The End of Mr. Y by Scarlet Thomas (#50, Reader's Choice)

A true procrastinator at heart, I just finished this book not five minutes ago, turning pages like mad so that I would have time to don my New Year's party dress and head out for a night out on the town with Little Hoof and the sister. I am glad I picked this book as the last book of the year because it was in fact a page turner, something that was necessary so that I would be compelled to be able to burn the midnight oil to finish it in time.

Thomas seems to be a new favorite author--I read Popco this summer and really enjoyed the theoretical nature of her writing. Her plots are intricate and you really do want to keep reading to find out what the big secret is. My biggest problem though is the main characters--they are not likable women. Both Popco's and The End of Mr. Y's heroines were strange, weird and without fundamental redeeming qualities. I enjoyed both books about the same though, and it was delightful to actually understand the philosophical principles behind what The End of Mr. Y actually hinges on. What English major wouldn't enjoy a book that was basically an example of Saussurean concepts about the power that language has over the reality that we inhabit. And Derrida, oh Derrida how long it has been. Thank you to Thomas for keeping my literary mind working.

I lament not reading The Girls, as I said I would fit it in to my 50 but 2008 is a new year, a new challenge, and open to many, many reading possibilities. Stay tuned for our recap of a year in books.

Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs (#50, Nonfiction)

What a great book. If Augusten wasn't gay I think I may have to date him . . . well, if he stopped killing small animals. I don't think I could have picked a better book to finish up the fifty. It is a travesty that this book sat in suitcases, on my nightstand, in a box, and then a bookshelf in the other room for so many months just waiting to be read. But, I suppose everything happens for a reason, or else I may have read a less than par book for # 50 and that would be far worse.

A year or so ago I read Running With Scissors, which I enjoyed, but felt was slightly too bizarre for my taste. Magical Thinking was a vast improvement. Each chapter is a short, witty story about his life--whether it be how he swears his parents abducted him from The Vanderbilt family, or his sexual encounters with various catholic priests. It had me laughing out loud and sharing the especially funny stories with whoever would listen. Read this book.

And I am done. Wow, 50 books in one year. I can remember when we concocted this little plan, probably sitting in Starbucks drinking white chocolate mochas. I know I went through a Debbie Downer phase back in October when I felt like I wasn't able to give each book the time it deserved, but I am glad I did it, and next year I will continue on my journey to read every single book there is . . . well, at least all the ones worthy of my notice.

You're Not That Into Him Either by Ian Kerner (#49, Reader's Choice)

All right, this book's cover is atrocious. I mean, what woman in their right mind is going to wear the outfit that she's wearing? I don't even know where you would go dressed like that. It appears as if she is wearing a hideous pink shirt coupled with a bathing suit bottom. Is she laying out in the sun? Is she chilling at her house? I do not know. I read this book mostly in the airport and on the plane flying back to Maine, and I must say that I hid the cover from view as much as possible. This is not a book you want to be caught reading! It just looks really stupid, like some sort of Barbie doll manual.

I probably wouldn't have bought this book for myself, but seeing as how it was a Christmas present from my mom, and that it was not too lengthy, I decided why not read it and see why I'm just not that into him either. I had low expectations for this book but I was pleasantly surprised. The errors of my current ways have been illuminated and I emerged from the end of this book feeling very empowered. Don't waste your time on "meantimers" which are guys who you don't actually like but just hang around them in the meantime. All the time you spend with these less than stellar guys leaves you no time to actually find the guy you deserve. It is a waste of time when you could be working on yourself, working on your life, figuring out what you want. Did I need a book to tell me these things? Probably not, but it does help to see it put so plainly and illustrated by so many examples.

I am reading book 50 as we speak. It has 400 pages. Was I crazy picking one so long? Perhaps.

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (#49, Classic)

I think I may have figured out at least a little bit of why I like Classic novels, specifically novels written in the 19th century, so much. The language. The more formal, big word, non-slang, more correct language they use. When I started reading Around the World in Eighty Days, I was under the impression that it was a more juvenile book, something you would read in early high school and maybe even before, but as I continued, I realized every page was filled with good words. Tenacity, capricious, motley, taciturn, insurmountable, commiserate, blundering, fervent, colloquy, impassable--and this is just taking a quick turn through the pages that I found all these.

The book was enjoyable. Jules Verne created some great characters, funny scenarios, as well as great adventures throughout the novel. I can picture them riding an elephant through India and a snow sailboat across Nebraska. His main character, Phileas Fogg, is pretty hard to figure out. He lacks all emotion, yet he embarks upon this amazing journey on a whim. If I recall correctly, they made the book into a movie fairly recently, that is definitely something I want to see now. I am curious how they would adapt all the adventures how they would cast the characters for a movie.

As evidenced by this being book #49, you can see that I am on to my last book. And it is nonfiction. I actually started one last night that I planned to be my final book--The Cliff Walk. It is a book about a man who is a college professor who gets his pink slip in the early 90s and then cannot find a job. He ends up moving back to Maine, his home state, and doing manual labor. I thought it would be relevant for me because of the position I have been in for the last year or so--unable to find work that is on par with my education level. I got about 30 pages in and either it was too reminiscent to my feelings or just scared me too much that maybe, I too, would have to dirty my hands to make a living. No thanks. I put that down and moved on.

Love Is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield (#48, Reader's Choice)

Apparently I have become a glutton for books having to do with getting over people/breaking up/end of relationships. If you read High Fidelity and enjoyed it--which I did--you should definitely pick up Rob Sheffield's Love Is a Mix Tape. The first chapter of this book was sublime. I loved the writing and the pop references, and I made the decision based on the first chapter that I should send this book to my ex-boyfriend. After reading the entire thing though, I am not sure he would really enjoy it. I had a hard time with some of the chapters that were a bit too technical about the music. He also tended to meander sometimes, but all in all, it was a book about a boy who loves a girl. It is about the music that tied them together, the music that formed the foundation for their relationship, the music Renee left behind for him when she died suddenly of pulmonary embolism.

Reading this book made me want to go back and catalog all my mix tapes (well--cds because no one really makes mix tapes anymore) and see what the songs are that made up my time with Andy. I found it extremely touching when Sheffield would write about the songs he heard after Renee had passed that he wanted to share with her because he was sure she would like them. Music really is an integral part of a relationship, especially when you share the same musical taste. It really is exciting and fun when you find a song that you love and that you really want to share with the other person because you know full well that they will love the song too. Andy once described to me the time he found the song Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin--how excited he was to share it with me, how he played it over and over again at his computer so that it would be on when I came home from work. He was positive that I would like it and I did.

Only two more books left. The scary thing is that there are only four days in which to read these two books. One false move, one bad pick and disaster could strike. Any book chosen this late in the game has to be read fully and it has to be read quickly. Now is not the time to pick something stale and boring--you will never finish it in time. Now is not the time to pick something horrible because once you start reading you will have to just keep hacking away at it--there is no time to turn back once the spine has been cracked! I haven't made a commitment to my 49th book yet but I will be flying back to Maine for most of the day so that gives me ample time to get through whatever book I choose.

