Challenge: 50 Books discussion

This is something for me to remember this year as I read:

In the case of good books, the point is not how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you. -Mortimer J. Adler, philosopher, educator, and author (28 Dec 1902-2001)

While I do like to read, and hope to read 50 books this year, I must remember that the books I read should be meaningful to me .

Ooh, I like that quote!

As many times as I rah-rah for everyone else about it not being important how many books you read, but it's so important and fulfilling when you read something you enjoy, I'm still guilty of judging myself if I don't read "enough" books in a year. I'm getting better at just enjoying the ride, but still...

Do you practice the Rule of 50? If you're under 50 years old, read 50 pages before you decide to give up on a book; if you're over 50, subtract your age from 100 and that's how many pages to read before chucking it. Life's too short -- and there are too many books -- to waste your time slogging through books you don't enjoy or find meaningful!

And Happy New Year! :)

Tiffany wrote: "And Happy New Year! :)"

Happy New Year to you, too. I hadn't heard that Rule of 50. It used to be really difficult for me to give up on a book, but I'm much quicker now to say "this isn't for me" and let it go. I did return Cloud Cuckoo Land in December because it wasn't grabbing me, but I also had two more books from the library and didn't want to lose them. I'll go back to Cloud Cuckoo Land some other time.

1. Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver An excellent start to the year!

January went well, although I doubt that I'll continue reading at this pace.

Animal Dreams is an older book by Barbara Kingsolver (2009) and while I enjoyed it, it wasn't anywhere near as brilliant as her more recent efforts.

2. Northern Lights by Nora Roberts 3 stars. I read this for a Book Girls' Guide challenge. I thought Nora Roberts was a romance writer, and maybe she is but his book has a Chicago cop recently relocated to as small town in Alaska after suffering a trauma on the job. At the beginning of the book, I heard echoes of Northern Exposure, but it's not the same story.

3. In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende 4 stars

4. Rizzio by one of my favorite authors, Denise Mina 5 stars Denise Mina usually writes mysteries. This is a complete departure and I loved every minute of it. I absolutely loved this historical fiction about (view spoiler)[the murder of (hide spoiler)] David Rizzio, advisor, confidant, and friend of Mary, Queen of Scots. I was familiar with the history because I'm a bit of a Tudor/Stuart nerd and have read many books about them and several that were particularly about the relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. But reading this book by Denise Mina brought home what Mary, only 24 and six months pregnant, would have felt as this episode played out. Fear for herself and her unborn child; shock at what her subjects have dared to do in her presence; anger and humiliation at her faithless and traitorous husband, Darnley; gratitude to Jean, Countess of Argyle, who helped her through everything.

5. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, another of my favorite writers. I've been reading Whitehead since his very first book and I'm glad others have finally caught on to his brilliance. Harlem Shuffle is set in the early 60s and I can almost taste the grit and feel the heat of the city before air conditioning was ubiquitous. The language, the locations, the people: everything is practically tangible. Ray Carney sells furniture; he has worked hard, been careful and measured in building his business, but also has a little side in fencing small, not too valuable items. His cousin, Freddie; more of a brother than cousin who Ray has been close to his entire life, isn't so careful and his illegal exploits are not so small. Of course, Freddie pulls Ray into a job that's way out of his scope. Freddie never means to get Ray into trouble -- but it seems to happen frequently.

6. The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia 4.5 stars

7. Violeta by Isabel Allende 5 stars *****

8. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson My daughter has been encouraging me to read this for ages and I finally did. She was right to recommend it, although "horror" isn't my usual genre of choice (not that I eschew it, but I don't look for it first.) I enjoyed this twisted little tale. 5 stars *****

9. Just Like You by Nick Hornby 4 stars ****

10. Windswept & Interesting: My Autobiography by Billy Connolly Listened to this on Audible. What a joy to hear Billy Connolly tell the story of his life. I've been a fan since he replaced Howard Hessmann (recently passed away) in the comedy series Head of the Class. I must find some of the movies he talked about that I haven't seen yet. He's a gem. 5 stars *****

11. The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton This was a very quick read while on the way to visit friends in North Carolina. Enjoyed that the protagonist was a dog trainer (cadaver dogs) but grew tired of him saying "I'm a dog trainer" and pushing some special psychic ability of his star Golden Lab. 3 stars ***

12. French Braid by Anne Tyler I love Anne Tyler's books and this one was no exception. She continues with her story-line of women leaving their families, and this one is unique. She tells the story of the Garrett family through a series of vignettes taking place over the years. Wonderful 5 stars *****


I must write about the fact that I wasted several weeks trying to finish Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia It had such promise, but the story never quite got going. Every time something interesting happened, that action fizzed out. I finally gave up (view spoiler)[ when the decrepit old man in the book starts to French kiss the young woman trying to rescue her cousin from High Place, where her cousin has been secreted. e-yuck. (hide spoiler)] I'm sorry I wasted so much time on a book that ultimately never engaged me. (A good friend of mine read the book before I did and I asked her, so what was the deal? Why was all this happening? She couldn't remember. 'nuff said)

Naomi V wrote: "... I must write about the fact that I wasted several weeks trying to finish Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia It had such promise, but the story never quite got going. Every time something interesting happened, that action fizzed out. I finally gave up [...] I'm sorry I wasted so much time on a book that ultimately never engaged me. (A good friend of mine read the book before I did and I asked her, so what was the deal? Why was all this happening? She couldn't remember. 'nuff said)"

hehe. Definitely a bad sign when someone who recommended it can't remember big details and motivations.

Actually, she didn't recommend it; we just happen to read some of the same books. Again, I'm sorry I spent so much time on it.
I hope you're doing well!

Tiffany wrote: "Naomi V wrote: "... I must write about the fact that I wasted several weeks trying to finish Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia It had such promise, but the story never quite got going. Every t..."

13. The Outsider by Stephen King **** Another fun book by Stephen King. As usual, this shorter book is more satisfying than his longer tomes.

14. Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon *** I guess I'm over it.

15. Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen ***

16. Unprotected: A Memoir by Billy Porter ***** I listened to this on Audible, and absolutely loved every second of it. Billy Porter is a treasure and to hear him tell his own story made this even more fabulous.

17. The Devil's Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea ***** Exceptional recounting of the death of migrants who died in the desert attempting to find new lives in the US. Urrea used a great number of sources to craft this amazing narrative. The detailed account of the stages of death by dehydration/heat stroke, etc. was devastating. What a horrible way to die. This story will stay with me for a long time.

18. The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld I hope that the reason I had trouble following the characters in this book was because I was over-tired and stressed from moving.

19. Overboard by Sara Paretsky I listened to this on Audible. As usual, I enjoyed Sara Paretsky's story, but, oh, my, the narrator was just horrible. I found another Paretsky book recorded by Jean Smart. I'll listen to that, but I won't listen to any more by the narrator of this book.

20. The Angel of Rome: And Other Stories by Jess Walter I don't know how this collection of stories got by me. I usually read Jess Walter's work as soon as it's released.

21. Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman Neil Gaiman never fails. I loved each and every one of these stories. Click Clack the Rattlebag, however, really sticks in my head. And it's a shame that the Dr Who story didn't result in an actual episode; it would have been a lot of fun.

22. State of Terror by Louise Penny

23. Everything My Mother Taught Me by Alice Hoffman A short fiction by Alice Hoffman. I think this was an Audible single.

24. Black Thunder by Aimée Thurlo and David Thurlo. This was the 16th book of a series, starring Ella Clah, a detective with the Navajo police. The story was well-crafted and although this was quite far along in the series, I didn't feel that I had missed something. There were hints to past events, but nothing that made me feel I couldn't follow the story. I would look for more books in this series.

25. Digging to America by Anne Tyler
Here's how I choose what to read nowadays: We moved recently and as I was packing, I'd find books and say to myself, "Oh! I forgot I had that. I want to read that." So I filled two shelves in my bookcase with "to read next" books.

This was a larger hard-cover book so I picked this up to make room on my shelf for even *more* books. I'm glad I did. There were several paragraphs that simply broke my heart they were so insightful and so beautifully phrased.

26. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman I don't watch Marvel movies (okay, well, I saw Dr. Strange...Benedict Cumberbatch, d'y'know.) But I do read (or listen to) Neil Gaiman, and learning about the Norse myths from him seemed natural. How amazing these stories are! They bear reading, and listening to, again and again. One thing that piques my interest about the movies is Ragnarock. (view spoiler)[Ragnarock is when all the gods die. Is "Thor Ragnarock" the last of the movies? (hide spoiler)] I doubt it's enough interest for me to see the movies, but maybe someone will explain it to me one day. In the meantime, I'll read more Neil Gaiman.

Naomi V wrote: "Here's how I choose what to read nowadays: We moved recently and as I was packing, I'd find books and say to myself, "Oh! I forgot I had that. I want to read that." So I filled two shelves in my bookcase with "to read next" books."

:D "Look! I found a book! Look! Another one!" :)

Tiffany wrote: "Naomi V wrote: "Here's how I choose what to read nowadays: We moved recently and as I was packing, I'd find books and say to myself, "Oh! I forgot I had that. I want to read that." So I filled two ..."

Exactly! Surprises!

27. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid A fun book to listen to while I was packing and moving things from the old house to the new one. Nice twist at the end.

28. Billy Summers by Stephen King Billy, a paid assasin, knows that "last jobs" go wrong. He is a careful planner, though, and has never even been close to being caught. He has a code of killing only "bad people" and thinks that his job is therefore moral. He is assigned a target and has to wait several months for the man to show up in the small town where he (Billy) is established as a 'regular guy,' until he can fulfil his contract. In the months that he has to wait, he gets an idea of what a typical life might be like: he has a house, he has a lawn to maintain, he has neighbors who befriend him and their children who begin to love him. He realizes that their idea of him will soon be quite different and begins to regret that he will be disappointing and even frightening them.

The job goes off without a hitch and he makes his good on his escape, but that is when the real complications begin. Event after event conspire to prevent him from ever gaining the 'regular' life he is now hoping for, and he puts someone who he cares for at risk, too.

I listened to this on Audible and really enjoyed Paul Sparks' narration. He did a great job with the many character voices. I'll definitely be looking for more books read by him.

29. The Water Museum by Luis Alberto Urrea
***** A collection of short stories that run the gamut from science fiction to comedy. The title story could be about our possible soon-to-be world; where drought exists almost everywhere and the "water states" have border patrols to prevent the drought dwellers from invading their land. The drought has lasted so long that the youngsters taken to the Water Museum are frightened of the images and sound of a rainstorm: They've never experienced one themselves.

Another favorite of mine was "The Sous Chefs of Iogua" with its snappy ending.

"The grass looked like Marilyn Monroe's hair. Horses swept through it like combs." from Bid Farewell to Her Many Horses.

30. Hard Time by Sara Paretsky
A bit of a disappointment from the usually reliable Sara Paretsky. Hard Time has V I reluctantly dragged into a case when she comes across a young woman lying in the middle of the road and almost hits her. She finds herself attempting to prevent being charged with the unfortunate woman's death. This, in spite of the fact that one of her passengers that night was a retired cop who knows the truth and has given a statement.

As is usual with V I, she is not going to accept being threatened, beaten, jailed, beaten, shot with a stun gun, beaten...and, of course, eventually resolves everything to her satisfaction.

My disappointment stems from the book being too long, with too many attempts to shut her down. Piled on one after another, it became somewhat tedious. And the resolution itself, the end, was also too long.

I *love* Jean Smart. I delight in her recent hits and awards. But I listened to this on Audible, and her voice is not suited to embody V I Warshawski, a woman who grew up on the south side of Chicago. I am glad that she didn't go for the SNL "da bears" kind of accent, but her southern lilt does not suit V I. She did do a good job with other voices.

All in all, I wish I'd spent my time reading another Sara Paretsky V I book.

31. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
This book brings to life the challenges of growing up poor in a small, dying mining town. Add hopelessness to greedy and corrupt doctors with a greedy and corrupt pharmaceutical industry and you have all the ingredients for a town lost to oxy addiction.

Demon (real name, Damon) is born on the trailer floor of his drug-addicted mom. That's a grim start to a life and Demon has few resources to overcome it, especially after his mom dies and he ends up in the foster "care" system. He's basically sold into slavery to a farmer who uses his foster children to work his farm; never mind about school during peak seasons. Then he's placed with a family that moves him into the dog's room on the back porch. He spends most of his life hungry; hungry for actual food and hungry for love and a home. He finally ends up in a better situation, but doesn't know how to recover when he suffers a football injury; football being the one thing that seems to change his life for the better. Add to this personal situation and this town the introduction of oxy and you have a set-up ready-made for an oxy addition plague.

