Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (#33, Fiction)

I think the fact that I have gotten this far into the series, in this amount of time, pretty much says it all.

I'm already far into the final book and wow has it gotten crazy. I'm not sure if I LOVE where the plot has gone, but we will see.

Still loving my guilty pleasure :)

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (#32, Fiction)

What more is there to say?

We were introduced to some more interesting characters in this installment. Things started to get a little complicated.

Who will Bella end up with??

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (#31, Fiction)

Hey STEPH, why didn't you say, "hey becky, you should really read this series, you will become obsessed with it!"?????

It's okay though, I forgive you. I can understand the hesitation at giving me recommendations ;)

But seriously, I am a huge fan of this series right now. I had a lot of people tell me I had to read it ASAP.... so, apparently I took those words to heart. I'm kind of wondering what the purpose in my life will be once I finish the series. Sad.

I'm not sure what exactly it is about reading about teenage vampires and werewolves that is so good. I have to imagine it has a lot to do with how the author writes and has created the characters. They fact that they are teenagers does not often come into my mind... and well, come on, Edward may only be 17, but he's been around for quite some time!

Talk about a guilty pleasure done right!

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (#33, Contemporary Fiction)

It has taken me three months to finish Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. I am slightly ashamed to admit this because when is the last time it has taken me that long to read a book of average length? I mean, I could see if I was hacking away at something like War and Peace or Infinite Jest or Anna Karenina, but The Poisonwood Bible was not epically long or overly challenging in terms of style or vocabulary. Perhaps I just had a reading dry spell.

That said, I want to make clear that I really enjoyed this book. Just because it took me three months to read it does not mean it was at all bad. Quite the contrary, which is what puzzles me the most about having taken so long to get through the book. I was determined to read it and ended up extending it three times and then taking it physically back to the library and checking out a new copy completely.

I like Kingsolver's style and I like the characters. I like the way she divides the narration between the female characters. Every aspect of this story and the way she tells it is deliberate, beautiful and tragic. The subject matter is depressing, but uplifting at the same time. The violent history of the Congo comes out of the mouths of four little girls, ages 15 to 5 and is at once absorbing and disturbing. I am sad it took me so long to decide to read this book and even longer to pass through its pages.

The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham (#30, Nonfiction)

I've never really been a huge fan of John Grisham. I can give or take him. I liked some of his older books, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, and then I was pleasantly surprised with The Runaway Jury. But, I honestly haven't read him in years.

Someone suggested I read this one. I'm not sure how I feel about Grisham and nonfiction. I diligently read the first 200 pages, then got bored and skimmed through about 150 pages and then actually continued reading the end.

The book made me mad though. I really can't believe that based on the evidence and information that the prosecution put together that four men were/are on death row. Although, I'm trying to also realize that the book begins and ends from one, and only one perspective--innocent men put in jail for a crime they didn't commit. So, it's hard to be objective about any of the details when I went into it knowing he was not guilty.

After going to law school and learning about Constitutional law and criminal procedure I really can't believe how sketchy the police and prosecutor in the case acted. I guess I didn't realize that detectives actually pulled out all those Law and Order moves like good cop/bad cop and keeping people isolated for so long that they final confess just to get out of there!

Way to go detectives of Ada, OKlahoma, awesome job of letting the real murderer get away with it for almost 20 years.

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (#29, Fiction)

After a veerrrry long pause, I have finished off the Dark Materials trilogy.

With the holidays quickly approaching I have been thinking about what gifts I should get for my nieces and nephews. Although Celia is only in first grade, she is already reading chapter books, and I have been trying to think of books that she might enjoy. This series came to mind before I started the third book. I knew it was probably too mature for her, but man, after the third boy, heck no! There was a lot of evil in this one! It was pretty intense. I didn't know if I could handle the part where Lyra and Pan had to separate from each other!

I definitely enjoyed the book, and the series as a whole. I think the first book was my favorite though. By the third book there were just so many characters and so many loose ends that had to be tied up, it got a little confusing at times. And, honestly, I still don't entirely get why the "dust" stopped leaving the world when Lyra and Will got there. Although, I guess it was pretty late when I finished the book, maybe I missed something. I'm also torn about the ending--for a young adult book it was really intense! Lots of death and hard and important decisions that needed to be made.

Overall it was really good....now I am pretty excited to move on to my next young adult series--Twilight!!!

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace. . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (#28, Nonfiction)

Another amazing book here. Very similar to Mountains beyond Mountains.

Greg Mortenson is as selfless as a person can be with an amazing story. The book is excellently written and never dull.

I am pretty much at a loss of words for what to say. It's an inspiring story, and I believe that all of the work he is doing in Pakistan and Afghanistan will make a difference for future generations.

Anything the United States can do to foster better relationships with the world is a good thing, and Greg Mortenson is leading the way.

Hidden in the Shadow of the Master: The Model-Wives of Cezanne, Monet and Rodin by Ruth Butler (#27, Nonfiction)

So much for reading another 50 books this year. Sad.

Although I'm not a fan of blogging in general, this blog has many positive and interesting facets to it. Obviously, it's cool to keep track of all the books we have read. I probably couldn't name the last ten books I read without forgetting at least a couple, so thumbs up to an up-to-date list of what I've read. Secondly, I like seeing what steph has read. It is a good way to find new books to read and to know exactly what to expect from them, and it helps with recommending books to others. And finally, and completely unrelated to reading, I like having a timeline of my life. Steph--you know how I always like to play the game, "the last time I was here was..."? Well, I like looking through the books I have read, and I can remember exactly where I was, what I was doing, who I was dating, what game was on in the background, so forth and so on. I like having the very G-rated story of my life documented for me to remember how different things were last November, as I was reading One-Hundred Years of Solitude and The Pesthouse.

