karenmarie's 75 book challenge

I have loved recording my books read in 2008! I'm surprised at how many I've read, and thanks to LT, feel that I have read some wonderful books I would never have heard of.

January
1. Secrets of the Heart by Kasey Michaels
2. The Beleaguered Lord Bourne by Kasey Michaels
3. The Toplofty Lord Thorpe by Kasey Michaels
4. The Passion of an Angel by Kasey Michaels
5. Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts
6. Homeport by Nora Roberts
7. Perfume by Patrick Suskind
8. Final Scream by Lisa Jackson

February
9. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
10. 20000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
11. Candide, or Optimism by Voltaire
12. The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
13. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
14. Tumbling Through Time by Gwen Cready
15. Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson
16. Reading Judas The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity by Elaine Pagels

March
17. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
18. Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
19. Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar... by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein
20. The Last Twilight by Marjorie M. Liu
21. Sylvester Or The Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer
22. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
23. Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer
24. The Murder of My Aunt by Richard Hull
25. The Girl with a Secret by Charlotte Armstrong
26. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
27. Powder and Patch by Georgette Heyer
28. Penhallow by Georgette Heyer

April
29. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
30. The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin
31. Holy Disorders by Edmund Crispin
32. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
33. The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin
34. The Dechronization of Sam Magruder by George Gaylord Simpson
35. Beowulf (audio book of Seamus Heaney's translation)
36. Swan Song by Edmund Crispin
37. The Assault on Reason by Al Gore
38. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
39. Silhouette in Scarlet by Elizabeth Peters
40. The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Homes

May
41. Agatha Christie An Autobiography
42. Pirkei Avos with a Twist of Humor by Joe Bobker
43. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
44. The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
45. Shades of Glory by Lawrence D. Hogan
46. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
47. Love Lies Bleeding by Edmund Crispin
48. The Woods by Harlan Coben
49. Firefly Rain by Richard Dansky - LT author "deadguy"
50. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

June
51. Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton
52. Fire and Ice by Anne Stuart
53. Power Play by Joseph Finder
54. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
55. Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi
56. The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman by Nancy Marie Brown
57. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

July
58. The Aviary Gate by Katie Hickman
59. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
60. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
61. Stealing Athena by Karen Essex
62. Sojourn by Jana Oliver

August
63. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
64. Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet
65. The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
66. Never Romance a Rake by Liz Carlyle
67. The Eight by Katharine Neville
68. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

September
69. The Fire by Katherine Neville
70. Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin
71. Pretty Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton
72. The Grift by Debra Ginsberg
73. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
74. Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland
75 Midwife of the Blue Ridge by Christine Blevins **finished 9/24/08 ****
76. The Watercooler Effect by Nicholas Difonzo

October
77. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
78. The Quiet American by Graham Greene
79. The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte
80. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

November
81. Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
82. The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder
83. Independent People by Halldor Laxness
84. The Quiche of Death by M. C. Beaton
85. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
86. Buried for Pleasure by Edmund Crispin
87. The Long Divorce by Edmund Crispin

December
88. Death of an Outsider by M. C. Beaton
89. Death of a Prankster by M. C. Beaton
90. Frequent Hearses by Edmund Crispin
91. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
92. The Spare by Carolyn Jewel
93. Anna's Book by Barbara Vine
94. The American Journey of Barack Obama by The Editors of Life Magazine

Audio CDs - I have mixed feelings about including them. They don't count towards my 75.

1. 1776 by David McCullough
2. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
3. The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers
4. A Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer
5. Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney
6. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
7. Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers
8. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
9. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
10.A Right to Die by Rex Stout
11.A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton Walsh and Dorothy Sayers
12. The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
13. Murder in Three Acts by Agatha Christie
14. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
15. Strider's Folly, The Haunted Policeman, Tallboys by Dorothy Sayers
16. The Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
17. To America: An Historian's Perspective by Stephen E. Ambrose
18. I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America after 20 Years Away by Bill Bryson
19. An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks
20. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
21. City of Masks by Daniel Hecht
22. The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer
23. Face to Face by Ellery Queen
24. Death of a Celebrity by M. C. Beaton
25. A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss

******end of year ******

Welcome, Karen. How do you like Shakespeare by Bill Bryson? I'm a big Bryson fan. I bought this one on Boxing Day with a Xmas gift card, but haven't read it yet.

Thank you, Diana! I'm excited about the 888 and 75 book challenges. I've already read some fantastic books this year and it's only February.

I just finished Shakespeare about 30 minutes ago! I loved it. Bill Bryson is one of my favorite authors too and he brings Elizabethan and Jacobean England to life. He presents all the actual documents we have about or by Shakespeare, slim number that there is, discusses the plays and sonnets, theatres, life in England, Shakespeare's father, mother, and siblings (briefly because there isn't much known about them either), Queen Elizabeth, King James I, etc., and refutes all the Shakespeare-didn't-really-write-Shakespeare-Christopher-Marlowe-did candidates. Forcefully written, trivia laden. Bryson constantly amazes me with his mastery of any subject takes on. He cut through the reams and reams and volumes and supposition to get to the heart of the matter. I don't think he missed very much about Wm. Shakespeare.

It's a good, quick read.

I seem to be in a non-fiction mode, so will read Reading Judas The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity by Elaine Pagels next.

karenmarie, thanks for your info. on Bryson's book. It will probably be read in the very near future. I also have The Mother Tongue which I think I read a few years ago but am sure it would be a wonderful re-read!
I have read most of his travel books, loved them all, laughed myself silly.

Finished Reading Judas and The Virgin Suicides, both short reads although very different.

