Best and Worst Books of the Summer 09 Challenge

[Bonnie]

So, Cynthia, let me know if this is a bad topic/the wrong file. But I think it could be fun/useful for people to post their one-star and five-star books from the last challenge. It's always fun to see what people think, plus it can give people ideas for what to read for this challenge by looking at other people's five-stars (or one-stars if they have completely opposite book tastes).

Five Stars:

(1) Water for Elephants

(2) Life of Pi

(3) Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

(4) The Blind Assassin

(5) The Red Tent

(6) Pride and Prejudice

(7) A Thousand Acres A Novel

One Star:

(1) Casca The Barbarian

(2) Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

(3) The Other Boleyn Girl

(4) The Secret Life of Josephine Napoleon's Bird of Paradise

Luckily for me, much more 5-stars than 1-star for me this summer. I was impressed by the number of really good books I found.

[Terri]

Good idea!

I'm very mean with my 5 stars ... only one made the grade during the summer!

The Owl Killers

It seems I'm also pretty mean with one stars! I've given none a one during the summer, but my worst read was ...

The Bridges of Madison County ... snore!!!

(I have a feeling this thread might be responsible for a large number of additions to my wishlist!)

[Bonnie]

I saw The Owl Killers mentioned the other day, but didn't think anything of it. I just added it to my TBR list. It looks good!

Usually it's really hard to get a 1-star from me (usually I give books I don't like 2-stars). But this time around I read some real doozies.

[Terri]

lol, I've just added A Thousand Acres to mine!

I found The Owl Killers to be absolutely fascinating - I learnt a lot about a period of history I knew little about, the plot was really good and I was gripped from beginning to end!

BUT, I also liked The Other Boleyn Girl! That was a 4* read for me!

[Dionisia]

I am just realizing I haven't given out any five stars this summer! Here are a few I really enjoyed and others not so much.

Hits:


[image error]


Miss:


Bomb! Run for your life! Oh the horror:

[Terri]

Haha! Got to agree with you re Almost Moon!

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)]

Great topic!

I didn't really give out many five star books either but I read more good books than bad ones..so that's always a good thing!

Some of my favorites of the challenge:


Those Who Save Us
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Speak
Water for Elephants

ONE STAR:

ALMOST MOON!!!

[Emily]

I didn't participate in the summer challenge, but my top book of my summer reading was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

And the only book that I have ever given one star to is Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The. Usually when I don't enjoy a book I just put it down, but I had to read that one for school back in 10th grade and couldn't stand it.

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)]

Emily wrote: "I didn't participate in the summer challenge, but my top book of my summer reading was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

And the only book that I have ever given one star to is [bo..."

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is one of my ALL TIME favorites!!

[Kim]

I read a couple of 5 star books for the summer read
The Thirteenth Tale
and one called Search dog- about a mountain rescue dog in the Peak District.

There was only one 1*
You Only Live Twice

I will be looking for books to add to my ever increasing tbr pile aswell!

[Katie]

Great idea!

5 Star Reads





I didn't have any 1 star reads, but these were my 2 stars:





[image error]

[Cynthia]

No I don't mind at all. This is a good place for it because I do think that you can tell a lot about a person by the books they love. I read a lot I loved this summer and not so many I hated.

My 5 Star Books From The Summer Challenge
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My 1&2 Star Books From The Summer Challenge

[Erin]

Great idea!

5 Stars:
Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz
American Wife A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

1 Star:
Jack's Widow by Eve Pollard
The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout
Summer Reading by Hilma Wolitzer

[Candace]

I like this idea!! Some of my 5 stars were re-reads, but I still loved them and wanted to include them here :) I've also included some of the other books I read after I finished the challenge because I had a few more 5 stars after that!

5 Star
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1 Star


Most of what I read seemed to be more along the lines of 3 and four stars :)

[Bridgit]

I guess I am pretty critical. I don't give out many 5 stars, but I do give out a lot of one stars. Here are my favorite books from this summer though:

- This was absolutely FASCINATING. Highly recommended.



Hated:

[Usako]

Didn't have any one star reads but here's the list of books that I read this summer (some didn't fit into the challenge mind)

Five Star
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Two Stars
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[El]

I'm pretty picky when it comes to giving out 5 stars, but...

Thumbs up


Thumbs down

[Sara ♥]

I didn't participate in the Summer Challenge (my brain needed a break), but I DID read over the summer...

5 Star Reads
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I didn't rate any below 3 stars, but from the Winter and Spring Challenges:

2 Star Read

Oye... I gave it two stars, because it had parts that were interesting, but for the most part, it was just BORING... and yet, was he on some kind of hallucinogen when writing the ending??? The movie was better, but only because I was able to watch it at 1.5 speed. ;)

1 Star Read

I couldn't finish it. AND, this book is the reason I put off reading The Hunger Games... grrr!