Digress much?

About the book. I'm a huge fan of artwork, specifically artwork from the late 19th century, so I was pretty psyched about learning more about some of my favorites (monet being my all-time favorite artist). The book was....eh. The writing wasn't great, but nowhere near as painful as Nim Chimpsky. I do find it amazing though to read about the poverty that these artists endured through a large portion, if not all, of their lives. And today they can be found in all of the most prestigious museums.

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini (#32, Young Adult)

I was disappointed by what was supposed to be the third and final installment of the Inheritance trilogy. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to learn halfway through the book that there was too much to fit in and that instead of finishing the series with Brisingr, Christopher Paolini will be writing a fourth book. 

I suppose I shouldn't be annoyed by this but for some reason I am. I struggled to maintain interest in this book and was actually hoping to be done with the series. I am not overly attached to these characters and sadly I find Paolini's writing skills to be lacking. Will I be able to plod through another book to get the answers? Maybe. 

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (#31, Classic)

Finally, a book that is not of the self-help/young adult category. I have been reading too many of those lately and thought it would be good to read something of substance. Enter Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo.  I really enjoyed this classic masterpiece, despite knowing the story before reading the book. I saw the movie back in 2003--I remember the day exactly because it was spring break freshman year and my new boyfriend called while we were watching the movie. I took the call and never finished the movie. Needless to say, I was very eager to find out how it would all end. Would the Count get his revenge? Would he find his lost love and find happiness? Would he confront his enemies and repay them for ruining his life? 

I did notice one thing while reading my first Dumas novel. He uses the phrase, "blow out his brains" quite a bit. Anytime one of the characters ponders suicide, the only way it is referred to is as "blowing out" one's brains. Perhaps there was a problem with the translator and in French this phrase sounds better. 

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt (#26, Nonfiction)

I'm not really sure what the correct adjective to describe the book would be.... amazing just seems wrong because to me it implies more happiness.... and well, heartbreaking doesn't fit either because although at times it certainly broke my heart, the book made me laugh almost as much as it made me cringe in sadness.... unbelievable...does that work? well, for me it does, but I assume that there are many people in the world who can relate very personally to the story....

Maybe I will come up with the perfect word eventually, but wow, this book is quite the memoir. I think the part that got to me the most is at the beginning when he is retelling his childhood and starting at the age of 4 he was already acting in a parental capacity to his 3 (yes 3!!!) younger brothers. All I could think about was my 4 year old nephew... there is no way!!!

Once again, thanks Mom, thanks Dad, for the food, the clothes, the house, the education and for making me aware of the fact that I had it good.

Doghandling by Clare Naylor (#30, Chick Lit)

Ahh chick lit, how I hate thee. Well, that is not true. I didn't hate this book. Clare Naylor's Doghandling seemed a fitting follow up to Why Men Love Bitches, as both books seem to agree that men need to be trained. This theory is not a farfetched one, as I have at least one friend who has admitted to me that she indeed had to train her boyfriend to behave the way she wanted him to. But is this really doghandling? What about people handling? 

Every new relationship features two people with two sets of behavioral patterns. Each person will treat the other person a certain way as long as the other person lets them. Similarly, dogs will behave a certain way as long as they can get away with it. The secret to training a dog? Be firm when setting boundaries and letting them know what behavior is okay and what behavior is not okay. Through a system of checks and balances (treats, kenneling, etc) you guide the dog to the correct behavioral pattern. 

Is this how we girls should deal with guys? Do we really need to employ the same techniques used to train dogs to train our boyfriends? Perhaps. A guy will treat you how you let him treat you. When you aren't being treated how you deserve to be, you definitely have to lay down the law and demand to be treated better. This usually starts with a conversation where you address the wrongdoings. But what about when nothing changes? When talking doesn't work, your actions speak louder than your words and you just might have to treat Brian like Rover. 

Why Men Love Bitches by Sherry Argov (#29, Nonfiction)

This might be the most embarrassing book to post yet. You might be asking some questions at this point. Why did I read this book? More importantly, why did I buy this book? A new friend (and self-proclaimed bitch) recommended it to me. After hearing my stories from this summer and my entire relationship history, she decided that I needed a huge dose of bitch. I am the quintessential nice girl. I shudder to think how in the dark I have always been and how I have been playing a game where I didn't fully understand the rules. 

Now let me straighten one thing out for you. Sherry Argov (who writes for magazines like Cosmo and Glamour) uses the term bitch not in the way you might think. Her "bitch" is not the self-centered crazy woman who cares about no one, gets off on being mean to people, and goes out of her way to put men in their place. Argov's bitch is the woman who is confident, knows who she is, knows what she wants, and is unwilling to put up with the bullshit that men try to get away with. She respects herself and therefore demands respect from the men she dates. Guys who show her less respect than she deserves get the boot. 

There are several instances in the book where Argov uses a table to show the difference between the nice girl and the bitch. I was shocked to see that more often than not I fell into the nice girl category and by Argov's standards I am a textbook doormat. If only I had read this book four months ago! As I said before, I have been playing a game without knowing all the rules. Argov's humorous satire has enlightened me and perhaps the next time I deal with a guy, he might be getting the bitchier side of me. No one wants to date a doormat. 

The Bounce Back Book by Karen Salmansohn (#28, Nonfiction)

Remember back in January when I declared 2008 the year of the self-help book? Well, I am still going strong. I am still reading books that will supposedly help me become a better person. Karen Salmansohn's The Bounce Back Book was an impulse purchase at the book store, but not one that I have come to regret. 

