100+ Books in 2023 discussion
2010 Lists
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Tina In Taiwan's 100 in 2010
25. The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert AlexandarIt was a good read--makes me want to read more about really happened to the Nicholas and his family.
26. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo IshiguroThis was my third for a Dystopia book challenge (Hunger Games and Handmaid's Tale were the other two). I would rate this one second with Hunger Games being my most favorite. I enjoyed how well the author really knows human relationships/interactions. The characters were very real--even with more insight into themselves and their reactions that I think most humans have. A good read.
Mandy wrote: "If you want to read more about Nicholas, try Nicholas and Alexandra. I thought it was pretty good."I'm glad to hear you thought it was good! I just ordered it yesterday from Amazon! :-)
27. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison WeirWeir is simply amazing. I love both her nonfiction and fiction books.
29. Flags of Our Fathers by Ron Powers and James BradleyMoving, inspiring, humbling. Thanks to all the servicemen and women who give their life for us.
30. The Heretic Queen by Michelle MoranMoran has this brilliant way of sweeping me right into the far-off time and place that she writes about. Brilliantly written, fantastic read. Highly recommend.
31. The Migraine Brain: The Breakthrough Guide for Healing Your Headache by Dr. Carolyn BernsteinAs someone who is moving past the 'soldiering through them' to the 'not putting up with them any longer', this book was helpful. I appreciated Dr. Bernstein's writing--she was never over clinical, instead (as a migraine sufferer herself), was courteous and candid. She gave helpful suggestions and charts. I am ready to hop on a flight and book a session with her! I recommend this to anyone who suffers from migraines.
32. North and South by Elizabeth GaskellI fell in love with the BBC adaptation of North and South, so it shouldn't surprise me that the book would be all that and more. The only thing I wish were different was that after Ms. Gaskell's careful leading for the romance between Margaret and Mr. Thompson to be realized, the ending is rather abrupt! I wish we had more--I didn't want it to end--the proof a a great book.
33. Year of Wonders by Geraldine BrooksMoving book about the plight of a village against the plague.
Cristina wrote: "Hi Tina! I met the author of saving CeeCee Honeycutt and was wondering what you thought about the book. Some of our book club members also met to iscuss it as a "sidebook" since not everyone had it..."Hi Christina, How cool is it that you met the author! I enjoyed it--it was a light read, very fast, but good. I felt the characters were believable and the plot was well supported--I'd recommend it :-) Did you read it? If so, what did you think?
36. Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock ****37. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom ***** Unforgettable book.
39. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini ***** I'm stingy with five stars, but this one definitely earned it!
Tina wrote: "36. Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock ****37. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom ***** Unforgettable book."
Hi Tina, I love this book and reread it occasionally. I think everyone should read this...it's so incredible how Corrie and her sister are able to change the whole atmosphere around them through their goodness. I think it's sad high schoolers are required to read "Night" which shows someone losing faith because of the holocaust without this one to balance it!
Cindi wrote: "Tina wrote: "36. Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock ****37. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom ***** Unforgettable book."
Hi Tina, I love this book and reread it occasional..."
I was amazed by the sisters too--how Bessie especially was able to look at the concentration camp as a mission field is positively inspiring. It is a shame that they don't get a balance!
40. Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier. nother ***** star book! I've heard DuMaurier compared to Bronte--rightly so. . . this books ranks right up there with Jane Eyre in the romantic suspense category.
41. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Wow. ***** stars. What journey Laila and Mariam took me on.
44. The Last Boleyn: A Novel by Karen Harper. **** stars. I quite enjoyed reading more about Mary Boleyn.
46. The Heart & Soul of the Next Generation: Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary Teens by Michael Bradley **** stars
47. Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn **** stars Distracting, entertaining, served its purpose as a light read.
49. The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough ***** stars There are some books that just leave me in awe. This was one of them. I'm amazed at the meticulous research, crafted writing, and skilled storytelling. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the Rome series.
50. The Kitchen House: A Novel by Kathleen Grissom ***** stars. I stayed up wayyyyy too late to finish this one! Am paying for it this morning, but it was worth it! The character development made the book. Wonderful book, highly recommended.
51. Cutting: Understanding and Overcoming Self-Mutilation By Steven Levenkron Good overview of the intricacies of self-harm. The author provides helpful case examples and clear suggestions for those who self harm, parents, and therapists.