[Sara ♥]

@Bridget - I'm glad I'm not the only one who REALLY didn't like Wuthering Heights!!!

[Bridgit]

Sara wrote: "@Bridget - I'm glad I'm not the only one who REALLY didn't like Wuthering Heights!!!

"

Oh gosh. I HATED it. One of the worst books I have ever read. I have no idea what people see in it.

[Cait]

I'm almost embarrassed by the number of 5 star books I read this challenge, but it made for some good summer reading.

5 Star
A Tale of Two Cities
Watership Down
Everything That Rises Must Converge
The Third Policeman
Everything Is Illuminated A Novel
I Know This Much Is True
Night
If On a Winter's Night a Traveler
A Christmas Carol
[image error] The Likeness A Novel
[image error] A Thousand Splendid Suns
My Most Excellent Year A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park
Of Mice and Men
A Pale View of Hills


I'll balance out the above by listing both 1 and 2 stars.

1 Star
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming
Heart of Darkness

2 Stars

Dorian An Imitation
So Many Books, So Little Time A Year of Passionate Reading
Handle with Care
The Almost Moon
[image error] A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
The Wishbones
The Old Man and the Sea
Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married
Love or Something Like It A Novel

[Sara ♥]

Bridgit wrote: "Sara wrote: "@Bridget - I'm glad I'm not the only one who REALLY didn't like Wuthering Heights!!!"

Oh gosh. I HATED it. One of the worst books I have ever read. I have no idea what people se..."

I always get Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre confused... I didn't like either. But Wuthering Heights?? It was AWFUL! So full of hatred and pettiness and betrayal and lying... gaaahhh! Awful!

[Beth F]

I wasn't completely blown away by anything I read this summer nor did I have any total stinkers, so didn't have any 1 star or 5 star ratings.

But from my 4 star reads, the one I'd most highly recommend would be:


Read this for my face-to-face book club and really enjoyed it. It was a quick read and had a lot of interesting points to discuss with the larger group.

And the two I disliked the most intensely were (2 stars):


I didn't like either of them and the only reason I didn't give them 1 star was because they elicited absolutely no emotional response from me, which is a requirement for me to give a book 1 star. I have to really loathe something before I give it 1 star!

[Candace]

Cait wrote: "I'm almost embarrassed by the number of 5 star books I read this challenge, but it made for some good summer reading.

5 Star
A Tale of Two Cities
..."

Cait - wasn't The Likeness great?! I liked it much better than In the Woods... what did you think of that one?

[Danielle]

I loved I Know This Much Is True! I read the whole book in three or four days!

[Cait]

Candace - I thought In The Woods was good (I gave it 4 stars) but The Likeness is definitely the better book. I liked the story and setting more, and the conclusion was much more satisfying.

I really enjoy her writing style and can't wait for her to come out with another book.

[Nicki]

I am sooooo glad I didn't read The Almost Moon for my unpopular choice!

5 stars:
The Handmaid's Tale
[image error] The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Time Traveler's Wife
New Moon
Midnight Sun

Almost 5 stars (4.5):
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Persuasion
[image error] Twilight
Eclipse

2 stars:
Brick Lane A Novel
[image error] One Silent Night
Lie by Moonlight

[BJ Rose]

I'm either generous with my 5*s, or I lucked out with some really great reads.

5*



I can usually find something in a book to like, so I have no 1* books, but it was close!

2*

AND No Regrets by Michele Ann Young (can't even find a bookcover for it!)

[Krista]

I rarely give out 5 stars, or 1 stars for some reason.

My 5 star books for the challenge wer:
The Book Thief
Fahrenheit 451

Other (but not all) 4 star favorites:
Plum Lucky (Laugh out loud funny for me!!)
Sarah's Key
Year of Wonders


Autobiography of a Face

Least Favorite:
Grand Avenue
The Picture of Dorian Gray

Reading Lolita in Tehran A Memoir in Books
Pretty Birds A Novel

[Nicole]

I love this! And I can finally practice using the add book/author feature!

My Five Star Books


My most hated (1&2 stars)

[Petra]

I don't give out many 1 or 5 Star ratings, it seems.

My favorite books (4 & 5 stars) of the Summer Challenge are:

Woman In White

The Good Earth

Middlesex (highly recommended)

[image error] The Graveyard Book

Ursula, Under


My least favorites (1 & 2 stars) were:

One if by Heaven Two if by Hell (although the fault may not be with the book but with me. This book is meant for a younger adult audience, preferably male, I think)

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

[Angela]

5 Stars:
The HelpThe Time Traveler's WifeThe Glass Castle A MemoirThose Who Save Us [image error]

2 stars


I did not have any 1 star books

[Rora]

My 5 stars (most of them re-reads)...
Wise Children by Angela Carter
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Wise Child by Monica Furlong
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
The Onion Girl (Newford, Book 11) by Charles de Lint
The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

My 2 stars...
The Sooterkin by Tom Gilling
Two Moons A Novel by Thomas Mallon

[Patricia]

I only had one 5 rating. I guess I'm stingy when it comes to giving 5 ratings (on the other hand I don't give many 1 ratings either). At least I had more hits than misses for this challenge.

