159. Arif K. Abukhudairi: Thoughts of the Times Introduction to Arabic Literature

158. Meng-Try Ea and Sorya Sim: Victims and Perpetrators? Testimony of Young Khmer Rouge Comrades

87. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
88. The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer

157. Oni Vitandham: On the Wings of a White Horse: A Cambodian Princess's Story of Surviving the Khmer Rouge Genocide

86. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

154. Ann Patchett: Bel Canto

155. George W. Staples & Robert H. Cowie: Hawai'i's Invasive Species: A Guide to Invasive Plants and Animals in the Hawaiian Islands

156. Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner & Frank Stack: Our Cancer Year

Thanks, jury duty. (They interviewed and rejected me, as I knew they would. Voir dire is for eliminating people like me.)

Thanks. Let's see how far I get on this list, which I put together to reflect my mood in relation to getting jury duty again:

Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner & Frank Stack: Our Cancer Year

George W. Staples & Robert H. Cowie: Hawai'i's Invasive Species A Guide to Invasive Plants and Animals in the Hawaiian Islands

Oni Vitandham: On the Wings of a White Horse: A Cambodian Princess's Story of Surviving the Khmer Rouge Genocide

Lisa Law: Sex Work in Southeast Asia: The Place of Desire in a Time of HIV/AIDS

Jury duty here is terrible. The same jury sits for two months and is mostly made up of civil servants as no one else can get that length of time off. Because its very difficult to get nationality on this small island, some members of the jury will be related to each other and quite a lot will be related to the defendants or at least know them. So anyone born here has a big chance of being acquitted even when its obvious they are guilty. It isn't the favouritism of being related, its the fear that if you convict, at some point the defendant's family might sit in judgement of one of your's and find them guilty even if they aren't! There aren't enough people to select a jury in the US way.

Hope you get a good day's reading in!

It's more than I usually read, but not by a huge amount. I'm actually going pretty slowly (for me) this month and last because my load at work has been so crushing. If I'm lucky I'll have jury duty tomorrow and get to sit and read all day! (Nobody is likely to want me on their jury, since I'm a psychologist who's also an ethicist with a cop father-in-law, and I crossed out the section of the form for marital status and wrote "Since you're you court that granted us domestic partnership, why isn't that one of the relational status choices on this form?")

Shoshanapnw wrote: "Petra, congratulations on hitting 100!

I'm around.

152. Henry Nalaielua: No Footprints in the Sand: A Memoir of Kalaupapa

153. Terri Cheney: Manic: A Memoir

I hav..."

You've read a hell of a lot of books this year! Do you think you read more because of the challenge or would have read this many anyway?

I don't know how many I would normally read - somewhere between 75 and 150 I think, depending on time available - and I definitely felt pressured at times to keep my reading up for the challenge.

Emilee wrote: "Okay so here are the 100 books that I am going to read for 2009:

1. Miracle at St. Anna by James McBride
2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
3. The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck..."

Good luck...That's an average of 2 books a week which I am sure is very much achievable. Maybe I will give it a try too...

Petra, congratulations on hitting 100!

I'm around.

152. Henry Nalaielua: No Footprints in the Sand: A Memoir of Kalaupapa

153. Terri Cheney: Manic: A Memoir

I have a goal of catching up all my book reviews before 12/31.

Shoshanapnw wrote: "I'm sorry you're depressed, Petra. You can shoot me a message if corresponding would be helpful. " Thank you Shoshanaw. Its hard to open up sometimes, though, but I'd like to, I might well try :-)

December
96 Touch Wood, the True Confessions of an Accidental Porn Director (Humour, Business, Sex) 5-star read.

Excellent book, not particularly well-written but it was hilarious and really rang true. It was very far from erotic and the sex was shocking only in that such freaky scenes were treated as commonplace, all part of the day's work.

(For a bit of a juicier - and personal - take on this, see my review of the book).

97 Oro Plata, Costumes of Light by Daniele Carbonel. (Art, photography, bull-fighting) 5-star read

This book, in either the small format or the extra large (I got both!) is a real treat. A proper coffee table book to ooh and ahh over both the fabulous costumes of the matadors and picadors and the photography that brings out the beauty but adds both the drama and violence of the bullfighting culture.