52. When Your Child Is Cutting: A Parent's Guide to Helping Children Overcome Self-injury By McVey-Noble, Khemlani-Patel, Neziroglu. I really wanted this to be a book I could recommend to parents of clients, but instead, I can only recommend chapters. It is very heavy DBT biased, with what I felt, some inaccurately slanted information. However, there were some helpful parts that I will be passing on to parents in need of information.
53. Suite Française by Irene Nemirovsky. While the book was okay, I will remember it for the reason behind the unfinished ending.
54. The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer. ** stars. Big fan of Georgette Heyer, not such a big fan of this book. I just couldn't bring myself to like the main characters. Won't stop me from reading more of her books though!
55. The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang. **** stars. I am humbled that before I read this book, I didn't know that this atrocity occurred. What an eye-opening book to another chapter in our history. Chang did a fantastic job of not holding back and 'prettifying' the horrors of the Rape of Nanking. The mental images will stick with me for a long time.
56. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. *** stars. Wasn't fantastic, but wasn't horrible either. I'd probably read another in the series too. . .
57. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. *** stars. I wish I could give half stars, because it was really a 3.5 for me. Overall, the pros--I thought that the characters were well developed, albeit a little unbelievable and the ending was a surprise for me. The cons--it started off really slow and the continual leaving the character chapter switch on a cliff hanger got to be annoying rather than a writer's tool to retain the reader. Glad I read it, but will donate my copy to the lending library rather than save to read again.
58. Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer *** stars. Fast read, I can see why the Bloody Jack books are popular.
59. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett ***** stars. Loved the despair that wasn't so despairing, the happiness, the hope, the growth, the goodness of it all; loved it the fairytale.
60. Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot **** stars. Had all the elements of a chick lit--made for a a quick, enjoyable read that didn't require much thought.
61. This Lullaby By Sarah Dessen. *** I really debated, even slept a night on it, before adding this book and reviewing it. I'm conflicted. I like that Dessen put in a non-lily white main female character with flaws. I like that you could see her growth. BUT, I felt the growth that the character accomplished was way beyond the plot. Even the growth of the minor characters was a reach for me. If it hadn't have been in my field (adolescent psy/counseling) I might have been a little lighter on it, but as it was, I had to mark it down on believability. Even though I knew it was fiction, I couldn't convince myself to buy it. With that being said, it was still well written, well developed, and I would still read more of Dessen's books. How's that for a mixed review? :)
62. The Princess Bride by William Goldman I gave this one **** stars--and another conflicted review. I liked it, but didn't love it. I think my timing was off when reading it--after reading two chick-lits in only a few short days, it was hard to read a third. Perhaps if it was a stand-alone, I would have raved more about it. As it was, I could appreciate the cleverness about it; from the writing, the plot, to the asides, the author displayed some talent to say the least!
63. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson ***** stars. I loved it. I thought that the issues were very realistic (outside of seeing ghosts) and something that many adolescents struggle with (eg broken families, parental discord, comorbity with eating disorders and cutting). I'm so glad I didn't miss out on this one!
Tina wrote: "61. This Lullaby By Sarah Dessen. *** I really debated, even slept a night on it, before adding this book and reviewing it. I'm conflicted. I like that Dessen put in a non-lily white ..."I felt the same. Many people have told me this is their favorite book of all time. I wanted to like it, but it just didn't engage me. One of the few books where I actually like the movie more than the book!
Cindi wrote: "Tina wrote: "61. This Lullaby By Sarah Dessen. *** I really debated, even slept a night on it, before adding this book and reviewing it. I'm conflicted. I like that Dessen put in a no..."I'll have to watch the movie--maybe I'll like it better :) Glad to hear someone felt the same about the book!
100+ Books in 2023
Books mentioned in this topic
The Lovely Bones (other topics)1776 (other topics)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (other topics)
Night (other topics)
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Elie Wiesel (other topics)Arthur Conan Doyle (other topics)
Emily Brontë (other topics)
Thomas Hardy (other topics)
Sharon Kay Penman (other topics)
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January
1. The Girl With Dragon Tatoo
2. The Queen's Secret
3. The Six Wives of Henry VIII
4. The Memoirs of Cleopatra
February
5. The Sunne in Splendour
6. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
7. The Lovely Bones
8. Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
9. Third Time's a Charm
10. Wolf Hall
11. Forever Amber
12. Summer of the Midnight Sun
13. Treason
14. Hostage
15. Defiance
16. Sweetwater Gap
17. Fireflies in December
18. The Bible Jesus Read
19. Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome
March
20. The Children of Henry VIII
21. The Cellist of Sarajevo