#60 Sarah Waters: Fingersmith

I said I'd read more Waters, and so I did. I absolutely adored this book. I loved the setting, I was swooped into London of 1862. I loved Susan and hated Maud but in the end I loved both girls and just wanted the best for them. I loved the flow of the story, Waters' writing, the captivating story... I must read more. Soon, hopefully. :)

#59 Kathleen Kent: The Heretic's Daughter

This was a group read for the Historical Fictionistas group a few months back. I only got around to it now, and I can't say I was really into it. I liked the flow of her writing but the story didn't really grip me at any point. I'd give this 2.5 stars but since it wasn't that bad, I'll make an exception and make it three.

#58 Ann-Marie MacDonald: Fall On Your Knees

I was pretty disappointed in this book. I was expecting something more epic than the book delivered. That's a mistake I sometimes make: my expectations can be too high. This would have gotten five stars from me, had I only read the beginning and the end. The middle somehow felt like everything stopped for a few hundred pages, and nothing really happened. Three stars because it wasn't all bad but I could have been reading something else during those 400 pages. I did not read this because it's one of Oprah's book club choices although it seems I've been reading a lot of those lately. Nope, this one is on the 1001 list which I'm using as a reference.

#57 Alan Paton: Cry, The Beloved Country

Four stars. I enjoyed this book though it was a painful journey but there were a lot of lessons here. I have a weird relationship with religion but I enjoyed the religious aspect very much. I will probably read more Paton.

#56 Ian McEwan: In Between The Sheets

Two stars. Short stories like I've been saying all along: not my forte. (WILL!) I think I liked the first collection better. There was one story here that I enjoyed. I will read more McEwan because this was in the beginning and he went on to write Atonement so I remain positive.

#55 Michael Chabon: Wonder Boys

This is one of a friend's favourite books so I decided to read it. I saw the movie years ago and all I can remember is RDJ was in it. I really liked the flow of Chabon's writing and the story was really compelling because I love reading about books and authors and writing. (I really felt for Terry and James, aww.) Four stars because I felt like something was missing. I will definitely read more Chabon.

#54 Stephen King: Night Shift

I know short stories are not my thing. I know this for a fact. But Stephen King is my thing and though usually even his short stories are not my thing, this one hit the jackpot.

This was a group read for the Stephen King Fans group but I'd read it years ago and was a little apprehensive to pick it up again. But I read the introductions and was immediately tuned into his writing. It definitely helped to be reading the original instead of the translation. King translations are usually of great quality in my experience so it hasn't really bothered me to read the translation but with these stories the chill and the thrill really came through.

Five stars for my favourite author for he is not my favourite for nothing.

#53 H.G. Wells: The Invisible Man

Two stars. I don't know, maybe it was the translation again because there's Finnish and then there's that somewhat old school Finnish that you read in books and this was the latter and that made it a little difficult to adjust. Then again, the book was originally written in 1897. But I didn't like the main character at all and while I was intrigued by the science, there wasn't much to salvage the story for me. I'll be reading War Of The Worlds at some point but I'll have to be careful of which edition I read.

#52 Jon Krakauer: Into The Wild

My first Krakauer book. The book was as thorough as you could have expected. I felt for McCandless very much, and I liked the comparisons between different people who have ventured into the wild, including the author himself. (It actually helped that I had just before watched the first episode of The National Parks which introduced me to John Muir.) I could have used a more linear approach, though. Solid three stars. I wouldn't mind reading another Krakauer book.

#51 Barbara Kingsolver: The Poisonwood Bible

It took me almost three weeks to read this one but not because the book was boring. That was due to school and stress. As it's fall break now, I decided I'd at least finish reading this one. It was a little long-winded but I enjoyed it. The book was the October read for TNBBC.

Andrea, I think the book lacks cohesion somewhat. But I get immersed in it and like the different character voices. I'm currently reading Book Four where trouble seems to be starting. Definitely not putting it down :)

Susanna- I loved The Poisonwood Bible, what are your thoughts so far?

I'm stuck. Too much going on with school, and now it's fall break and I just don't want to think. I'm in the middle of reading Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. I hope to finish it this week but we'll see... :/

Susanna, I have to REALLY be in the mood for a short story or it just doesn't work. Sometimes, I enjoy them during travel time while my hubby's driving, or on a plane.

