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

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

41 - The Deeds of the Disturber
I do enjoy these silly, clever books. 4*

42 - Towards Zero
And she fooled me yet again... 4*

38 - Fallout
Disturbing though this book (and the whole 'Crank' trilogy) is, it conveys an important message and Hopkins' style of prose/poetry is positively riveting. 4*

39 - Girl in Translation
I liked this, but in retrospect it seems more YA romance than an in-depth novel about the immigrant experience. 3*

40 - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
An interesting read, but most of it seems common sense. Maybe I was expecting too much after all the hype. It did help me feel more ok with being somewhat "anti-social"! 3 1/2*

Susan wrote: "I have been interrupted in my reading by many personal concerns, including the death of my mother.

No. 21 Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel ******

Pages rea..."

Condolences on the loss of your mother, Susan. I hope you have lots of great memories of her - they will help keep her with you.

I can't wait to read Station Eleven. I just bought it for my Kindle last week.

Tiffany wrote: "17. Michael Stipe: The Biography

It was okay. My review is here.

So now my year:
20 or more books that I already own: 10 read
12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You ..."

Looks like you're right on track to meet your goals. Way to go!

35 - Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Enjoyed it, but not as much as the first reading many years ago. 3*

36 - City of Bones
Another winner in the Harry Bosch series. 4*

37 - The Mayor of Casterbridge (1001 books)
No one is more skilled than Thomas Hardy at making sad stories such a pleasure to read. 4*

31 - I, Juan de Pareja (Newbery winner)
I really enjoyed this Newbery winner about the painter Velazquez and his slave. 4*

32 - The Imperfectionists
Some pathetic characters here, but Rachman's talent makes you root for them. 4*

33 - Foundation (1001 books)
I enjoyed this more than I expected to, not being a big science fiction fan. 3 1/2*

34 - Murder in the Marais
I wanted to give this book 2* only because it's set in my favorite city (Paris). Just couldn't do it. 1*

28 - Astonish Me
I got totally engrossed in this. You'll especially appreciate it if you love ballet. 4*

29 - Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Newbery winner)
Newbery winner about a field mouse and her friendship with a group of former laboratory rats. Some serious topics lie below the surface of this children's tale. 4*

30 - The Other Boleyn Girl
So many things I could gripe about with this book, but after 660 pages I'm not investing any more time in it to write a review. Onward and upward. 2*

25 - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1001 books)
Anne Bronte's command of the English language is truly impressive. Sadly, from this book one can conclude she didn't have good experiences with men in her short life (she died at age 29 of tuberculosis). 4*

26 - The Constant Princess
I enjoyed the historical aspects of the novel - the melodrama, not so much. 3*

27 - Hard Choices
A fascinating look at the life of a diplomat and the issues facing the world today. 4 1/2*

22 - The Body in the Library
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Agatha Christie is one of my favorite writers. 4*

23 - Rifles for Watie (Newbery winner)
A slow start, but gains steam as it goes along. This civil war story is told from a different perspective than most young people have likely read before. 4*

24 - Glass
Disturbing, but so skillfully written I have to give it 4*.

19 - Daniel Boone (Newbery winner
Luckily, I found a used copy of this on Ebay for $10. My libraries didn't have it, and the best new price was $200. The book was OK, but not worth searching for if I were not determined to read ALL the Newbery winners! 3*

20 - Miss Hickory (Newbery winner)
Clever Newbery winner about a "live" doll made of an apple twig and a hickory nut for a head. 3*

21 - The Mill on the Floss (on 1001 books list)
It took awhile for me to get into the story, but about half-way through it gripped me. Eliot is an amazing writer. 3 1/2*

16 - The High King (Newbery winner)
Good adventure/fantasy story. I especially liked the ending. This is book 5 of a series, and I didn't like it enough to go back and read the others (mainly because of the genre), but I imagine they're very entertaining. 3 1/2*

17 - Farewell, My Lovely (on 1001 books list)
My favorite line: "The eighty-five-cent dinner tasted like a discarded mail bag and was served to me by a waiter who looked as if he would slug me for a quarter, cut my throat for six bits, and bury me at sea in a barrel of concrete for a dollar and a half, plus sales tax." Great noir stuff. I liked this better than 'The Big Sleep'. 3 1/2*

18 - Lion in the Valley
Amelia Peabody is great fun. 4*

12 - I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America after Twenty Years Away
Many of these essays/columns were laugh-out-loud funny (typically Bryson, in other words). I would question his facts on a couple of them. 4*

13 - The Cleverness of Ladies
Short stories. OK, but not one of my favs by A.M. Smith. 3*

14 - Twelfth Night
Another silly Shakespearean romp. 4*

15 - 1Q84 (on 1001 books list)
I think it's official now. Murakami is just not my cup of tea. 2*

9 - La's Orchestra Saves the World
I always enjoy A.M. Smith's books. I wish this had been a little more about the actual orchestra. 3 1/2*

10 - The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East
History of the Arab/Jew conflict as well as the personal stories of two families involved. Vastly improved my understanding of how complex the situation is. 4 1/2*

11 - This I Believe II
Even though I gave this 4*, I found Volume I to be more inspirational.

6 - Lost in a Good Book
Brilliantly wacky. 4*

7 - Death of an Outsider
Hamish is a fun character. 3*

8 - Enduring Love (on 1001 books list)
The story is interesting, but McEwan's writing really sold me on this one. 4*

3 - His Excellency: George Washington
More than just "history". Very interesting character study of Washington. 4*

4 - The Gods of Guilt
Maybe not as solidly 4* as the other Mickey Haller books, but still very enjoyable. 4*

5 - Notes from a Small Island
What can I say? Huge Bryson fan. 5*

I started these in 2014, but I'm counting them anyway!

1 - The Weird Sisters 3*
Nothing much to say about this - liked it, didn't love it.

2 - A Discovery of Witches 3*
Enjoyed this, but probably not enough to read the rest of the trilogy. Paranormal/vampires is just not a favorite genre.

Tiffany wrote: "Ann A wrote: "I'll go for 100 again - let's see what happens. Happy New Year, everyone!"

Holy moses! 100 books! You people who read that many books totally blow my mind! I thought *I* read a lot, ..."

I used to steadily read around 50 books a year, but when I started participating in challenges 4 years ago, my output went way up. I'm more conscious now of trying to average a couple of hours a day reading (sometimes I don't read that much during the week but will make up for it on the weekend or a plane trip, etc.) I also added audiobooks when I walk the dog. I'm lucky that I work part-time and have lots of time to read - I know most people don't!

Donna wrote: "Back at you Ann!"

Hope you have a great reading year, Donna!

Ha Ha - we do have odd relationships with our books, don't we? I won't even count the number of unread books I own, but I am determined to focus on them this year. However, I say that every year and keep adding to my collection because I can't resist the library used-book sales, the odd pick from the B&N bargain table, Kindle deals, a few purchases from independent bookstores because I want to support them, etc. Sigh...

I'll go for 100 again - let's see what happens. Happy New Year, everyone!

A sub-goal is to read at least 12 books from the combined "1001" list and 12 Newbery Medal winners.