Challenge: 50 Books discussion
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Bookhookering of 2009
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35. I Have Life: Raped, Stabbed and Left for Dead - Alison's Story By Marianne Thamm25th July 2009
Have found it difficult to rate a book like this, as it feels like I'm rating the individual & if this were the case - I would have given her 10 stars. It's an amazing story that has been told in many voices (from her parents to her surgeon) that I think the author did a fantastic job in capturing. Alison's frankness and bravery not only in living to tell this tale to many & inevitably to the writer herself is extraordinary. Then by all accounts she was an extraordinary woman in the first place. Not many could have survived her injuries or if they did, the ordeal of having lived through such a set of circumstances. The photo's alone show you not only the extent of some of her injuries, but also her bravery in allowing them to be shown to the public so a fuller picture is presented.
I would have given it 4 1/2 stars but can't and the only reason for this is that there were a few other voices I would have liked to have heard from & a few I would have liked to have heard more from. The book isn't sad it's really quite uplifting & although it does go down the philosophy path a little towards the end, It seemed necessary to the story & not the least bit preachy, just more like Alison's voice that was so ho hum I'm just an ordinary girl with an extraordinary tale to tell.
4 Stars****(4 1/2 if I could)
36. Oryx and Crake By Margaret Atwood1st August 2009
This is the second of Atwood's books I've read this year. She's two for two as far as I'm concerned. Her style & imagination are undeniably unique, nothing is as it seems, yet not that much is of a stretch from a possible future or a truth of a now. Very clever indeed & certainly most entertaining.
4 Stars****
37. Bait By Nick Brownlee3rd August 2009
Enjoyed this murder mystery set in Kenya - Great to get back & read a book from my all time fave genre. It packed a suprise or two that actually did suprise. Easy read, flawed characters and I wouldn't be suprised if there were more of Jake & Jouma to come & I'll certainly be picking them up if they do.
4 Stars****
38. Eucalyptus By Murray Bail8th August 2009
I would liken this to the tale of Rumplestiltskin that collides with the Australian bush.
A widowed Father will give his Daughter's hand in marriage to the first man that can name all 500+ species of Eucalypt he has growing on his property in central N.S.W. Ellen the daughter who is likened to the 'spotted gum' is noted for the freckled marks that cover her entire body & word of her beauty has travelled far & wide. An elderly expert arrives & looks to be a man fit for the job, but while he is romancing the Father with his knowledge & wisdom, a tale telling man is romancing the Daughter with his stories that are hidden in the names of trees.
3 Stars*** (3 1/2 stars would be more deserving though).
39.The Blind Assassin By Margaret Atwood16th August 2009
This was a great book, adding another Atwood to my list of faves.
The major part of this story is that of Iris & her sister Laura. The beginning is totally absorbing & just when you've had enough settle in time, it swaps to a story within a story or to the story within a story within a story. Very different from the other Atwood's I've read which are distopian through & through, only the sub sub story in this is. The real beauty of this tale though I have to say is the elder Iris, & the world of the aged that she opens up. Atwood is so very unique & has the most amazing imagination, however it's hard to believe for a second that any part of this character is made up. Few people in my view could capture & own a character like she does.
5 Stars*****
40. Getting the Girl By Markus Zusak18th August 2009
I so didn't want to love this, as I feel like a bit of a broken record as far as Markus is concerned, I wanted to pick holes (they are there), but when you see what the book is supposed to be & for whom it was more intended, I think it's brilliant. I've never been a teenage boy, so I have no idea how they think & or how they feel. Yes, he has sexy thoughts - but to be realistic I would be surprised if most teenage boy's didn't - but it also goes on to show the depth of his genuine thoughts once he's inside a relationship, rather than being a voyeur.
What this book has more of an emphasis on however is the 'okayness' of being different from the crowd, the 'okayness' of being lonely, the 'okayness' of feeling lost & feeling unheard or unseen both by peers & by family. That there is a pot of gold (it may not be the 24ct you were envisaging) at the end of a rainbow, that when you get down on yourself, things can & do turn a corner.
This book cleaned me up, as Markus tends to do. It's not for everyone as 'Messenger' tends not to be for everyone. It's not 'The Book Thief' - which just about is for everyone. It's what the Outsiders would be, if it was a romance. I loved & adored this as I have everything the man has written that I've read.
5 Stars*****
Cam: wrote: "34. The Outsiders By S.E. Hinton18th July 2009
Who would have thought a book this big would take so long to read. I savoured it, didn't want to miss one flip of an overgrown fringe...."