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James (#48, Reader's Choice)

I really think at some point I need to delve into my psyche and figure out what it is about me that makes me such an aficionado of authors such as Austen, Dickens and Dumas. What is the common theme that ties them together? Is it the language they use? The formal, yet satirical prose? The three authors tackle very different themes, but somehow they evoke the same feeling in me. Enough rambling.

I love Jane Austen. You've heard this before. I don't know if I would enjoy her so much if it hadn't been for Karl. Maybe he made me think it was okay to like her so much, I mean, come on, he's a dude and she is one of his favorite authors! She writes about women, and love stories, right, what is so extraordinary about that? Her writing, her dialogue, her characters--they are all amazing.

If you didn't know yet, the "Lost Memoirs" is a work of fiction by a women who, like me, is fascinated by Jane Austen and wanted to fill the void that having only six completed novels leaves. The book was entertaining, it was full of actual facts about Jane Austen's family, friends, and whereabouts in the early 19th century, but the story is fictional. Syrie James writes as Miss Austen, trying to carve out what Austen lovers everywhere would like to think was her real love life and the inspiration for her books.

It fell short. But, really, how could it not? Ms. James tries to write as Austen, which basically made me feel like I was reading bits and pieces of each of her novels thrown into one pot. It had the feeling of plagiarism, and I am not saying that it was, but when you are trying to write a fictional memoir based on history and already written novels, how else could it turn out?

I can guarantee you that the beginning of 2008 is going to be dedicated to re-reading each Austen novel. Maybe then I will have the answer to what exactly it is about Austen's books that I find so exceptional.

The Accidental by Ali Smith (#47, Reader's Choice)

I feel like I am back in lit class after reading this book. An impulse purchase one snowy afternoon from the book store on Exchange Street after a fruitless search at the library, I unknowingly grabbed what will soon be the next post-post modern novel. I started this on the short plane ride to JFK and then spent my three hour layover struggling through the first half. Somewhere in my labors I had a realization about who Ali Smith echoes--Don DeLillo's White Noise. If only I was still in college--oh the paper I could write comparing the two. The English professor father, the troubled children, the father/mother relationship, the family dynamic, the isolation, the outsider/intruder and that would be just scratching the surface.

Did I like this book? Not really. Did it challenge me in a way that I haven't been challenged in a while? Absolutely. I found myself picking it apart, analyzing the characters, trying to figure out what it all really meant. What really happened? The writing is cryptic yet vivid, strange yet average. The four narrators have distinct narrative voices and they each go through something important as a result of their interaction with "the accidental." I almost want to read it again, because I know I will get it a little more. I will see something I didn't see in the first cursory read. It would almost be like being back in college, reading the second time through a novel looking for connections, for details, for pieces that will fit with other pieces and make a statement. I miss those days.

Animal Farm by George Orwell (#46, Classic)

I end the Classic category with George Orwell's Animal Farm, a book I managed to escape reading through both my high school and college years. Sometimes that baffles me--that certain essential books fall through the cracks of one's literary education. I believe that there is a canon of books that everyone who wants to be considered smart and well-educated should read. Animal Farm is definitely on that list.

I read 1984 a couple years ago at the insistence of my then-boyfriend and found it very chilling, especially when shortly thereafter we went to go see the remake of the Manchurian Candidate and Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. Moore takes an excerpt right from the pages of 1984 that certainly ring true to what is going on in our country right now. I liked 1984 but if I were to compare it with Animal Farm, I would say that I enjoyed the latter more. It too, pertains to what is going on in the world right now. One key phrase that seemed to be repeated throughout was "If the commander said it, it must be true." I had an English professor at USM who often said that if you say something enough times, people will start to think it is true. Politicians obviously use this tactic in their campaigns and once they are in power to retain power. The animals under the pig Napoleon trusted their leader and therefore everything he said must be true, even though if they really examined what he was saying, they would realize that most of what he said was not true. Hopefully people will still read this book as an example for what not to let happen in the future.

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis (#47, Reader's Choice)

Turns out I am a big fan of C.S. Lewis. But honestly, would I ever dislike a book that included talking animals? I think not. I love his characters--they are real, funny, flawed, and even the evil characters make me laugh.

I haven't read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe in some time so I couldn't say which one I enjoyed more. Although, I would probably have to say it wasn't The Magician's Nephew, I liked it plenty, but I don't think the adventures were quite as exciting as those in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

I always come up short when it comes to "getting" the religious implications of a book. Clearly, C.S. Lewis is known for his biblical references, and, yes, I did notice that Aslan calls the humans "Son of Adam" and "Daughter of Eve" and I was quite aware of the magical apple that the Witch ate, which she clearly shouldn't have. And there was all that Noah's ark type deal of Aslan choosing two of each type of animal to be able to talk. But, what does it all mean? I have no idea.

My favorite part of the book had to be the few chapter's when the evil Witch, Jadis, followed Diggory and Polly back from her world to London. Once in London, Jadis planned to take over the world--very Austin Poweresque. She hits the town telling Diggory's Uncle to procure her transportation, a flying rug, or horse, something of that nature. That is just funny. She causes major chaos in London and returns home standing on top of a buggy, whipping the horse ferociously, with a whole slew of policemen, shop owners, and onlookers following close behind.

You can be sure I will be reading more of the Chronicles of Narnia very soon.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (#46, Classic)

It may be short, but it is by Hemingway. I have a very vivid picture in my mind of what Santiago and the boy look like, the skiff, the sea, the shark attack. Hemingway doesn't spend a lot of time on scenic description, but for some reason he doesn't need to. In such a short story he is able to paint a very vivid image in the reader's head.

Santiago is a tough old bird and spends three days reeling in a giant Marlin. He goes pretty much without food and water and has to defend his catch, as well as himself, against hungry Sharks. All his hard work and sacrifice proves futile as he finally docks back in Cuba with only a head and bones of what once was a magnificent catch. The greatest catch of his life, the one he needs the most and he sacrifices the most for, is taken away from him when success is just within reach--he can see the lights of the town as the final pieces of flesh are ripped off of the Marlin's defenseless body. Poor Santiago.

Hopefully his luck changes.

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason (#45, Reader's Choice)

The first time I ever heard about The Rule of Four I was sitting in an open air restaurant in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. Ah, to be back in paradise--as opposed to here, in Maine, trapped in foot after foot of snow.

People said The Rule of Four was similar to The Da Vinci Code. I agree and disagree. When given a brief synopsis of each the two may sound reminiscent of each other, but in my opinion, The Rule of Four fell quite short of The Da Vinci Code. Clearly I enjoy the murder/mystery genre, which is a huge part of each of the books, but The Da Vinci Code also took place in France. While reading you were transported from the Louvre and through the streets of Paris, I could relate and Dan Brown did a good job of being accurate. The Rule of Four may speak to those readers who went to Princeton, and can follow the characters into the Princeton Library and through the underground tunnels. But I didn't find a story trying to be equivalent to The Da Vinci Code nearly as intriguing due to the dull backdrop of the adventure.

And the end. I am not going to give it away, but I found the end whiny, annoying, and predictable. It was impossible to feel sympathy for a character in mourning when you know there is going to be one last twist at the very end to snap him back to life. Next please.

Colors Insulting To Nature by Cintra Wilson (#45, Reader's Choice)

Colors Insulting To Nature has plagued me for ten days of tortured reading. I am quite unsure why I soldiered on, intent on finishing this disaster of a book. Perhaps it was the fact that I had already invested time in it? That with only six books left and less than two weeks to accomplish our feat, it was too late to not finish it.

I should have known that when I attempted this book two years ago, borrowing it from the library in January and letting it sit on the floor for three weeks, that it was not to be read. The cover is mildly interesting though. And ok, the premise has promise as well, but it felt like I was reading a badly written piece of camp. I have to give credit to that one semester I took Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Studies for even being able to recognize the sheer campiness of the book. I mean, our main character's name is Liza--that should have been a dead giveaway.

I disliked the main character and that she possessed no redeeming qualities. Even with a satire, you need to at least like one character! You need to want them to succeed, to have a somewhat happy ending. This was cardboard crap in terms of satisfying me. The ending fizzled out. The first third of the book was at least interesting, but the rest of the story seemed too fake, too stupid, too Hollywood trash.

Cross by James Patterson (#44, Reader's Choice)

Why do I feel guilty for having two "easy" reads in a row? We never said that all the books we read had to be of a certain quality. Yet, why do I feel like I am cheating when I throw in some beach reads? I keep telling myself I deserve some short easy books, I read the Fountainhead, and Invisible Man, and so many other long and important books. Clearly, I am talking myself into this, or better put, writing myself. Don't judge me for my choices . . . ;)

What does it say about Steph and I--her beach reads are generally cheesy chick books that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole, and mine are generally murder mysteries. Actually that is how we choose television too. I would rather have to run around barefoot in the snow than be subjected to shows like the Hills and the likes, and she probably feels the same way about all the crime shows I watch. Analysis anyone?

So, Cross. I found it sitting in our extra bedroom and I thought, I like the movies, I like murder/mystery, I will give it a shot. Honestly, it fit my beach read criteria, most importantly I don't want to turn back time and unread it. Clearly, it is not "literature" but it is kind of fun to read about a man called "The Butcher" killing people left and right--at least it made me want to lock the door last night!

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (#43 Reader's Choice)

I read The Secret Life of Bees almost exactly four years ago. Wow, has it really been that long? I don't remember if it was before, during or after having bronchitis, but it was while I was in Chicago for Christmas '03. Apparently times change, but the authors I read don't . . . :)

Sue Monk Kidd. I really don't have much to say about the book. Was it great? Absolutely not. Was it horrible . . . noooo. It did fit the bill of being able to finish reading it in a matter of hours. It was what I call the classic beach read. In order to be a beach read by my standards a book must have the following traits: 1) Be a quick read. This doesn't mean it has to be short, rather the prose must be quick to follow and I should be turning pages like crazy. 2) There has to be some sort of secret/mystery, and not one that I can figure out by reading the back or the first five pages. 3) Most importantly, I must not want to turn back time and unread the novel once I am done. ie--Prep, Wedding in December, Vanishing Acts--my list can go on and on. I really have become a book snob over the past 5-6 years.

Love in a Fallen City by Eileen Chang (#42, Classic)

I think this was my first Far East novel I have read all year. Steph went through a phase, but it's never really been a theme that interests me all that much. I did enjoy Memoirs of a Geisha, but it was certainly not my favorite novel.

Love in a Fallen City is a collection of short stories written by Eileen Chang, a native of China in the early twentieth century. Some of the stories take place in Hong Kong, and some in Shanghai. I am ashamed to say that I had no idea that Hong Kong was invaded by Japan just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. How did I miss this important piece of history?

The stories were good, somewhat reminiscent of Jhumpha Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies. Different cultures, but the same ideas between the characters dealing with issues of assimilation, for those from Shanghai moving to Hong Kong, cultural differences, class differences and how all of these factors affect relationships between families and strangers.

Atonement by Ian McEwen (#44, Contemporary Literature)

I am always sad to say that the reason behind me reading a book has to do with seeing previews for the movie but that is what brought me to read Ian McEwen's Atonement. I wanted to know what the horrible crime is that drives the lovers apart. I am also a sucker for movies/books about war.

I had multiple emotions while reading this book. The beginning is so maddening that I wanted to just stop reading it. The character Briony, an insipid little wretch who destroys everyone's life, is quite possibly the most annoying fictional character I have ever read. I wanted to reach through the book and punch her several times. Part One is told from varying perspectives, at varying overlapping intervals that is both aggravating and interesting. The reader knows a lot more than the characters and at times it just becomes too much--knowing everything and watching the characters flounder around and get caught up in one misunderstanding after another.

I enjoyed the book much more after I got out of the disaster of Part One. McEwen's account of the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940 is haunting and without frills. The hospital scenes where Briony nurses the influx of wounded from that evacuation turns your stomach and breaks your heart. Briony is must more the center of the story than either Robbie or Cecilia. They are what makes the story but it is Briony who we spend the most time with and learn to both pity and hate. The ending didn't surprise me, although it would have had I not read the summary out catlike curiosity on wikipedia before reading the actual book. I think I would have been a lot more involved and a lot more upset about the deceitful ending.

I have closed out Nonfiction and Contemporary Lit categories, I have one Classic yet to read and then it is five Reader's Choice and my quest to read 50 books in one year will be complete. There is still a chance I might not make it, there is still a chance a bad pick could upset my progress but now is not the time to doubt my voracious appetite for the written word. It will be done.

An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography by Paul Rusesabagina (#41 Nonfiction)

What is there really to say about a story like Mr. Rusesabagina's?

I saw Hotel Rwanda a couple years ago. Before I saw it I sort of knew what it was about, but only very superficially. I remember my friend Sarah telling me how important a movie it was and how I had to go see it. I didn't listen and waited and waited, sometimes I just have to be in the right mood to see a "good" movie. The thing that is pathetic is that not only was I alive when the genocide in Rwanda was taking place, but I was 14, totally capable of following current events, and I have zero memory of the event. The sort of random thing is that I was actually in South America when the killings were still going on. I wondered if my parents even thought twice about sending me, by myself, to a third world country while such horrible events were going on across the ocean. Did they even know about Rwanda?

The movie left me speechless, and the book did the same. From my memory, as well as the assertions of Rusesabagina, the movie was mostly true to what really happened. 800,000 people, in less than 90 days, that is how many people were murdered. And murdered doesn't even describe what happened adequately, they were butchered, slaughtered and any other more degraded way to say murdered. That comes out to over 5 people being killed every minute for three months. And no one did anything. Seriously?

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby (#43, Contemporary Literature)

Why did I do this to myself? How did I wander to the H section at the library and decide, of all the available Nick Hornby books, to read High Fidelity? Reading a book that ponders the entire nature of relationships and break-ups seemed like a good idea at the time. I thought that perhaps I would learn something while being entertained by a book hailed as "fast, fun, and remarkably deft."

I had originally wanted to see the movie ever since Andy pulled a Rob Gordon, or what I am now referring to as a Rob Gordon. When things ended, both times, he sent me emails demanding to know what went wrong. He wanted to understand so as to prevent what happened to us from happening again to him in future relationships, although he claimed that he couldn't see himself dating anyone else. Ha. If you sense bitterness, you are not far off but that is reserved from my other blog.

High Fidelity is hard to swallow at times, but probably just because it hit too close to home. I feel like my last relationship had a lot in common with Rob and Laura's. It was pretty scary when she said something to Rob that I could see myself saying to Andy: "I want to try and explain this properly. OK, I thought we were bound by one simple little cord, our relationship, and if I cut it then that would be that. So I cut it, but that wasn't that. There wasn't just one cord, there were hundreds, thousands, everywhere I turned...oh millions of things. And then you were more upset than I thought you'd be, and that made it harder..." (273).

Despite my emotional baggage towards this book's theme, I really did enjoy it. I have a newfound love for lists, and might just start making up top 5 lists to entertain myself. I watched the movie and must say that it stayed very true to the book. Hornby is a great writer, knows his shit, and didn't let Hollywood wreck his masterpiece.

Captain Alatriste by Arturo Perez-Reverte (#40, Reader's Choice)

Quick read. Moderate action. Interesting twist. Good use of history.

Sorry, but those sentences are about as intricate as my brain has been functioning lately. After 40+ hours a week of mindless work at J. Crew, I think I am losing my mind. Quick! I need to get a real job before I lose everything I have gained from my many years, and thousands of dollars of education! Stay tuned, maybe once booknymphs has been successfully completed I can start a blog about finding a job in DC. Yes, DC, here I come.

Captain Alatriste is the first book in a series by Spanish author Perez-Reverte. As I have found out I am a sucker for historical fiction, so when I saw a book that was trying to imitate the style and time period of Alexandre Dumas I had to check it out. Fortunately for me, because of my time crunch, the plot was very simple and rather one dimensional, therefore not in anyway on par with Dumas, but of course I didn't expect that. I may have to check out the next few books of the series and see if the plot and characters can grow on me some more.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez # 39, Contemporary Literature

It is books like One Hundred Years of Solitude that scream for some translation/discussion/explanation, especially for the bible illiterate, like myself. I started off really enjoying the book. I remember, three weeks ago (way too long when I have 11 more books to read), laughing about pig's tails and quirky characters, but it was all downhill for me when two of the four main characters had the same name, and then four of the eight had the same name, and then eight of the sixteen . . . you get the point. I have a hard enough time learning the characters and keeping everyone straight in complicated novels, but add in the fact that they all have the same name. It was too much to handle.

I have been wanting to read a novel by Marquez for years, pretty much ever since the movie Serendipity, when Sara writes her number in Love in the Time of Cholera. Multiple people have told me that their favorite book of all time is One Hundred Years, but it definitely wasn't for me. I was also speed reading through the last two hundred pages when I was making such slow progress. No time for casual reading with thirty-one days to go.


39 down. 11 to go.

A Weekend to Change Your Life by Joan Anderson (#42, Nonfiction)

While I took some flack for reading this, I can see myself coming back again and again to this book. I will read it again, and I think I will get something new each time I do. There is a lot of wisdom, hope and inspiration in the pages of Joan Anderson's A Weekend to Change Your Life.

I remember watching the Oprah episode where Anderson talked about her year away from her husband. It was a year she spent getting to know herself. She said it was the best year of her life because it rejuvenated her spirit and gave her a better understanding of how she works as a person. This book offers readers everything she has learned, but in such a way that gives them the power to go out and find it on their own. While Anderson shares her hard earned lessons with you, she also gives you directions on how you can find your own answers.

I finished this book on the same day I read most of The Awakening and I must say, if only poor Edna had had this book at her disposal, she might not have walked into the water at the end. Anderson gives her readers the tools to find themselves. I look forward to doing the activities, to finding out about myself, to learning who I really am.

I underlined a lot in this book too. Here are some of the gems:

It's a weakness to just sit around and wait for life to come to you.

Relationships can only flourish when there is a meeting of the minds--when each party wants to continue seeking, developing, and eventually evolving.

Out of your very breakdown, you will experience myriad breakthroughs.

And my favorite, from psychologist Douglas LaBier: Each partner in a couple must leave the relationship, figuratively or literally, in order to find his or her gift or bliss, and then return with a newfound energy that will reignite the relationship. Long-term relationships need new energy, which they can get when either partner grows or changes.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin (#41, Classic)

Is it wrong that I really enjoyed this book? I guess it came along at the right time. Kate Chopin's The Awakening is about a woman who undergoes and spiritual awakening that will forever change the course of her life. There were a lot of passages that I underlined while reading this in the car on the way back to Maine. Edna's ignited passion for life and her utter refusal to be controlled by her overbearing husband inspires me to be a stronger woman. I agree with her assertion, "The years that are gone seem like dreams--if one might go on sleeping and dreaming--but to wake up and find--oh! well! perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than remain a dupe to illusions all one's life" (105). No one wants to go around with their head stuck in the clouds, never truly understanding, never truly feeling things.

I also liked this line: "One of these days," she said, "I'm going to pull myself together for a while and think--try to determine what character of a woman I am; for, candidly, I don't know. By all the codes which I am acquainted with, I am a devilishly wicked specimen of the sex. But some way I can't convince myself that I am. I must think about it." (79) I think Edna's struggle to find herself, to awaken her soul, is one that us girls are still struggling with. The times have changed since the days when women wore full coverage outfits for swimming and were required to sit at home and raise the children, where propriety dictated what she could and could not do, where the husband had all the power and the woman was his property. But society still operates through gender codes. Women are still confined in a gender role and certain things are expected of us. We can get lost in these gender roles and I really enjoyed reading about a woman who awoke out of her socially induced stupor and came into her own. Edna makes decisions, Edna chooses her independence and she ends things on her own terms.

And I kind of love how Edna turns into a player near the end of the book. The woman is married, yet she falls in love with Robert and then there is this other guy who spends the night a lot. We never know for sure if she is unfaithful to her husband but there are references to how Monsieur Arobin stays over and caresses her. I guess for late 19th century literature, that was as racy as the descriptions could get. But the strange thing to me is that she never gets "caressed" by the man she loves. Robert remains unattainable, even in the end when he declares his love for her on a piece of paper.

Hoot by Carl Hiassen (#40, Reader's Choice)

Guilty as charged. This is another Young Adult book but before you go making judgments, it was of substantial length and it won the Newbury Book Award. This was a quick read but that doesn't mean it wasn't good. While I thought the ending was a bit cliche, I did enjoy it. Hiassen presents a story that is both comical and serious. The main character, Roy, learns to stand up for not only himself, but also for that which he believes in and he teaches other people to do the same without meaning to. This would be a good novel to teach to perhaps a fourth or fifth grade class. It does have a moral background and it does juggle that ever important question of what is right and what is wrong when the line between the two becomes blurred.

I laughed out loud a couple times while reading, mainly because there is a character, the vice principal of the school, who has one stray black hair on her upper lip. Roy fixates on this hair when he is forced to go see her at various times throughout the story and the things he says are hilarious. Last night I had to read a line to my sister because it was just too funny not to share with someone.

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (#39, Classic)

Oh Shakespeare how I have missed you. I've decided that one of my lifetime goals is to read every Shakespeare play. If I read two plays a year for the next twenty years, I should accomplish that goal. Twelfth Night, along with the Tempest and King Lear, are on my self-induced Shakespeare reading list. I once blogged about how much I disliked Shakespeare but now I find myself missing the language.

I don't think Twelfth Night was one of his major plays, but I have always wanted to read it because they use it at the end of Shakespeare in Love as the play he writes about Gwyneth Paltrow's character. In the movie he bases the character Viola on her. I enjoyed the cross-dressing and same sex attraction. This was a comedy, so at the end everyone ends up getting married and the topsy-turvy world created by the gags and pranks gets righted in the end. It wasn't my favorite but it passed the time and provided me something to read that I could keep a safe distance from.

Girlcook by Hannah Mccouch (#38, Reader's Choice)

I am embarrassed to have to post about this book. I don't know why I picked it. Becky took one look and announced it's chick lit status. I don't know why I couldn't see that that is exactly what this book was. I guess I wanted to learn about cooking?

This book was bad. It was your typical chick lit. The main character was the requisite twenty-something living on her own and trying to make her way in a big city. She struggles with guys, her career and her looks. It had very little substance and was pretty horrible overall--even for this genre. I could have written a better book without even trying. The fact that they published this gives me hope that one day my novel will make it to the shelves too.

I promise something of a little more substance for my next book!

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (#37, Reader's Choice)

One of the librarians at the library saw me returning and asked me how it was. I answered honestly, telling her that I had not been able to get through it. Then I added that I was trying to read 50 books in one year and the Terror's daunting 800 page count became too much for me to handle when I had about 16 more books to go. She then threw out a recommendation. That is what brought me to Stella Gibbons' Cold Comfort Farm, a satire on the British Gothic novel.

I was skeptical at first because sometimes British novels tend to be overloaded with annoying frippery but this one proved to be as refreshing as the librarian said it would be. I enjoyed this strange little world filled with strange little characters. I mean, who doesn't get a kick out of a character that is obsessed with brassieres and travels around England looking for new ones? I certainly do.

Cold Comfort Farm is bizarre. I was unsure of how to categorize it. I wanted to put it under Contemporary Lit but it was written in 1932 so that doesn't work. I can't rightfully put it under Classics because I feel like it has to be on some list, or at least have more written about it to be considered such. The writing definitely demands an apt reader otherwise all the humor will be lost on deaf ears. It really is a funny book. One character, Adam, cleans dishes with a thorny twig. Another character, Aunt Ada Doom saw something nasty in the woodshed. Do we find out what that nasty thing was? You'll just have to read the book to find out.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini (#36, Reader's Choice)

Yes, I grabbed this book from the Young Adult section of the library. It is crunch time here at Booknymphs and you cannot begrudge me my youth novels. But I will say that Paolini's writing is sophisticated enough for an adult reader to enjoy. I thoroughly enjoyed Eragon. From the beginning I was hooked. It has been a while since I have been able to find a science fiction/fantasy novel that satisfies me to the point where I actually finish it.

Eragon actually smacks of Harry Potter. It is a well-crafted magical world. I read a lot of it at work during down time and the moment my eyes would lock onto a paragraph and I would start reading, I was thrust into a world with dragons, elves, scary creatures called Urgals and magic. It is hard to read at the counter because there are constant distractions but I had no trouble drowning out the phones and even customers while I was reading this book.

I finished it this morning at work, about ten minutes after we opened. To my dismay I found that this is not a stand alone book. The ending is a cliffhanger. There are no answers on the last page; instead, Paolini just gives us more questions. I was thoroughly annoyed but kind of glad that there was a second book waiting for me, and a third one that has yet to be written. These characters, Eragon, Murtagh, Saphira--they are new found friends who will be around for a little while longer. I can't wait to read the next one.

The Pesthouse by Jim Crace (#38, Contemporary Literature)

In eighth grade my parents made me read a book a week and write a book report about it in addition to my regular homework. I had to turn in the book report to my dad on Thursday night. He would then decide whether my work was worthy of allowing me to go out with friends over the weekend. Clearly my parents did not think I was doing enough reading at the Rochester Middle School, and they were definitely right. But I pose this question: is there such a thing as reading too much? After the past six week I would have to say YES! YES! YES! 50 books in one year is great, I am glad I will do it (yes, I will do it) I will brag to all my super smart friends, I may even put it on my resume ;), but looking at the challenge from where I am now I don't think it is a good idea. There may be a good number, but fifty is just too many. If you stay on track and read one book a week that is fine, I could do that, but don't forget that little thing that always gets in the way . . . LIFE. Whether it's a vacation with family, catching strep throat for the second time, drinking too much, or any other minor or major occurrence it is pretty much impossible to stay to a strict reading timetable. I feel like reading so many books in such a short time cheapens each book. A book I may have enjoyed I end up just getting annoyed at because I don't have the time to let it sink in. Bottom line, I am book burned out.

Back to The Pesthouse. Think 1984, and The Handmaid's Tale star in the Day After Tomorrow set to the backdrop of the Oregon Trail. I enjoyed the book while I was reading, but thinking about it now and comparing it to books I have read before I realize it didn't offer anything new. It contained an already used theme with no new twist or take to it. It did win the National Book Critics Circle Award though, so I guess I didn't waste my time. Maybe this is what I am talking about--books that may be so much more seem superficial to me because I don't give them the time to sink in and and mean more. Oh well, maybe my goal next year will be to read 25 books and thoroughly scrutinize every meaning, every theme, every word . . . or maybe I will just get a job :)

The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship by David Halberstam (#37, Nonfiction)

Other than being at the Red Sox winning game or attending the celebration parade in Boston (neither of which I did) what better way to bask in the glory of a World Series win for the Red Sox than to read a book about some of the most memorable Sox players of all time?

Teammates is a lovely little book that takes you back to a time of some of the "greats" of baseball. Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Dominic DiMaggio and Bobby Doerr were not only teammates on the Red Sox back in the 4o's, but also lifelong friends. So, when Ted Williams' health takes a turn for the worse, Pesky and DiMaggio, along with Dick Flavin, road trip it from Massachusetts down to Florida for one last visit with Williams.

The book recounts each player as an individual, as well as a team, through baseball and their personal life. They all have amazing stories, coming from poor, immigrant families, and rising to fame through their love of baseball. Funny though, I say fame, and were you expecting me to say fortune as well? Think again. Any monetary success any of these four players had came after their baseball careers were over. When comparing numbers of how much they made in all their years of baseball neither DiMaggio nor Pesky netted more than 40K!!! I bet bat boys make more than that in a year these days!

It was a quick read, not difficult, but well written. David Halberstam puts together a great story through lots of hard work interviewing and researching. Although, I do think that my favorite part is when Bart Giamatti is mentioned. Just recently I have learned about Mr. Giamatti and his success as the President of Yale and his love of baseball, so it was very exciting to read a passage about him in the book. Unexpected and very cool.

Veronica by Mary Gaitskill (#36, Contemporary Literature)

I am starting to come to the conclusion that I have way too sunny of a disposition to ever enjoy "dark" books. Two in a row I have read that could have been works of nonfiction and neither one of them did I enjoy.

Veronica is a story about a young girl who becomes a model and it basically just follows her through her life. She is retelling the story as an older and ill woman. What is sad about it is that she meets many people who at the time she thinks are so important, but when she is remembering them, she can't remember why she thought they were important. And the even sadder part is that in the end I don't even know that she had realized what was important, or even found anything she considered important.

Veronica isn't the girl who the story is about, Veronica is an older woman she befriends who ends up dying of AIDS. There was supposed to be some deep connection between the two, which there was to a degree, but I found it lacking and never really understood what the author was trying to get at. I suppose the message it is supposed to send is that external youth and beauty are fleeting. Maybe?

Something Happened by Joseph Heller (#35, Contemporary Literature)

Apparently everything that happened happened either before page one or after page 560. What I think happened in between was a lot of annoyingness. Yes, that is a pretend word I am going to use.

To give some credit to an amazing author, I can see why the book would be considered read worthy, and I can see what is special about Joseph Heller. But, with that said, I spent over 550 pages reading about a man and his family. A man who regularly cheats on his wife, a man who hates his job, a man who wants to kick his daughter in the shin under the dining room table, a man who constantly wishes his mentally disabled son would disappear.

There was no happy ending, there was certainly no silver lining, I suppose the story could be considered "real" life and some people may relate to it. But thank you very much I do not relate in any way. I have no sympathy for people stuck in unhappy lives. As my roommate and friend Shawn likes to say, "Do something about it." Because that is one of my basic philosophies in life I generally don't enjoy reading books where the characters continue to chase their tail in circles, getting absolutely nowhere.

I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell by Tucker Max (#35, Nonfiction)

Where do I begin? Tucker Max's I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell is offensive, hilarious, and downright scary. I wonder if I am stupider for having read his stories. Yes, some of them were extremely funny, but not in a good way. While some stories featured Max himself as the butte of the joke, most of the time the joke was on whichever slutty, fat, dumb whore he found himself hooking up with at the time. And I use those particular words only because they are the ones used by him most of the time. I feel like every girl should read this book, in hopes of somehow making them wiser about what drinking alcohol with low self-esteem can actually result in. The fact is, there are guys out there, waiting to pounce on you and then turn around and exploit it. If I ever saw Tucker Max out at a bar, I'd kick him in the balls.

I am skeptical of Max though. I don't know if I quite believe that every single thing he writes about in every single one of his stories is true. How can someone have that many crazy stories? Becky and I were discussing it, and while the things he writes about can happen, like shitting yourself in a hotel lobby and then getting banned for life or any of the other crazy, vulgar, inappropriate stories that I won't even mention on here, I doubt that one person can be the master of them all. And also, how can someone who is as drunk as he is for most of the book, recall every single detail? It just seems too much. But alas, the guy is making a living off these crazy stories and who can blame him for it? It's just too bad most of the stories come at the price of another person's dignity.

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (#34, Nonfiction)

Hello David Sedaris. I have been meaning to read this book for about two years. I bought it at the used book store on Congress that went out of business and just never got into it until I needed something funny after my last three depressing books. Sedaris is as funny as they say. One particular chapter had me busting out laughing at 11:30 at night alone in my room, wishing I had someone nearby to share his comic genius with. The next day I made at least three people read the three page chapter and enjoy the good belly laugh that comes from reading about fecal trouble at a party. And that is all I will say about that. Grab this book and read it, if only for that one chapter. I guarantee laughter.

The other chapters were amusing, if not laugh out loud funny. I am eager to read more of his books and probably will at some point in the near future.

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (#33, Classic)

My second foray into the world of Faulkner, I enjoyed As I Lay Dying. For some reason I was craving the stream of consciousness writing, the strange familial relations, and the meandering narrative. The story is told by 15 different narrators, which was kind of confusing but this is Faulkner. I was looking for a challenge after White Ghost Girls and this book didn't disappoint. I enjoyed trying to figure out what was really going on between the members of this family. There was teenage pregnancy, an illegitimate son, mental illness, a loveless marriage, and sibling rivalry. What more can you ask for?

Are you waiting for me to analyze this using the skills I spent four years of undergrad developing? I don't know if I have it in me right now. Clearly, As I Lay Dying begs to be analyzed. Why not delve into the issue of reliable and unreliable narrators? Faulkner works with this throughout as the novel's most reliable narrator becomes the unreliable one and vice versa. This shift comes after the debacle when they try to cross the river, but it happens gradually. I am ashamed to say that Oprah had this as her summer book club pick, along with two of his other novels, The Sound and the Fury and A Light In August. For some reason, Becky and I just can't stay away from Oprah and her book club. Not only does she discover contemporary literature by up and coming writers, but she also has her hand in the classics cookie jar. We should do an Oprah book count at the end of this year to see how many we actually read even when we began this challenge vowing to avoid books that grace her list.

The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier (#34, Reader's Choice)

Maybe if I had given my undivided attention to the Red Sox/Indians game the Red Sox would have stopped sucking so bad, but once again I couldn't put down the book. I tried to leave it at home, but I actually turned around and came back and grabbed it. What is more important, being social or finishing 50 books in one year? Unfortunately I was way too social all summer, which is why I am many books behind, so now my social life pays the price. I will not back down on a challenge.

I picked The Virgin Blue because I really liked Girl with a Pearl Earring. The Virgin Blue didn't disappoint, yet it still lacked something that I can't put my finger on. I guess I have a hard time when a love story materializes out of nowhere, and an even harder time when a marriage unravels out of nowhere. You may be surprised in real life when what you believe is the perfect marriage falls apart, but in a book you are in the person's head, I should have seen it coming. But I suppose I should give the author some leeway when there is a supernatural twist to the book and the unraveling of a marriage fits in nicely with the creepy coincidences.

Sometimes I really dislike the switching of narrators, but Chevalier does it with ease and clarity. Also, turns out I am a sucker for historical fiction. It is always more fun when something could have happened, right?

Flight by Sherman Alexie (#33, Contemporary Literature)

Talk about a quick, yet powerful, read that hits on violence through the decades. "Zits" is our narrator and time traveler. A young boy, half native American, who has been shipped from foster home to foster home, he is struggling to fit in when he meets Justice. Justice teaches him that sometimes "hate can be empowering." Zits then finds himself with a gun in a crowded bank about to do something truly horrible.

I guess I will stop giving a synopsis of the book, but it's hard to explain without some background info. Basically, at the point Zits is about to shoot up the bank he instead is sucked through time and put into the body of various individuals in other times of hate and violence. He then sees the violence through his eyes, as well as the eyes of the body he is inhabiting.

At times it was hard to read because it really hits on how violent people are, and even more so who is right and who is wrong? When is revenge acceptable? If someone comes and kills your family are you justified in turning around and killing their innocent five year old daughter?

If you have a couple hours it is worth the time.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (#32, Reader's Choice)

Probably since about the day I met Steph, over two years ago, she has been eagerly awaiting the day that I read her precious "Outlander Series." She was convinced I would like it as much as her. And the verdict is . . . I liked it, well the first book at least. Unfortunately, I don't think I will ever hold it as dearly as she does. This is how I see it--she read the series back when she was in High School. When I was younger I read a lot of books, I thought The Babysitters Club was the bomb. But if I went back to read it now I don't think it would quite live up to my expectations--because turns out I have a life now and don't really need to live vicariously through Stacy or Claudia or Mary-Anne anymore ;)

Outlander is what I would call a good beach read. I don't think I have read a book since Harry Potter that I find myself thinking about when I wasn't actually reading it. It is one of those books where you really want to know what is going to happen so you just keep reading, even though you realize it is three in the morning. For a beach read it has exceptional writing, but just a little too much soft porn for my taste. Don't get me wrong, I was immediately won over by Jamie and think he sounds like a hottie, but I can only take so many "love" scenes.

If you want to be transported to another time and become fully engrossed in what you are reading, Outlander is the way to go. I am absolutely curious about the continued fate of Claire and Jamie so don't be surprised if the second book of the series pops up on Booknymphs sometime soon.

White Ghost Girls by Alice Greenway (#32, Contemporary Literature)

After reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, it would appear I was on a China kick, interested in reading books set in China. Randomly browsing the shelves at the library this Tuesday White Ghost Girls caught my eye and when I found out it was set in China, I had to get it. I expected more Chinese culture, better writing, a more riveting story. What I got was an attempt at magical prose that fell short of its goal.

I wouldn't recommend Greenway's novel to anyone. There really weren't any redeeming qualities about it. Her prose was too dependent on vapid lists of things like joss sticks, clove hair, lychees, rattan birdcages. The characters weren't real to me, and her over usage of the second person grated on my nerves. Her writing reminds me too much of my own style when I wrote memoir pieces for a class freshman year back at St. Lawrence. I expected immersion in the story but was instead forced to muck through overly showy verbs and adjectives, a writer struggling hard to be writerly. I hope when I write my first novel, it doesn't read like this.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (#31, Contemporary Literature)

While Becky has been plugging away throughout the month of October catching up to my non-impressive five book lead, I have been strangely absent on this blog since the eighth of September. What gives? Had I given up on the lofty task of reading 50 books in one year? Did it just get to be too much for me? Did I throw in the towel and resign myself to reading horoscopes, fitness magazines and myspace about me sections? Do not despair loyal Booknymph fans. I am back from an annoying stretch of bad book choices. Nothing kills the desire to read than picking up the wrong book.

Which book set me down the road of no reading? I must say it was a recommendation from my sister, The Terror. She raved about it, and I thought it would be like Ahab's Wife, another recommendation that I ended up loving. But for some reason The Terror didn't excite me. I got to about page 200 and abandoned ship. Then I started another book and quickly abandoned that one as well. Not until I raided Sarah's bookshelf did I find a suitable book.

Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was just what I needed. It provided an escape into 19th century China and the lives of the women who struggled to survive in a crushingly patriarchal system. No, it isn't nonfiction, but See did base it on actual practices. I can tell you with all honesty that I would not have wanted to have been born a girl in China. The process of foot binding is horrific enough, but then to have to go through life believing that your sole purpose in life is to produce sons and to serve your husband would be all too depressing. But it goes so far beyond that, as the entire system was built upon women being seen as base creatures and burdens to the families who had to raise them.

I liked how this book's central theme was the friendship between Lily (our narrator) and Snow Flower, her laotong. Women may have been forced to endure hardships beyond our what our modern day imaginations can comprehend but as long as they had a woman friend, they could use that friendship to make it through. I think that still rings true today. As Toni Morrison once said, "The loneliest woman in the world is a woman without a close woman friend."

Spoiled Rotten America: Outrages of Everyday Life by Larry Miller (#31, Nonfiction)

Before reading Larry Miller's book I couldn't have told you who he was, and I still can't really place him, other than on the back flap it says he was in Pretty Woman. But who? I could picture his face but was unable to place his character, so I looked him up. Want to take a guess? This is his main line, "Just how obscene an amount of cash are we talking about here? Profane or really offensive?" Remember now? How could anyone forget?

He is clearly a funny man. I am guilty of giggling out loud in public multiple times while reading the book. The book is basically a collection of 17 short stories, which he often refers to as "crankys" or something like that. Each standing alone would probably be funnier than reading them all in one place, at least that is my take. I found him rather cynical and a bit holier than thou. I don't really have all that much to say. I didn't hate it or love it. But I laughed quite a bit, and that is always good.

The Boy Who Fell out of the Sky: A True Story by Ken Dornstein (#30, Nonfiction)

I just happened to be passing by the "new arrivals" shelf at the library when I saw this book. It wasn't the title, but more the color of the book that caught me, but after about two sentences into the inside flap, I knew it was a book I was going to regret reading. All I had to see were the words "Pan Am flight 103" and I knew I shouldn't read it, but I knew that wouldn't stop me.

Other than the fact that prior to reading the book I couldn't fly without boozing it up beforehand and now I may need some horse tranquilizers to coax me on board, the book was actually really good. It is the story of Ken Dornstein, a young man who lost his brother David in the Lockerbie plane crash of 1988.

Memoirs always make me hesitant. In this case the tragedy of the situation is apparent, but initially I wondered what story did Ken have to tell about his brother that wasn't the same story of every other unfortunate soul on that flight? Turns out he could have written a book without the plane crash.

The story, although not nearly as horrific, reminded me at times of A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. After David's death Ken spends the next decade reading through hundreds of notebooks that David used to document his life. David didn't want to just live, he didn't just want to attend Brown University and be another student, he was unable to complete simple class assignments because anything he wrote, or did, had to be "brilliant". He lived his life in a sort of bohemian way never really having a job, never paying regular rent, I think that he thought to live a "standard" life would be selling out, and that wasn't something he was willing to do.

The book is gruesome-- with more facts about the plane crash than I cared to know, it is troubling--including Ken finding out his brother was molested as a child, and it is incestuous--Ken ends up marrying his brother David's first love.

If you don't have a crazy fear of flying like I do I would recommend reading the book. And even if you are like me, I am still hoping that reading such intimate details about my greatest fear has in some way helped me get over the fear . . . yeah, probably not.

In the Heart of the Sea--The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick (#29, Nonfiction)

I am a lover of classic novels, a fact that has been well established by my likes and dislikes of my choices so far. It seemed "classic" was going to be my only tried and true category, but alas, then there was In the Heart of the Sea. A well written, nonfiction, novel that deals with the elements is my other clear pick. I read Issac's Storm, the story of the tragic hurricane in Galveston, Texas in 1900, years ago and loved it. Not only are nonfiction novels teaching you something, but In the Heart of the Sea, like Issac's Storm, is a true adventure. I am a sucker for a good action movie or book, so when it is a true story that is well told, all the better! Of course it was also extra interesting to read about the history and the people of Nantucket, an island that I have visited and adored.

Philbrick is an amazing storyteller. He was able to mesh together various accounts of the survivors of the Whaleship Essex along with historical data from dozens of other sources. He did his research, and it shows. Often times when I am reading a nonfiction novel and the author digresses from the main topic for some sort of background history lesson my attention is lost, but not with Philbrick. He hooked me from the first pages of the preface--how can you not be hooked by the description of a whaleboat happening upon two emaciated, near dead, men sucking the last of the marrow from human bones?

The story of the Essex is a tragic one, but it happened and I am glad I am slightly knowledgeable of it now. What amazes me most about the end of the story is that many of the survivors, who spent three months floating hopelessly at sea with hardly any food or water after a spiteful whale capsized their ship, went straight back into the whaling business! I think I would have a major fear of the ocean, and whales, after the whole ordeal. Apparently they are strong folk, those Nantucketers!

Wicked by Gregory McGuire (#28, Reader's Choice)

Two posts in October about Witches . . . hmm, what should I be for Halloween? I will get back to you on that one. It was interesting though to go from one withchy book to another. Totally different themes and characters but an interesting theme nonetheless, maybe I will look into the Wiccan religion next for one of my nonfiction picks . . . are you on the edge of your seat yet?

Prequels are a phenomena all their own. Throughout the whole book I continually kept going back to The Wizard of Oz in my head wondering if Gregory McGuire was right, and the Wicked Witch of the East really did live the life he gave her in Wicked. It is quite a feat to take the epitome of an evil character and make the reader feel bad for her. McGuire also turns the frightening childhood movie (that some of my adult friends still refuse to watch!!!) into a joke. The characters you once believed were strong and heroic are turned into blubbering buffoons. And did the tin man really need to decapitate all the dogs? They were just coming out to greet Dorothy and her gang! The book was tongue in cheek funny. While I was reading I wasn't particularly interested in really thinking about his political statements and deeper themes, but they were definitely there.

The book was clever, funny, imaginative and it made me think when I had the energy. I can't wait for McGuire to ruin every childhood fairy tale. ;)

The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike (#27, Contemporary Literature)

Forgive this post from the start. I finished reading The Witches of Eastwick about three weeks ago and have read almost two books since then. I think that is one of the problems with our goal, I am so concerned with getting to the finish line that I am starting to look at the books as numbers rather than enjoying them for what they stand for. Rather than reading books I want to, I find that I am often picking books just to have the next book waiting. Don't get me wrong, the majority of the books I have read, whether I liked them or not in the end, I wanted to read. But the reading is not the only difficult part of the challenge. Once you start reading a book and you realize it is a dud, do you put it down? What about all that time you have lost on a book that will not be one of your 50? What to do. For me I generally push through because I always like to know what happens regardless of whether I think it sucks or not.

Enough of the digression. I am behind, we all know this. I will read 50 books though. If I have 10 left to read during the last week of December you can be guaranteed I will plow through ten books, and ten quality books at that!

Back to The Witches of Eastwick. I had heard of the book, I had heard of John Updike, but I knew nothing of his style or content. While I was reading I was surprised by lots of "nasty" language. Nothing like The Crimson Petal and the White, but there was a fair share of "husband sharing" and naughty hot-tub scenes. Definitely not what I expected in a book about three middle aged "witches". After marinating in my mind for almost month I give the book two thumbs up. It is a book about chicks, and chick power, and it is written by a man. Props to Updike.

Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins (#26, Contemporary Literature)

Tom Robbins. He has been a question mark to me ever since I was buying his novels for my high school boyfriend over 10 years ago. Nick loved the books, guys in general seem to enjoy Robbins, even Steph read him and said it was hard to get past reading in the second person, but once she accomplished that she enjoyed the book. I had high hopes.

Skinny Legs and All on the inside flap starts by saying it is about a Jew and an Arab who get together and open a restaurant across the street from the United Nations building. After my Jewish education at Emory I am always interested in immersing myself in the culture. Turns out what I should have paid more attention to on the inside flap was the reference to a talking spoon, can of beans and dirty sock . . . . ummmmmm??? Yeah, I am not kidding. There was also a talking conch shell, painted stick and . . . wait for this one . . . Vibrator!

Underneath the incredibly bizarre facade, Robbins tackles very deep and important questions about religion. Why are we fighting in Jerusalem? Who started it? Who is right? Who is worthy? Who is wrong? Apparently I was unable to compartmentalize and get over the fact that these questions are being discussed by a conch shell and a can of beans.

I gave Tom Robbins a shot. I am not sad.

Love Story by Erich Segal (#30, Reader's Choice)

I texted my good friend Sarah for a recommendation for a book about a love story and she said to read Love Story by Erich Segal. I am not sure to count this as a classic or not, as it is a quintessential story about love. How have I not read this book until now? Everyone knows of the movie with Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal--this is the novel on which it is based. A definite quick read, I finished the book while getting my hair highlighted and I had to stifle my tears so as to not look like the idiot crying with pieces of tinfoil sticking out all over their head.

Segal's sparse style and use of young, hip slang (for the 60's) reminded me a lot of J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. The most memorable quote--"Love means never having to say you're sorry" still applies today. I enjoyed reading a book that uses the idea that love should be unconditional as its central thread.