75 Books...More or Less! discussion
Archive (2015 Completed)
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Lianne's 75 Books in 2015
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4.
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. TolkienIt took me ages to read Lord of the Rings in junior high, so I think I'd built it up in my head as being outrageously difficult. So it was a pleasure to start reading it and find it to just be wonderful fantasy. It took me a month to read Fellowship, which is not bad for me these days with my crazy schedule.
5.
Beauty by Sheri S. TepperA coworker lent this to me (before he was aware of my towering to-read pile). It was very strange and quite good.
6.
Binky the Space Cat by Ashley SpiresI read a later book in this series for a school assignment, so of course I had to go back and read the first one. Delightful!
7.
Mindblind by Jennifer RoySO GOOD! This is a YA novel about a boy with Asperger's. It includes parts of his life since age 3, but takes place mostly when he's 15. He is distressed by the idea that he isn't really a genius because he wasn't made an extraordinary contribution to the world. He is also in a band and has a crush on the singer. I find I can't describe what made this book so good, but I really enjoyed it.
8.
Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-FattahMixed feelings on this one, though overall positive. I liked the insight into the life of a girl who starts wearing the hijab in a non-Muslim-majority country (Australia). I also liked a lot of the side characters. I did not care for the fact that one character was living in an abusive home and yet the message still seemed to be "respect your elders".
9.
Chopsticks by Jessica AnthonyThis is a novel but it's all pictures!! So neat. Also it's very strange to have an unreliable narrator in a book of pictures. Some pictures are shown twice, and are different from each other. I had to go through the book twice to feel like I have any clue what was really going on.
I'm on a bit of a teen stand-alone novel kick right now, really enjoying finishing a book in a couple of days. So that's helping me catch up a bit. I do want to finish Lord of the Rings, though.
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Did you catch The Dovekeepers miniseries last week? I DVRed it and hope to read the book soon before I watch it.
Elyse wrote: "Did you catch The Dovekeepers miniseries last week? I DVRed it and hope to read the book soon before I watch it."I didn't! I don't have cable. I will definitely look it up though, thanks!
Aaand, catching up on my posts again!10.
The Book of David by AnonymousWritten in diary style in the tradition of Go Ask Alice, this one is about a gay football player in the southern US, and his process of coming out, not only to those around him but to himself, as he falls in love for the first time. Pretty good read.
11.
Pink by Lili WilkinsonRaised by super-radical parents, and dating her hardcore feminist girlfriend, Ava secretly wants to wear pink and have girly friends and maybe even date a boy. She moves to a new school and starts to get the things the wanted, but everything is complicated by her tangled web of lies. I liked this one, but was constantly frustrated by the characters. Ava's girlfriend is a terrible person. Her parents have a messed up brand of feminism. And the homophobes she meets along the way are pretty terrible. But by the end a decent number of characters had become likable.
12.
In the Time of Dinosaurs (Megamorphs #2) by K.A. ApplegateThe Animorphs get thrown back in time to when dinosaurs walked the earth, and are surprised to find other alien species living there. They have to figure out how to do the right thing without changing Earth's history completely, and also find a way home.
13.
The Babysitter by R.L. StineI love these Point Horror novels R.L. Stine wrote! The twists are the absolute best. I actually made a book trailer for this one for one of my library tech courses. It's here!
14.
The Departure (Animorphs #19) by K.A. ApplegateRight after quitting the Animorphs, Cassie finds herself lost in the woods with a little girl with a Yeerk in her head. The type of philosophical debate typical of Cassie ensues, but this time that's pretty much the whole plot. This is one of my favourite Animorphs books so far.
15.
Beach Party by R.L. StineNot my favourite Point Horror book, but still props for the great twist.
16.
The Neverending Story by Michael EndeUnlike most people, I never saw the movie as a kid, so I was going in blind. I really enjoyed the first half, and not so much the second half, which seems to be a common experience.
17.
City Infernal by Edward LeeMy first splatterpunk, which isn't a genre I was planning to try, but I really liked the story. Basically a girl whose twin sister committed suicide ends up able to visit Hell, and goes there looking for her sister.
18.
The Carhullan Army by Sarah HallFeminist dystopian thingy. A woman runs away to join a commune of women in the English countryside. I mostly liked it, but there weren't quite enough likable characters and the ending was weak.
19.
Century Rain by Alastair ReynoldsSpace opera, alternate history, noir mystery, oh my! Really interesting story, though a bit slow in spots towards the end.
OK, now it's time to go get caught up! My summer course got cancelled so I've recently started a magnificent two months without homework! :)
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Elyse wrote: "Well, I just added 5 books to my TBR! Book of David already was. I love R. L. Stine's older books. I just read one of his newer ones and it wasn't good. I felt that exact way about The Neverending ..."Your TBR shelf makes me feel a little better about mine, lol!
