Tim's 50 For 2014

[Tim]

I'm 1/2 so far, as I just missed my 50 book goal in 2012 and made it to 62 in 2013. Started my first of 2014 today, hoping to hit 50 for the 2nd straight year!

[Tim]

1. Dust by Patricia Cornwell. Liked this one quite a bit. Better than the last couple of Scarpetta books, really. Looking forward to the next one.

[Tim]

2. Cross My Heart by James Patterson. I'm starting to enjoy the other Patterson books more than the Alex Cross series, but this one was not bad. Kind of leaves us hanging with a "to be continued" feeling..

[Tim]

3. Yes, Chef: A Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson. Really enjoyed this memoir. He's a very interesting guy and I loved his perspective. Really recommend this book.

And it's January 24 and I'm behind on my reading already!

[Tim]

4. Gold Coast by Elmore Leonard. Pretty good. Standard Elmore Leonard stuff. Funny dialogue.

[Tim]

5. Manner of Death by Stephen White. Hadn't read a Stephen White novel in a while. They are pretty fun. Nice twist working the "DB Cooper" legend into the story. Not bad.

[╟ ♫ Tima ♪ ╣ ♥]

Tim wrote: "3. Yes, Chef: A Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson. Really enjoyed this memoir. He's a very interesting guy and I loved his perspective. Really recommend this book.

And i..."

I just got this book from the library last week! Good to see someone say they enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading this one :)

[Tim]

A friend of mine is reading it now and when he's done my wife is going to read it. He is really enjoying it too.

[Tim]

6. The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly. I enjoyed this one. I always enjoy Connelly's books, and the Lincoln Lawyer character is really growing on me. Maybe Harry Bosch is getting tired and I just like not being as familiar with this character. Either way, good read.

[Tim]

7. National Geographic Birding Essentials by Jonathan Alderfer. I have had this book sitting around for about 2 years, meaning to read it and finally got to it. A lot of good info here if you're into birds. Nice reference to hold on to.

[Tim]

8. Kingbird Highway: The Biggest Year in the Life of an Extreme Birder by Kenn Kaufman. This book was awesome! Of course I love birds so I am biased, but Kenn's story of hitchhiking through the U.S. for a year to see how many bird species he could find was fascinating. Really recommend this book.

[Tim]

9. The Seekers by John Jakes. I've been meaning to finish the Kent Family Chronicles for a couple years and never have gotten around to it but I really liked this book. Just ordered the next one. Hopefully I'll finish the series this year. Love some historical fiction now and then.

[Tim]

10. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain. I really loved this book. Totally polar opposite from Marcus Samuellson. Very funny and in some cases profane. Loved it.

[Tim]

11. Touch by Elmore Leonard. Another Elmore Leonard title off of my list. Still have a long ways to go to finish every novel he wrote, but they're always fun to read. This one was quite different from most of his... some interesting subject matter.

[Tim]

12. The Quickie by James Patterson. I'd say this one was just OK as Patterson books go. Quick read as usual. Kind of an "unbelievable" story from the start, though... Not one of my favorite Patterson books at all.

[Tim]

13. 1st to Die by James Patterson. Classic Patterson, pretty good story and I am OCD about finishing series that I start so I'll be reading the 'Women's Murder Club' books now.

[Tim]

14. 2nd Chance by James Patterson. Pretty good again. Patterson books are so quick and entertaining.

[Tim]

15. 3rd Degree by James Patterson. I have a bunch of other stuff I need to read but I'm hooked into this Women's Murder Club series and they're all available through the local library's e-collection so I guess I know what I'll be reading for the next couple weeks!

[Valerie]

It's fun that you have some bird/birding focused books on your list! I'll have to remember to check your progress from time to time to see if there are some I haven't read and need to add to my list! (I enjoyed the Kingbird Hwy too).

