Challenge: 50 Books discussion
2010
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JOE'S 50 Books a Year 2010 Challenge
4. A Country Doctor by Franz KafkaI wasn't quite ready for this one. A solid classic that stays with you longer than you expect it to.
5. 2BR02B by Kurt Vonnegut; a quick startling read. Well worth it.
6. The Skin I'm In by Sharon G. Flakel audiobook; coming of age piece of a young African American girl in urban America.
Sooz wrote: "that's a lot of Kafka at one time."I wasn't planning on it, but it only takes one well written piece to pull you into more of the author's work. I'm hooked.
February 20107. The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King; an audiobook that was a great listen.
8. The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemmingway; brilliant Hemingway prose.
9. Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala; refreshing read.
10. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In its true fairy tale format, I found this more on point than the movie. Audiobook & Kindle version. I found both rewarding.
12. The Angel Experiment by James Patterson; a long wait for nothing. All promises fall flat. I read about five books a time. Looks like they are all coming home to roost.
February 201013. The Help by Kathryn Stockett; Let them "hep" themselves to some of your time. It will be time well spent. I absolutely loved this book and I look forward to the second trip through... Wow!
The Help has certainly gotten a lot of positive buzz - i hope you'll post your thoughts on the novel. it's one that's on my to-be-read shelf.
You will want to move it to the top of your "to-be-read" shelf. You won't regret it. I already posted my thoughts of the book. What a ride it was!!!
14. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.Just finished the Outliers and it was a great read. My only regret is that I took so long to finish it. I didn’t realize how insightful all of his discoveries would be. I found myself dumbfounded at the end of each of the nine chapters. The major discoveries lie in the first third of the book. Gladwell personalizes his writing by sharing his own lineage in the epilogue which of course lines up with the sightings he presents.
Good stuff and a worthwhile read.
15. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. A lot of fire and an enlighteningly eye opening reading of life in the early part of the 20th Century for a black man.
16. My Father, Maker of the Trees: How I Survived the Rwandan Genocide by Eric Irivuzumugabe. Genocide. What a mind blowing experience to have survived and overcome... a heartwrenching read.
17. Crush It!: Why Now Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk; a super charged book; loved it.
I am amazed at how much more reading has become a necessary portion of my life. I've always been an avid reader, but no matter where I look now, I find I have to read something. I will probably crush the 50 books a year quota by April... hmmm18. The Lady with the Little Dog by Anton Chekov. Good story and better than average character development. I cared when I didn't think I would.
guess you belong with the 100 books in 2010 group!
Perhaps... once I hit 50 I won't have a choice, will I?
19. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. What a western. Bloody, vivid and somewhat depressing.
20. Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving. I read this as a child and I don't quite remember it being this "grown up"; its nuances would be lost to those under high school age. A cool 40 minute listening experience that is very Washington Irving.
Joe wrote: "19. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. What a western. Bloody, vivid and somewhat depressing."Does he write anything that isn't bloody, vivid and somewhat depressing?
And seriously, #19?! Evelyn Wood Speedreading graduate or is it your mutant ability?
Donna wrote: "Joe wrote: "19. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. What a western. Bloody, vivid and somewhat depressing."Does he write anything that isn't vivid and somewhat depressing?"
This is my first McCarthy... I didn't know. :))
Donna wrote: "And seriously, #19?! Evelyn Wood Speedreading graduate or is it your mutant ability?"I do speed read and sometimes do audiobooks (which can be gruesomely long (e.g. The Help was 18 hours longs--grueling unless the writing and reading in this case, is brilliant). I find that I can read faster on my Kindle than I can with a hard cover book too... I stay up late too. (smile)
~ Woody Allen Joke: "I took the Evelyn Wood Speed Reading Dynamics course. I read War and Peace in 20 minutes. It's about Russia."
~ Learn to Speed Read
~ Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteres are at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a tatol mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe. ==> this is a bogus, cheap trick. :)
:)
Garth wrote: "~ Woody Allen Joke: "I took the Evelyn Wood Speed Reading Dynamics course. I read War and Peace in 20 minutes. It's about Russia."
~ Learn to Speed Read
~ Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde u..."
Garth man you are too much. Let me rephrase what I said. It's a mutant ability.
March 201021. The Remnant by Larry Stockstill. It was even better the second time around. The premise of the book says it all. We need solid integrity and accountability throughout the church. To effect that change, start with one: You. 'nuf said.
22. Fasting: Opening the Door to a Deeper, More Intimate, More Powerful Relationship with God. I'm so glad I got a hold of this book. The author shares and demonstrates how his church embraced a 21-day prayer and fasting period at the beginning of the year and found it became the key to a miraculously eye opening Christian walk for them.
23. The Most Dangerous Game. Wow! What a great read. This by far beats out any movie adaptation I’ve seen to date. I can still feel the humidity from the swamp, feel the bits of the insects, here the barking of the pack of dogs. So much story in so few pages. You owe it to yourself to read this one. What an adrenalin rush!
23? Seriously dude, go for a jog or something. You're gonna put an eye out.
Donna wrote: "23? Seriously dude, go for a jog or something. You're gonna put an eye out."Among other things, I'm a photographer, so when I'm out, I'm shooting images. I've got plenty to do... I also LOVE to read.