20.
The Boyfriend by R.L. StineAnd the crazy twists continue! The main character in this one was a terrible person, which decreased my enjoyment of it a little bit, but an otherwise good story. This one actually had multiple twists!
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21.
From Anna by Jean LittleApparently this is a Canadian children's classic. I'd never heard of it before taking it out at the library, but I'm now officially a fan! Very heartwarming.
22.
Medusa Jones by Ross CollinsJust a random kids' book I picked up at the library. It was a fun read.
23.
The Faceless One by Mark OnspaughSo I had a review copy of this sitting on my Kobo for like 2 years. I finally got to it as part of my current attempt to improve my standing on NetGalley. And it's SO GOOD. I had no idea what a good book was at my fingertips all this time! It's a horror novel (though I think I may also shelve it as fantasy) with a story based on Tlingit mythology. An ancient god escapes the Arctic ice and starts brutally murdering people, and must be stopped by a shaman who now lives in a Seattle retirement home. It is at times gruesome but always in a way that made me have to keep reading.
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The Faceless One by Mark OnspaughSo I had a review copy of this sitting on my Kobo for like 2 years. I finally got to it as part of my current attempt to..."
That's my goal this summer as well, to improve my NetGalley percentage! lol. This book sounds really interesting!
24.
Righteous Fury by Markus HeitzI knew I wouldn't like this quite as much as the Dwarves books, simply because I prefer my main characters to be good guys, but I must read everything Markus Heitz writes. :) And the characters did manage to grow on me.
25.
Walk in the Flesh by Peter BaileyThis was an interesting sci fi story about a guy whose consciousness gets implanted in different bodies in order to assassinate people.
26.
A Safe Girl to Love by Casey PlettA collection of short stories about trans women, written by an author who lives in my city. Good stories; my only complaint is that the main characters were a bit too much alike, so reading the book right through they blended together in my mind a bit.
27.
Secrets Found in Gimli by Diane AlexanderI grabbed this at the library entirely because it had Gimli in the title, and that's where my grandparents live (and where people around here go to the beach). I'm not normally a mystery reader. I enjoyed the story, but the writing is in dire need of an editor.
28.
Not My Father's Son: A Memoir by Alan CummingI downloaded this audiobook because a) I needed an audiobook to listen to on my long walks to work, b) I like Alan Cumming and his memoir looked interesting, and c) he narrates it himself, and I'm a sucker for a great accent. Plus I figured an actor would be a good audiobook narrator. I was right! This book was delightful to listen to, and hearing him narrate his own life story made me feel like I was actually chatting with Alan Cumming.
29.
None of the Above by I.W. GregorioThis is a YA novel about an 18 year old girl who finds out that she's intersex: she has XY chromosomes, no uterus, and internal testes. Before she even has a chance to deal with this news herself, the whole school finds out, and she's inundated with transphobic and homophobic crap from all directions, including some from herself.
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Righteous Fury by Markus HeitzI knew I wouldn't like this quite as much as the Dwarves books, simply because I prefer my main characters to be good guys, b..."
I enjoyed Alan Cumming's audiobook as well for the same reasons!
30.
Z. Rex by Steve Cole31.
The Snowman by R.L. Stine32.
The Discovery (Animorphs #20) by K.A. Applegate33.
The Threat (Animorphs #21) by K.A. Applegate34.
The Solution (Animorphs #22) by K.A. Applegate35.
The Babysitter II by R.L. Stine36.
The Vampire Armand (The Vampire Chronicles #6) by Anne Rice (audiobook)37.
The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner #2) by James Dashner38.
Frog Music by Emma Donoghue (audiobook)39.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (audiobook)Soooo, another weak year thanks to good old college. But I'm doing a final push for 50, at least! I've got a few in progress that I plan to finish by the end of the year, so if I can just squeeze in a few more Animorphs or something I could do it! :)
I'm also continuing to love listening to audiobooks on my 30-40 minute walk to and from work three times a week. Since September I've gotten through four audiobooks and I'm almost done a fifth!
I love listening to audiobooks during my work commute, too :)
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Elyse wrote: "I listen to audiobooks during my commute too. And when I'm cleaning."I wish I could do it when I'm cleaning, too! But I get too distracted. I find walking gives me the perfect amount of focus for audiobooks. For cleaning I stick to upbeat music and dancing around with dish towels, brooms, etc. :D
40.
Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger Syndrome by Rudy SimoneI've been researching Asperger's a lot lately since it was suggested to me that I might be an aspie. Still too soon to tell for sure, but definitely a lot of relatable stuff! I enjoyed this book overall, though I found that the emphasis on specific examples made it hard to understand some of the traits that can present in different ways for different people.
