July 2012 Book Challenge

[fremontmama]

So, just by way of clarification (for comers both new and old), guidelines for the Book Challenge Thread are as follows:

1) Post the books you read ... or not
2) Post a recommendation ... or not
3) Number your book ... or not
4) Make a goal for how many books you want to read in 2012 ... or not
5) Have fun with books (This one, unfortunately, is MANDATORY) 

Happy reading everyone!

I need to come back and post books. I've got a big ol' list.  I'm reading a serious non-fiction one right now, it's good, but sad (and engraging), so I'm looking forward to hopping back into fiction. 

Edited by fremontmama - 7/5/12 at 3:07pm

[fremontmama]

#25 Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz

I really liked The Spellman Files, so I thought I would really like this.  But it's a joint affair with another guy, they each wrote a chapter and then there are asides between the two of them explaining what they've done to advance the plot before handing it back to the other person.  It was amusing and fun...but I just didn't like it as well as the other book I read by her.

#26 Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Really funny.  If you've ever read the blog The Bloggess and you've enjoyed it, you would like the book.  Her memoir is really funny and pretty much just more of the same. 

#27 Found by Jennifer Lauck

This is the third of Jennifer Lauck's memoirs, and after reading the first two, and just feeling like this poor girl/woman will never catch a break, I'm so glad I read this third one.  It was beautiful, and I'm so happy for her that she's finally in a place in her life where she is really doing well and feeling good.

#28 State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Thanks for the recommendations, I really loved this one.  And it didn't make me nearly as angry as Bel Canto did.

[mrsmischief]

27. On the Future of Our Educational Institutions by Friedrich Nietzsche

28. Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit

[Igraine]

33) A Storm of Swords is the third of seven planned novels in A Song of Ice and Fire, a fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin. A second time reading this. I enjoyed it very much. There was a lot of details I forgot. Onto Toni Morrison's new book, "Home".

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

19. Hearts in Atlantis

by Stephen King

read by William Hurt and Stephen King

--This collection is in the top five of my Most Favorite Stephen King books. There's just something about it, especially the second (and titular) novella, that I find fascinating (the 60s are a fascinating period of time to me). This audiobook edition is interesting because William Hurt's rhythm and cadence in reading is very ... odd. Not that it's bad, but he pauses in odd places and emphasizes random words at times; it lends something to the story that is not there otherwise.

20. The Dark Tower, Book One: The Gunslinger, Revised and Expanded Edition

by Stephen King

read by George Guidall

--After listening to Hearts in Atlantis I felt the need to revisit King's Dark Tower series (since Hearts is intimately connected to the Tower series), and so have started listening to the series. I've always liked The Gunslinger and even mapped out a series that was a thinly-veiled amalgamation of The Gunslinger and Planet of the Apes after first reading the book in middle school. (It had a nuclear wasteland, an insanely tall black tower, a gunslinger-like character who was a member of the Dawn Patrol, a demon-like leader called The High Theocrat, and mutants that inhabited the wasteland called They ... it was pretty plageristic (there was even a destroyed ruin of the Statue of Liberty).) Anyway, the series has been very influential on me, and I'm looking forward to visiting the Mid-World and following the quest of Roland and his ka-tet once again. And while Guidall is an excellent narrator, he cannot hold a candle to Frank Muller who reads Books 2-4.

Books for 2012: 1. Batman: No Man's Land, 2. Doctor Who: The Day of the Troll, An Exclusive Audio Adventure, 3. The Shimmer, 4. Let the Right One In, 5. Doctor Who: The Pirate Loop, 6. Those Across the River, 7. The Hunger Games, 8. Catching Fire, 9. Mockingjay, 10. Doctor Who: Touched by an Angel, 11. Doctor Who: The Nightmare of Black Island, 12. The Alienist, 13. One Second After, 14. Shadows Over Baker Street: New Tales of Terror!, 15. The Haunted Vagina, 16. The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks of the Apocalypse, 17. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, 18. Star Wars: Death Troopers, 19. Hearts in Atlantis, 20. The Dark Tower, Book One: The Gunslinger, Revised and Expanded Edition, 

[kofduke]

The Taker, Katsu

On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural St. Andrew, Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting a quiet evening. Until a mysterious woman arrives in his ER, escorted by police—Lanore McIlvrae is a murder suspect—and Luke is inexplicably drawn to her. As Lanny tells him her story, an impassioned account of love and betrayal that transcends time and mortality, she changes his life forever. . . . At the turn of the nineteenth century, when St. Andrew was a Puritan settlement, Lanny was consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, and she will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for eternity.