#50 Joe Hill: 20th Century Ghosts

I wanted to read more Joe Hill. Alas, he hasn't published another book yet so I borrowed his short story collection from the library. I'm not too good with short stories. Just when I get into the story, that's it, and I'm usually very frustrated by that. So it took me over a week to read this because I tried to concentrate on reading each story as a separate entity. Solid three stars because I just don't know how to react to short stories in general but I found a few I really liked ("Bobby Conroy Comes Back From The Dead", "The Cape" and "Voluntary Committal").

2/3 done. I'm none too sure about reading 25 books in three months but I can sure try my best :)

#49 Outi Pakkanen: Murhan Jälkeen Mainoskatko

I needed to read a book set somewhere in Finland for the Around The World In 80 Books challenge (at TNBBC). Since I wanted to read more Pakkanen, I got her first book from the library. The story wasn't really enticing, and I didn't like the main character. Some parts felt like they hadn't been thought through. Two stars because I didn't hate it but I didn't really like it, either. Once again I came to realise that crime/mystery isn't really my thing. But that probably won't stop me from reading more. I might miss exceptions that validate the rule (e.g. Larsson's Millennium trilogy: so good).

#48 Javier Cercas: The Speed Of Light

This book was reviewed in our library's book blog and I thought I'd check it out. I haven't read Cercas before and first person narration isn't my favourite but I could get into the book so easily. I love to write so the narrator being a struggling writer in the beginning, I loved to read about him. I felt for Rodney, and I loved the style of the book. Three stars because I liked it but I finished it thinking that it just wasn't awesome to me. I would read Cercas again. (And probably will because Soldiers Of Salamis is on the 1001 list.)

#47 Stephen King: Cell

It took me a while to get into the reading because the first week of September was so hectic I didn't really have time to read. This week was better and I hope I'll be able to keep this pace with my reading.

This was actually a re-read which I don't do often. It was the August group read for the Stephen King Fans group. Though I didn't really like it the first time around, I decided to purchase a copy and read it again. This time it wasn't WOW material, either, but I got a little more into the story. I'd give this 3.5, I guess, but to me it just doesn't get to 4 stars so I gave the book 3 stars. It's a good King book (to me there are no bad ones) but I've read better.

Kay wrote: "Susanna, it sounds, indeed, like a very fascinating book. I hope it does get translated so I can read it, too."

I think there are plans for an English translation but so far there is no release date speculation for the US market. I hope it gets translated soon, though :)

Susanna, it sounds, indeed, like a very fascinating book. I hope it does get translated so I can read it, too.

#46 Sofi Oksanen: Puhdistus

This book is based on a play the author wrote which got great reviews. I originally got this from the library because Mom wanted to read it. So she read it first and quite liked it, and then I thought, "well, why not?" because I'll try anything once and I hadn't read Oksanen's previous works. Though after reading this book I want to read more of her. (This seems to be going on a lot with me, especially with Finnish authors! :D)

The story is set in Estonia in the early 1990s and partly it goes back to German-/Soviet Union-occupied Estonia back in the 1940s-50s. The book was really easy to get into and I wanted to know more and more and yet more. School just started this week and I've been busy so it took me a week to read it but it was really awesome. 5 stars. I would recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction but it hasn't been published in English yet, only in Finnish and in Estonian.

#45 David Mitchell: Cloud Atlas

That was epic and complex and I don't think I've ever read something like that before. 4 outta 5; because the sixth story was incredibly frustrating to get through. So shoot me.

#44 Outi Pakkanen: Talvimies

After Nineteen Eighty-Four, I needed something just like this one. My first foray into Finnish crime novels. I had my reservations but all in all it was a nice, quick read. The characters have roots in her earlier books and so it was a bit hard to understand what the relationships were but it wasn't distracting. The story itself moved quickly but the build-up was nice. Though the end was a bit rushed in my opinion. Solid three stars; not perfect but not bad either. I will probably read more of her books, probably when I want to read something that doesn't require thinking too much.