[Tim]

Thanks! We are into birding as a family - my 6 year old son got me interested in birds back when he was about 3 and we would walk around local parks. So I try to read a birding book here and there. I'm just about to get started on "Feather Quest" next.

[Tim]

16. 4th of July by James Patterson. Another fun Patterson read. Having Boxer on trial gave it a different feel than the usual. Good reading. And Patterson's books just seem to fly by. Too bad #5 is not available at the moment from the library; guess I'll work on something else till it shows up.

[Tim]

17. The Feather Quest by Pete Dunne. Love this book! Kind of a different take on a "big year" from Kingbird Hwy. Dunne makes a lot of good points about conservation. And adds a ton of destinations to my future travel wishlist.

[Linda]

Tim wrote: "17. The Feather Quest by Pete Dunne. Love this book! Kind of a different take on a "big year" from Kingbird Hwy. Dunne makes a lot of good points about conservation. ..."

Thanks to you, I can't wait to read it now, too. I really loved The Big Year, still recommend to everyone (the book, but definitely not the movie), so hopefully this will be just as good. Thanks for the review.

[Tim]

I'll have to try The Big Year. I saw the movie but didn't read the book. Thanks for the suggestion!

Feather Quest is neat because although they are traveling all over the place and seeing all sorts of incredible things, he hardly ever mentions any numbers. More about the birds and the people than the competition part of it. Still super fun!

[Linda]

Tim wrote: "I'll have to try The Big Year. I saw the movie but didn't read the book. Thanks for the suggestion!

Feather Quest is neat because although they are traveling all over the place and seeing all sor..."

Forget all about the darn movie when you read it. I have no idea why they decided to make a comedy out of it. It is all about the challenges and the individual journeys the three guys were on, and the journalist who was following them. Who would've guessed that birding could be so exciting and competitive?

[Tim]

18. The 5th Horseman by James Patterson. Another good Patterson read. I have a whole pile of stuff to read but I am trying to get through this series first.

[Tim]

19. The 6th Target by James Patterson. And I'm half done with this series. Just waiting for #7 - 8 - 9 to become available through the e-library. Read faster, fellow library patrons!

[Tim]

20. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. His books are always so tragic, but I really enjoy every work that Hosseini has published. So much emotion. I can't recommend his books enough.

[Tim]

21. NYPD Red 2 by James Patterson. Really enjoyed this book; always good when Patterson has a fresher character. Now back to a couple more birding books and trying to finish out the WMC series by Patterson so I can move on to trying to wrap up the Elmore Leonard novels.

[Tim]

22. Good Birders Don't Wear White: 50 Tips From North America's Top Birders by Lisa White. A great collection of 50 essays/articles by various birding experts from around the continent. I'd been working on reading this for a while, just picking it up now and then. A lot of good, funny, or useful stories and pieces of advice, if you're into birds or birding. I liked it.

[Tim]

23. Killer by Jonathan Kellerman. I always enjoy Kellerman's Alex Delaware series. I suppose it gets old after a while, I mean, how many crazy things can happen to one fella? But, at this point I have read all 29 of them, so I'll keep reading every one that comes out. That the stories are based in LA and I grew up in Southern California are an added bonus. This one was what you would expect, good story, pretty fast moving, interesting.

[Tim]

24. 7th Heaven by James Patterson. These are getting a little silly. I will definitely finish the series because that's the kind of reader I am; I hate leaving series unfinished - but Lindsay Boxer is getting a little hard to believe.

[Tim]

25. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Really excellent book. Have had a lot going on lately so it took me a little while to get through it, but I really enjoyed it, in that "great book but super disturbing subject matter" kind of way. I am hesitant to watch the movie because I liked the book so much, but I'll give it a try.

[Tim]

26. The 8th Confession by James Patterson. Plugging along trying to wrap up this series. I am hoping to finish the last one before the Lindsay Boxer character drives me nuts; not really sure where Patterson is going with this one? But they are still quick and mostly pleasant reads.

[Tim]

27. The 9th Judgment by James Patterson. Still trying to get through this series. This one was a little better than #8, I think, but they are still losing steam. Taking a break to work on something else until the library copy of #10 is available.

[Tim]

28. 10th Anniversary by James Patterson and...

29. 11th Hour by James Patterson.

These two were actually pretty good as far as the WMC books go. Finally Boxer got married and (as far as the personal stuff goes, at least) seems a little "adult-ish" to me. A few of the books were feeling a little adolescent as far as the personal relationship aspects were going. Almost done with the series now and thinking about tackling War & Peace before I start the Game of Thrones books....

[Tim]

30. 12th of Never by James Patterson. Well, turns out this one came in quicker than I expected. Another good one that I enjoyed more than most of the other WMC books. I just need to read #13, but it's so new it looks like it might be a little while before my library gets it. Debating whether I want to start War & Peace tonight, or try and find the next Stephen White book in the Alan Gregory series. I'm thinking War & Peace. So many books, so little time!

[Tim]

31. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. Had to do it. Friends and family kept telling me it was good, and it was. I have a couple things I need to read and return to the library before I tackle #2, but I am looking forward to it (even though it took forever to finish #1).

[Tim]

32. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I've been wanting to read a few "books turning to movies" this year and I did enjoy this one. The first half I really wasn't sure what was going on, pretty suspenseful. A good read overall. A little different from my usual stuff.

[Tim]

33. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Recommended by a couple of friends, and my sister... and of course I saw the movie previews but I always try to read the book before I see a movie. Enjoyed it. Sad, but funny and uplifting in a way, too.

[Tim]

34. Unlucky 13 by James Patterson. Closed out the WMC books (for now, I guess). A little all over the place, this one. Could have done without the adventure on the cruise ship.

[Tim]

35. Cold Case by Stephen White. Honestly I really enjoyed this book - might have been my favorite of the Stephen White / Alan Gregory books so far. Makes me want to run out tonight and find the next in that series.

[Tim]

36. The Program by Stephen White. Did not like this one as much. It was a pretty interesting story but for some reason it always really bugs me when the author decides to totally change the point of view for one of the stories. Totally different than the other Alan Gregory novels... interesting, but it bugged me.

[Tim]

37. Warning Signs by Stephen White. Took a while to get through this one since we've been on vacation, but I enjoyed it as much as any Gregory novel. Interesting storyline. Already 120 pages into the next one.

[Tim]

38. The Best Revenge by Stephen White. Another one where he changes the point of view all over the place. This seems to be the book that happens in every series, where the events start getting a little too crazy and I start thinking "come on, all of that can't happen to this one poor guy."

Reading some other things for a little while before I wrap up this series.

[Tim]

39. The Skin Collector by Jeffery Deaver. Always really enjoy the Lincoln Rhyme series. Really unique character compared to all the other series that I read. Wish Deaver put them out a little faster :)

Working on "The Goldfinch" now.

[Tim]

40. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. I love this series! Not sure if I want to go straight to the next one or read a couple other books I have sitting around.... He's an evil little guy, but I find myself rooting for Tyrion Lannister...

[Tim]

41. Carrie by Stephen King. I have had this book sitting on the shelf forever, and finally read it. A quick (but troubling?) read. In his own creepy way King hits the "bullying" issue ahead of his time. Not as grotesque and vulgar as some of the more recent King material I've read.

[Tim]

42. Split Images by Elmore Leonard. Elmore Leonard books are always good to add to the mix. His dialog is just the best. I think I'm about half way through the list of all of his books - still have a long ways to go. This one was one of his better ones, I think - the main cop really cracked me up.

[Tim]

43. Cat Chaser by Elmore Leonard. Still trying to read all of Leonard's books in the order they were published. This one was decent, I didn't like it as much as Split Images but still entertaining. Elmore Leonard books are always good for some really funny dialog.