Raine's Progress

[Raine]

Hello! No one that I know is reading the BBC list, and it nice to see that others are! Glad to make everyone's acquaintance. I'm about halfway through the 2011 BBC list.... Currently reading "A Brave New World" (with "A Brave New World Revisited" sitting on the end table - Not on the BBC List), "The Secret Garden", and "Hitlerland" (not on the list, but I'm currently in Germany). I switch up books depending on where I am (on post, on the economy, etc), and mood.

[Raine]

Good morning, folks! I've finished "Brave New World" and "Brave New World Revisted". Very well written books, and I wish that others would read them, too! I didn't realize how often that BNW has been on the Banned/Challenged book list! But now that I know, I can understand why it wasn't in my "required reading" in school. Just moved into 2nd gear on The Secret Garden".

[Raine]

Good evening, folks. I just finished "The Secret Garden", and will sit down with "Hitlerland" until it's finished. "Anna Karenina" is sitting on the mantel.

[Raine]

BBC Top 100 Books List of 2011
1. The Lord of the Rings, (Trilogy) JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

[Raine]

BBC Top 100 List of 2012
1. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
...Fellowship of the Ring
...The Two Towers
...Return of the King
3. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
...Sorcerer's Stone
...Chamber of Secrets
...Prisoner of Azkaban
...Goblet of Fire
...Order of the Phoenix
...Half-Blood Prince
...Deathly Hallows
5. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
...The Golden Compass
...The Subtle Knife
...The Amber Spyglass
10. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
11. Little Women – Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk
18. Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch – George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald
24. War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisisted - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Caroll
30. The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
34. Emma -Jane Austen
35. Persuasion – Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne
41. Animal Farm – George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
45. The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies – William Golding
50. Atonement – Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
52. Dune – Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
62. Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History – Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
66. On the Road – Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick – Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
72. Dracula – Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses – James Joyce
76. The Inferno – Dante
77. Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal – Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession – AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple – Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
94. Watership Down – Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet – William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

[Raine]

Good evening, folks! I've recently finished "Dune", "Anna Karenina", "Alice in Wonderland", and )not on the list) Hitlerland. I'm currently working my way through "Watership Down" and (not on the list) "Through Embassy Eyes".

[Raine]

Good morning, folks! I've just finished "Watership Down", and will be picking up "Far From the Madding Crowd" by Hardy and "On the Road"by Kerouac today from the library. How is everyone else doing?

[Janet]

Just finished1984. I have finished 30 books on the list.

[Raine]

Outstanding! I thought "1984" was a great book!

[Raine]

Finished "Through Embassy Eyes" today (even though it isn't on the list). What a great read, if you like WWII books!

[Raine]

Just finished "On the Road" and absolutely disliked the book! With all the "lack of responsibility", it reflected where my son is in his life.

[Raine]

Finished "Far From the Madding Crowd". Took me longer than I wanted, but work has been demanding. I seriously enjoyed the book. I have other Hardy books on my master list, and if they are anything like this, then I'm really looking forward to those! Starting "A Town Like Alice" now.

[Janet]

Raine wrote: "Finished "Far From the Madding Crowd". Took me longer than I wanted, but work has been demanding. I seriously enjoyed the book. I have other Hardy books on my master list, and if they are anythi..."

I loved "A Town Like Alice". Hope you enjoy it.

[Raine]

Janet wrote: "Raine wrote: "Finished "Far From the Madding Crowd". Took me longer than I wanted, but work has been demanding. I seriously enjoyed the book. I have other Hardy books on my master list, and if t..."

Thank you so much, Janet. I did, in fact, enjoy it. I've read quite a few books on WW2 viewing/reviewing the atrocities and treatments from the Germans, but this is one of the few books that I've read regarding the activities of the Japanese. Was a nice story. On to "Anne of Green Gables" (sighs). Not good memories with this book. My sister read this book about 20 times during my Jr. High. Her choice of reading materials differed quite a bit from mine.

[Helen]

I hope you can enjoy Anne of Green Gables. It was one of my favourite books as a child too :)

[Raine]

Helen wrote: "I hope you can enjoy Anne of Green Gables. It was one of my favourite books as a child too :)"

I will definitely keep an open mind.

[Janet]

I just finished Anne of Green Gables. Perhaps I am a more sentimental reader than you are but I really enjoyed it. I will soon be reading Watership Down. Did you enjoy that?

[Raine]

Janet wrote: "I just finished Anne of Green Gables. Perhaps I am a more sentimental reader than you are but I really enjoyed it. I will soon be reading Watership Down. Did you enjoy that?"

