Cornwell, Unnatural Exposure | |
| June 7, 2007 | Leon Uris, Mitla Pass | |
| June 8, 2007 | Mary Higgins Clarke, Daddy's Little Girl | First MHC book I've read and I was pleasantly surprised by it. While it is superficial on many levels, and it is obvious the author is trying to be 'net savvy and failing, it was an engaging and quick read. I would certainly not call it a mystery, but willtry another of her books. |
| June 10, 2007 | Dorothy Cannell, The Importance of Being Ernestine | |
| June 16, 2007 | David Sedaris, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim | |
| June 18, 2007 | Patricia Cornwell, Black Notice | Still trying to fill in the holes of the books that I skipped. |
| June 20, 2007 | Patricia Cornwell, The Last Precinct | |
| June 21, 2007 | Patricia Cornwell, Blow Fly | |
| June 22, 2007 | Patrica Cornwell, Trace | |
| June 23, 2007 | Patricia Cornwell, Predator | |
| June 28, 2007 | Vicki Iovine, The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy | I know. I never thought I would find myself reading one of these, but she is pretty damn funny. And while I didn't really learn anything new, I giggled a lot. Especially at her outdated fashion tips - Stirrup pants? hehe. |
| June 30, 2007 | Patricia Cornwell, Hornet's Nest | Her emotionally stunted, uncommunicative, but apparently completely successful characters are getting to be too much. |
| July 2, 2007 | Sue Grafton, N is for Noose | |
| July 3, 2007 | Sue Grafton, O is for Outlaw | |
| July 5, 2007 | Sue Grafton, Q is for Quarry | |
| July 8, 2007 | Sue Grafton, R is for Ricochet | |
| July 11, 2007 | Sue Grafton, S is for Silence | And now I'm caught up on this series, on to the next. |
| July 15, 2007 | Ayelet Waldman, The Cradle Robbers | |
| July 15, 2007 | Ayelet Waldman, Bye-Bye Black Sheep | |
| July 19, 2007 | Patricia Cornwell, Point of Origin | |
| July 28,2007 | JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | |
| Aug 21, 2007 | James Laxer, The Border, Canada, the US and Dispatches from the 49th Parallel | Interesting look at life on both sides of the 49th and our relationship with the US. Written before, during and after 9/11. Weird non-ending. |
| Aug. 31, 07 | Sears and Sears, The Birth Book | You can certainly see where their biases lie - which is pretty funny for a doctor and a nurse. |
| Sept. 10, 2007 | JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit | What an enjoyable book! As I was reading it, I kept thinking, 'I can't wait to read this to my child(ren)' The most entertaining/captivating of his books I've read so far. |
| October 20, 2007 | JRR Tolkien, The Silmarillion | Guh. Never want to have to read a book like that again! Confusing timelines, text where a character has three different names, and boring story. |
| October 24, 2007 | Penny Simkin, The Birth Partner | I know this is actually for hubby to read, but I wanted to gain some insight on what he's planning too. Good book for labour support people. (esp. ones that don't want a doula in the room) |
| Nov 1, 07 | Pam England, Birthing From Within | A little bit too much focus on art and drawing for expression, but great pain management tips. lots of ice cube work to be done. Also lots of advice for birth partner |
| November 08, 2007 | Henci Goer, The Thinking Woman's Guide to Childbirth | Are you sensing a theme yet? |
| November 16, 2007 | Ina May Gaskin, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth | |
| November 23, 2007 | Andrew Solomon, A Stone Boat | |
| November 24, 2007 | Kathy Reichs, Bones to Ashes | Not a bad installment in this series. Quick read. |
| November 29, 2007 | Dave Hill, Dad's Life | Funny, touching story. A little bit confusing with the ex's motives, but tied up in a tidy package. |
| November 30, 2007 | Maud Bryt, Baby Love | A tad old fashioned on advice, and a bit of a fluff piece. Parenting is wonderful and it will all work out, just stay calm. |
| December 3, 2007 | Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal | Really, I think the title says it all. Pretty damn funny read, and impressive in the attempts to use historically correct context. |
| December 29, 2007 | Nikki Sixx, The Heroin Diaries | |
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