1 - 01/04/2009 - The Name of the Wind
2 - 01/15/2009 - The Book Thief
3 - 01/17/2009 - A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
4 - 01/24/2009 - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
5 - 01/27/2009 - Watership Down
6 - 01/30/2009 - Griffin's Daughter
7 - 01/31/2009 - The Road
8 - 01/27/2009 - Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
9 - 02/12/2009 - The Great Gatsby
10 - 02/15/2009 - The Princess Bride
11 - 02/18/2009 - Eclipse
12 - 02/19/2009 - The Small Woman
13 - 02/26/2009 - Howl's Moving Castle
14 - 03/01/2009 - The Lightning Thief
15 - 03/05/2009 - Harbinger of Doom
16 - 03/10/2009 - The Reptile Room
17 - 03/14/2009 - Avempartha
18 - 03/17/2009 - A Dirty Job
19 - 03/25/2009 - Alphabet of Thorn
20 - 04/06/2009 - World War Z An Oral History of the Zombie War
21 - 04/26/2009 - The Shack
22 - 05/08/2009 - Redwall
23 - 05/12/2009 - Neverwhere A Novel
24 - 05/15/2009 - California Sorcery
25 - 05/27/2009 - She's Come Undone
26 - 06/03/2009 - The Secret of Lost Things A Novel
27 - 06/11/2009 - Body of Knowledge

Some good ones on your list Robin! How did you enjoy 'The Shack'? It is on my list and on my bookshelf waiting patiently!

Cindy wrote: "Some good ones on your list Robin! How did you enjoy 'The Shack'? It is on my list and one my bookshelf waiting patiently!"

I enjoyed it - for what it was. The author obviously has spirital and religious beliefs and wrapped them nicely into a fictional story. The "story" is a thinly veiled veneer around those. For someone who already has formed their foundation on the subject it will not be anything amazing. If you haven't then it may be downright earth shattering. For someone who doesn't believe it might be too "preachy for them". At it's heart it teaches of love and forgiveness and regardless of your beliefs those aren's such bad things to be out there promoting.

Excellent summation of The Shack Robin. I agree with you.....

Yea Robin great comment, thanks!

You are welcome - it is sometimes difficult to "sum" up a book with religious implications because it can be such a "third rail" type of subject.

I ordered The Shack from the library and am waiting for it to come in. I am alittle afraid it will be too 'preachy' for me. We shall see...

Great list, Robin!

I just added several of these titles to my library list. Great selections!

Robin, how did you like The Princess Bride? It is on my TBR list, but I hesitate everytime I start to read it. A friend said it wasn't very good. Was it a good read? :)

I loved princess bride - but I do warn you it is VERY much like the movie so don't go into thinking you'll get a lot more insight that the movie wasn't able to cover. Have you seen the movie? If so then you have just about "read the book".

The book however does have the whole Goldman/Morgenstern thing - which if you don't know what it is I don't want to spoil it. I personally thought it was very clever and added to the book, many others felt it "distracting" and some were even "mad" about it. If you want to know more than let me know and I'll discuss it in more detail.

I haven't seen the movie yet, I always try to read the books first and then watch the movies. Otherwise I would be bored with the book! lol

Please do tell about the Goldman/Morgenstern thing!

The book "as presented" is a book by "Willam Goldman" which is suppose to be an abridged version of S. Morgenstern's Original Work.

Goldman explains that when he was a child his father used to read the book to him and when his son got older he bought a copy of it for his son. His son read and did not like the book and then Goldman read it and understood why - because the book was long and boring...He claims that his father woudl read "only the good parts" so he wrote an "abridged" version which basically folllows what his father read. So he didn't really "write" the book - he merely presents an edited version.

Throughout the book Goldman will "break in" with some tid-bit of his own life or an explanation of what was in Morganstern's work. He even brings in other authors such as Stephen King who wanted to write the sequel and the two of them argued etc.

He also talks about a dispute with the Morganstern estate which he really can't go into for legal reasons.

The kicker to all this is -- that all the Goldman/Morgenstern stuff is made up -- Right down to his imaginary child and wife. I was a "dupe" and fell for it and it wasn't until I tried to find the original "Princess Bride" that I discovered this.

As to seeing the movie - you MUST. I just watched it again for the 100'th time last weekend with a friend who had never seen it. Both are good but the casting on the movie makes it edge out the book in my opinion.

Wow, and this is all in the Princess Bride book?? I have never heard anything about this! Thank you for filling me in! Now I'm anxious as ever to read the book, and can't wait to get it from the library. :)

I've got the movie on DVD, is it a movie that kids can watch also? (Ages 10-7-5) I am the only person I know that hasn't seen it yet. lol

Aye it is perfectly appopriate for kids - it is very "fairytale-ish" It basically starts out with a grandfather "reading" the story to his sick grandson.

You'll love it!!

Great, I can't wait to get started on the book, and watch the movie! So many books, so little time! :)

The movie is my sisters favorite... And I haven't even seen it. lol

She's Come Undone -- I was horrified and transfixed all at once, I remember, when I first read it (which was a long time ago and I can barely remember it anymore!). The Great Gatsby is a book I read at the Jersey Shore one year. I love the sparse way he wrote things. No extras in there -- you got exactly the words he wanted you to get, I thought.

What did you think of The Road? It got some REALLY mixed reviews on GR.

OMG .... Please don't get me started on "The Road" ;-)

It is by far my least favorite book of all time. I get all kinds of "heat" for that but I'm sorry its the way I feel.

I find nothing of value in this book from story, to character, to prose. The ONLY reason I finished it was so I could denounce it without haivng 1/2 the facts.

Awhile ago I was joining a book club and one of the questions was .... "What is your least favorite book" - or something like that and at the time I didn't have one. Well the first book for that group was "The Road" and the only good thing I can say about it is that I can now answer that question.

Now that I've throughly trashed it...For those that "LOVE IT" I say --- great I'm happy you did. Any book that someones loves and they got something out of it I'm happy for. But for me I wish I could burn this book from my braincells.

That doesn't sound too "mixed" does it ;-p

Robin...I totally agree. I hated The Road. It was awful and I'd like those hours back where I forced myself to read it.

Teri...I own She's Come Undone and now I'm intrigued by what you said about it! I may have to push that to the top of my list.

Hey Brandie,
Glad to find someone who feels the same way about the Road - I hear so many people telling me I'm all wrong here - I think this is a case of the emperor having no clothes and no one wants to admit he is naked.

Robin wrote: "Okay here is my running list of books I've read so far for 2009

1 - 01/04/2009 - The Name of the Wind
2 - 01/15/2009 - The Book Thief
3 - 01/17/2009 - [book:A Lon..."

Wow! You are good...when do you get the time?

Wow - I'm not nearly as avid a reader as others are. My reading is definitely slowing down because it is summer and I do a lot more "outdoors stuff"...incuding riding my bike to/from work (11 miles one way - and I bike slow so it takes me an hour each trip).

Usually, I do most of my reading during my commute - because I take train/bus to get to work.

-- Robin The Crown Conspiracy | Avempartha | Nyphron Rising (Oct 2009)

Ah my post is too long (8,000 characters) so I'm going to put the "covers" in a seperate post here.

I hear ya on my reading slowing down since summer started...I want to be outside more too! :)

Ya, but it does make me a bit sad too - because I miss my reading - there's just something about curling up with a book when it is cold or snowy or rainy outside.

I think I'm the opposite. I read more in the summer when there is nothing on tv.

I'm more of a summer reader. I love camping with a book to read in the evening.