This was one of my favorites!
It is definitely one of my favorites too now Melanie.
41. Sharp Objects By Gillian Flynn2nd September 2009
This is quite something. Sharp Objects is not for the squeamish, this book doesn't just rain ugliness & uncomfortable, it pours - but not because of how it first appears. The book became less about what I thought it would & more about what in essence it shouldn't have been. The lead character is so tightly packed in layers that at times I was so completely absorbed in her world I forgot there was a bigger picture. Nasty, Ugly, Brutal & Bare is how I'd put it, couldn't put it down, & felt like I needed to wash my hands when I did. Shockingly well done.
5 Stars *****
Cam: wrote: "41. Sharp Objects By Gillian Flynn2nd September 2009
This is quite something. Sharp Objects is not for the squeamish, this book doesn't just rain ugliness & uncomfortable, it pour..."
This book is on my to-read list, and your comments here have made me move it up a few notches...Thanks! Looking even more forward to it.
I hope you like it Leslie (that comment seems odd when I think in relation to subject matter), but I still can't find a way to rephrase it. Love to know what you think when you get a chance to read it.
42. The Elegance of the Hedgehog By Muriel Barbery8th September 2009
Struggled with the start & took some time to get used to the philisophical style of the writing, but when I got it, it was smart, funny, & deeply moving, made me smile on the inside. Beauty that was completely unexpected. I never would have picked this to be so good one quarter in, but by the finale........mmmm just lovely.
5Stars*****
43. Wish You Well By David Baldacci13th September 2009
By all reports this book does not take the usual form of a Baldacci read. It's the first of his books that I've attempted so I'll have to take the word of others on that.
This tale is told in the voice & seen through the eye's of the eldest child of the Cardinal family - 12 year old girl, Louisa May. The family of four lives in New York city in the year 1940 & on a day trip & a picnic they encounter tragedy that will alter the family forever. For the family to survive they have to move to her Father's ancestral home in the hills of Virginia, to the kin they have never met & a home they've never seen.
The book has a lovely down homely feel, a comfortable style, that makes you imagine that if To Kill A Mocking Bird, Tom Sawyer & a sprinkling of The Secret Life Of Bee's were ever rolled into one, they would come out looking a little like this. I enjoyed this greatly & will be thinking of Lou & her brother Oz for a long time to come, not to mention the many other wonderful characters I met along the way.
4 Stars****
44. The Strain By Guillermo Del Toro19th September 2009
This book was an impulse buy, sounded good, high praise from all the right people & blurb very inticing, but failed to mention it was in fact a vampire book. Not keen on the movies or t.v.series of that genre, so my expectations weren't high. Will have to read another at some stage so I have a better grounding to compare, but that will not be anytime soon. It wasn't poorly written & I didn't give up on it altogether, but I have to say, I am delighted to be moving onto something else.
2 Stars**
45. The Weight of Silence By Heather Gudenkauf20th September 2009
This book is called 'Behind The Silence' here in Australia (editions not available on GR yet), no matter. I enjoyed this, characters had more depth than your average Mary Higgins Clark novel but at the same time a similar feel. The narrative is broken up with the story being told in the perspective of 6 of the integral characters. Two of them being the very centre of the essence of the story. Calli a 7 year old selectively mute girl & her best friend, fellow 7 year old Petra go missing from their respective beds overnight with little clue as to why. The book delves into the deep dark past of both girls families to effectively find the answers to who, why & how they got to where they are in the present reality that is their lives. Solid debut whodunnit.
3 Stars***
46. Florida Roadkill A Novel By Tim Dorsey27th September 2009
What to say, can't remember the last time I laughed so much at a book. Dorsey is a master of something, I'm just not sure what you'd call it. He somehow manages to weave a hundred funny short stories into one outrageous tale (or tales as the 12th in the series will be released shortly), this is set around the 'Key's' in Florida, largely influenced by the repeated appearance of a serial killer named Serge. Be warned it is not for everyone, is constantly tasteless, & often displays little to no value of human or animal life. But if you suffer from a warped sense of humour & your willing to shed your p.c.ness, it is well & truely worth a go. Can't wait to start the next one.
5 Stars*****
47. Perfume By Patrick Suskind1st October 2009
This book follows the life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, the unwanted boy - abandoned at birth on the stench infused streets of Paris in the eighteenth century. Passed from carer to carer as a child & from master to master as a young lad. Until it is discovered that he had a hidden talent - an unfathomable sense of smell.