98 Backyard Giants, the Passionate, Heartbreaking and Glorious Quest to Grow the Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Susan Warren (Popculture, gardening) 5-star read

Wonderful book of a group of mostly men (although the world champion is currently a twenty-something woman) who spend half the year expending vast sums of money and effort on growing pumpkins that they hope will reach 1500lb. Beautifully-written book, with photographs Cinderella's coach-size pumpkins. Enlightening, entertaining and a warm look at American culture.

99 Shattered Dreams My Life as a Polygamist's Wife by Irene Spencer (Religion, women) 5-star read

I've read a few books on Fundamental Mormonism, but this is definitely the best. The attention to detail, the explaining of the men's attitude - a deeply religious one (most of the time!) and the non-demonisation of the men made it very believable. Its hard for me to accept that a man who has achieved a 'quorum of wives' (7) and the resultant 50+ children - the women are advised to have a baby every year to provide a body for all the souls looking to come to Earth - will be a god and rule his own planet in the next life. Its hard for me to accept that the women are doomed to unremitting hard labour and poverty to support all these children. The author had 13 and lived in conditions that only the extremely poor do in the 20th century. Often no electricity or running water with bare concrete (or dirt) floors. I felt for her and I was glad when she finally left.

100 Playing the Enemy Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation by John Carlin (Politics, South Africa, Rugby, Inspirational) 10-star read

Nelson Mandela is my hero. Rugby is my game (I'm from the South Wales valleys, 'nuff said).

This is the hundredth book, the book that completes the challenge for me to read 100 books in 2009 and quite simply the best book I've read all year. It was absolutely awesome. Mandela's methods, developed over 27 years and six months of imprisonment, for disarming and charming all he met, the hard work he put into it - it certainly wasn't by force of personality alone - are absolutely inspirational

I've just been silently, sneakily chucked out from a private group 'Back in Skinny Jeans' on Goodreads where some member/s don't like non-Americans, non-Republicans, non-Christians and perhaps non-Whites and really wanted me to know their views. I fit it into all those groups, so did Mandala. He would have disarmed them and made them think again, he had a way of bringing out the most decent parts of even despicable people. I may never have his charisma, but following the lessons he developed transforming himself from an advocate of violence to one of peace and reconciliation, I may become just a bit of a better person. That's my aim for 2010.

I urge anyone with any interest in the genius of Mandela, or politics, or rugby, or just fancy a really good read, to get hold of this book. Its one to buy not borrow, you will want to keep it forever.

85. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Finally! I've been reading that one since March.

83. Star Wars: Tempest by Troy Denning
84. The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee

151. Andy Behrman: Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania

Congrats to everyone who've reached the 100 books mark - after starting my new job, my reading time has gone way down and I'm shooting for 75 books this year instead.

60. Sense and Sensibility (didn't enjoy this one all that much even though I've been looking forward to it)
61. Dragons of the Hourglass Mage (novel about Raistlin's way to the black robes - okay but not as good as some of the other Dragonlance books)
62. Middlemarch (tough to get into but then an amazing book)
63. Duma Key (Stephen King rarely disappoint and this one was excellent)
64. Skyggen over Stenbænken (=The Shadow on the Stone Bench. The first volume of what I remember to be an amazing series of ya books)
65. ... og de hvide skygger (... and the white shadows. Second volume in Gripe's shadow series - I understand why my younger self loved this one!)
66. Skyggernes børn (The children of the Shadows - book 3)
67. Skygge-skjul (Shadow hide - book 4). Great series - but the first 3 are the best.
68. Elfland - really enjoyed this great and atypical fantasy novel.
69. Trainspotting. Interesting read about junkies in Scotland - glad to have read it but not an amazing book.
70. Emma. (My third Jane Austen. Really liked this one.)

Currently reading Barbara Kingsolver The Poisonwood Bible.

150. Michael Bell: Scouts in Bondage and Other Violations of Literary Propriety

Updated List 11/30/09

107. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larssen
108. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
109. Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts
110. The Red Scarf by Kate Furnivall 111. book:Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright
112. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
113. Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
114. On a Snowy Night by Debbie Macomber
115. Path of a Patriot by Frederick K. Biebel

149. Slavko Janevski: The Bandit Wind Poems (Macedonia)

I'm sorry you're depressed, Petra. You can shoot me a message if corresponding would be helpful.