 

Show More

Show Less

I really, really enjoyed this.  Doctor Luke Findley is tired of his life, missing his ex-wife and daughters.  When a woman comes into his ER accused of murder, this existence changes in a heartbeat.  Lanny claims to be over 200 years old -- and Luke believes her.  In the process of escaping from the police, Lanny tells Luke her story -- how she became an immortal, her experience of love, and what that love has cost her.  The writing is so beautifully executed.  I'm really looking forward to the second book in the series.

[mrsmischief]

29. Free to Learn: Five Ideas for a Joyful Unschooling Life

30. Like the Singing Coming Off the Drums by Sonia Sanchez

[nyssaneala]

I'm new to this thread, but love to read!!

This is what I have read so far this year

January

1. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

2. The Help - Kathryn Stockett

3. The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World - Jacqueline Novogratz

4. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

February

5. Sugar Street - Naguib Mahfouz

6. My Life in France - Julia Child

7. The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick

8.One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd

March

9. The China Study - Colin Campbell

10. The Paris Wife - Paula McLain

11. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

12. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

April

13. A Year in the Merde - Stephen Clarke

14. Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay

May

15. Germinal - Emile Zola

June

16. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs

17. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer

18. The 19th Wife - David Ebershoff

July

19. Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes - Andrea Reusing

Currently reading: Coming Home to Eat: The Pleasures and Politics of Local Food - Gary Paul Nabhan

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

21. The Dark Tower, Book Two: The Drawing of the Three

by Stephen King

read by Frank Muller

--Knee-deep in The Dark Tower saga now, and I had forgotten how much I loved these early books in the series. Especially since Muller is narrating them, he really had no equal when it comes to reading audiobooks. King is at the top of his game in these early Tower books, and while he is still as passively racist and misogynistic as always, the man sure knows how to tell a story, and Roland's quest is a doozy of a story.

Books for 2012: 1. Batman: No Man's Land, 2. Doctor Who: The Day of the Troll, An Exclusive Audio Adventure, 3. The Shimmer, 4. Let the Right One In, 5. Doctor Who: The Pirate Loop, 6. Those Across the River, 7. The Hunger Games, 8. Catching Fire, 9. Mockingjay, 10. Doctor Who: Touched by an Angel, 11. Doctor Who: The Nightmare of Black Island, 12. The Alienist, 13. One Second After, 14. Shadows Over Baker Street: New Tales of Terror!, 15. The Haunted Vagina, 16. The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks of the Apocalypse, 17. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, 18. Star Wars: Death Troopers, 19. Hearts in Atlantis, 20. The Dark Tower, Book One: The Gunslinger, Revised and Expanded Edition, 21. The Dark Tower, Book Two: The Drawing of the Three, 

[christianmomof3]

You can click on the titles for full reviews - The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriguez - about the teenage girl who faked being pregnant as a school project.

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown - not as good as The DaVinci Code

Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher, PhD. - really good for parents of teenage daughters

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass - my 10 yo dd liked it

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Our Black Year: One Family's Quest to Buy Black in America's Racially Divided Economy by Maggie Anderson

and

Unchosen: The Hidden Lives of Hasidic Rebels by Hella Winston

[nyssaneala]

Originally Posted by christianmomof3 

Unchosen: The Hidden Lives of Hasidic Rebels by Hella Winston

This sounds really interesting! I have read a few books, both fiction and non-fiction, about FLDS, and I grew up in PA Amish Country, so I am very familiar with that community. My husband is Jewish, and we're raising our daughter Jewish, so this hits a little closer to home. Which makes it all the more important to read, imo. Definitely adding it to my TBR pile!

[AmandaT]

Oh I wish I had seen the book challenge earlier, I don't remember all I've read so far this year!

I know I've read:

1) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

3) Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins

        My younger sister loves the series and I thought it was a good read. Being a fan of Battle Royal it was interesting to see the story lightened up (or just made suitable for a younger audience, I don't know how you could lighten that series up) 

4) Bite Me by Christopher Moore

        It was an okay read, one of my least favorite Christopher Moore books, I much prefer A Dirty Job or LAMB. The main character was a teenage goth girl whose narrative was painful to read at some points (like omg really-totally-really-super-lamesauce).

5) Emma by Jane Austen

        Nice good easy read, I can't believe I never read it when I was younger.

