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

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

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
I'm not counting this as a "book read" because it's just a short story. Very clever - glad I finally read it. 4*

The Perils of Morning Coffee
So-so short story. 3*

94 - Jacob Have I Loved (Newbery winner) 3*

95 - The Martian
Thoroughly enjoyable. 4 1/2*

90 - Charley's Aunt: A Play in Three Acts
I wanted to read this before seeing a live production. Quite a silly story, but the well-directed performance was fun. 3*

91 - The Lesser Blessed: A Novel
Nice writing, but a pretty grim story. I understand why it resonated with some people. Not so much with me. 3*

92 - The Color of Magic
Since I see Terry Pratchett's name everywhere, I wanted to try one of his books. I'm not a big fan of fantasy, but this was very creative and just plain fun. 4*

93 - Sunshine on Scotland Street
I normally love A.M. Smith, but just could not get into this one. I was super-conscious of the book being written in installments, with just a little (but not much) happening in each one. I also found the story involving Bruce (view spoiler)[ and his "twin" (hide spoiler)] to be ridiculous. 2 1/2*

87 - Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
Amazing piece of research. I had no idea how much influence the fast-food industry, and the corporate greed behind it, has had on our culture. McD's will not be seeing my face any time soon. 5*

88 - March: Book One
I don't have much experience with graphic novels, but I enjoyed this one. Having recently seen the movie "Selma", it was interesting to learn more about John Lewis's early life. I will definitely be reading Book Two. 4*

89 - Oscar Wilde: Selected Poems
A lot of this was over my head with all the mythological references, but what I did "get" I enjoyed! 3*

84 - Death of a Perfect Wife
Hamish is a stand-up guy! 4*

85 - The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Beautiful language, of course, but not one of my favorite plays. 3*

86 - When You Are Engulfed in Flames
It had some funny moments, but this was my second Sedaris and I have decided I'm not a big fan. 3*

80 - Swimming
Had its moments, but overall it didn't draw me in. 2*

81 - Oliver Twist (1001 books)
I always appreciate Dickens' writing, but this isn't my favorite (of his). 3 1/2*

82 - Station Eleven
Very well-written, with interesting plot/characters, etc. I may have given this 5* if I were more fond of the Dystopia genre. 4*

83 - Still Life
I really wanted to like this book, but every time I'd start to get into it a character would do or say something stupid. 2*

77 - A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers
Ok, but I'm surprised this was a Newbery winner. 3*

78 - Amos Fortune, Free Man
Making good progress on my "Read all the Newbery winners" goal! 3*

79 - For the Sake of Elena
Another intelligent mystery/crime novel from George. 4*

74 - Crispin: The Cross of Lead
Another solid Newbery. 3*

75 - The Invention of Wings
I thought Kidd did a great job with the "voices" of Handful and Sarah. And speaking of voices, the audiobook is excellent. 4 1/2*

76 - The World at Night
It took me awhile to get into this (plus at times I found the plot a little hard to follow), but I enjoyed the 2nd half. 3*

Susan wrote: "No. 37 - The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson *****

I thought this book was wonderful -- humorous and informati..."

I've owned this for about 2 years - must get to it! We'll see if I get bogged down ;)

72 - In a Sunburned Country
Excellent travel writing with a big dose of Bryson humor. It doesn't get much better than that. 5*

73 - Up a Road Slowly
Nice coming-of-age tale (Newbery winner). 4*

69 - 4:50 from Paddington
I always enjoy Agatha Christie, but this one wasn't a favorite. 3*

70 - The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
Ditto for Bill Bryson. An entertaining tale of his growing up in Iowa. 4*

71 - John Adams
Certainly one of the best biographies I've ever read. 5*

67 - The Forgotten Affairs Of Youth
I'll continue reading the series, but sometimes Isabel's ruminations become a little tedious. 3*

68 - Me Before You
I liked the writing, but a few things about the plot/characters bothered me. 3 1/2*

65 - Home: A Memoir of My Early Years
Highly readable and interesting, especially the part about her Broadway run in 'My Fair Lady'. 4*

66 - The Moving Finger
Agatha Christie rarely disappoints me. 4*

62 - Pigs in Heaven
I liked The Bean Trees a lot, but was somewhat disappointed in this sequel. 3*

63 - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
It's hard not to like a tale built around a bookstore. 4*

64 - How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia
I felt like I was living in this book, which says to me Hamid is a truly gifted writer. Run away if you want "light and happy" but proceed if you can accept a little soul-shaking. 4*

59 - Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian
Found it a bit uneven and disappointing because it COULD have been so much better. Still interesting enough to rate it 3 1/2*.

60 - The Bean Trees
Kingsolver is great at writing entertaining fiction with a message. 4*

61 - The Portrait of a Lady (1001 books)
I appreciate the writing of Henry James, but had some issues with the story. 3 1/2*

56 - The Awakening (1001 books)
An extra 1/2* in homage to Kate Chopin for having the courage to write this book in 1899. 4*

57 - A Leg to Stand On
Fascinating. I revere Oliver Sacks, and plan to read everything he's written (so far have only read this one and Awakenings. 5*

58 - Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Great fun because of the author's delightful sense of humor. I did learn a few things - like that I use too many dashes and exclamation marks! 4*

54 - The Twenty-One Balloons
Certainly one of the more creative Newberys I've read. 4*

55 - Fingersmith 1001 books)
Highly recommend the audiobook. The narrator does a great job with the voices of the different characters. 4*

51 - Yes Please
Some parts certainly more entertaining than others, but overall I enjoyed it. Would recommend the audiobook as she has some interesting "guest" readers. 4*

52 - Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
Lots of common sense stuff, but this illustrated book is a fun way to be reminded. 4*

53 - The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution
Slow going at times, but he covers a lot of ground. The last 1/3 is fascinating. 4*

48 - The Door in the Wall
Another entertaining Newbery winner. I'm really enjoying my project to read them all. 3 1/2*

49 - King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian
OK, but not a favorite Newbery. I have a hard time with mistreated animal stories. 3*

50 - The Matchlock Gun
This was ok, but tough to believe it was the very best of children's literature in 1941. 3*

46 - Last Bus to Woodstock
Certainly well-written (and I will read more by Dexter), but I was bothered by the archaic attitude towards women. 3*

47 - All the Light We Cannot See
Great book. The short chapters did disrupt the flow a bit for me. 4 1/2*

43 - The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Wonderful Newbery winner. 5*

44 - The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
The author's ability to put the reader "in the boat" during the races was the best part. 5*

45 - If on a Winter's Night a Traveler (1001 books)
I am speechless as to what to say about this book. It gets an extra 1/2* just for being absolutely nothing like any book I have ever read before. 4*