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

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

5 - The Bookseller of Kabul
Very interesting subject matter, but I thought the effort to make the nonfiction "seem" like fiction was awkward. I suspect the translation was partially responsible. 3*

6 - Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States
A wealth of interesting info. I'm a huge Bill Bryson fan. 4*

7 - Caddie Woodlawn
Another fun Newbery winner about a brave young girl in 1860's Wisconsin. 3 1/2*

3 - An Atheist in the FOXhole: A Liberal's Eight-Year Odyssey Inside the Heart of the Right-Wing Media
Highly entertaining. 4*

4 - The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town
Truly sad story about the conviction of an innocent man. Perhaps a little too much detail at times. 3*

1 - Whose Body?
Clever, but I found listening to the early-20-century British slang a bit hard to follow with the audiobook. 3*

2 - Anna Karenina
Can't believe I just got around to this! I love Tolstoy. 5*

Wishing a great year of reading to you and your pups! Looks like you're off to a good start. Dogs make great reading companions, don't they?

Linda wrote: "2. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, by Robin Sloan ****1/2
If you're looking for a fast, fun read that's a mystery with cool computer-geek characters, a medieval cult of book decoders, and s..."

I also loved "Mr. Penumbra". Good luck on your new year of reading!

Wishing everyone a 2014 filled with lots of great books!

In addition to at least 75 books for the year, I want to challenge myself to read the following:

- At least 12 Newbery winners (28 read as of 12/31/13)
- At least 12 books from the "1001 Books to Read Before You Die" combined lists (123 read as of 12/31/13)

End of year note: Read 121 books, including 18 Newbery Medal winners and 13 from the "1001 Books" list. Exceeded my goals!

I'm intrigued now - I'll have to read 'Mary Poppins'.

Congrats on the great progress on your bookshelves!

I'm also a huge Sue Grafton fan - and I agree 'W' is one of the best. Congrats on your great list of books for the year!

I had a great reading year (don't ask about the housework or other projects I neglected!) As mentioned in the last message to Karen I read 126 books. Some standouts:

The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America
Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town
Beautiful Ruins (maybe my favorite of the year)
The Remains of the Day
The Woman in White
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
W is for Wasted

I had too many 4-stars to list. My two "big" accomplishments of the year were:

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany and Les Misérables (I liked them both a lot.)

I also made good progress on my goals to read all the Newbery Medal winners (read 19 this year) and a good number of the '1001 Books to Read Before You Die' (read 23).

Am going to set my goal for 75 again in 2014. I expect to be busier than this year, so we'll see what happens.

Happy New Year, everyone, and many hours of happy reading in 2014!

Karen wrote: "To be honest I far exceeded the plan. I planned on reading 75, but ended up reading 126 books.
A couple of honorable mentions would be Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series, and all of Mi..."

I'm your twin, Karen! My goal was also 75 and I ended up with 126!

#126-The Invisible Bridge
Well-written and researched, but the first 300 pages move too slowly, and there are too many "coincidences". 3*

And that should do it for me for 2013. Hope everyone had a wonderful year of reading!

#125-Delhi Is Not Far
Interesting novella about a young aspiring writer stuck in an Indian village. 3*

#124-Cold Sassy Tree
Funny and bittersweet. Have to re-watch the movie now! 4*

#123-Gone Girl
Had heard mixed reviews. I liked it more than I expected to. 4*

#122-Testimony of Two Men
Another one that had been on my shelf for years (and years). Not a huge fan. 3* (added 1/2* for ambition).

#121-W is for Wasted
Love these books. I'm sad there are only 3 letters left in the alphabet! 5*

#120-They Do It With Mirrors
Don't think I've ever NOT liked a Christie mystery. 4*

#119-The Curse of the Pharaohs
Fun series. 4*

#118-Angle of Repose
This had been on my shelf for years - should have gotten to it sooner. 4*

#117-Slaughterhouse-Five
Uniquely Vonnegut, as always. Liked, not loved. 3*