6) The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan

7) Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan

8) A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan

9) The Path of Daggers By Robert Jordan

10) Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan (I'm still currently reading this one)

       Books 5-9 of the Wheel of Time, a great, long-running epic fantasy series. Some of these middle books are dragging a bit for me, particularly number 8, but I've heard it gets very good again with book 11, when Sanderson takes over. At this point I feel so invested, I want to finish it out. I do recommend the series if you are a fan of fantasy, even though some parts are annoying. 

11) A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin

12) A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin

        Rereading these, LOVE the series. My daughter's middle name is Khaleesi.

13) The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

         A nice, quick read.

14) Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

         Reread, I enjoyed it again

15) Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind 

16) Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodkind

         Books 2&3 of The Sword of Truth series. I would not recommend reading these, as they are poorly-executed ripoffs of the Wheel of Time series. I did enjoy The Legend of the Seeker tv series based on the books. It was the only reason I read the first three books.

17) Montessori : The Science Behind the Genius by Angeline Stool Lilard

          This made some interesting arguments and was a good read but I am fairly new to Montessori and doubt I would feel the same if more accustomed to Maria Montessori's philosophies.

18) A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

          Reread, although he is famous for it I forgot just how verbose Dickens can be.

19) Beyond the Sling by Mayim Bialik

          Great read! I personally love Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory and it was nice to read about gentle discipline from a neuroscientist's point of view.

20) The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

           Reread, love it!

21) Whole Foods for Babies & Toddlers by Margaret Kenda

            I have an older version as I purchased it a my LLL's book sale but it is full of great recipes (although I haven't used any yet, DD was just 6 months on 7/1 so still EBF)

22) Feed Yourself, Feed Your Family by La Leche

            Again full of good recipes

Sorry for the wall of text! I know I've forgotten some but this is a long enough post as is. I've been a long time lurker and of course a thread about books brings me out. 

Igranie- do you watch the HBO series?

[Igraine]

Amanda T,

Yes, I have enjoyed the G Of T series. Eventhough many things are different, I feel that they have done an excellent job capturing the story and the characters. It is a huge project. I am surprised that they have been able to cover as much as they have in one season. These books are so full and rich. I very rarely have reread books. I will probably read these ones over and over again.

Very cool middle name for your little girl!

[Igraine]

34) Home by Toni Morrison. I really enjoyed this book. It was full of emotion, strength, suffering  and loss like many of Toni's books. But I did not feel traumatized after reading it like I have with Toni's other books. I am not being sarcastic about that either. I literally had to stop reading Morrison after I finished reading "Beloved". This is my first attempt to read any of her books since then. I am glad I did. 

http://www.npr.org/2012/05/15/151378917/home-toni-morrisons-taut-triumphant-new-novel

[nyssaneala]

Originally Posted by Igraine 

34) Home by Toni Morrison. I really enjoyed this book. It was full of emotion, strength, suffering  and loss like many of Toni's books. But I did not feel traumatized after reading it like I have with Toni's other books. I am not being sarcastic about that either. I literally had to stop reading Morrison after I finished reading "Beloved". This is my first attempt to read any of her books since then. I am glad I did. 

http://www.npr.org/2012/05/15/151378917/home-toni-morrisons-taut-triumphant-new-novel

I know exactly what you mean about Morrison! I love her books, but take very, very long breaks before I will pick up another one. I have only read Song of Solomon, Beloved, and one of her picture books, The Big Box. My DD loved the picture book, and had her playing with boxes for weeks!

[zebra15]

January

1. Skipped Parts - Tim Sandlin  (Nook)

2. The Mill River Recluse - Darcie Chan (Nook)

3. I Used to Know That - Caroline Taggart (Nook)

4. Mom Still Likes You Best (audio book) - Jane Isay (Library)

5. The Snow Angel - Glenn Beck  (Library)

6. Hurricanes in Paradise - Denise Hildreth (Nook)

February

7. I Didn't Ask to Be Born - Bill Cosby (Library)

8. From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler (DS Copy)

9. House Rules - Rachel Sontag (Library)

10. On a Dollar a Day - Christopher Greenslate (Library)

11. Ella Enchanted - Gail Levine (Library)

12. House of Secrets - Tracie Peterson (Library) 

April

13. Victims - Jonathan Kellerman (Library)

June (no May, not much in April)

14. These Things Hidden - Heather Gudenkauf (library)

15. The Weight of Silence - Heather Gudenkauf (library)

16. The Help - Kathryn Stockett (library)

17. Live Wire - Harlan Coben (my copy) - this maybe titled something else as it's the canadian edition from a second hand shoppe

18. Sickened - Julie Gregory (library)

19. Maine -  J. Courtney Sullivan (library)

July

20. Who Do You Think You Are? - Alyse Myers (library)

21. One Breath Away - Heather Gudenkauf (library)

22. Swallow The Ocean- Laura Flynn (library)

23. Dead Reckoning - Linda Castillo (library)

24 Corpse on the Cob - Sue Jaffarian (library)

[fremontmama]

Welcome Nyssaneala and AmandaT!!