I suppose I'm a "deep" reader. I liked Memoirs Of A Geisha, and I'm okay with Anne of Green Gables thus far. I really did enjoy Watership Down and felt it was a tad reflective of today's society. I've been trying to "borrow" movies from the library of the same books I read for a different perspective, and did like the animation of Watership Down, as well.

[Raine]

I finished Anne of Green Gables. It wasn't all that I was dreading. On to The Count of Monte Cristo.

[Raine]

I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! I think they should make a miniseries for this book, as the book dictates, as the movies produced have not done the book any near justice (just like the Potter movies). The endurance and methodology of the characters, the full-bodied figures of these characters created a wonderful tapestry upon which the events unfolded. Beautiful. Adventuresome. Tricky!The Count of Monte Cristo

[Raine]

Finished Girls In Love, thank god! While ordinarily a book of this length and caliber would only take me a day, I had a hard time feeling motivated to push through! That's saying a lot, considering the other books I've pushed through for this endeavor! Perhaps my childhood was different, but the underaged drinking, lack of parental supervision, and promiscuity rampant in the book left a disgusting taste in my mouth. Is this the sort of trash that teens are reading these days? Was so glad to NOT see it on the 2012 list! On to

[Raine]

Since I'm waiting on books for the 2011 list, I moved up to Life of Pi, #51 on the 2012 List. Boy, that was a great book! The first couple of pages were slow, and I wondered if the whole book was going to be this way, but it picked up very quickly! The language wasn't over the top, but it was just enough to allow you to feel your cracked lips, and to taste the salt. The experience was heart warming, and I definitely gave the book all the stars that I could. Most definitely a pick-me-upper from the last book!

Picked up The Time Traveler's Wife yesterday, and will start it today!

[Raine]

Finished The Time Traveler's Wife. It started out a little slow, and I had a little bit of trouble focusing on it. But after abot 20 pages, I was burning through it okay. I thought it was going to be a difficult read time line wise, because of the time traveling, but I ended up being wrong. Very well written in a level of language that didn't detract from the story. I even teared up just a bit when he was saying all of his good-byes, as he knew he was dying.

On to . I try to get the movies either as I'm reading it (if it's a difficult read, like some of Dickens' books) or after I've read the book. But this movie arrived way before the book. So, I've watched the movie already.

[Raine]

Finished Brideshead Revisited, finally. There were aspects of the book I did enjoy, such as the richness of the characters, the various realistic settings for different characters, and fade back through the memory. I didn't like, however, the implications of religion and the way the story was just drawn out. Some sections just seemed to drag on and on.

I have picked up and will begin that tonight. While it's not the book by Rushdie that I REALLY want to read, it will do until I finish these lists!

[Raine]

Finished Midnight's Children today. I am not sure if it was a slow read because of the holidays or because it took a bit for me to absorb it. Was sort of a disappointed that I didn't burn through it quicker. I found it to be a chaotic book, but can't pinpoint if it was reflective of Indian life, time period, or for my lack of knowledge of that country.

On to . It's sitting on the stove waiting for me.

[Raine]

Just finished The Shell Seekers. I was quite pleased with the book. Being military, I felt for the character in her connection to her beau, and was sympathetic in her losses. Good book!

Started on and am almost finished. Also picked up from the library, since they're always closed on Thursdays. Got in the car, and my husband asked me if the books on the list are considered based on size! LOL!!!

[Raine]

Finished Matilda last night. I had watched the movie previously with Danny DeVito. It was an easy read.

Started up on David Copperfield this morning. It's a long one!

[Raine]

Finished David Copperfield this morning. Probably one of my favorites by Dickens, which says a lot! I may be getting old, but I'm finding the larger books quite taxing on the wrists while I attempt to preserve their binding!

Have started and ordered Crime and Punishment, Noughts & Crosses, and The Remains of the Day from the library, while I wait to hear from my book buddy on the collaborated book of the month.

[Raine]

Have finished Good Night, Mr. Tom. Wrote my review and am waiting for the ordered following books:

1.) Crime and Punishment (#66-2011, #27-2012, #8-2013 Classics, “C” for Read Your Name Challenge)

2.) Noughts & Crosses (#67, “N” for Read Your Name Challenge)

3.) The Remains of the Day (#84-2012, first “R” for Read Your Name Challenge)

4.) The Light Between Oceans for my Book Buddy Challenge

Am currently reading Julius Caesar with Romeo and Juliet waiting on the counter. This is towards #14 (2012) The Complete Words of William Shakespeare

All of these will fit into the Read the Alphabet Challenge, and helps finish my 2013 Book Challenge and personal goals for 2013

[Raine]

I have finished Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, and The Remains of the Day. I am starting The Light Between Oceans today.