5 Stars:

4 Stars:
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2 Stars:

[Slayermel]

Here are my 5 star and some 4 star that almost made the cut :0)

[image error] [image error]

I have been very fortunate to have not read anything below a 3 star rating this summer. These where my lowest rated books of the summer.



Here are the Spring Challenge books that I did not enjoy, and was glad when they where over.

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[Wendy]

This is my list with ratings:




title
author
my rating

Cryptonomicon
Stephenson, Neal
5
The Haj
Uris, Leon
5
Wild Ginger: A Novel
Min, Anchee
5
Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason
Pearl, Nancy
4
The Cat Who Went Bananas (Cat Who..#27)
Braun, Lilian Jackson
4
After Dark
Murakami, Haruki
5
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Wroblewski, David
5
Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart
Guy, John
4
An Ice Cold Grave (Harper Connelly Mystery, #3)
Harris, Charlaine
4
The Other Queen: A Novel
Gregory, Philippa
4
The Dharma Bums
Kerouac, Jack
5
Northanger Abbey
Austen, Jane
4
Bound: A Novel
Gunning, Sally
5
Saturday
McEwan, Ian
5
Eminem: Crossing the Line
Huxley, Martin
1
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Grahame-Smith, Seth
4
The Martian Chronicles
Bradbury, Ray
2
From Dead to Worse
Harris, Charlaine
4
The Angel's Game
Zafón, Carlos Ruiz
5
Oil!
Sinclair, Upton
5
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
Meacham, Jon
5
The Graveyard Book
Gaiman, Neil
5
The Sisters Grimm Book 6: Tales From the Hood
Buckley, Michael
5
The House at Sugar Beach: A Memoir
Cooper, Helene
5
Ruby Holler
Creech, Sharon
5
Herbert Hoover
Leuchtenburg, William E.
4
Dead in Vineyard Sand: A Martha's Vineyard
Craig, Philip R.
3
The Woman in White
Collins, Wilkie
5
All Together Dead
Harris, Charlaine
3
Undead and Unreturnable (#4)
Davidson, MaryJanice
2
The Man With Two Left Feet And Other Stories
Wodehouse, P.G.
5
Swords of the Horseclans (#2)
Adams, Franklin Robert
3
Middlesex
Eugenides, Jeffrey
3
Dance of Death (Pendergast #2)
Preston, Douglas
5
Out of Town a Few Days: P.I. Frank Johnson Mystery #4
Lynskey, Ed
5
Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Evanovich, Janet
5
The Day of the Triffids
Wyndham, John
5
Don't Look Down
Crusie, Jennifer
5
Roadside Crosses)
Deaver, Jeffery
5
Mansfield Park
Austen, Jane
3
Anansi Boys
Gaiman, Neil
5
Shanghai Girls: A Novel
See, Lisa
4
Burn Out
Muller, Marcia
5
Writers on Writing, Volume II: More Collected Essays from The New York Times (
Times, The New York
3
Anthem
Rand, Ayn
5
Fugitive: A Novel
Margolin, Phillip
4
The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism
King, Ross

Mourners (Nameless Detective, Book 31)
Pronzini, Bill
4
Point Blank (Alex Rider, #2)
Horowitz, Anthony
4
Gone Tomorrow (Jack Reacher Series, #13)
Child, Lee
5
Atonement
McEwan, Ian
4
The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship
Halberstam, David
4
A Good Dog: The Story of Orson, Who Changed My Life
Katz, Jon
3
Every Tongue Got to Confess: Negro Folk-tales from the Gulf States
Hurston, Zora Neale
4
Holidays on Ice
Sedaris, David
4
One Shot (Jack Reacher Series, #9)
Child, Lee
5
Seventh Son (Tales of Alvin Maker #1)
Card, Orson Scott
4
Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women
Brooks, Geraldine
5
The Time Traveler's Wife
Niffenegger, Audrey
2
Reliquary (Pendergast, #2)
Preston, Douglas
5
Soul Identity
Batchelder, Dennis
4
The Almost Moon
Sebold, Alice
3
The Merlot Murders )
Crosby, Ellen
4
The Glass Castle: r
Walls, Jeannette
3
People of the Book
Brooks, Geraldine
5
Trunk Music (Harry Bosch, #5)
Connelly, Michael
5
Curse of the Spellmans )
Lutz, Lisa
5
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
Moore, Christopher
5
The Enchantress of Florence
Rushdie, Salman
5
The Enemy )
Child, Lee
5
I Capture the Castle
Smith, Dodie
3
Mother Night
Vonnegut, Kurt
5

[Jenna]

I didn't have any 5 stars, but here are some of the 4 stars that I read for the challenge.
[image error]

1-2 stars

[Bonnie]

Beth(MN) wrote: "I wasn't completely blown away by anything I read this summer nor did I have any total stinkers, so didn't have any 1 star or 5 star ratings.

