Challenge: 50 Books discussion
Finish Line 2011
>
Jess J's 2011 50 book challenge
2.
Soulless by Gail CarrigerThis book was excellent! I really enjoyed the author's dry, humorous writing style. The characters were very unique and I'm looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
3.
Side Jobs: Stories From the Dresden Filesby Jim ButcherThe short stories in this book were good, but I probably would have enjoyed them more if I had read all the novels of the Dresden Files first. I have only read the first four, and most of these stories are set in between some of the much later novels, meaning that are new characters, relationships, enemies,etc...that kind of make it difficult to know exactly what is going on without that history. Also, if you have not read Changes, DO NOT READ the final novella in this book. It is a complete spoiler, and I am very bummed.
Oh, that's too bad. I'm sorry you got things spoiled for you. I hope you'll still read the rest of the series. It's great stuff.
Jessica wrote: "2. Soulless by Gail CarrigerThis book was excellent! I really enjoyed the author's dry, humorous writing style. The characters were..."
I love this steampunk series! Classic. Glad you are enjoying them as well!
Kate wrote: "Oh, that's too bad. I'm sorry you got things spoiled for you. I hope you'll still read the rest of the series. It's great stuff."This book made me remember how much I enjoyed the series and I am definitely going to finish them. I currently have a backlog of short loans from the library, but then am hoping to pick the series back up...I think I'm on Death Masks.
Heather wrote: "Jessica wrote: "2. Soulless by Gail CarrigerThis book was excellent! I really enjoyed the author's dry, humorous writing style. The c..."
I am so glad that the next two are already out so I don't have to wait! Hopefully I can get them done before the 4th book comes out this year.
4.
The Grimm Legacy by Polly ShulmanQuick YA read. Interesting story idea, but a little too cheesy for me.
5.
World Made by Hand by James Howard KunstlerRe-read in preparation for the sequel The Witch of Hebron.
6.
Sparks byLaura BickleThe second book in the series starring Anya Kalinczyk, a Detroit Fire Department investigator who is also a Lantern, meaning she can see and communicate with ghosts, as well as destroy them if necessary. I really like the idea of this series, but this book, like the first, ended with a big, overdescribed battle scene that just got too weird. The one redeeming part of this book was the introduction of the character Charon, a spirit that guides ghosts to their spot in the Afterlife. The author's description of his looks, actions and attitude reminded me of Spike from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer tv series, which made me happy.
7.
The Orange Eats Creeps by Grace KrilanovichUhh...I apparently did not get the memo on this book. First noticing it appear on NPR's Best Books of 2010 and then seeing rave reviews pop up on Goodreads and elsewhere made me super excited to read this novel. Plus, it was billed as being about hobo junkie "vampires" running around and causing havoc...how could it not be good, right? So disappointing. Yes, the writing was interesting, descriptive and oddly beautiful, but there was NO STORY. At least none that I could find in the weird ramblings. Had I not read the book jacket, I probably would have had absolutely no idea what was even going on. It was virtually impossible to tell the difference between current time and flashbacks, dreams and reality, and whether things were actually happening to her, someone else, or if it was just completely imagined. I understand that the story is told from the point of view of a drug addict, but apparently the reader must also be hopped up on cold medicine to have any chance of understanding what is going on. That, or my small brain just can't comprehend fiction that is so cool and cutting-edge.
I didn't read it myself, but a friend of mine had exactly the same impression of Orange Eats Creeps. She got about 50 pages in and gave up on it. So at least you're not the only one.
Kate wrote: "I didn't read it myself, but a friend of mine had exactly the same impression of Orange Eats Creeps. She got about 50 pages in and gave up on it. So at least you're not the only one."That makes me feel slightly better. I read the whole thing only because I kept thinking that the story would have to appear somewhere, but unfortunately it didn't. I should have quit after 50 pages too!
8.
Autumn byDavid MoodyI appreciated this quiet zombie story, for lack of a better descriptive term. There was definitely the grossness, violence, rage and wide gamut of other human emotions you'd expect to find in any end-of-the world, zombie apocalypse story, but it was more toned down and reserved than most, making the book a refreshingly different read.
12.