[Raine]

I have been without Internet for a couple of weeks. I finished Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet, as well as Crime and Punishment, Noughts & Crosses, and The Light Between Oceans.

I have requested the following books from the library:

1. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. (#55 - 2011 & 2012, "A" for Read Your Name)

2. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (#58-2011, #19 Classics Challenge)

3. Ulysses by James Joyce (#78-2011, #75-2012, #27-Classics Challenge)

4. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (#82-2011, "I" for the Read Your Name Challenge)
and

5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (#82-2011, #29-Classics Challenge, "A" for the Read Your Name Challenge).

I picked up the following from the library last night:

1. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Giaman (#68 - 2011)

2. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White (#87 - 2012)

3. Holes by Louis Sachar (#83 - 2011)

and

4. Dracula by Bram Stoker (#72 - 2012)

All fit the 2013 Personal Reading Challenge

[Raine]

So this week, I’ve finished Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Giaman, Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, and Holes by Louis Sachar. I’m starting on Dracula by Bram Stoker right now.

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, Ulysses by James Joyce, and I Capture the Castle have arrived from the library. Boy, A Suitable Boy is another huge one!

[Raine]

Just finished The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Not what I expected of it. Quaint is the only word I can describe it at this time.

Finished the review for Holes and Good Omens. Working on the reviews for Charlotte's Web and Dracula.

Going to Landstuhl today, and will be taking Ulysses to start on that one.

[Raine]

I had to take a break from Ulysses by James Joyce. OMG! I just want to choke the author! I had to print off chapter summaries just to understand what is being said in the first half of the book! So, I finished Black Beauty by Anna Sewell and am about halfway through I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Then I will have to finish plowing through Ulysses.

[J]

We read the last chapter in a literature class and the depth of both Leopold Bloom and his wife's loves and loses still fills me with tenderness and sorrow. It's a rich and complex story, but falls into the category of best read in a scholastic-book-class analysis for me. Don't give up on it ;)

[Raine]

I have FINALLY finished Ulysses. I absolutely disliked it. I had to keep referring to SparkNotes just to understand what half the book was about. It seemed like he was reading different books as he was writing this one, and traversed through several different writing styles. He seemed to show off his intelligence by name dropping, anchoring facts, and digressing 1,000 km off course. The last chapter could have been better, if he would have simply added punctuation. Punctuation, after all, can severely change a sentence's meaning. If it were a little easier to read and understand, it could have been a better book. Review coming as soon as I finish it this weekend. On to A Suitable Boy.

[Raine]

Almost finished with The Stand, and picked up The Color of Magic and Lord of the Flies. Will keep you posted.

[Raine]

Finished The Stand earlier this evening. Will start on Lord of the Flies tonight. I have The Color of Magic and Love in the Time of Cholera on the table waiting.

[Raine]

Finished Lord of the Flies and Love in the Time of Cholera. Started The Color of Magic tonight.

[Janet]

I am reading The Color of Magic right now.

[Raine]

Janet wrote: "I am reading The Color of Magic right now."

You are? Started it this evening.

[Janet]

I finished The Color of Magic this evening. It was not the type of book I would normally read but I am giving it three stars because it was funny sometimes, I understood the plot(although my son would probably tell me that I missed a lot) and because it expanded my horizons into different reading genres. I am starting The Witches by Roald Dahl now.

[Raine]

Janet wrote: "I finished The Color of Magic this evening. It was not the type of book I would normally read but I am giving it three stars because it was funny sometimes, I understood the plot(altho..."
So far, it hasn't really grabbed me.

[Raine]

Finished The God of Small Things this evening. Odd style of writing, meaning the time line. I find myself forgetting the Indian style of writing until I pick an Indian book up, and am caught off guard a little each time! LOL!

Will finish The Princess Diaries while I'm at home (almost finished), and will start on The Godfather at work tomorrow.

[Raine]

I finished last week and this evening. Going to start in the morning.

[Raine]

Finished The Da Vinci Code today. Started The Kite Runner

[Janet]

I loved The Kite Runner. Hope you enjoy it.

[Raine]

Thanks!

[Raine]

Finished and . I like The Kite Runner, but wasn't very thrilled with The Magus. Working on some Shakespeare pieces to fulfill "The Complete Works of Shakespeare". Starting with

[Raine]

Just finished Hamlet and The Taming of the Shrew towards "The Complete Works of Shakespeare". I've started Othello and have King Lear and Macbeth after that in the same book.