Kristine I's 2010 Reading Challenge

[Kristine]

1. The Secret HistoryDonna Tartt (4 Stars) This took me a long time to read, but I am glad I stuck with it. I am happy to have this as my fist completed book of 2010.

[Kristine]

2. The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

3. The Reluctant Tuscan: How I Discovered My Inner Italian by Phil Doran (3 Stars)

I just wish these books about remodeling a house would have a picture or two in them!

[Kristine]

4. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (3 1/2 Stars)

[Kristine]

5. The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

6. Persuasion by Jane Austen (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

7. The Dante Club: A Novel by Matthew Pearl (3 Stars)

This book was filled with history of Boston's literary scholars. Very interesting if gruesome tale of murders that mirror the punishments in Dante's Inferno. I think I enjoyed the author's third book better though - The last Dickens.

[Kristine]

8. The Curve of the World: A Novel by Marcus Stevens (2 Stars)

[Kristine]

9. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

10. Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder (3 1/2 Stars)

I think I liked Poison Study (the first book in the series) better.

[Kristine]

11. An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor (3 Stars)

[Kristine]

12. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

13. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (3 Stars)

[Kristine]

14, Haunted Ground: A Novel by Erin Hart (4 Stars)

Uber Irish, but I liked it!

[Kristine]

15. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (3 Stars)

[Kristine]

16. Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich (3 Stars)

[Kristine]

17. The Rose Labyrinth by Titania Hardie (2 Stars)

[Kristine]

18. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

19. Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley (3 Stars)

[Kristine]

20. The Unicorn Road by Martin Davies (4 Stars) Beautifully written.

[Kristine]

21. A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

22. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (3 1/3 Stars)

[Kristine]

That's 3 1/2 stars ;^P

[Kristine]

23. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (1 Star)

[Kristine]

24. The Yellow House: A Novel by Patricia Falvey (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

25. The Tattooed Map: A Novel by Barbara Hodgson (3 Starts)

[Kristine]

26. A Painted House by John Grisham (3 1/2 Stars)

[Kristine]

27. Still Alice by Lisa Genova (3 1/2 Stars)

[Kristine]

28. Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (3 1/2 Stars)

[Kristine]

29. The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherfurd (3 Stars)

Wow - this book was really long and each section jumped big time periods. I would have liked it better if it had felt more continuous. It just wasn't the style of historical novel I enjoy. On the other hand, it was a great way to learn about a lot of Irish history.

[Kristine]

30. The Forgery of Venus: A Novel by Michael Gruber (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

31. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (3 Stars)

[Kristine]

32. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris (3 Stars)

[Kristine]

33. Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen (4 Stars)
Great summer read! Really cute and funny.

[Kristine]

34. Radium Halos: A Novel about the Radium Dial Painters by Shelley Stout (3 1/2 Stars)

[Kristine]

35. Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell YA Book (Stars 4)

[Kristine]

36. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (4 Stars)

This book was a bit odd and the ending was too...But I still enjoyed it.

[Kristine]

37. The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell (5 Stars)

This book is set in two time periods and focuses on two women: one in post-war Soho, the other in present day London. Lexie leaves her family to make a life for herself as a journalist in the 1950's and Elina is a present day artist and new mother. These women's lives are intertwined, and the reason is part of the mystery. Each story was intriguing. I could really feel the atmosphere of Soho and the artistic people who were Lexie's friends. The present day story of Elina's life as a new mother will speak to anyone who has had a baby. It's a book I can't stop thinking about. Highly recommended.

[Kristine]

38. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (4 Stars)

Great follow-up to The Hunger Games!

[Kristine]

39. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

40. Lake of Sorrows by Erin Hart (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

41 I Married a Dead Man by Cornell Woolrich (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

42. The Magicians by Lev Grossman (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

43. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson (4 1/2 Stars)

[Kristine]

44. The Conjurer's Bird: A Novel by Martin Davies (4 1/2 Stars)

[Kristine]

45. One Foot in Eden: A Novel by Ron Rash (4 Stars)

[P.]

Wow. You are almost there! I'm surprised that the Dan Brown only got 1 star from you. His previous ones weren't that bad, even though he beats around the bush a bit!

well done!

[Kristine]

Thanks! Yeah I really didn't like The Lost Symbol. I just seemed pointless.

I am hoping to get to 75 this year.

[Kristine]

46. The House of Stairs by Barbara Vine (4 Stars)

[Kristine]

47. Saving Ceecee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman (4 Stars) Cute & uplifiting...