His gift is quickly put to work in the world of perfumery, but Grenouille has a hidden agenda for his ability, he wants & needs to steal the essence of a coming of age virgin girl.
Not at all like I expected, really easy flow (was expecting it to be difficult read) completely original & totally unpredictable. Kept surprising me right till the very end.
4 Stars**** from me.
48. The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath4th October 2009
This book is the story of Esther Greenwood, a young woman in the 1950's finding her way in life & instead of reaching the potential that she believes that she was destined for & those around her expect her to naturally achieve, she begins a downward decline & spirals into deep despair.
Sylvia Plath has held a mirror up to her own life & named it Esther. I still can't begin to fathom, that a woman so ultimately self-aware of her mental health/state (Sylvia Plath)& it's warts & all - was unable to save herself, but then that's one of the devastating realities of depression. Nothing is as it seems, from those within it, to those in observation. Extremely thought provoking book, with ultimately the saddest of endings.
4 Stars**** (4 1/2 Stars).
49. Prophecy of the Sisters By Michelle Zink9th October 2009
Just finished Prophecy of the Sisters By Michelle Zink. This is the first book of a trilogy that introduces twin girls, Lia (narrator) & Alice, but soon discloses that they are the last in the line of generation upon generation of twin girls that are the central figures of a prophecy that is not only of this world. Each role that each twin has within the prophesy is clearly defined by the order of their birth, though it is also up to the individual as to how they choose to interpret their place within the two distinct titles - The Gate & The Guardian. One Sister has been given the chance to end the prophesy forever & save future generations of Sisters the grief that now consumes their family. The second Sister wants to grant the evil powers from other realms access to their own.
I will probably have to read the other two to find out what happens to the girls, but sadly I was a little disappointed with it. Was expecting it to really kick into gear somewhere just after half way, as it was building quite nicely but all I got was more of the same really. I expected a more dynamic reading of the relationship of the twin girls, it was all rather on the lean side & what there was of interaction between the two characters was generally quite predictable, even though it had worlds of potential. I'm hoping that will improve in the next installment. I didn't actually realise it was a trilogy (my own fault yes, I know). I did like many of the characters & will be keeping an eye out for book II.
3 Stars***
50. Fledgling By Octavia E. Butler15th October 2009
My favourite book of this year came from this author (Kindred) so I had high hopes for this my second foray both into Octavia's novels & my second also into the vampire genre. Though it was far better than the earlier vampire read, I have to say that I'm not much of a fan but at least this threw in some fangs unlike 'The Strain' which just included a rather nasty tongue, so I feel like I've now actually read a vamp book at least.
The book follows the story of Shori a young Ina (vampire) a new & improved version of the old (Shori is the result of successful inter breeding between that of human & vampire) Her black skin enables her to venture out into the daylight as it has natural melonin that protects her from the suns rays. Many Ina believe she is the new super vampire of the future, however there are those that believe she is no longer true Ina. We join her story where she is suffering complete amnesia due to severe head injuries from a horrendous attack that as well as wiping her memory of her first 53 years of life, has also wiped out her entire female family line. We follow Shori as she has to begin her life from scratch & create a new support network of her own & at the same time seek out the reasons behind the mass murder of her family.
I have given it 3 Stars (3 & 1/2 Stars), which is pretty good as much of the vampireness of the book made me squirm & quite a few moments where Shori although 53 in vamp years is in reality the equivalent in appearance to that of a 10 - 11 year old girl, I'm sorry, I know it's fiction but I have one of those in this house, & it was yucky & uncomfortable to read at times, and it paid a price in how I rated it because of this.
3 Stars*** (3 1/2 Stars)
51. My Life in France By Julia Child19th October 2009
This is not at all like something I would usually have chosen to read (thankyou Kathleen). I don't read a lot of biographies & I only had the smallest of pictures in my mind as to who Julia Child actually was. Struggled a bit till just on the half way mark, then found that I'd gotten myself hooked on Julia's story with no idea how. What a clever & innovative Woman she was, & what a gorgeous & mutually respectful relationship she seemed to have with her Husband, which in itself at that time was quite a rarity I would imagine. Really enjoyed it, really enjoyed the depth of her persistence in the bringing of her loved art to the broader public & her development of her processes in proving that it can be achieved by anyone, anywhere.
