Challenge: 50 Books discussion
Finish Line 2011
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JLJ's 2011 challenge
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2. The Imperfectionists
--Tom Rachman.I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. Overall i found it to be forgettable.
Three stars.
3. Freedom Rising
5. If I stay
-- Gayle Foreman
7. The Reader
. Bernhand SchlinkThis book was not what I expected, which is not to say it wasn't worth while. I won't ruin it by trying to explain it but I will say it made me think about post Nazi Germany in a different light.
Four Stars.
The Reader was an okay book; I really disliked the movie.Rose
8. Team of Rivals- Doris Kearns Goodwin
It took me a long time to get around to reading this one. I'd picked it up a few times before and it was just not the right time to tackle it. This time it clicked and I'm pleased I hung with it. It was probably the best political history if the period I have read.
Five Stars.
9. The Finkler Question
Hated it.
One star.
10. Kafka on the Shore
Worst book ever.
Jamie wrote: "10. Kafka on the Shore Worst book ever."
I'm currently reading this for a group read (halfway through). While I'm not hating it, I doubt I'll read any more Murakami. I had a tough time with the Johnnie Walker scene.
Ann,The Johnie Walker scene is what made this not just a book I didn't enjoy into the worst book ever. I'll be interested to see what you think when you are done.
Good luck!
Jlynn
Oh, brother - just got to the Colonel Sanders part.
Ann,I feel so bad for you. God how I hated that book.
Jlynn
11. The Invisible Bridge
I loved this book. It far exceeding my expectations. It is easily a four and a half star earner.
The book begins in Hungary, 1937. It ends after the conclusion of WWII. It was a wonderful and difficult read.
Glad to see you loved your latest book. I wish I could make myself stop reading reviews for awhile because my TBR list keeps getting longer and longer (just added The Invisible Bridge)!
12. Unbroken
- Laura HillenbrandExcellent book. 4 stars.
Story traces the journey of Louis- Olympic miler, as he gets drawn into the Army Air Corp, goes down and survives more than 40 days and nights on a raft in the Pacific, and finally his eventual capture by the Japanese.
Just started 'Unbroken' - am loving it already.
Ann,You and I seem to have very similar reading habits. May I compliment your taste?
Jlynn
Unbroken is a brilliant book. It has all the ingredients--struggles, torture, humor, emotion, and excruciating suspense. Plus it's true!Rose
And I return the complement. It's fun to peruse shelves like yours because of the variety and selection of "off the beaten path" books (i.e, NOT on the current best-seller lists).Ann
13. Original Meanings14. Pillars of the Earth
15. Anthropology of an American Girl
16. The Lincoln Lawyer
18. The Kennedy Assassination- the first 24 hours
No new information but fascinating read about the first 24 hours of the Johnson Presidency. 3 and a half star.
19. Jane Eyre
My first time through this classic. I did enjoy but did not love it. 4 stars.
20. White Tiger
Knowing that this book was an award winner, I had high expectations. It was ok. Only ok.
Three stars.
21. 22 Britannia Road
Solid four star novel about a post war Polish couple attempting to build a life together after six years separated by War.
22. The Warmth of Other Suns-- Isabel Wilkerson
Great four star read about the Great Migration. Wilkerson argues that the migration of Blacks, out of the south and into the cities between 1915 and 1970 should be thought of as an immigration pattern as much as a social trend.
The book follows three lives beginning with their experiences in the Jim Crow south, their decisions to leave, and the challenges they faces in their new worlds. Very enjoyable read.
23. Mario Puzo's The Godfather
I for some reason got a bee in my bonnet to read this and I actually really enjoyed it. It added much to my understanding of the movie which has a lot of violence. This was a well done novel.
Four stars.
I need to reread this, as I was much too young when I read it the first time. The only thing I remember is a particular line from a sex scene between Sonny and somebody (don't remember who - just the graphic "description" of Sonny!) Funny what sticks with us over the years!
26. Sophie's Choice
-- William StyronI'm not sure that I had any sense of what this book was about going in, buti can say it was a seriously intense read. Sophie, it turns out, is a Polish survivor of Auschwitz. The story revolves around her relationship with Nathan, her lover, and their mutual friend in Brooklyn--1947.
Four and a half stars.
27. Debating the civil rights movement
28. Anne of Green Gables
29. The book Thief
30. Brief History of Time
31. Savage City
32. The Boy in Striped Pajamas
33. The Sound and the Fury
34. The Lightning Thief
35. The Devil on the White City
36. Sea of Monsters
37. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
38. The Oracle of Stamboul-
43. The Shadow of the Wind
I really enjoyed this book. Four stars.
44. Room
Two stars, maybe.
45. Infinite Jest
Equal parts brilliant and terrible. Three and a half stars.
46. We the Animals.
Well written and then veers off a cliff. Three stars
Decent YA fiction. Two and a half
47. Story of a girl
48. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close--
Five stars-- I had to reread this one with the Anniversary of Sept. 11th, it is my comfort read. I love this book.
Jamie wrote: "44. Room Two stars, maybe.
45. Infinite Jest
Equal parts brilliant and terrible. Three and a half stars.
Congrats on finishing Infinite Jest! I am enjoying it, but have to take my time with it. It's a project!
51. Dracula
52. Americans in Paris
53. The Art of Fielding
54. Language of Flowers
Challenge: 50 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Holidays on Ice (other topics)Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President (other topics)
Mockingjay (other topics)
Catching Fire (other topics)
The Art of Fielding (other topics)
More...
1. Gone with the Wind- Margaret Mitchell
This felt a bit like a project read based on it's length but I did enjoy it. Not excellent literature but it was a must read. Not a bad way to start 2011.