Joe wrote: "23. The Most Dangerous Game. Wow! What a great read. This by far beats out any movie adaptation I’ve seen to date. I can still feel the humidity from the swamp, feel the bits of the ..."I was just suggesting this movie (the old original) to someone earlier this week. I thought it was great. I've never read the book though. I bet it would be better - great descriptions and suspense causing chaos in the imagination.
9 times out of 10 the book is better; it's a short story (30 minute read), but Connell makes every word count; it builds to a boiling point and then explodes.
24. Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health I read this book about 10 years ago and I can honestly say that I was yet pleasantly surprised how much this book opened the eyes of my understanding regarding a healthy Christian walk.
25. My Soul Looks Back in Wonder: Voices of the Civil Rights Experience Terrific set of essays that the author has gathered to open our eyes to what took place during the civil rights heyday from the mouths of many of its participants. Very insightful and invigorating. Good read!
26. Even Eagles Need a Push: Learning to Soar in a Changing World somewhat inspirational, but I was left wanting more from this streamlined version of What Color is Your Parachute? A few good nuggets.
27. Roots: The Saga of an American Family: 30th Anniversary Edition, a blisteringly well done story that despite the controversy surrounding its authenticity is well worth reading (I listened to the 30 hour audiobook).
28. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, It's an interestingly sad and morose tale of a Dominican family's demise. The story I find is obscured by excessive swearing. You should also speak some Spanish because about 10% of the book is in Spanish or Spanglish. Diaz is a talent, but prepare yourself: the excessive writing and excessive swearing may be a turn off.
Joe wrote: "28. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, It's an interestingly sad and morose tale of a Dominican family's demise. The story I find is obscured by excessive swearing. You should als..."I think I wrote in my review last fall that the very thing that made this book in the beginning seem innovative and different became quite frustrating later, namely the use of Spanish or Spanglish without referring to it's meaning. He definitely wrote for a more Spanish speaking audience. But I am glad I read it.
I was far more impressed with his first book, Drown.
29. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest; Wow! I’d seen the movie some time ago in the 20th Century, but the book is electric. Told from the half Indian’s point of view and not Jack Nicholson’s McMurphy character, (which makes far more sense considering the story's outcome). Kesey is a brilliant folk story teller/writer who's writing is tight and riveting. I recommend this one.
I remember reading the play out loud in ModAmLit in high school. There was a character who only ever said "#@C$ you!" which our teacher wisely suggested we edit to Fudge. Of course we were teenagers so the person playing that part would invariably & voluably forget. Luckily, really cool teacher.
30. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life; Insightful and informative. For a Christian, these principles are absolutely priceless and will do much in helping to establish positive spiritual growth and a practical walk. Highly recommended.31. The Penal Colony; A short story about a machine used for the slow deliberate execution of its clientele and the strength and valor of a man of principle. I had to read this twice to really get into it.
32. Entering the Presence of God: Moving Beyond Praise and Thanksgiving to True Worship; Effectively fulfills the desire for more detailed information on worship for the Christian. I enjoy all of Prince’s writings. This one's no different.33. Too Much Happiness: Stories; Dealing with real life can be mind boggling, but Munro glibly shows us how people make the best of it. Her prose smoothly and swiftly transports the reader into the time and era of each of the 10 stories in this collection. They are well worth re-reading.
April 201034. The Master Plan of Evangelism with Study Guide; Christ's plan for evangelism, simply set out and shown by his example. Doesn't get any more clear cut than this.
35. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West; This is the story of the life and death of that broom flying green gal from Oz told in a sprawling epic. If you don't keep the end in sight, you will definitely lose your way (if not your patience). Good, but I wouldn't read it again.
36. Slumdog Millionaire; My review is based on the audiobook masterfully read by Christopher Simpson, Having just visited India, I found I was pulled right into the vivid storyline. I loved the movie but I found the stories in the book far more moving. It’s originally entitled Q&A which is actually the story’s format. I haven’t been teary-eyed over many stories, but these really touched my heart. I wish the movie used a few more of these stories (while politically, I can understand why they didn’t). . It’s heavy at times, but a powerful read. I loved it.
37. Meeting Dad; A very short story by a Goodreads author about two boys who finally meet the dad who abandoned them when they were kids.38. The Poets' Corner: The One-and-Only Poetry Book for the Whole Family; A strong introduction to classic poetry read by very strong actors. Worth a listen. I wish it were more diverse, but it really does rekindle the thirst for poetry.
39. The Cost of Discipleship; Those who are marginal Christians, will be put off by much of Bonhoeffer's writings, but if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, then this work will be quite an eye opener.
May 201040. Dune; Now this was really enjoyable and a great read. This is solid science fiction. (Amazing how well the TV mini-series stuck to the book.) Well done.
41. Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath; A blisteringly straightforward accounting of the surrender of US troops to the Japanese in the Philippines during the beginning of the WWII and their treatment thereafter. Harrowing! 42. Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community; Insightful and encouraging words on cherishing what God has given us. Bonhoeffer, a Christian many compared to Paul, was martyred for his beliefs by the Gestapo during WWII.
Challenge: 50 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Holiday Classics (other topics)Rogue Male (other topics)
A Christmas Carol (other topics)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (other topics)
Invisible Man (other topics)
More...
A worthy challenge: this will probably include audiobooks, short stories, novellas and graphic novels as well; on average 4 books per month. The main challenge for me is that I read more than one book at a time, so when I finish, I'm finishing 3 or 4 books...
January 2010
1. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
2. Nat Turner by Kyle Baker, a graphic novel page turner!
3. A Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka