50 Book Challenge

51.)  Love That Dog by Sharon Creech -  So this is a short little book about a English class that has to write poetry and the boy writes about the dog that he loves.  It is a short 20 minute read and way cute.

52.)  Best Foot Forward by Joan Bauer -  This is the sequel to Rules of the Road which I read back in May and I must say I loved both of them.  Bauer is great at capturing my attention.

53.)  Fresh Off the Boat by Melissa de la Cruz - This book didn't really catch my attention.  I love the author this book just wasn't all that great.

54.)  Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde -  Loved it.  This is a new author for me but I truly loved her style.

55.)  Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde -  This was a creative story and I really liked to see how the girl struggled with the game she was stuck in.  Can't wait to read more by her.

56.)  Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech -  This is a cute little story.  I am trying to read all the books I haven't read by here and this one is a good one.

57.)  All - American Girl by Meg Cabot - This is also a new author for me.  I didn't really get into this book but I did like it.  It was unique and different.

58.)  Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech -  This is the same as Love that Dog only the boy writes about a cat that he hates and one that he loves.  Very interesting.

59.)  Avalon High by Meg Cabot - OMG!!!!  I love this story.  I love anything that has to remotely deal with the Arthurian period.  This was a modern twist to the story and I loved every second of it.

60.)  Confessions of a Shopoholic by Sophie Kinsella -  This book was good but it hit way too close to home.  Good for somebody that isn't in a crap load of debt though.  Maybe I will try to read it again one day.

61.)  Schooled by Gordon Korman -  Another new author that I absolutely adore.  This book was cute and kind of ridiculous at the same time.  I mean really who would live like that by choice.  I guess that is why they call it FICTION.

62.)  The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman -  This is a very good and touching story.  I love Cushman and I wish I had read her stuff sooner than just this year. 

63.)  Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging:  Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison -  This is also a new author but I heard that this book was good so I picked it up.  I'm glad I did because I LOVED it.  It was pretty funny and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

64.)  Elske:  A Novel of the Kingdom by Cynthia Voigt -  I love the author so I picked this up.  Not one of her best books but I enjoyed it.  This is definitely not her normal story line but well worth the read.

65.)  Fake Boyfriend by Kate Brian -  I literally just finished it and I was cracking up the whole time I was reading it.  It is so ridiculous that somebody would actually do that.

So all in all while September was an extremely busy month for me I managed to read what 14 books.  That leaves me with 10 to go and it is only October...I may set my goal to 100 but we will see what happens. 

Recently, I finished reading Conversations with Hunter S. Thompson, a compilation of articles about the author, edited by Beef Torrey and Kevin Simonson. Variable quality, depending on who wrote the articles, and they cover a lot of the same ground, which has a lot to say about the authors, not so much about Thompson. I probably wouldn't recommend this book; heck, I tried to get it from the local libraries, but nobody had it.

Don Quixote

Miguel de Cervantes

A simple man from a quiet village is so enamored of books, and in particular romantic tales of chivalry, that his imagination becomes inflamed to such a degree that he believes himself to be a knight errant, wandering the countryside performing brave exploits, righting wrongs, fighting battles, and rescuing fair damsels. He drags the simple, faithful Sancho Panza into these imaginary adventures with him.

I am thrilled to have read this masterpiece! The sharp wit and satire were almost unrelenting, and were extremely delightful. I found myself laughing out loud often at the exploits of Don Quixote and his loyal sidekick, Sancho Panza, almost from beginning to end. An author who can keep up such sharp wit for nearly a thousand pages I consider to be a genius of a special class. It's no wonder that this book has not faded into obscurity, but has been published anew countless times, and in many different languages over the centuries.

My favorite passage from the book sets the tone for the entire novel:

"In short, our gentleman became so caught up in reading that he spent his nights reading from dusk till dawn and his days reading from sunrise to sunset, and so with too little sleep and too much reading his brains dried up, causing him to lose his mind."

49.
Title:  Body of Evidence
Author:  Patricia Cornwell
Genre:  Suspense
Rating:  2/5

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My Thoughts:  I read another book in this series and kind of liked it, so I wanted to try and read them in the order that they were written.  This is the second in the series (I wasn't able to find the first).  I really didn't like it.  I realize that it's dated (book was published in 1991) but I found it hard to read when one character kept using derrogatory names for a certain group of people.  That may have been ok in 1991 but not so much anymore.  And, thinking back, I'm not even sure it was ok in 1991.  There were a bunch of things like that that bothered me.  Scarpetta smokes and in the book she lights up everywhere - at home, at work - everywhere.  Again, this isn't the author's fault, but mine for not being able to get past it.  I'm going to stick with it.  I got another book in the series from book mooch.  I'm going to start it soon.


50.
Title:  The Twelfth Card
Author:  Jeffery Deavers
Genre:  Suspense
Rating:  5/5

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My Thoughts:  Again, I read another book by this author and loved it, so I thought I would check out some more of his stuff.  The book that I read was an extension of this series, so I tried to read earlier novels in the series.  I loved this book and will continue to read more of Deavers' work.  I was captivated by the mystery and the storyline.  Can't wait to read more!!

Book Forty-Two

Title: The Serpent's Tale
Author: Ariana Franklin
Page Count: 371
Genre: Historical Mystery

Synopsis/Thoughts: In the sequel to Mistress of the Art of Death, Adelia Aguilar must once again use her skills as a forensic investigator to avert disaster. Having settled down in the English countryside after the events of the last book, she is none too happy to have her quiet routine disturbed once again by Rowley Picot. Now a bishop, he requests her aid in solving the murder of King Henry II's beloved mistress, Rosamund. The obvious suspect is the king's jealous wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and if she is indeed the killer it could plunge all of England into civil war. When a severe snowstorm confines Adelia and her faithful companions in a convent with the Queen and her rebel forces, she believes the murderer is among them. As dead bodies start piling up, she must find out who the true killer is before it's too late.

I had high hopes for this after reading and loving the first book in the series, and I was not disappointed. The author is adept at creating an atmosphere that sucks you in and makes you feel like you're right there. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, even once I had partially figured out the who-done-it. Probably my favorite thing about this series so far is the characters. I love all of the main cast, especially Gyltha (and Adelia and Rowley, obviously), but even the secondary characters are well-drawn and interesting (such as the abbess, Mother Edyve). I enjoyed the portrayal of the king and queen, as well. I also liked how the author made sure to incorporate some bits of humor on a regular basis. It gave a nice break from the darker elements of the story, which otherwise could have become overwhelming. I can't wait to read the next in the series, Grave Goods.

In honor of Banned Books Week, my lit group at school picked Salmon Rushdie's Midnight's Children for our next group read. I've been wanting to read this for quite awhile, so I'm thrilled. However, I had planned to listen to most of the group reads on my ipod from audible. I think, though, that this particular book might be one that I'll wish to own in hard copy and probably mark up while reading it. On the other hand, I do enjoy listening to the selections, and will definitely be able to finish it in time that way. Regardless, I want to be able to get the most out of it.

Anyway, for those of you who have read and/or listened to Midnight's Children, which would you suggest? Do you think it can be fully understood/appreciated on audio? Or is it better to be able to take your time with the text?

Thanks :)

King Lear

William Shakespeare

King Lear is, of course, Shakespeare's quintessential play of filial love, betrayal and loyalty, and an aging, doting parent, driven to insanity by rage and regret.

I found it quite an intense read. I liked it very much, but, while I recognize Shakespeare's genius, and the excellence of King Lear, I admit that I can only take Shakespeare in small, infrequent doses.

Books read in September:

34&35. The Vampire Diaries: The Fury & the Dark Reunion by L.J. Smith,
36. The Help by Kathryn Stockett ,
37. Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw,
38. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris,

Most surprising read of the month: I absolutely LOVED The Help! It was our September book club read and honestly, I wouldn't have picked it out if it wasn't for our club. This is one of the best books I have read so far this year!
Most disappointing read of the month: I would have to say that Pygmalion was my most disappointing read of September. I found the play "My Fair Lady" to be amazing, but as for reading the play, it wasn't nearly as interesting as I'd hoped.
Current read: I just started reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson last night. It is pretty good so far!

106. Breaking Dawn: Twilight Saga, Book 4 - Stephanie Meyer
             Alas, finished with the series.  What will I look forward to reading now? 
107. Heracleidae - Euripides
            A Greek play about the children of Heracles and their persecution by this Dude.  They run to Athens and claim asylum, Dude follows them and wages war, Dude gets his comeuppance.
108. Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare
            A really funny comedy/romance.  I could've cared less about Hero and Claudio, but Beatrice and Benedick were awesome.  I loved their sparring.
109. The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World - Michelle Goldberg
                A book about reproductive rights from a feminist perspective.  The author tackles the history of the reproductive rights movement, both for and against, and dedicates chapters to discussing female feticide in India and other Asian countries, HIV/AIDS in Africa, the low birth rates in Europe, and other topics.  Being a feminist, her conclusion is that all these problems, rather than being caused by The Liberals, as the conservatives would have it, can only be solved through the further liberalization of women on a global scale.