I rather enjoyed this little collection of tips on how to bounce back after going through a rough time.  It read like a magazine--it was fun, colorful, and most of all captivating. My biggest pet peeve when reading these self help books is how they lose steam halfway through. The writing becomes repetitive and boring and I eventually stop caring. Not so with this one. I was excited to open it up every time I got the chance. And while my own problem was not as horrible as Salmansohn's own personal tragedy, I felt like the solutions and tips she offered were still pertinent to my own situation. I will certainly be looking for more of her work and I would recommend this one to anyone who is looking for clues on how to bounce back.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (#25, Contemporary Literature)

When it came time for me to actually make the pick for book club I felt a huge amount of pressure. I've torn apart a few of the books that have been picked, and I didn't want to have book "road kill" on my hands.

Unfortunately, the book club has lots of "rules." Basically I was warned that everyone is too busy to read a classic, or a book of more than 400 pages. They suggested that I pick something that was beach read-y, since my choice fell on the last month of the summer. Ugh. I checked out some best seller lists and tried to find something that fell within the criteria... I fear best seller lists though... and I quickly returned here, and sifted through the books steph has read. And here I found The Shadow of the Wind.

Two glowing recommendations from avid readers--Sarah and Steph. Although, we know about some of Steph's recommendations, and according to Sarah's myspace she loves Phillipa Gregory.... but, I then checked on B&N dotcom and found 50+ reviews--all with 5 stars. Like Steph says in her post, any book about reading already has me intrigued. So, I made the pick. (side note: I got some not so thrilled responses from book club---OMG...it's 480 pages ....)

And the verdict? I really liked it! I wasn't sure if I loved it when I was halfway through, but it continued to grow on me and I found myself at work, in my office, quickly finishing the last 20 pages that I just couldn't wait until tonight to read! For starters it is well written, even if you don't love the story, you can't complain about its structure, word choice, etc. It has a great mystery, and as I am thinking about it I find the writing and storytelling somewhat similar to Margaret Atwood. (thoughts Steph?)

There were points when I was reading at night where I found myself checking under the bed and around corners for the faceless man... just a bit scary! It was a really great story, and I love the message it sends about the importance of reading and the love of books.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (#27, Young Adult)

I finished Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final book in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, not five minutes ago and here I am blogging about it. I realize that my credibility as a book snob seems to drop a point with each young adult guilty pleasure read I throw on here but my friends, I am a sucker for a series. How can you not love reading about great characters book after book? I have always had a thing for books in a series and I think it's because I get so attached to the characters that it is hard for me to let them go. Case in point is the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon--it may not be groundbreaking literature but I sure do love me some Jamie and Claire! 

I was super excited to read the final installment of this series and I am pretty surprised that I didn't shoot out and buy a copy myself at the beginning of August when it first came out. I waited patiently for the book to come to me when the time was right and it did. I loved the twists and turns of the plot, I loved how the characters developed and changed, and I loved the complete and utter absorption I was able to achieve while reading. Meyer's vampire world is vivid and exciting; I will miss Bella, Edward and Jacob. 

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (#26, Young Adult)

I know, I know. What is with all the young adult books that I keep reading? First it was the Golden Compass series, then the Twilight series, and now this. 

Let me introduce you to Percy Jackson, the equivalent of Harry Potter in a world controlled by Greek gods and goddesses. While it is not nearly as well written as the Harry Potter series, it is still a worthwhile foray into young adult fiction. I rekindled my interest in Greek mythology and found myself laughing at the pop culture references aimed at tweens. I found myself enjoying Percy's adventures and I may have sighed a few times as he went about learning his destiny. 

Was I floored by the writing? No. Was I completely absorbed in the world depicted? No. Was I entertained and intrigued? Yes. You can count on the next few books in the series popping up on here but it might not be for a while. I feel like I need to put some quality reads up soon or else I will lose all credibility as an English major. 

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcom Gladwell (#25, Nonfiction)

I was fairly excited to read this book when I found it on the shelf of my new/temporary home. Who doesn't want to learn about making the "right" split second decision? I'm sure I can use a little education on making better decisions-- that is for certain.

Blink was interesting at first and I immediately started relaying the studies to friends, because the results of some are astonishing. The mind is an amazing thing, and this book shows you that often times your mind has made a decision without you even being aware of it yet. Pretty cool. And of course I liked the section where they interview couples and the lead psychologist could predict with 90+ percent accuracy whether or not the couple would stay together after watching them interact for a mere 15 minutes. Maybe I can take him around with me on all of my first dates--save myself the time! ;)

But....then.... I got bored. I talked with a friend about it last night, and she said that maybe it's because Blink is more of a book you may be assigned to read in a sociology or psychology class. I'm not sure I agree, but there was something about the second half that lost my attention. Maybe it's because it didn't reveal the secret to how I am supposed to make these split second decisions! Come on book, I need you to solve all my problems!

Either way, it had its interesting moments and I really enjoyed some of the information I learned about the mysteries of the brain.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, (#24 Classic)

1488.

The Year? Nope. An important street address? Wrong again. The number of people killed at Waterloo? Keep guessing. If you guessed: THE NUMBER OF SMALL PRINT PAGES I read to finish this one--then you are correct! This is one long mofo of a book. Of course I read the unabridged version, because, really, if you're going to do it, you might as well ACTUALLY just do it!

Although it may sound as though I am complaining so far, I'm actually not. I loved the book. It is amazing, and really, the only thing to complain about is how tired my hands got holding it! It's heavy and cumbersome with that many pages--especially at the beginning and end!