I've not been posting - been quite a bit depressed after my mum died and recently I've been very busy buying $8K worth of books for Christmas (that was fun). I think I've forgotten a few books that I read in the UK in Sept. but they couldn't have been very good if I can't recall them now.

September 2009

72 Ye Yslands of Enchantment - Norwell Harrigan & Pearl Varlack (Caribbean, history)
73 Style Style Style - Andy Warhol (Art, humour)
74 The Bamboo, Grass & Palm Specialist - David Squire (Plants)
75 Life Doesn't Frighten Me - Maya Angelou & Jean-Michel Basquiat (art, poety)
76 Julia and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell (Memoir, cookery, blog)
77 Coals of Fire by Verna Penn Moll (Technology, Caribbean, Cooking, Anthropology)
78 Chicken: Self-Portrait of a Young Man for Rent by David Henry Sterry Goodreads Author (Memoir, sex)
79 The Last Jews of Kerala: The 2,000 Year History of India's Forgotten Jewish Community by Edna Fernandes, (History, religion, anthropology)
80 What We Did On Our Holidays by Geoff Nicholson (Fiction, humour) 5-star read.

October

81 My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq by Ariel Sabar (Biography, History) 5-star read
82 Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip-Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by Steve Dublanica (Memoir, Restaurants, Blog)
83 The Food Chain by Geoff Nicholson (Humor, Fiction)
84 Compassionate Carnivore: Or, How to Keep Animals Happy, Save Old Macdonald's Farm, Reduce Your Hoofprint, and Still Eat Meat by Catherine Friend (Animals, Business) 1-star read
85 My So-Called Normal Life by Erin Zammett (Memoir, Cancer) 1-star read
86 Not in My Name: A Compendium of Modern Hypocrisy (Pop Culture, UK)
87 Female Ruins by Geoff Nicholson (Fiction)
88 This Year's Model by Carol Alt (Chicklit)

November

89 Looking For Mary by Beverly Donofrio (Memoir, Religion/Cult)
90 My Life in France by Julia Child (Memoir, Cooking) 5-star read
91 Precious by Sapphire (Fiction, Urban Lit) 7-star read (the writing is wonderful)
92 The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Obsession, Commerce, and Adventure by Adam Leith Gollner (Food, Obsessions, Misc) 5-star read
93 Adventures of a No Name Actor by Marco Perella (Biography, Films)
94 Pop Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones & 'Anonymous' (Pop music, business) 5-star read
95 Still Life with Volkswagens by Geoff Nicholson (Fiction, humour)

148. Robin McKinley: Sunshine

82. Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

81. Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively

147: J. Maarten Troost: The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific: Kiribati, though I'm still holding out for a native author--perhaps Tebuai Uaai's Cutting Toddy in Kiribati (the goodreads's entry for which I will fix when I have time). However, though a writer in the I'm-a-young-person-with-important-insights-about-life genre, Troost lived in Kiribati for 2 years and thus the book meets my challenge criteria.

80. The Cider House Rules by John Irving

79. Emma by Jane Austen

146. Suzanne Collins: Catching Fire

Congratulations, Dan and everyone else who has done it already. I've read 75 but haven't listed them in months. I wish I would have kept up with it.

Yay Dan!

Congratulations Dan!

Congrats to all you who've made it to 100! I'm starting to wonder if I'll make it.

100. Freakonomics - Steven D. Levitt

78. The Quiet American by Graham Greene

145. Samantha Weinberg: A Fish Caught in Time: The Search for the Coelacanth (Comoros place-holder)

Updated List as of 10/31/09
101. Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich
102. Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich
103. Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich
104. Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich
105. Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
106. Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

99. Coyote Blue - Christopher Moore

77. Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

98. The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon

76. The Troll Garden by Willa Cather

I wanted to accept the 50 books a year challenge, but this one is more interesting...I'll try

97. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

75. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

144. Muriel Barbery: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

96. Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell

143. Liz Banks: Maldives Musings (Maldives)

I hit my 100th back in September. I'm in another group here on goodreads that's a 100+ book challenge.

My list is here: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1420...

74. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

I've reached the 100 mark the past two years, but not sure I will make it this year...It is great to see others who enjoy reading as I do. In reaching the goal, however, I found that about 50-60% of the books I read were really good, enjoyable/taught me something. So would urge quality is as important as the numbers! Among my fiction favorates for this year: Book Thief. Non fiction: try Robert Fisk, Mandela and Obama.