4 Stars****
52. Broken Fences By Camilla Noli29th October 2009
Mmmmmmmmm don't know about this. Uncomfortable topics - no doubt about that, actually made me feel ill for much of it - not pleasant. Thought the writing was a bit basic at times, & then subsequently came across as a tale creating shock value rather than displaying the true message that was intended to be given - one of how quick & all consuming depression & anxiety can be & of how hard it can be to overcome. A story about when a Mothers love is too much.
2 Stars** (2 1/2 stars)
53. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress A Novel By Dai Sijie10th November 2009
I find myself a little non plussed by The Little Chinese Seamstress. I neither particulary liked nor disliked it, yet I feel the two central characters - Ma (narrator) & Luo were let off a little lightly generally as to the form a re-education during China's cultural revolution would have truly taken. I didn't feel the urgency of panic that there was an immediate risk of them losing anything more, even though most of the time they were partaking in activities that were not allowed to be spoken about let alone participated in. The General fear was well covered, it just didn't seem to be captured as well in the more detailed story to me. I was expecting something grittier and far less reasonable than what their lives seem to be on the Mountainside of the Phoenix Of the Sky.
3 Stars*** (but hovering between 2 1/2 & 3)
54. Hammerhead Ranch Motel By Tim Dorsey26th November 2009
May have been penalised due to an extreme case of readers block I was suffering whilst reading it (it was read at no faster pace that 2 pages per sitting) but I thought it wasn't quite the same caliber as 'Florida Road Kill' - which I loved. Whatever the reason, will definitely continue with the series as it's a rippa - it makes me laugh, and hope that no future reading of Dorsey will be marred by my own moody book reading behavior.
4 Stars****(3 1/2 - 3 3/4 for someone suffering readers block. Probably more deserving of the 4)
55. Walking the Perfect Square By Reed Farrel Coleman10th December 2009
I liked this, reminded me alot of Peter Temple (Australian author) as with his books you often lose sight of the primary story because the fundimental character developement of the lead is so all consuming, and always always painted perfectly as a person superbly flawed.
4 Stars****
Cam wrote: "54. Hammerhead Ranch Motel By Tim Dorsey26th November 2009
May have been penalised due to an extreme case of readers block I was suffering whilst reading it (it was read at no fast..."
Hi Cam!
I keep seeing this author - I will have to add him to my list! What's the best one to start with?
Hey Melanie,Definitely try Florida Roadkill A Novel as the starting point, it's the first in the series & will give a lot of crucial background to the books that follow (if you choose to) - Providing you survive your first encounter with 'Serge' - The passionate Floridian, serial killer. I really enjoyed Florida & Hammerhead but not everyone would, the content can be completely politically incorrect and sociopathic, but also laugh out loud funny. Best of luck when you get a chance to give him a try, and please let me know how you go - I'll keep a look out.
Thanks! Just wrote it down on my TBR list. Sounds like one my husband would like too.
56. Sail By James Patterson23rd December 2009
My first James Patterson book in over a year. Just so happens to be the same co-author that put me off him in the first place (Howard Roughan) who co-wrote the terrible 'You've Been Warned'. This was a vast improvement but still a so so read, I can't complain - I needed something easy, & this most certainly was that. 2 & 3/4 Stars.
3 Stars*** (for here)
57. Tourist Season By Carl Hiaasen30th December 2009
Final book for the year (around the same reads as last year) so I am happy with that. Hiaasen was funny, really enjoyed this, will read him again for sure. I think Tim Dorsey is slightly more warped than Carl at this stage but will have to read a couple more of Hiaasens books before I can completely judge.
4 Stars****
Challenge: 50 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Tourist Season (other topics)Tourist Season (other topics)
Sail: A Boat is Lost, But Then Comes a Message---The Dunne Family is Alive: unabridged on 7 CDs in hard, vinyl box (other topics)
Sail: A Boat is Lost, But Then Comes a Message---The Dunne Family is Alive: unabridged on 7 CDs in hard, vinyl box (other topics)
Florida Roadkill (other topics)
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18th July 2009
Who would have thought a book this big would take so long to read. I savoured it, didn't want to miss one flip of an overgrown fringe. Still in absolute awe of a 16 year old girl having wrote this. Absolutely Amazing! Loved it, Loved it, Loved it! Ordering 'Rumble Fish' & 'That was then, this is now' & going to pick up the movie as we speak. Fantastic!
5 Stars***** in it's sleep.