I really can't even begin to put into words how great of a story Victor Hugo tells, and the amazing characters he created. Jean Valjean is just a big twisty mess of complexity, yet so pure and lovable--I rooted for him from the start. And Gavroche may be one of my favorite characters EVER. So funny, cute, energetic, loving and smart--yet he is only what, 12 or something? But you believe it. I have a feeling that the characters from this book are going to stay with me--they are anything but forgettable.

My one question or concern about the book is how strong of a statement is was back then to say, "I am a criminal, I was in prison." It seemed like once that was thrown out there, no matter all the good one had done, or the possibility of false accusation, you are suddenly less than human. Was that the way society in France really was back then? If you stole a loaf of bread to feed your starving family you could never be considered whole again? It all seems a little too steep of a price to pay to me.

It is just really a great book and it all ties together, all the characters have meaning, all the interactions have a point--it's pretty amazing to see that Hugo was able to tie something from page one to page 1488 with such clarity and skill. Loved it loved it loved it!!!

Now I need to go get my tickets to see the play!!!

What the hell is a Meme? But anyway...

Kind of odd that Steph posted this yesterday because I have been feeling like I need to post something on here, or give some sort of status update to say, "yes, I am STILL reading Les Miserables." (so close to being done!!!) I love the idea of seeing how many books I have read, so here you go... (although, I do question some of the picks for this list...are you there with me Steph?) Oh, and I just bypassed putting the ones I want to read in Italics because that would pretty much be all of them.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen**
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling**
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
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 (complete works, yet Hamlet is below??)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien**
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy**
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (once again, I see the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe below?)
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 - AA 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 Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
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 - EB 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** (i am close enough to done to include this :)

47/100. I'll take that as fairly above average. I've always been a reader, but I am so happy Steph and I started Booknymphs because I feel like I will never go through a true reading slump again--so many books, so little time.

Big Read Meme

Have you heard of the Big Read? Apparently the average American adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they have printed. Camels and Chocolate started this meme on her blog and it seemed only fitting to try it out over here at Booknymphs. Becky and I pride ourselves on being better than average readers--let's see if we actually are.

1. Bold those you have read.

2. Italicize those you intend to read.

3. Put asterisks next to the books you LOVE.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen**
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling**
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**
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 Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger**
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell**
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald**
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
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 - AA 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 Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
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 - EB 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

40 out of 100--not too shabby.

Better Single Than Sorry by Jen Schefft (#25, Nonfiction)

Am I embarrassed to post this? Yes. Do I regret reading it? No. We were in Books-A-Million at Myrtle Beach and I needed something light and possibly funny to entertain me for the last day at the beach and the plane ride. I blazed through this baby in two days and I even learned something! 

I would recommend this book to the newly single female. How can you read what Schefft writes and not feel empowered to be single? You really can't. Being single is not a curse, it is not something to be ashamed about. It is better to be single than to be in a relationship that is sucking the life out of you. It is better to stay strong and stick to your gut feeling than to stay with someone who you might not really want to be with. 

I liked Schefft's point about never compromising yourself in order to be in a relationship. You should never settle for anything less than what you deserve. 

Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich (#24, Nonfiction)

Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed has been on my reading list for a of couple years. For some reason I thought it was a must-read and that I would learn something from it. I was also very much interested in the undercover reporting aspect of it--it had promise. 

I was annoyed from the very beginning though when you find out she kind of cheats when she attempts to live as the other half lives. Her point is clear--you can't get by on minimum wage. She describes her stint as a maid, as a Wal-Mart employee, and as a waitress. She describes these menial jobs and really makes you hope you never have to do them. Having worked both retail and in the food service industry, I must say that I agreed with how she described how much work was required for very little to no pay. I mean, working at J. Crew I got paid 9 dollars to fold clothes, try to get the customers to buy more items, and to run around putting things away as people tried things on. It was a very boring, very numbing job that I wish to never relive. 

Does Ehrenreich offer a solution to the problem she supposedly uncovers through her undercover reporting? Poor and unskilled workers are forced to take low paying jobs, doing the work that no one in America wants to do. Why is this? For Ehrenreich it is because those filling the job positions let their employers treat them as such. You can only be treated how you let others treat you. But the fact is, as long as there are people desperate for work, desperate to get by, they will take any job they can get and they will accept any amount of money for that work. 

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (#23, Young Adult)

As you can see, I am firmly entrenched in this series. I am not vouching for the quality of the writing but the stories are somewhat compelling. I can read this and not think about anything else. It is literary absorption at its best. These types of books are meant to be particularly well written, but perhaps there is something to learn from it. 

It is my belief that the answers to certain questions are sometimes right in front of your eyes and if you actually open them to look, you might just find what you are looking for. Here is a quote that jumped out at me and I can't help but go back to it: 

"...I can't be happy without him."

"You've never tried," he disagreed. "When he left, you spent all your energy holding on to him. You could be happy if you let go" (333).

Interesting thought. Who knew wisdom could come out of some teen romance? 

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (#22, Young Adult)

I am a sucker for books in a series. I always have been and I probably always will be. There is just something very alluring to reading about the same characters over the course of several books. I enjoy the character development, the continuation of their story. It is probably the same reason why I really enjoy certain tv shows--nothing beats a nuanced character development that is only possible through multiple installments. 

The Twilight Saga Series is addicting. I moved onto New Moon almost immediately after having finished Twilight. With each book we learn more and more about the vampire culture, but the best part about these books, as cheesy and as directed at teenage girls as they are, is the love story. I like how Meyer represents love.  