Originally Posted by Igraine 

33) A Storm of Swords is the third of seven planned novels in A Song of Ice and Fire, a fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin. A second time reading this. I enjoyed it very much. There was a lot of details I forgot. Onto Toni Morrison's new book, "Home".

Can't wait to start this series!  It's going to be a bit though, there are 300 people in line for it at the library.

Originally Posted by NewCrunchyDaddy 

19. Hearts in Atlantis

by Stephen King

read by William Hurt and Stephen King

--This collection is in the top five of my Most Favorite Stephen King books. There's just something about it, especially the second (and titular) novella, that I find fascinating (the 60s are a fascinating period of time to me). This audiobook edition is interesting because William Hurt's rhythm and cadence in reading is very ... odd. Not that it's bad, but he pauses in odd places and emphasizes random words at times; it lends something to the story that is not there otherwise.

20. The Dark Tower, Book One: The Gunslinger, Revised and Expanded Edition

by Stephen King

read by George Guidall

--After listening to Hearts in Atlantis I felt the need to revisit King's Dark Tower series (since Hearts is intimately connected to the Tower series), and so have started listening to the series. I've always liked The Gunslinger and even mapped out a series that was a thinly-veiled amalgamation of The Gunslinger and Planet of the Apes after first reading the book in middle school. (It had a nuclear wasteland, an insanely tall black tower, a gunslinger-like character who was a member of the Dawn Patrol, a demon-like leader called The High Theocrat, and mutants that inhabited the wasteland called They ... it was pretty plageristic (there was even a destroyed ruin of the Statue of Liberty).) Anyway, the series has been very influential on me, and I'm looking forward to visiting the Mid-World and following the quest of Roland and his ka-tet once again. And while Guidall is an excellent narrator, he cannot hold a candle to Frank Muller who reads Books 2-4.

Books for 2012: 1. Batman: No Man's Land, 2. Doctor Who: The Day of the Troll, An Exclusive Audio Adventure, 3. The Shimmer, 4. Let the Right One In, 5. Doctor Who: The Pirate Loop, 6. Those Across the River, 7. The Hunger Games, 8. Catching Fire, 9. Mockingjay, 10. Doctor Who: Touched by an Angel, 11. Doctor Who: The Nightmare of Black Island, 12. The Alienist, 13. One Second After, 14. Shadows Over Baker Street: New Tales of Terror!, 15. The Haunted Vagina, 16. The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks of the Apocalypse, 17. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, 18. Star Wars: Death Troopers, 19. Hearts in Atlantis, 20. The Dark Tower, Book One: The Gunslinger, Revised and Expanded Edition, 

NCD--what's your very favorite Stephen King book?  Or is it too hard to choose?

Originally Posted by christianmomof3 

You can click on the titles for full reviews - The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriguez - about the teenage girl who faked being pregnant as a school project.

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown - not as good as The DaVinci Code

Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher, PhD. - really good for parents of teenage daughters

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass - my 10 yo dd liked it

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Our Black Year: One Family's Quest to Buy Black in America's Racially Divided Economy by Maggie Anderson

and

Unchosen: The Hidden Lives of Hasidic Rebels by Hella Winston

CM3--your non-fiction titles sound interesting!  I'm adding those to my list.

I'll come back soon with my recently finished books.  I've read some well-written and rather sobering/enraging non-fiction and some captivating fiction.  Be back soon! 

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!!

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

Originally Posted by fremontmama 

NCD--what's your very favorite Stephen King book?  Or is it too hard to choose?

The Shining. No contest. Not only is it my favorite, but in my opinion it is his absolute best ... his third novel and it was the absolute high point of his career, he's never written anything better.

[Igraine]

35) Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. These letters were just so enjoyable to read. A short little book and lightened my heart and made me think deeply about my life at the same time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letters_to_a_Young_Poet

[Holland73]

Originally Posted by Igraine 

35) Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. These letters were just so enjoyable to read. A short little book and lightened my heart and made me think deeply about my life at the same time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letters_to_a_Young_Poet

I love that book!  Actually, I love most of Rilke's work.