I was fully immersed in this book while reading it, but was a little disappointed once I finished. I still appreciate how Kingsolver condense a big issue into a personal story as she has in Prodigal Summer and Flight Behavior. She makes it possible to understand and empathize with the situation of the people in her books, whereas you may not understand the effects of the 'bigger story' otherwise. However, I felt that the book would have benefited from being a bit shorter; for instance, in my opinion, the story of Dori could have been told in less time. Still, a worthwhile read.

(Note: It seems *everybody* in this book has a nickname.)
(Also note: I didn't pick up on this being a re-telling of David Copperfield, never having read the Dickens novel.)

32. The Mammy by Brendan O'Carroll
I had to go to the hospital for some tests, so I brought this along as I figured it was light reading. This isn't a novel so much as a series of vignettes. The humor was diverting and I actually laughed out loud at some points, but I don't think I'll look for anything else by Brandan O'Carroll.

33. Fairy Tale by Stephen King

When his mom was killed in a car accident and his father took to drink, Charlie's life was in a precarious position and he promised to do 'good' if his father would stop drinking. When his father finally went into recovery, Charlie's gratitude was untold. One afternoon, he heard a dog barking and then a weak voice asking for help. He rescued the elderly man who fell off a ladder (although he kept denying it; giving all credit to the dog, Radar) and then continued to assist the man as he rehabilitates in his dilapidated house. Eventually, the crochety Mr. Bowditch softens and eventually confides in Charlie the mystery behind the locked shed in the backyard. That's when this tale turns into a fairy tale.

I found this story compelling and enjoyed all the references to fairy tales that I grew up with (and wouldn't read to my daughter because they were too scary!) My interest was piqued again to bring out the old book of fairy tales I had as a kid. This was not the Golden Book or Disney-fied version of fairy tales that most of us are familiar with, but the originals that are, quite frankly, horror stories.

Favorite quote: “You get used to the amazing, that’s all. Mermaids and IMAX, giants and cell phones. If it’s in your world, you go with it. It’s wonderful, right? Only look at it another way, and it’s sort of awful. Think Gogmagog is scary? Our world is sitting on a potentially world-ending supply of nuclear weapons, and if that’s not black magic, I don’t know what is.”

34. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

This book was all over the place. Any book, "even" a book for YA readers should be better structured. It was a disappointment.

35. The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman
This was a very short book (story) from Audible. Alice Hoffman writes lovely, insightful books and I think short forms are just not her thing. Another disappointment right after the Daughter book above.

36. A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin
Another good Rebus read. This episode of looking into the misdeeds of other cops had me on tenterhooks, wondering if Rebus would be caught up in it all. Either way, I have to wonder what the future holds for this series, with Rebus retired and in poor health.

You Don't Look Your Age...and Other Fairy Tales by Sheila Nevins
Sheila Nevins is an accomplished documentary filmmaker and this collection of short stories appears to be her only literary publication. She should write more! Many of the stories pertain to being a "woman of a certain age" in this world and they're all funny and poignant.

One story that stays with me is a letter written to a great-aunt who the writer has recently discovered died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911. The writer has just learned this history of the great-aunt who she never knew and she writes of her great-aunt's life as it was and as it might have been. Truly stunning work.

The thing about audiobooks is that you can't highlight the passages you want to remember. There were many in this book. Also, it's read by an astonishing number of notable people: Gloria Steinem, RuPaul, Meryl Streep, Whoopi, Kathy Bates, Christine Baranski...the list goes on. Highly enjoyable.

37. Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man by Emily J. Edwards

Listened to this on Audible and that was definitely the right decision. The reader did an incredible job with the voices, especially feisty, tart Viviana. I felt like I was listening to a 40s Noir movie and the story was interesting, too. Loved it. (Unfortunately, the follow up isn't available on Audible -- yet, I hope.)

38. Book of Extraordinary Tragedies by Joe Meno
The family in this book do encounter many tragedies. Currently and in their family's past. Aleks, who was a musical talent, has lost some of his hearing and his mother is extremely ill. His sister has been/is involved with a series of losers and his niece, his sister's daughter, is worldly beyond her years. His younger brother is obsessed with major world tragedies of the past. Aleks is stuck in a series of low-level, low-paying jobs and his sick sister has no insurance. You put all this together and you might think that this book would be depressing. It's not. Yes, this family faces challenges (many, many challenges) but Aleks rides his bike around from school to work to picking up his niece and he *sees* music, loves the sad neighborhood he lives in, has compassion for others. He's composing as he rides. I loved the lyricism I found in this book and I'm glad I read it and glad to encourage others to read it, too.

39. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
This book is a cautionary tale about a government codifying racism and going so far as to taking children from parents that it deems dangerous (i.e. those that disagree with the government.) It's told through the eyes of Bird, whose Chinese-American mother has left him and his father. One of the lines of one of her poems has been used by protesters of the government regime that is banning books and worse to preserve "patriotism." As I read this book, I saw how easily something like this could happen in the current political climate. It was chilling but the love of the son and his mother was heartwarming.

40. A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley
I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual tale of a woman and her friend, who happen to be prostitutes, in Monterey during the Gold Rush. They read and discuss Edgar Allen Poe's writing and are encouraged by what they've learned to look into the disappearances of young women like them which the local officials ignore. I enjoyed their relationship, the setting, and their conversations.

41. Desert Star by Michael Connelly
I must have missed a Renee Ballard book, because she is a detective now and has a different dog. I don't know how that happened. Anyway, Harry and Renee reliably investigate a number of crimes and there's a little cameo by Mickey Haller, too.

(view spoiler)[Reading Ian Rankin's latest Rebus and now Desert Star, I have to wonder if both of these characters are going to be killed off soon! I've been reading them both since the beginning and they're so familiar to me. I'd miss either of them if their series were ended. (hide spoiler)]

I'm going to have to go back and look at my list of books again. I have 40 here but my list for 2022 shows 45 books.

Naomi V wrote: "I'm going to have to go back and look at my list of books again. I have 40 here but my list for 2022 shows 45 books."

A good year, either way!

Turns out part of the problem is that I mis-numbered way back on number 4. Still, I'm showing 41 books here and there should be 45. Oh, well.

Tiffany wrote: "Naomi V wrote: "I'm going to have to go back and look at my list of books again. I have 40 here but my list for 2022 shows 45 books."

A good year, either way!"

Yes, that's true. I have a thing about recording stuff. I keep lists of the books I buy, the books I read, etc. so it's a bit disconcerting when the numbers don't add up. Still, I'm not unhappy about the amount I've read this year.

I hope you are having/had a good year, too! I think you surpassed your goal, right?

Naomi V wrote: "... Yes, that's true. I have a thing about recording stuff. I keep lists of the books I buy, the books I read, etc. so it's a bit disconcerting when the numbers don't add up. Still, I'm not unhappy about the amount I've read this year."

That's me, too :D And since I don't always record books the same way in my 50 Books group list vs. my count on Goodreads vs. my personal list, when they don't match up, I have to figure out why, or it drives me crazy :)

I hope you are having/had a good year, too! I think you surpassed your goal, right?

Yup, in part because I set my goal so low for the year (hehehe). But I've read some good books, let some books go to new homes, and made a TON of progress on getting my physical shelf of to-read books under control!

Tiffany wrote: "Naomi V wrote: "... Yes, that's true. I have a thing about recording stuff. I keep lists of the books I buy, the books I read, etc. so it's a bit disconcerting when the numbers don't add up. Still,..."

That sound like an incredibly good year to me. Happy New Year!

Number "whatever" The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays by C.J. Hauser

I truly enjoyed this book/collection of memoirs. C J Hauser spends quite a bit of time trying to understand "who she is." It made me think of the movie "Runaway Bride" where Julia Roberts takes on the interests (and even the food preferences) of the men she's involved with; eventually realizing that she is not happy being someone else and leaves the men at the altar. (Altar/alter. I never realized that the homonyms describe that the altar alters us.) Anyway, C J Hauser bends herself into shapes that she thinks will be pleasing to the men she's with, but she can't maintain those transformations. The book is full of insights into her past and hopes for the future.

2022. All in all, a pretty good year. I managed to read 45 or 46 or whatever number of books, even though I had a really eventful year. I moved and got a puppy and those two things have really taken up much of my time! I'm still studying Spanish and knitting (again -- I took a long break with the move.) The books I read this year were overwhelmingly good books. There were a couple clinkers, but there were so many absolutely brilliant reads I have no complaint.

On to 2023. My goal is the same, but I won't be beating myself up if I don't make it. The real goal is to read engaging books that make me think a bit.