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (#21, Young Adult)

I was slightly prejudiced against this book at first. I checked it out from the library a couple months ago after having read an article about the Mormon author but then never got around to reading it before I had to return it. I don't like how closely Meyer spells her first name to mine, and also, it's a bestseller. And if you have been reading Booknymphs, you know how Becky and I feel about bestsellers. But alas, when on vacation at the beach, it is quite necessary to be in possession of several beach reads. A quick trip to the Wal Mart and this book and the second one in the series were the only thing I would deign to read so I bought them and haven't regretted it since. 

Meyer is a Mormon, but she writes about vampires and eternal damnation. I was super skeptical because the writing is not all that great, but I like the vampire theme. I like how she plants the seeds for the subsequent books. Meyer is a storyteller and her twist on vampire lore is interesting. I am not saying this book was the best book I have ever read, but I am saying that if you are going to be sitting on the beach, or by the side of a pool, this is a great beach read. Once I started reading, I didn't want to put it down. 

You Shall Know Our Velocity! by Dave Eggers (#20, Contemporary Literature)

Yes, I know. I already read Dave Eggers this year. But after reading What is the What and really liking it, I decided I needed more Eggers. I had a random conversation with a customer at Pie one afternoon who also happened to be reading What is the What. He told me I should check out the other books too, but that I should start my exploration with You Shall Know Our Velocity! I complied and went immediately to the library and checked out a copy. 

I loved the premise of this book. There are two guys, Hand and Will, who need to get rid of 32,000 dollars and fast. They plan a seven day trip around the world to randomly hand out the cash to unsuspecting locals. I was hooked in the beginning but I found the plot to stagnate in the middle. There definitely was not enough momentum to make this a quick read, but I don't think it was Eggers goal to really grip us and send us on a fun-filled adventure. There is something he is saying about the world and it is at times quite a depressing read. I didn't like the narrator, especially after I found out he was quite unreliable. I know this wasn't nonfiction, but it was fiction parading as nonfiction that was really quite fictitious--if that makes any sense at all. Read the book and you will know what I mean. 

Would I recommend this to a friend, knowing that my enjoyment of it was short lived? Probably not, but if I did, there would be a lot talk about. (Hmm, Becky? You ready for another Prep?...)

Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis by Alexandra Robbins (#19, Nonfiction)

Remember the beginning of the year when I said I was going to read self help books? Well, I have not totally ditched that idea. I bought this book back in January with a gift card and hadn't felt the need to read it until just now. It strikes me as funny that the book sat on my nightstand table for six months before I decided to read it. Why now? Why not three months ago when I was under couch arrest? Maybe some books are like people--they come into your life for a reason and it is all about timing. 

If I had picked this book up any sooner it wouldn't have helped me. The wisdom would have fallen on ears that were not ready to hear what the mentors in each chapter impart. One night before going to sleep I looked over at it sitting there under four other books and I grabbed it and started reading it. It pulled me in and it gave me hope for the future. 

Is the quarterlife crisis real? Is it something we all have to go through to make it to the other side of happiness? It is interesting that instead of having a midlife crisis, our generation has a quarterlife crisis. We search for who we are much sooner than our parents and grandparents and it isn't easy. It is a struggle but one that we have to embrace because when we find out who we are, we will be that much closer to finding happiness. Here are some of the gem pieces of advice I jotted down on my little post-it as I read: 

• Stop and listen to your life. Be still and wait. In the meantime, be the best person you can be. (6)
  
• You can rely on your instincts. (73)
• You should look for happiness in life itself, not just another person. (75)
• You need to do things on your own in order to grow. (135)
• You aren't powerless to change your situation. (136)
• If you're not moving you learn nothing. (139)
• Figure out what characterizes the adult you want to be. Then you shed the things you've outgrown but allow yourself to cling to the parts of your past you'd like to take with you. (178)
• I'm not in control of what happens, but I am in control of my reaction to them. (178)

Good stuff. I wish I had read this book a year ago. 

Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer (#23, book club)

Another pick from the book club. I had mediocre hopes for this one, and was neither let down nor inspired by Septembers of Shiraz.

On the one hand I would compare it to The Kite Runner, and according to some other book club ladies it is even more reminiscent of A Thousand Splendid Suns. The book is fiction, but is based off of real life events--and real things that happened to Dalia Sofer in Iran. Once again I had no idea about the complete injustice that took place in the early 80s in Iran--during my lifetime.

The historical portion of the book I found enjoyable, as I always do, but on the not so positive side I found her writing and story very elementary. We were all amazed at all the praise you find about this "amazing debut novel" by a "breakout author" etc. etc. For whatever reason it seemed like the book just barely skimmed the surface of what could have been an incredible story, and I never had enough time to really get attached or care about the characters.

On to more books . . . who knows what the next book club pick will be, but in the meantime I am tying myself down with Les Miserables--unabridged!!

What is the What by Dave Eggers (#18, Nonfiction/Fiction Blend)

I am notorious for checking out several books at once and then not having enough time to finish them all before they are due back. I don't know what possessed me to check this book out last September but I saw it in the new books section and I grabbed it. Sadly, I decided to read Tucker Max and Eragon over this delightfully moving story about an unlucky Sudanese refugee.

I don't think I had even started the book before I relinquished it back to the library the last time but one of the delivery drivers at work started reading it shortly thereafter and he kept telling me to read it. So I finally saw it again on the shelf, checked it out, and after bounding through The Amber Spyglass, I found myself tiptoeing through this novel that is both nonfiction and fiction, as it is the story of Valentino Achak Deng as told to Dave Eggers. 

This is quite an amazing read. I came into it knowing there would be horrible atrocities and perhaps this is why the small scales events haunted me more than the large scale events. I kept wanting Valentino's life to level out. I kept wanting the bad luck to end and to have him find a happiness here in the states. But perhaps that is an unrealistic view of the way the world works. The second half of this book is heartbreaking, even more so than the first half where most of the raw carnage takes place. Their life at Kakuma (a Kenyan refuge camp) is hard and horrible and sometimes without hope. It is hard to read about this, but I feel that everyone should probably read a book like this. I enjoyed learning about Sudan and I definitely have a new perspective on the things in my life after having read Valentino's story. 

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman (#22, Fun)

Not much to say here. I am enjoying the series.

After I finished The Golden Compass I watched the movie, and I actually really like the girl they cast as Lyra so now I don't find her nearly as annoying in the books.

I like Will, I'm so sad about Lee Scoresby, and I can't believe poor Will and his father met and then, well, you know, that silly witch and her grudge.

I haven't started the third one yet, I will be on a bit of a hiatus (think quality book and book for book club on the que), but Karl claims he did NOT like the way it ended. Hm. Interesting.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (#21, Fun)

I am shocked that "His Dark Materials" has been sitting around for over ten years, just waiting for me to read them. ESPECIALLY after finishing the last Harry Potter book and thinking I was going to have to either: a) wait until J.K. Rowling started another series, or b) delve back into the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. And there it was, just waiting, patiently.

I am a sucker for talking animals--hello, Babe is the best movie EVER and I pretty much go crazy over Puss in Boots, and add the mouse from Prince Caspian to that list. I KNOW, kind of weird, but I think it gives me character . . . And now daemons--what could be better than having a talking animal attached to you forever? I bet Georgia is my daemon.

All this said, of course I have some complaints. I dislike the way Lyra talks about 25% of the time--I much prefer her thoughts. Does she really need to throw in the awful language? Didn't she grow up at a college surrounded by scholars? Did they forget to teach her some basic grammar skills? I get that she is trying to be rebellious and fit in with the gyptians, but I just don't find it necessary--especially because it comes and goes. If I'm going to read a book with a whole different set of vernacular, fine, but it needs to be CONSISTENT. Often times I would be reading along and then cringe, out of nowhere, at some line thrown in that was so unexpected.

Pullman leaves you with quite the cliffhanger at the end; you can rest assured I have already started the second book.

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (#17, Young Adult)

Loved it. I know how I made a big stink about how Pullman's His Dark Materials series was not Harry Potter, but this book makes it worth suffering through The Subtle Knife. Of the three, The Amber Spyglass was my favorite. It not only handles multiple, converging story lines deftly, but the characters somehow become the kind of characters you never want to say goodbye to. I was afraid of the end of the book because I didn't want to see Lyra and Will and Serafina Pekkala and Iorek Byrnison go. 

While I did find the religious concept matter a bit off putting at times, it didn't really affect my enjoyment of  the book. There is so much more I want to say about it but I don't want to spoil it for others who haven't read it. Seriously, if you liked Harry Potter, you will enjoy Pullman's venture into what some might consider blasphemous fiction. You should run to your local library and check out all three books. Now! 

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder (#20, Nonfiction)

Now this is nonfiction. What a great book it was, and rather on point for my current 9-5er. Although I am working at a "non-profit" and doing work for the "good of national health," I don't think it is quite on par with the work of Dr. Paul Farmer. Not So Much.

You have to read this one to really appreciate it--you can only be told so much about the amazing life Farmer leads, and the amount of lives he has saved. But to read and see how he moves about the world on a daily basis giving away pretty much every penny he makes to cure diseases in populations that have been left to die slow, painful deaths is ridiculously inspiring. It kind of made me want to be a doctor . . . you know, other than all that blood, cutting and germy stuff. :)

A must read for anyone who wants to be inspired and humbled that: yes, my life is good, and no I am not doing my part.

The Girls by Lori Lansens (#16, Fun)

I received Lori Lansens' The Girls as a birthday gift last year and just now got around to reading it. One of the hardest gifts to give is a book--you have to really know the person to be able to pick something out that they will like and enjoy reading. Unless you know for sure that they want the book it's pretty much like trying to pick out clothing. You have to know the size they wear and the styles they like. 

I liken the art of giving a book as a gift to the art of recommending a book to someone; it is pretty much the same thing because in all essence, you are trying to find something that you think the other person will enjoy reading. I have a poor track record when it comes to recommending books. Becky is of course my victim and I admit to sending her down the Prep road when I knew full well how bad it was. I think I was testing her though--she claimed to be a big reader, a sensible reader and Prep was her hazing. And perhaps I wanted someone else to endure the torture of reading that slop so that we could pick it apart. Curtis Sittenfeld, Booknymphs has no respect for you! 

That said, as a gift, The Girls entertained. I was resistant to liking this book because frankly, I have not had a book picked out for me that I actually enjoyed in a long while. But Lansens is an excellent writer. The characters were real to me and I liked reading about the conjoined twins Ruby and Rose. And while I admit that it was the shock factor that drew me in, the reason I stayed in it was for Lansens' portrayal of sisterhood. Rose and Ruby may be conjoined, but they are first and foremost sisters, the girls of their family. And from someone who is apart of her own girls subset, that is a very powerful, distinct thing. Lansens captures it well.  

Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (#19, Classic)

For years I've been told that Thomas Hardy is as good, and maybe even better, than Jane Austen. In my mind that is a very bold statement, especially since the recommendation came from a loyal Austen fan.

I am sad to report back that my expectations were too high. I spent the first one hundred pages comparing the scenes, characters and dialogue to Austen, and it wasn't the same! Big surprise, right, it is a different author. I complained a bit; thought the characters and time period were "too provincial" feeling. And then, I started to let the story stand on its own, or maybe it began to stand on its on, because Hardy is a great author, and it is a great story!

The book is a bit darker than Austen's novels, but still has a lot of comic relief. The setting is what really differentiates the two authors--Austen's scenes are set to the back drop of stately manors, balls and sitting rooms while Hardy is more pastoral, plain and impoverished.

On one hand I really liked the protagonist, Bathsheba, and I really related to her--can we say fiercely independent? :) But it took me a loooong time to stop thinking Gabriel Oak was a love-sick puppy. I suppose his constancy with his feelings, and Bathsheba's flighty whims, can be compared to some people I know . . .

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (# 18, Cult Religious Book)

An International Phenomenon is what those little words on the top of the book above the title say. An International Phenomenon--sort of like, An International Waste of My Time.

Really EC? Crazy? Singer/Songwriter? THIS is the book you pick as "the best, most inspirational" book ever? I might as well have read, "Who Moved My Cheese" or some equally lame excuse for a NOVEL.

Shut your eyes and stop reading now if you don't want the end of the story to be ruined for you. The book is about a young boy named Santiago who is a Shepard. He is sleeping in a church with his sheep when he has a dream about treasure, so he sets out into the world to find this treasure. He gives up his sheep, and home and travels around continuing to bump into "prophets" who send him on a chase for the treasure. He meets people, he gets mugged, he travels, he works, he falls in love . . . but he's always on the move to find the treasure. He finally gets to the pyramids (where he is certain the treasure is hidden) and is digging when he meets up with some pyramid rif raf. Santiago has to tell them he is searching for treasure and about his dream--in return one of the rif raf says he had a dream about a treasure in the very church Santiago had his dream. Guess where the treasure is? Come on, just take a guess. And what is the moral of the story while you're thinking?

It was really cheesy, and especially when I read the interview at the end with the author, it becomes clear, that this is basically a cult book about religion. NO THANKS.

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman (#15, Young Adult)

You know me by now--I love any type of series, especially if it involves children as the heroes and a world where magical things can happen. The Subtle Knife is the second book in the His Dark Materials series and it picks up right where The Golden Compass left off. I blazed through Book II because I wanted to know what was going to happen to Lyra and Will. 

While I enjoyed The Golden Compass very much, this book left much to be desired. As the middle installment in a trilogy, there is always that danger that it will merely serve as a filler--a bridge to get you to Book III. Sadly I found The Subtle Knife to be just that--a filler to get you to point C. I can't decide if it was the weakened plot or the fact that there wasn't enough background thrown in about Lyra to really make it satisfying. 

This is no Harry Potter but it is amusing. I am onto Book III to find out how it all ends. 

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates (#17, Contemporary Literature)

The family experience, hopeless monotony of the 'burbs, and the bitter irony and disappointment between a couple--all themes you will "happily" find in Revolutionary Road. If you know me at all, you can probably venture a guess about my overall impression of the book. Generally, not my genre, but as I write the post and think about the book it is growing on me--in a very academic/philosophical way.

The book is about a young couple living in the 50s, but wanting to "break the mold" and not be like all those "other people." April and Frank Wheeler were different--they turn their nose at the American Dream, and the suburbs, and the traditional roles of men and women. Or did they?

Revolutionary Road is about the human experience. What I've learned from my "Professor" is that a book of this genre is good if it becomes timeless--meaning can people, over countless generations, continue to relate to the characters. Can I relate to the Wheelers? Yes and no. If you asked me, "how old do you picture this couple?" I would quickly answer--much older than me. Wrong answer--29. They are both 29. So, no, I can't relate to being married, with two kids and living in a house with a picture window. But on the other hand, I can relate because they were 29, with two kids, living in a house with a picture window and wishing that wasn't their life.

The book is sad in one of those utterly depressing, "is this all there is to life" type ways. And it makes you wonder about love and happiness--can these be timeless too?

Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would be Human by Elizabeth Hess (#16, Nonfiction)

Dear Ms. Elizabeth Hess,

You are not a good writer. You don't know how to tell a story. Maybe you should have spent more time learning how to write nonfiction than getting the life story of 100's of characters you felt the need to jam down your readers' throats in 300 pages. You are probably a very nice person who likes animals and advocates for animal rights, but maybe you should focus on stopping animal testing rather than writing about Nim and his extended family (or writing about anything for that matter).

Sincerely,

Someone who now fears reading nonfiction

Okay, so, maybe a little harsh, but THIS BOOK WAS SO BAD ! ! ! ! ! Don't get me wrong, it's a VERY interesting story, she just destroyed it in translation. It was excruciating trying to get through this SHORT book. I heart animals, but I don't think I would have ever read this book on my own--it was picked for a book club I attend. I kept plodding through, trying to understand why I disliked it so much--generally I really enjoy nonfiction. After some consultation with my "professional writer contact", I was informed that all books, and EVEN NONFICTION, need DIALOGUE. When an author just goes on and on telling the history of events, it gets BORING and REPETITIVE. And for some, makes them want to bang their head against metro poles.

The book rekindled my dislike for zoos, animal testing and the domestication of wild animals. In book club we had many a discussion about the catch-22 of animal testing--who else would we test drugs on to make sure products are safe for humans? HUMANS?!? I don't know, it's hard--are we talking about some Revelon Eyeliner or antibiotics? And what about zoos? Some people argue that without zoos children wouldn't get to see exotic animals, and therefore never develop a desire to protect or study them. I say F*%$ that. Those animals don't belong in cages. In what world does it make sense for a polar bear to be in Florida? Habitats for injured animals and those unable to be released into the wild--Yes, we should have those, but I could care less if snotty nosed little kids can't go to the zoo.

