Challenge: 50 Books discussion

Starting off 2015 & trying to go for my 3rd straight year of 50+ (just missed the mark in 2012, made it in 2013 & 2014). Setting some other goals this year, too:

1. Read at least 15 novels out of A Lifetime of Fiction: The 500 Most Recommended Reads for Ages 2 to 102. (6/15 completed)

2. Finish the 3 "Game of Thrones" books that I have not read yet. (1/3)

3. Finish the Stephen White "Alan Gregory" series - (3 books remain)

4. Read "Anna Karenina" finally - for my 50th book, the third year in a row with a Russian classic for #50.

And the first book is done.

1. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. What an unbelievable novel to start the year, albeit a bit of a heavy/serious one. The family dynamics combining dysfunction with the health issues were a downer at times, but Franzen kept it light with some of the disaster scenarios and overall I really enjoyed the book. A good start to 2015.

2. The Burning Room by Michael Connelly.

I always really enjoy Connelly's work. Being from southern California there area always familiar places, and Harry Bosch is an interesting character. Unlike some of the other 'thriller' series I always read, the Bosch stories feel a little more realistic to me - he generally doesn't get TOO far fetched with the crazy stories, etc. Probably my favorite of all the detective series I have read.

3. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Pretty readable and thought-provoking book, albeit full of dated information since it was written so long ago. I did enjoy it. Really makes you consider what has been sprayed on your food or land if it wasn't something you thought about before. I can see why it was such an important book in starting some of the 'environmental' movement early on. Much less political than such a subject often tends to be these days. Worth the read.

4. Rabbit, Run by John Updike. Pretty great, but troubling, book. A 'simple' but at the same time complicated story about the cheating husband, the alcoholic wife, the (prostitute) mistress, and how the husband 'running' away impacted them all. A nice departure from the thrillers I tend to read; looking forward to reading the other 'Rabbit' books that Updike wrote.

5. Parenting and Teaching the Gifted by Rosemary Callard-Szulgit. Short but very informative book that included a lot of helpful information - very useful.

6. Hope to Die by James Patterson. Another Alex Cross story bites the dust. Just kind of an average James Patterson book. I'll admit I was intrigued by the bad guy in this one, a creepy psychopath as usual. But... like a lot of series, you start to wonder how many tragic things can one guy really get in the middle of. Old Alex Cross has had his catastrophes over the years, that's for sure. I am starting to like Michael Bennett series by Patterson a bit better now, it is a little fresher.

7. Rabbit Redux by John Updike. Another one down in the Harry Angstrom series by Updike. Man, these are strange characters and bizarre happenings, but somehow fascinating and they keep me interested. So different from my usual thrillers and mysteries. Sort of troubling, but fascinating at the same time. Thinking about diving right into the next one.

8. Flesh and Blood by Patricia Cornwell. Always enjoy a good Kay Scarpetta thriller, and this one with a "cliffhanger" ending, no less. I wish the next one would come out a little sooner! Pretty good. Cornwell's characters are like old friends at this point.

9. The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross. Really enjoyed this book about (mostly Classical) music in the 20th century. Kept a list of so many pieces that I am unfamiliar with that I am working on listening to. As a lover of both classical and jazz, really interesting to learn more about composers, compositions, what they represented at the time, etc. If you enjoy classical music I highly recommend this book - although it took me forever to get through (reading Game of Thrones #3 at the same time didn't help, either).

10. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin. These books are so good. They take me forever to get through, but they are just so good. Thinking of diving right into the next one right away. Even though Martin seems to kill off all the characters that I like, there are so many characters weaved throughout these stories that you can always find another one to like. Just so good.

11. Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle. Really a great book about the incredible work that Father Greg Boyle does with people that much of society has written off as hopeless. An inspirational story of hope and compassion that we can all learn something from.

12. Motive by Jonathan Kellerman. ALways love a Kellerman book. I have been off the reading for a while but getting back on track. A lot of ground to make up if I'm going to get to 50 this year.

13. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo.

Wow, what a tragic but great book. Boo spent several years living in and reporting on life in a Mumbai slum. The stories of poverty & corruption are simply shocking to me as an American... just really hard to fathom. Excellent writing.

14. Shadow Hunter by Michael Reaves. Hadn't read a Star Wars novel in a while. Only about a million to go. This was an entertaining and fast read about a shady character.

15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. Well that was different. What can I say - I just didn't quite get this book. The disorganized style was a challenge for me. Definitely a lot of heartbreak in there, tragic stuff, but not in a format that I would want to revisit very often. A challenging read for me..

16. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. This is a really different (for me) and fantastic book, the entire thing being a letter from a fictional pastor to his 7 year old son. So much to ponder and discover here. This book really surprised me. Excellent.

17. Rogue Planet by Greg Bear. This was a really excellent Star wars novel. First I have read that picks up just after episode I and includes a young Annakin Skywalker. Very interesting and entertaining read. Some day I will have to look into other novels by Greg Bear.

18. The Double Helix by James D. Watson. Not my usual type of reading. The scientific info was a little over my head but Watson's engaging writing style made it pretty easy to see it through to the end. Really interesting story about the discovery of the structure of DNA, from one of the primary participants. Really good book.

19. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Wasn't sure what to make of this book when I started reading it. Between the length and complexity of characters (how many different characters, referred to by multiple names, oy!) and a long vacation, the book took me forever to get through. But I really did enjoy it. Mantel really makes the Cromwell character quite interesting with the combination of ruthless ambition and a kind heart sprinkled throughout the story. Looking forward to reading more of Mantel's work.

20. Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn. Really fantastic Star Wars novel with some interesting plotlines and characters that I will already miss in the next one I read. Big fan of the Timothy Zahn Star Wars novels.

I am so far behind on my 50 book schedule this year!

21. Star Wars: The Approaching Storm by Alan Dean Foster. Had a tough time getting through this Star Wars story, which is unusual for me. Just couldn't really ever get into it. Getting farther and farther behind on my quest for 50.

22. The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers. Really wonderfully written story about the Iraq war, albeit a very sad one from a soldier's perspective. I really enjoyed it (as much as you can enjoy such a sad story).

23. The Clone Wars by Karen Traviss. Thoroughly enjoyed this Star Wars book; familiar characters, seamless story. Looking forward to reading the rest of Karin Traviss's Clone Wars era stories - really good.

24. 14th Deadly Sin by James Patterson. Actually really enjoyed this Patterson "Women's Murder Club" story. A little more of the story about one of the other characters (Yuki) than the main character (Lindsay) who can be a little annoying at times. I hope the series continues as it ends on a bit of a cliff hanger. Will be looking forward to a new one next year..

25. NYPD Red 3 by James Patterson. Pretty good Patterson thriller again. A little "unbelievable" as his stories can be sometimes, but I like the NYPD Red team.

26. The Gluten Lie: And Other Myths About What You Eat by Alan Levinovitz. Came across this title from a recommendation from a blogger/writer that I really respect. Enjoyed the book, which calls on us to question a lot of the main stream 'media' reporting as to what we should and shouldn't eat. Interesting read.

27. Solitude Creek by Jeffery Deaver.

I really enjoyed this book. Came close to giving it 5 stars actually, but I think there was just one too many plot lines that made it just a tad over the top. Big fan of Deaver's work, and especially the K. Dance character.

28. White Teeth by Zadie Smith. It really took me a while to get into this book. Something about the storyline was a little confusing, I guess. But by the end I found myself wanting to know MORE about these characters. I guess that is the mark of a great book. Start you of suspicious but by the end you are converted to a fan. I really considered giving the book 5 stars.

29. Dry Ice by Stephen White. Had not read an "Alan Gregory" book in quite a while, but I really enjoyed this one, although at this point the series for me has reached the "awful lot of unbelievable things happening to these characters" category that nearly every series eventually reaches. Hoping to wrap up this series this year.

30. My Fight / Your Fight by Ronda Rousey. I really enjoyed this book. I got interested in watching MMA just around the time Rousey came to UFC and coached on The Ultimate Fighter. Her book feels very honest and definitely portrays how confident she is in being the best. Really good read if you're a UFC and/or Rousey fan.

31. Alert by James Patterson. Well, Michael Bennett had been my favorite James Patterson series. But with this one it just went "way too" over the top as Patterson stories can do from time to time. I try not to post spoilers in case other folks haven't read the books yet, but the stuff in this book just bordered on fantasy. I gave it 3 stars, because it was still a quick and somewhat enjoyable read, but yikes. Went from hoping for more Michael Bennett to hoping they take a bit of a break.

32. Dead Time by Stephen White. I really enjoyed this Alan Gregory novel. At first I was put off by the change in perspective (this one bounces back and forth between a flash back to an event that happened years before, Alan's perspective, and his ex-wife's perspective). I tend to hate when series change perspectives from book to book, must be the obsessive part of my nature. But in this case it really added to the story, which was a refreshing change. Looking forward to wrapping up the Gregory series, although I am not sure what series I would read next once it is done.

33. The Siege by Stephen White. Well, I was looking forward to getting on with the Stephen White / Alan Gregory series and then this one just was all over the place. Really had nothing to do with Alan Gregory and had a pretty outlandish plot featuring Alan's friend Sam Purdy. Weird, but still entertaining. Hope the next one is back to the series norm.

34. The Last Lie by Stephen White. Really a page turner. Didn't see the direction that it was going until pretty close to the end. I find all the series get a little repetitious after a while, but I will miss the Alan Gregory series when I finish it. 2 books to go, I think.

35. Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell.

Well. A Scarpetta cliffhanger last year followed by another "unfinished" business story this year. I enjoyed it, as I always do, but at times I feel like the cliffhangers get a little tedious when the books are a year apart. I guess it speaks to my "binge reading / binge watching" attention span, I have to go back in a year and look at my notes to refresh my memory.

On to the next one. My 50 goal is slipping away for this year, but I have not given up yet...

36. The Crossing by Michael Connelly. I really enjoyed this book. Harry Bosch is a great character, one of my most favorites. Love the interplay between him and "Lincoln Lawyer" Mickey Haller in this story - as well as Bosch's unease at moving on to a new chapter outside the LAPD. Wish there was more Connelly to read right now!

37. Line of Fire by Stephen White. Well then. One Alan Gregory left and I would definitely say the story arc has reached the "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" phase, but I am going to read the last one right now to see how it all ends. I believe it is the first series I have read (and I have read quite a few) that actually has a conclusion. Interested to see how it ends.

38. Cross Justice by James Patterson. Had a lot of fun with this Alex Cross novel. Still pretty crazy, at times unbelievable stuff, but some interesting twists that I wasn't even expecting. Still enjoy the Alex Cross series.

39. Compound Fractures by Stephen White. Finally finished the Alan Gregory series. First series I can remember reading that actually has a "conclusion" - although I didn't think that the conclusion really concluded that much. Overall it was an enjoyable series. Time to start looking for a new one.