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Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger Syndrome by Rudy SimoneI've been researching Asperger's a lot lately sin..."
This looks like a really interesting book!
41.
The Hork-Bajir Chronicles by K.A. ApplegateI read this one as a kid but it is even better in the context of the whole Animorphs series! Also very sad as I knew all along the Hork-Bajir were screwed.
42.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (audiobook)My latest audiobook for my walks. Well narrated by a very British man.
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The Hork-Bajir Chronicles by K.A. ApplegateI read this one as a kid but it is even better in the context of the whole Animorphs series! Also very ..."
Was it the Tim Curry narration? He's so awesome. I listened to it least year.
Elyse wrote: "Was it the Tim Curry narration? He's so awesome. I listened to it least year."Nope, this one was Ralph Cosham. But Tim Curry narrating anything sounds like it would be great!
Lianne, Ralph Cosham was the narrator of the series by Louise Penny. LOVE him! Sadly, he passed away unexpectedly last year.
I love Ralph Cosham's narration- that description of him as "very British" is perfect, lol!! My favorite is his narration of Watership Down but he's done some great Sherlock Holmes, too. I haven't heard his Christmas Carol, though (my preferred version is the Jim Dale one).
43.
The Pretender (Animorphs #23) by K.A. ApplegateGah, the feels! Tobias makes me have all the feels.
44.
The Stepford Wives by Ira LevinThis book is so good!! Gave me the heebie-jeebies.
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The Stepford Wive..."The movie gave me the creeps! Haven't read the book yet but I bet it's good!
45.
The Suspicion (Animorphs #24) by K.A. ApplegateThis one was different! The Animorphs are focused on a different enemy this time when Earth is invaded by very tiny people with very big egos. I have idea why it's called The Suspicion though...
46.
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe (audiobook)Read this book! It is so good. It had me actually laughing out loud at times while walking the streets of downtown Winnipeg.
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What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe (audiobook)R..."
I enjoyed this one as well. The audiobook was good. Wil Wheaton! :)
Liane, yes! I loved this one as well. It was an excellent audiobook! So funny
Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "46. What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe (audiobook)R..."
My niece just got that one. I totally plan on snagging it when she's done!
47.
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis48.
Perelandra by C.S. LewisI'm actually reading the whole trilogy in one volume, which I would normally only count as one book, but since I was coming up on the end of book two so close to New Year's and I'll never read book three in a day, I decided to break my rule and split them up. Out of the Silent Planet was really good. Cool sci fi with unique aliens and the struggle to understand each other's languages. Perelandra started out cool and then became about 150 pages of talking and it took me FOREVER to get through. I hope the last book has a bit more action!
49.
The Extreme (Animorphs #25) by K.A. ApplegateNot bad, but not one of the stonger Animorphs books. Some plot holes.
All I have to do is read a short book tomorrow to hit my adjusted goal of 50 books!
You can do it- don't give up! I just hit my goal today, so it's never too late. Plus, reading is fun regardless of any numerical goals ;)
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50.
A Coyote Solstice Tale by Thomas KingAnd, done! OK, so that was an easy one. I knew it was a kids' book when I took it out from the library but it actually turned out to be a picture book. :P
On to 2016, and to more ambitious reading goals! :) Happy New Year everyone, and thanks for all your comments here in 2015!
My 2016 thread is here.
Lianne, That Hideous Strength is my favorite book of the trilogy. I hope you enjoy it! It definitely has more action than Perelandra, which mostly just reminded me of the old Greek dialogues we had to read in school.
Charleen wrote: "Lianne, That Hideous Strength is my favorite book of the trilogy. I hope you enjoy it! It definitely has more action than Perelandra, which mostly just reminded me of the old Greek dialogues we had..."Good to know! I generally don't need non-stop action but Perelandra was just a bit too much sitting around talking and agonising, lol.
75 Books...More or Less!
Books mentioned in this topic
Out of the Silent Planet (other topics)The Neverending Story (other topics)
The Vampire Armand (other topics)
The Stepford Wives (other topics)
The Baby-Sitter (other topics)
More...
So far I've just completed 3 books that I started in 2014. I didn't count them there, so I'm counting them here.
1.
My first foray into urban fiction. Dark and disturbing, but I ended up really enjoying it and will definitely check out more!
2. Business Computing
A massive textbook for a college course. I learned a lot from it, but wow, am I ever glad to be done.
3.
This one was for the book club I'm in with a few of my friends. The rest of them gave up on it weeks ago but I just had to finish! Long, slow reading, but I still liked it.
Now the book club is reading The Fellowship of the Ring, so hopefully that doesn't mean that this is my last update for months! :) (Last time I read The Lord of the Rings I was in junior high, and it took me a very long time.)