But from my 4 star reads, the one I'd most highly re..."

Whew! Glad people like this thread. It's so interesting to see what people loved and hated and I love all the pretty covers!

Bwahahaha, Beth. Stardust of Yesterday was HORRIBLE!!! I don't even read romance novels, but I loved Kurland's short story in To Weave a Web of Magic, and this was one of the few books my library had of hers. I have a word doc with all the books I've read in the past few years plus reviews. My review of this book was nearly a full page in 10-point type of ranting hate.

[Elizabeth (NC)]

My five stars were
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It's interesting that they are mostly young adult books--maybe I am more generous with those because I think they will be powerful with kids.

Anyway, I didn't have any one stars, but my two stars were
The Soloist, The Bug Funeral A Professor Simon Shaw Mystery , Stuffed, Cadillac Beach, Short Change

I also didn't finish Blue Sword by Robin McKinley--I just couldn't get into it, which I was very disappointed about because that task was the one I was most looking forward to. I'm less than halfway through, so maybe I can still work it in for the next challenge

[Sara ♥]

I LOVED The Goose Girl! I gave it 5 stars, too.

[Jennifer]

I didn't officially do the challenge because...I just got here! XD I didn't realize I was being so stingy with my stars, no 5 stars at the moment. Doh!!
Personally, I have been LOVING the #1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series the whole summer long. A favorite being #5, In the company of Cheerful Ladies.

One of the cutest little book--with big lessons--I've read this summer is Bliss to You: Trixie's Guide to a Happy Life by Trixie Koontz (and Dean Koontz, of course). I highly recommend it!

One of my worst reads this summer: Catch-22. Sarcasm, yes, I get thee, but I just have a hard time with this book.

[Tani]

I feel like the longer I'm on goodreads, the more stingy I get with my 5 star ratings, so here are my 5 stars, plus some 4 stars that were close.

Death in Venice and Seven Other Stories
Howards End
Speak
Graceling
Two for the Dough
Red Seas Under Red Skies
Motherless Brooklyn
To Say Nothing of the Dog or, How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last
The Spellman Files

Only one book was bad enough to rate only one star, but I had a couple that hit 2 stars as well.

One star:
[image error] Empress

Two stars:
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging Confessions of Georgia Nicolson
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand Curious Adventures of a CSI

[Jamie]

I am fairly stingy with my 5 stars. In fact, I only read one this summer:

Here are a few thumbs up:

I also came across some disappointments:

[Tammy AZ]

5-star


2-star
[image error]

[Julia]

I am so excited to peruse this thread for new items to add to my TBR shelf, but I thought I would post my own best and worst first.

I had no 5s, but many 4s:
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And no 1s but a couple 2s:

[Leslie]

Most of my 5 star reads from this summer have been turning up on other lists.
[image error] [image error]

I'm a pretty forgiving reader, so no 1 star reads. I give out a whole lot of 3's and 4's. Just a couple of 2's from this summer:

[Lisa]

I'm new to the challenge group, but will post my best/worst reads of the summer.
BEST 5 stars:
[image error] [image error]

WORST 1 -2 stars


Only Lost Souls rated a 1, the rest 2. I know I'm going to hear some flack about the last book on my worst list, but oh well.

I read lots of really good books this summer. I had too many 4's to post. Just drop my read section for more ideas. I've added several to my TBR from the lists above. Thanks for the ideas!

[Jo]

The best (5 stars or almost 5 stars):


The worst (1 or 2 stars):
I'd set this book aside for the "judge a book by its cover" task, but I couldn't even bring myself to finish it.
And: The Supper Club by Sophie King

[Alice]

My five star books for this challenge were:

The Information Officer by Mark Mills
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
The Other Hand by Chris Cleave
Iris and Ruby by Rosie Thomas

My two star books for this challenge were:

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Scarred Hearts by Max Blecher
The Accidental by Ali Smith

My one star books for this challenge were:

The Lost Dog by Michelle De Kretser
The Daydream Girl by Bella Pollen

[Heidi]

My five star books for this challenge were:

The Various Haunts of Men, by Susan Hill
Journey to the River Sea, by Eva Ibbotson
Silk, by Alessandro Baricco
She, by H. Rider Haggard

I was fortunate enough to not have any one-starred books, but the worst ones were probably:
The Book of Evidence, by John Banville
Reading Lolita in Tehran A Memoir in Books, by Azar Nafisi
The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros