The Book Challenge discussion
finished challenges
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FINISHED - Steph's Challenge - 55!
5. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides - 529 pages
6. She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb - 465 pages
7. Everything is Illuminated - Jonathan Safran Foer - 276 pages
8. Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston - 184 pages
9. If Not Now, When? - Primo Levi - 346 pagesFascinating read. Ready to move off of the Holocaust/ WWII reads for a while, though.
10. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver - 614 pagesLoved this. It kind of killed my progress though, as it took me a while to get through. The holidays didn't help. Better pick up the pace!
Hi Stephanie, did you like Middlesex? It's one of my favorite books!
Allison wrote: "Hi Stephanie, did you like Middlesex? It's one of my favorite books!"I really did! I wasn't sure what to expect when I started it, but I really liked it. I thought the backstory was amazing and the characters were beautifully developed - I can see why it's one of your favorites! :)
11. A Girl Named Zippy - Haven Kimmel - 275 pagesThis was a really fun, fast read. I didn't expect much because to be quite honest I was a bit creeped out by the baby picture on the front cover, but I liked it! I was very impressed that the author was able to tell her story from a child's viewpoint and still keep my interest. Quick and entertaining.
12. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro - 288 pages13. Blood and Guts in High School - Kathy Acker - 165 pages
Never Let Me Go was beautifully written. Blood and Guts was horrific. See my review for the full rant, but I truly hated it.
14. I Love You, Beth Cooper - Larry Doyle - 253 pagesReally fun, light read. Silly but entertaining.
15. The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid - 184 pagesI thought this was a fascinating read. Short and quick but it raises a lot of questions and forces you to examine 9/11 and the events surrounding it from a different angle. I like it when a book challenges me to view things from another perspective.
16. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak - 550 pagesLOVED this book. It was absolutely brilliant.
I'm working on Obama's book - The Audacity of Hope -figured I'd better get to know our new president just a bit better. However, I really haven't been able to get into it. It's well written but I'm just not enthralled - it's going to have to be one that I work through while reading other books as well.
I just loved The Book Thief--have you read any of Zusack's others---I am the Messenger is YA and adult reading but Fighting Reuben Wolf and Getting the Girl are both YA but he is such an awesome writer, I can't wait for his next book.
BJ -I haven't read any other books by Zusak, but I certainly want to now! I've got I Am The Messenger on my TBR and I'll have to check out the other ones you mentioned. I really loved the Book Thief, so I can only imagine his others are great, too. Thanks for the recommendations!
17. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson - 204 pagesFantastic. Wish I'd read the book before I saw the movie, but both are extremely well done. This book is a wild ride through one of my favorite places - very entertaining and a quick read.
18. I'm Not Scared - Niccolo Ammaniti - 199 pagesQuick, thrilling read. Kind of a coming-of-age tale with a creepy twist.
I think I will try to get this book, I liked the thrilling part and the creepy twist!
BJ - it was good! It starts out kind of slow, but then it picks up and gets pretty creepy and disturbing. Happy reading! :)
19. Unless - Carol Shields - 320 pagesThis was alright, but nothing about it really grabbed me. I went back and forth between liking it alright and being pretty uninterested in it.
20. Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big - Jen Lancaster - 373 pagesFunny, very quick read.
21. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream - Barack Obama - 362 pagesI'm not incredibly into non-fiction reads, nor am I extremely politically motivated, but I really liked this book and am glad I read it.
22. The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time - Mark Haddon - 272 pagesLoved this. A fantastic, thought-provoking read.
Stephanie wrote: "22. The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time - Mark Haddon - 272 pagesThis was one of my favorites- Christopher is such an animal lover and his parents are awful. I love when he talks about his teacher....you can tell the teacher and Christopher get each other ----it is also a Reading Olympic book in my school this year too.
BJ - I also really enjoyed the feel of the relationship between Christopher and Siobhan. Even though we are never actually introduced to her, you get the sense that she is the most stable person in his life.
Yes, and being a teacher/librarian it is nice to read we can have an impact on their lives. It also helps that Haddon taught autistic kids---he was right on with his descriptions, thoughts, sctions, etc with Christopher.
23. 1984 - George Orwell - 312 pagesI LOVED this. I can't believe I made it this far in life without reading it.
25. Requiem for a Dream - Hubert Selby, Jr. - 279 pagesReally good, but I need something light to read next. The last few books I've read have been horrendously depressing.
26. Love Is a Mix Tape - Rob Sheffield - 224 pagesGreat book - the best unconventional love story I've ever read.
27. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer - 274 pagesI absolutely LOVED this. I could not put it down.
28. I Am The Messenger - Markus Zusak - 357 pagesGREAT book. I loved it almost as much as The Book Thief but the ending threw me a little.
29. A Prayer For Owen Meany - John Irving - 617 pagesNot really sure how I felt about this. I was really enjoying it, but I'm still deciding how I felt about the ending.
30. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer - 498 pagesI really could not get into it. I'm just not into the paranormal thing, I guess. I can get into just about any story if the writing is good, but I just couldn't get into her writing style. I can see what makes this book attractive to people, but it just did nothing for me.
On the plus side, if I continue on this pace, I'm going to surpass my goal of 55, as I'm over halfway already and I still have until the end of October. We'll see!
31. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Ann Brashares - 294 pagesCute book for teenage girls.
32. Hunting and Gathering - Anna Gavalda - 488 pages.A beautiful and charming book.
33. The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein - 321 pages
34. One for the Money - Janet Evanovich - 320 pages
35. The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield - 406 pages
36. The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides - 249 pages
37. A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray - 403 pages
38. Rebel Angels - Libba Bray - 548 pages
39. The Almost Moon - Alice Sebold - 291 pages
40. God's Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre - Richard Grant - 277 pages
41. Two for the Dough - Janet Evanovich - 325 pages
42. Three to Get Deadly - Janet Evanovich - 321 pages
What did you think of the Janet Evanovich books? I read a book in the Stephanie Plum series this week and I really loved it. :)
Tamara - I am really liking the Janet Evanovich books! I just started the series and I've only read the first three so far but they are such fun. They're getting better as they go along, too! :)
43. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier - 380 pages
The Book Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Axis Rule in Occupied Europe: Laws of Occupation, Analysis of Government, Proposals for Redress (other topics)A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana (other topics)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream (other topics)
Revolutionary Road (other topics)
1. Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami - 480 pages
2. Plain Truth - Jodi Piccoult - 480 pages
3. The Lace Reader - Brunonia Barry - 385 pages
4. When You Are Engulfed in Flames - David Sedaris - 323 pages
Currently reading Middlesex, more than halfway done :)