Fat Witch Brownies: Brownies, Blondies, and Bars from New York's Legendary Fat Witch Bakery by Patricia HeldingNormally I don't read or post about cookbooks but this one had some extremely delicious recipes in it!
14.
The Endlands by Vincent HobbesI received this collection of short stories as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. While most of the stories were quite good, I thought "Into the Small Hours" by Patrick Greene was the best of the lot. Well written and scary.
15.
The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From the Living Dead by Max BrooksSlightly humorous yet informative book on how to prepare for the zombie apocalypse, with many of the survival strategies applicable to any sort of world-ending event. Unfortunately my apathy and fiscal irresponsibility means I will most likely not be prepared when it finally occurs.
16.
Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales by Stephen KingAnother collection of short stories by the dark master himself. "The Man in the Black Suit" definitely scared me the most.
17.
Shiver by Maggie StiefvaterA little too YA lovey-dovey for me. Also, I'm not a fan of angsty song lyrics. Without melody or music, it's hard for me to appreciate them. Interesting premise, though, and I liked the story being told from switching perspectives.
18.
Linger by Maggie StiefvaterDespite not being crazy about the 1st book in the series, I was unexplicably sucked into reading the second one immediately.
19.
Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason by Nancy PearlThis book made me realize that I get plenty of recommendations from Goodreads and I should not actively seek out more! I liked the lists and topics of the book, but would have appreciated a more detailed description of each book to better gauge whether it was something that would interest me.
23.
The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie RyanBy far the best book of the trilogy. Dark, dark, dark despite being YA.
24.
Moon Over Soho by Ben AaronovitchIf you haven't read this book or the first one in the series, Midnight Riot, please do so. They rock!
27.
The President's Vampire by Christopher FarnsworthReally entertaining sequel to Blood Oath. I hope there are more in the works...these characters are quickly becoming favorites!
28.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wolves at the Gate by Joss WhedonScandalous twists in this graphic novel make me really miss the TV show :(
38.
Delirium by Lauren OliverOh, to be young again and crazy, dangerously, passionately in love. I must stop reading these YA books. The story of star crossed young lovers is nothing new, yet this story has a refreshingly different spin. Set in a dystopian society in Maine, love is viewed as a disease to be cured, with a list of signs/symptoms to be on the lookout for. Even other diseases (depression, heart disease, anxiety, insomnia) were viewed merely as symptoms that could be traced back to this terrible illness. Throughout the book, I found it humorous that the narrator describes being in love as someone would decribe having the flu. (The whole concept, though, curing people of this amor deliria nervosa once they reach the age of 18, is actually an interesting, albeit twisted, idea. Who wouldn't want to coast through life content and pain-free?) However, it is soon revealed that it isn't all that its cracked up to be....While this book centers on a romance, it also examines how relationships with family and friends can irreversibly change as a result of the procedure. Parts of this book were so beautifully written it made me ache reading it, yet somehow never seemed to be cheesy or cliched.
39.
Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea HandlerAll of Chelsea's friends preface their horrifying stories by saying what a generous, loyal, honest friend she is, but then go onto to describe in detail how she has humiliated them numerous times in insanely outrageous ways. Very funny, as long as you are not the target.
My bbf's daughter just passed this on to me. She loved it, what did you think?
Donna wrote: "My bbf's daughter just passed this on to me. She loved it, what did you think?"I thought it was pretty good. There was a whole time travel/time loop thing that I'm not usually a fan of, but I really liked the main character and how he told the story. The pictures that were included were really interesting, too!
Challenge: 50 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Crossed (other topics)Fed Up with Lunch: The School Lunch Project: How One Anonymous Teacher Revealed the Truth About School Lunches—And How We Can Change Them! (other topics)
The Scorpio Races (other topics)
The Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià's elBulli (other topics)
Zone One (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Ally Condie (other topics)Sarah Wu (other topics)
Maggie Stiefvater (other topics)
Lisa Abend (other topics)
Colson Whitehead (other topics)
More...
1.
This was her newest collection of short stories. My favorite selections were the ones that contained the email correspondence between her and her siblings about what to do with their dad and his questionable lifestyle choices and business dealings. I also liked the final chapter about some of the more ridiculous stories that she has concocted and people have believed.