How about we put people in cages and see how they feel.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi (#14, Young Adult)

Where would I be without Avi's The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle? I might not be half the reader I am today had I not stumbled upon this tale of adventure told my the perspective of a strong female narrator. I wish I knew how old I was and how I found this book but I know I was already re-reading it in the sixth grade. Did my childhood best friend Carly recommend it to me? Perhaps, or maybe I saw it on the list for Accelerated Reader and took a chance on it. Whatever the reason, Charlotte Doyle remained a staple in my literary diet for several years after that initial reading.

I checked it out of the library on a whim last time I was there, eager to plunge into a world of rough seas and callous sailors set to corrupt the young Miss Doyle. It was the same satisfying read but I came away wishing there was some sort of romantic element to the plot. I remembered there being one for some odd reason--I must have confused it with the Ann Rinaldi books I read though for there was not one bit. I must have read this before my romantic phase.

All young girls should read this book. It's about independence, speaking your mind and staying true to what you know is right even if it goes against authority.

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (#13, Self Improvement)

I was initially put off by the layout of this book. I took one look at how there are strange little blurbs here and there throughout and decided that I didn't want to have to work that hard to get through each chapter. But then I realized that this is not your traditional self-help book--it doesn't have to follow the rules. Byrne can make it as scatterbrained as the readers who are likely to believe what can be found on the inside of The Secret.

That said, I guess I will admit to being one of those scatterbrained individuals. I was really skeptical at first but when I caught the episode of Oprah where they talk about this book I changed my mind--a little. There were concrete examples of people who used the secret to their advantage. The law of attraction is a powerful thing and I do believe there is something to it. I have even seen the results in my own life. I really do believe we attract the things we truly want. I mean how many times have you been thinking about someone and then you run into them at the grocery store? Or they call you one day out of the blue? I am pretty good at attracting people to me when I want them by simply thinking about them. It's eerie when you think of someone and then all of a sudden they are everywhere you go. Is this the secret at work? Is this the universe hearing you ask for something and then arranging it so that you can have it? It is an interesting concept and definitely one that I will be exploring in the future.

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (#15, Just for Fun)

Oh my little friend Steph. Let's just discuss some of the books you have suggested to me over the years.

1) Prep by who the heck cares. I remember sitting on the beach, talking about boys, basking in the sun, and wanting to kill you for not only LETTING me read this book, but actually SUGGESTING it!!!

2) Dogs of Babel . Ditto on the beach, but I believe this was a different summer, yet, you did it again--bad bad bad. She committed suicide! Not fun, not happy, not a beach read. And the whole stealing dogs and cutting them up? I pass.

Really, those are the only two that make me cringe at the thought of the time I lost and can never get back. To your credit, the list of books you have recommended that I did not despise, and even liked is MUCH longer. So now, the question is, where does Diana Gabaldon fall on the continuum?

A week ago I would have listed this as #3. Her writing is mediocre at best, I do enjoy historical fiction, and her characters I like, but they say the silliest and well--MOST SOFT PORN THINGS EVER!!!! Seriously Steph--You needed a boyfriend, BAD!!!!!

But, I am SUCH a sucker for "action" and "suspense" and REALLY??!!!?, the last paragraph of the book just HAD TO GO AND THROW A HOOK.

I hate you Steph.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (#12, Contemporary Literature)

Jonathan Safran Foer might just be my new favorite author. Sadly he has only written two books, Everything Is Illuminated, which I read last year, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which I just finished. Mr. Foer, please write more books. And soon. 

There was so much I liked about this book. Completely unconventional, it is a hodgepodge of different literary techniques set against the dramatic backdrop of the fallout of 9/11. Oskar Schell, our nine year old narrator, spends the book dealing with the death of his father. Foer nailed the childhood voice so well I found myself both laughing and crying at how Oskar describes his world. He refers to the day his father died as "the worst day" and when he gets extremely sad, he says "my boots were really heavy." In addition to Oskar's story, we get strange narratives from both his grandfather and grandmother, and random pictures of doorknobs, houses, the back of people's heads, a person falling from the sky. 

I love the utter strangeness of his writing. I love how his characters are sometimes so matter of fact in their weirdness. The grandfather doesn't speak and has yes and no tattooed on the palms of his hands so he can easily answer yes and no questions. The ending is surprisingly sad and you don't see it coming even though you do because how else can it end when the premise is a little boy learning to deal with his father dying in the 9/11 attacks? 

The Inhabited World by David Long (#11, Contemporary Lit)

David Long's The Inhabited World hooked me with its promise of a ghostly main character. Sadly, it did not deliver--not even in the Lovely Bones sort of way either. Granted, I didn't really think the Lovely Bones was that great, but it was gripping. I blazed through Sebold's novel, fascinated by the gritty details of the tragedy and then the raw descriptions of the aftermath. 

The Inhabited World offered nothing exciting. It started off okay and then just deteriorated. I found myself skimming whole pages and telling myself not to give up. I forced myself to finish this one. Now I sit here typing this, totally unsatisfied with my last read and I remember now that isn't this supposed to be the year of good books? What do you do when you start a really bad one? Should you jump book like you would jump a sinking ship? I was more than halfway through when I realized the book I held in my hands was a dud and I guess I just wanted to add the eleventh notch to my 2008 reading belt. 

So do I make a promise to myself to not finish books that suck? Do I allow myself to quit and not feel reader's remorse? Perhaps the reader's remorse is worse when you finish a book that sucks and know you wasted precious time reading a bad one when you could be enjoying yourself with something that is actually quality. Here's to no more crappy books.