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

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

#42-Dear Mr. Henshaw
One of my favorite Newbery winners so far. A boy's letters to his favorite author. 4*

I'm spending too much time reading again this year, and neglecting some other projects. I suppose there are worse addictions...

#41-A Wrinkle in Time
Just o.k - was expecting more from this somehow. Barely 3*

#40-The Girl Who Played with Fire
Liked this better than the first one - maybe because I was familiar with the characters. A page-turner. 4*

#39-The Unbearable Lightness of Scones
Dragged at times, but still enjoyable overall. 3*

#38-The Perks of Being a Wallflower
I liked a lot of things about this book but to quote another reviewer, there were maybe a few too many "slap the reader in the face" moments. 3 1/2*

#37-The Fault in Our Stars
Lovely, well-written, and heartbreaking. Would have given it 5* if not for the Peter Van Houten sub-plot. 4 1/2*

#36-Brideshead Revisited
Didn't particularly like the beginning or the end. The middle was good! Also, a little too much "tortured Catholic" stuff for me. 3*

#35-The World According to Garp
Amazing book. I subtracted 1* for some excessive weirdness. 4*

#34-Soulless
Fun and witty, although not a favorite genre of mine. 3 1/2*

#33-The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday
Not one of my favorites in the series, but I will continue to faithfully read everything by A.M. Smith. I went to hear him speak last week, and he was hilarious - made me an even bigger fan. 3*

#32-Gay Neck: The Story of a Pigeon
Another enjoyable Newbery winner. 3*

#31-Shakespeare's Counselor
The last Lily Bard book. I'm sad to say good-bye to her. 3 1/2*

I have both The Silver Linings Playbook and The Fault in Our Stars on hold at the library (they both seem to be VERY popular right now!) It's good to hear you liked them.

#30-Zeitoun
Compelling and disturbing. 4*

#29-The Orchardist
Dark story, beautifully told. 4 1/2*

#28-Shakespeare's Trollop
I enjoy the Lily Bard character, although I guessed "whodunnit" early on in the book. Must be all those Agatha Christie novels! 3*

#27-The Round House
I liked a lot of things about the book, but it seemed a little disjointed at times, and I had a hard time buying the main character being only 13 years old. 3 1/2*

#26-The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection
I gave this 3* because I like the characters, but I'm afraid the series may be getting a bit tired.

#25-The Big Sleep
Entertaining, but the shallow women started to wear on me. 3*

#24-The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany
Finally got to this tome that's been sitting on my shelf for years. Fascinating and horrifying. 4 1/2*