#43 George Orwell: Nineteen Eighty-Four

3 stars; I think the translation ruined a lot for me. My fault, really, for not reading the original. I liked it but was a bit bored at times. Throughout I had Brazil and Equilibrium on the brain, Christian Bale as Winston. I think I'll have to re-read this one day, either the original or a new translation (this edition was published in 1981 and there are newer translations out there).

#42 Arto Paasilinna: The Year Of The Hare

2 stars; didn't like it, didn't hate it either. Sometimes I just can't form an opinion on a Finnish writer's work. It happened in high school and, well, it happened again. I was just pretty indifferent about this book.

#41 Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier

The book every Finn should read. I finally did. I have seen one of the two film adaptations and that was in 7th grade so I don't remember much about it. I didn't pick up this book before because I just wasn't interested. But as I joined GR, I wanted to explore different genres outside my comfort zone and, well, I haven't read many Finnish authors. How patriotic am I, eh? So, the book. Well, I have to say it is one of the best books I have read about war. There's typical Finnish humour, interesting characters that are easy to tell from one another, and it is realistic. At the end of the book, only a few are left and you will miss the ones left behind. I know I did. Five stars, and I agree on the general consensus: a book every Finn should read. And if you're interested in Finns in WWII, read it.

My Dad is harassing me to read Waltari's The Egyptian and The Etruscan. I'll get to them some day, I guess :)

#40 Stieg Larsson: The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest

Well. What can I say? Simply: Awesome. Just what I was looking for in the last book in the trilogy. So many plot lines, all wrapped up. Wow. The trilogy as a whole is really good. If you don't read crime novels, read this. I don't read crime but this is crime/mystery, and it's really, really good. What are you waiting for? Read it! Now! :)

#39 Cormac McCarthy: The Road

I guess the following exchange between me and my father just about sums up this book:

Dad: It's good, right? (sarcastic)
Me: It is. (serious)

This book is a hit-or-miss. Either you love it or you hate it. I liked the bleak, detailed descriptions. It's an after-world and it feels like it. Picturing myself in that situation... I would be scared out of my mind. In the end, I didn't have hope for the world, I had hope for the people. That sort of ends the novel on a high note. I say 5 gold stars: I loved it.

#38 Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman): Thinner

I've only read one Bachman book before; it was a Finnish translation of The Regulators and since I'd just read Desperation, it felt so different. But Thinner didn't feel as different from King's writing (and in some places it sort of came through that it was King). I liked the beginning but when Ginelli showed up, I felt pretty bored during the next seventy pages, sadly. The ending did not come as a surprise but it was okay. Three out of five, not the best but not the worst either.

#37 Bill Bryson: Notes From A Small Island

Read for the "You'll love this one...!! A book club & more" group read. I've only been to the UK once and that was a four-day trip to London so I don't know much. I don't usually read travel books and this was the first book by Bryson that I've read so I was pleasantly surprised. I expected the book to contain some humour but other than that I didn't know what to expect.

Some reviews say that he complains a lot though he claims to love the country. I think he was just being true to what he felt. When you love something or someone, it's not just about the praise. There is always something that you don't like but you put up with it. I think it was only realistic that he wrote about the good and the bad. I still think his love for the country came across in his writing.

I also liked that his humour still came across in Finnish because much can be lost in translation.

3 solid stars because this is not really my genre and I could have used a more detailed map than the introduction provided.

Kay wrote: "Susanna, congrats on reaching a personal goal. That's great!"

Thanks, Kay! :)

Susanna, congrats on reaching a personal goal. That's great!

#36 Martin Amis: Dead Babies

Read for the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die group read (the deadline of which I missed, though). The story was weird. The only character I sympathised with was Giles. I found the style of writing compelling but the story wasn't appealing. I was going to give two stars but the ending completely ruined what was left to like, imho. So, only one star. There are two (Martin) Amis' novels on the recent 1001 list so I hope I like them better. On the positive side, it was a quick read, and it was my 36th so the goal I set myself at the beginning of the year has been reached, yay :)

#35 Jeff Lindsay: Dexter By Design

Three stars. I liked it in the same vain as I liked the other books. I like Dexter's first person narration but at times the story seemed to be jamming for more pages than was necessary and then the story would suddenly leap out of the page so I could hardly process what was happening. All in all, so far I like Dexter In The Dark best but IMHO Dexter By Design is not a bad addition to the series.

