Ann A’s Comments (group member since Apr 18, 2010)

Ann A’s comments from the Challenge: 50 Books group.

58 - Conversations With Myself
What can I say about Nelson Mandela? He's a hero, and I love reading his wise words. 4*

59 - Ill Will
I read this because it was part of the Rooster Summer Reading Challenge (from the Tournament of Books folks). Although Chaon is a heck of a writer, this is possibly the darkest book I've ever read. 2*

60 - Three Junes
Julia Glass can tell a story. 4*

Got way behind on my updates again...

55 - The Luminaries
I liked this a lot - just wish I'd read it a little more quickly. There are a lot of characters, and I kept losing track of them. 4*

56 - The Turn of the Screw
I appreciate the writing chops of Henry James, but the drama queen/governess began to get on my nerves. 3*

57 - The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales
Fascinating stuff, as usual, from Sacks. 4*

53 - Coming Clean
Sensitive and sometimes cringe-worthy portrait of life with a hoarder. 4*

54 - Borrower of the Night
I don't like Vicky Bliss as much as Amelia Peabody, but I'll probably give the series another chance. 3*

50 - Anne of Ingleside
It's always enjoyable spending time with Anne. 3 1/2*

51 - Treasure Island
Shiver me timbers! I can't believe I haven't read this rip-roaring adventure until now. 4*

52 - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Well-written play, but SO dated. 3*

I love mystery/crime fiction as well. Looks like you've read a lot of good ones so far this year!

48 - Kitchen (1001 books)
Hmmm. There's a definite similarity to Murakami. I liked it - didn't love it. 3*

49 - Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
This little gem fit the bill for the past week of my goal to try to read something uplifting or inspirational every day. I especially loved Chapter 3, "Solitude is Luminous". 4*

45 - Siddhartha (1001 books)
I appreciate being left with a lot to think about. 4*

46 - Public Library and Other Stories
I probably won't be reading more from this writer. The best parts were the blurbs in between the stories, with different people ruminating about what their local public libraries meant to them while growing up. 2*

47 - A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
My favorite of 2017 so far. 5*

42 - Mink River
This grew on me until I loved it at the end. I've decided I'm a fan of northwest literature. Sadly, the author recently died of a brain tumor. 4*

43 - The Novel Habits of Happiness
It's always pleasant to spend a bit of time with A.M. Smith. 3*

44 - Peace Like a River
Lovely writing. This has been languishing on my shelves for years - glad I finally got to it. 4*

Tiffany wrote: "25. The Alchemist

For the most part, I loved this. It read like a fairy tale (at least in my head) from the first page, the illustrations are charming, the paper and fonts are magn..."

I liked this a lot, and think the fact that it's open to various interpretations is what makes it interesting. I'm surprised at the number of poor ratings from my Goodreads friends.

40 - The Crossover
I really enjoyed this Newbery about family, adolescence, and basketball! 4*

41 - The Tale of Despereaux
Cute Newbery-winning mouse tale (I originally misspelled it "tail" - and there are a couple of those in the story as well!) 3*

And....drum roll...I have finished my "Read the Newbery Winners" project (at least until next year's award). I started in May of 2011, so it took me six years of reading 15-20 per year to finish all 96.

38 - Something Rotten
A wacky, wild ride! 4*

39 - The Narrows
I like Connelly's books a lot, even though he carries the "macho" thing too far at times. 4*

35 - Murder in the White House
The first in the series, and I think the writer has hope so I may give her another chance. 2 1/2*

36 - Nancy's Mysterious Letter
It's fun to revisit my youth every now and then with the series that gave me a life-long love of mysteries. 3* for nostalgia.

37 - Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America
My top take-aways from this book: Criticial thinking. Independent research. Civility. Compassion. Yes. 4*

32 - Amsterdam (1001 books)
I have mixed feelings about the ending, but this goes in McEwan's 'hit' column for me (there are a few in the 'miss' column). 4*

33 - Murder Is Easy
And... for a comfort read, I turn once again to Agatha. 3*

34 - March
I accept that the Civil War atrocities were an important part of the story, but I was able to look beyond them and inhabit the wonderful characters, especially the idealistic Mr. March. 5*

29 - Red Gold
Furst is a talented writer who is an expert in everything World War II. This one didn't quite measure up to his others for me - the flow seemed a bit too choppy. 3*

30 - The War of the Worlds (1001 books)
The 2nd half moved along nicely, but before that I got a little bogged down in the details of the "monsters". Still 4*

31 - Still Life with Bread Crumbs
Ok, it's a tad predictable but I like Quindlen's writing so much I don't even care. 4*

26 - Criss Cross
Newbery. Meh. 3*

27 - The Girl Who Drank the Moon
The most recent Newbery winner. This didn't really resonate with me (most everyone else seems to love it). 2 1/2*

28 - Alexander Hamilton
After reading bios of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison, I was happy to read a more sympathetic view of Hamilton. Chernow captures what a complicated, brilliant, flawed man he was. Now, to somehow see the musical!! 4*

23 - Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
I'm trying to finish up my 'Read the Newberys' project by the end of May; hence all the children's books... This one was silly, good fun. 3*

24 - Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village An interesting project (written by a teacher) of 22 monologues set in medieval England. 3*

25 - Maeve's Times: In Her Own Words
I'm going to miss Maeve. 4*

20 - A Single Shard
Wonderful story (Newbery again) about a South Korean boy who wants to become a master potter. 4 1/2*

21 - Death of a Prankster
Hamish is such a lovable character, but I think this is one of the weaker ones in the series. 3*

22 - Last Stop on Market Street
One of the few Newberry winners meant for younger children (it's a picture book). I loved it. 5*

17 - Out of the Dust
Newbery winner. Powerful. This one will stay with me for awhile. 4*

18 - Julie of the Wolves
Another solid 4* Newbery.

19 - Not Dead Yet: The Memoir
I was pleasantly surprised at how good this book was. I might have even given it 5* if it hadn't been for the parts where I wanted to knock Phil upside the head! 4*

Yikes, I'm behind on my updates here.

14 - A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson can make anything interesting. 4*

15 - Dead End in Norvelt
Newbery winner. I'm getting close to completing my project! 3*

16 - Born to Run
After reading his prose, I'm ready to listen to Springsteen with a new appreciation for his lyrics. 5*

I enjoyed looking through your reading list so far this year. I also like how you keep a cumulative total of your pages and listening hours - I'm filing that away for next year.