#34 Christopher Isherwood: A Single Man

Three out of five stars. My first introduction to Isherwood. A short, interesting read about a day in the life of a man who has lost his lover and is still trying to cope with his loss though it is not the main point of the story. I liked Isherwood's writing and will most likely read more of his work.

#33 Nelli Hietala: 39 Astetta Luoteeseen

Two out of five stars. I didn't dislike it but I didn't really like it either. The writer's first novel is a Finnish YA book about a girl who has never lived in one place for more than a year and about a boy who has lived in a small village all his life and how they come together and start making decisions for themselves. YA is not really my genre of choice. I felt something was lacking from the story though I couldn't put my finger on what it was.

#32 Sarah Waters: The Night Watch

Four out of five stars. This was my first introduction to Waters' work and I loved this book. But I was still waiting for something more. I loved Kay and Duncan so much but my favourite character was Robert Fraser though he was a minor character, really. (Might have had something to do with me seeing him as Rhys Ifans, err.) I loved the story. I am interested in WWII so the book's setting of London during the war really piqued my interest. I will certainly pick up another Waters novel.

Thank you. I've been reading mostly outside "my box", taking recommendations left and right, and I guess also educating myself (hence the Hawking books). :)

Susanna, I'm so glad you stopped by - what an interesting list of books you've read this year. I am impressed.

#31 Uma Karma: Kaiken Se Kestää

I gave this book three out of five. Recently self-published love story about two boys from high school to adulthood. At times I was annoyed because the boys were being such idiots and then I'd be all AWW because they were so cute. But Part Five totally owns my soul. That's the way I wanted it to go, and it did! Not brilliant but not bad, either.

I'm posting only now because Kay sent that inspiring message to the whole group and I was inspired. I belong to the 50 Books A Year group and have been listing my books there because 50 would be Big for me but hey, what's the harm if I don't read 75, right? Even if I'm really behind and I know I might not read much when school starts again. But I'll try. Here's my list so far:

#1 Stephenie Meyer: New Moon - 1 star
#2 Stephenie Meyer: Eclipse - 1 star
#3 Jeff Lindsay: Dexter In The Dark - 3 stars
#4 Mary Renault: Fire From Heaven - 3 stars
#5 Jeffrey Eugenides: The Virgin Suicides - 3 stars
#6 Mary Renault: The Persian Boy - 4 stars
#7 Mary Renault: Funeral Games - 4 stars
#8 Stephen W. Hawking: A Brief History Of Time - 3 stars
#9 H.G. Wells: The Time Machine - 4 stars
#10 Stephenie Meyer: Breaking Dawn - 1 star
#11 Hubert Selby, Jr.: Waiting Period - 1 star
#12 Ian McEwan: Atonement - 5 stars
#13 Hubert Selby, Jr.: Requiem For A Dream - 3 stars
#14 Jeff Long: Year Zero - 2 stars
#15 Otfried Preussler: The Satanic Mill - 2 stars
#16 Agneta Ara: Det Har Varit Kallt I Madrid - 1 star
#17 Stieg Larsson: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - 4 stars
#18 Hanna Tuuri: Irlantilainen Aamiainen: Kertomuksia Vihreältä Saarelta - 3 stars
#19 Bernhard Schlink: The Reader - 3 stars
#20 Stephen W. Hawking: The Universe In A Nutshell - 2 stars
#21 Stephen W. Hawking: A Briefer History Of Time - 3 stars
#22 Vikas Swarup: Q And A - 4 stars
#23 F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button - 2 stars
#24 James Ellroy: Blood On The Moon - 2 stars
#25 Jan Guillou: Ondskan - 2 stars
#26 Henning Mankell: Bergsprängaren - 2 stars
#27 Ian McEwan: First Love, Last Rites - 3 stars
#28 Virginia Woolf: Orlando - 1 star
#29 Joe Hill: Heart-Shaped Box - 3 stars
#30 Stieg Larsson: The Girl Who Played With Fire - 3 stars