Next is Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. Need a pick me up after The Virgin Suicides.

Life on the Mississippi was a great read, although there were some slow parts. The ending kinda petered out too, to tell the truth. The early chapters were exciting and romantic. Twain makes the point with his words that life on the Mississippi isn't as exciting in 1882 as it was in the 1850s, and the flow of the book emphasizes it.

I'm halfway through Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar... by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. A very funny approach to philosophy and I find myself reading jokes out loud to my family.

Will start Snow Crash after Plato for April's bookclub read.

Secret's out - I read trashy romances. I've decided to add them because I do actually sit down and spend time reading them. They're a good break between my 888 challenge books. The last one was the last one I'll buy written by Marjorie M. Liu - at least that's my intention.

I've run into several authors lately who have a couple of great books then get formulaic or take the series in a direction that doesn't appeal to me. Liu is one of them.

#7: I read romances as well on occasion and see no reason why we should have to hang our heads in shame. I need something that ends happily ever after every now and then!

Hey alcottacre - They do end happily ever after, don't they? I should have read one after finishing The Virgin Suicides. It was depressing.

I think just for the heck of it that I'll classify all my romances just to see how many I have.

I started with Georgette Heyer and Barbara Cartland while a teenager and am just finishing up Sylvester or the Wicked Uncle by .... Georgette Heyer! Some books are worth re-reading.

#9 karenmarie: I have read a couple of Heyer's mysteries, but have not read any of her romances. I might check them out once I finish all the mysteries.

We're the opposites - I've read all her romances. I own most of her mysteries but just started reading Envious Casca last night - very Agatha Christie house-party-ish. I'm enjoying it.

I'm still slogging away on Snow Crash and Envious Casca. Busy week, not much time to read - my daughter's in the pit band for her school's performances of Grease so was busy with that. I don't usually have 2 books going for 5 days!

Finished Envious Casca. I had to look up the reference to Casca, and I sort of understand it but not completely. I don't want to make the time to really research it now - maybe during the week at work during a break!

I'm in a mystery mood and am starting The Murder of My Aunt by Richard Hull. It's an 888 book, so will be killing two birds with one stone.

Just finished listening to The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. I loved it and am anxious to start reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. First I have to finish Snow Crash and The Murder of My Aunt.

Vacation's coming up, so will have lots of time to read lots of lovely books.

Finished The Murder of My Aunt last night. Great book.

I'm going to start The Girl with a Secret today at lunch.

Still slogging through Snow Crash. I'd drop it except that I'm trying to read all books I start this year and dont' want to crash so soon.

Finished The Girl with a Secret by Charlotte Armstrong. I really enjoyed it. Her characters are always well defined. The heroine has a secret she promised to keep, regardless of the pressures on and dangers to her. Armstrong is a great writer.

Working on Snow Crash. It's gotten a bit interesting - about page 200 or so - so that's encouraging.

Going to the mountains for a week, so am getting my reading materials together. Exciting.

Couldn't resist starting The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.

And finishing it. Another lightweight for a stressful day - Powder and Patch by Georgette Heyer.

Insomnia rages. Finished Powder and Patch and have started Penhallow.

#19: I'd be interested in your thoughts on Penhallow. I finished it not long ago myself.

Hi alcotteacre: I'm just to the point that Clay's come home and Jimmy's told Penhallow that Bart wants to marry Loveday. I am enjoying it immensely so far. Won't have time to read it today (we're on vacation and going to Biltmore Estate in Asheville NC) and tomorrow's home - might get some reading done in the car. I'll definitely let you know what I think.

Hello alcottacre!

I posted a review of Penhallow, but didn't put any spoilers in it. Many spoilers here for anybody else reading! Be warned.

I loved AND hated the ending. I felt the terrible irony of Raymond's suicide closing the murder case. It saved his bastardy from being made public but also saved Faith. He was so convinced that Jimmy the Bastard had heard everything, but Jimmy hadn't - Raymond would have been safe. Martha respected Penhallow too much to override his willingness to do what Rachel had wished, and Delia/Phin would have rather died, I think, than have it made public. However, Raymond couldn't live with the knowledge regardless. I felt sad for him.

The only other sibling I really liked was Bart. He was an honest and feeling person in a family of very strange people - even including his twin Conrad. Aubrey, Clay, Ingram, Charmian...any others?... are all so wesk or selfish or detached.

It was a great psychological study. It started out Agatha Christie-ish and ended up more Dorothy Sayer-ish in detailing major and minor characters personalities, motivations, and thoughts.

I liked it much better than Envious Casca. I'm starting No Wind of Blame next.

What did you think?

I actually preferred Envious Casca over Penhallow simply because it was more of a straightforward British mystery, which is what I was anticipating. I thought Penhallow was dragged (or is it drug?) out too long. I was ready for someone to kill the old man long before they did! I totally agree about the ending of Penhallow. It seemed like Raymond was the only likeable character with the possible exception of Bart. I will probably re-read Penhallow at some point now that I know the style it was written in, without the preconceived notions I had on the first reading.

You're right in the straightforwardness of Envious Casca but I got very tired of Joe's overplaying the concerned brother and uncle. I thought Heyer bludgeoned the character - he wasn't quite subtle enough for me, I guess. I knew it was Joe but just didn't know how.

Well, I finished Snow Crash finally for bookclub. A week early! On to my next 888 book - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. Fun reading week ahead.

Hope you have fun with Kavalier and Clay! I liked it better than I did The Yiddish Policemen's Union with surprised me. I also read Chabon's Gentlemen of the Road, so you might check that one out as well.

I'm enjoying K & C. I'm just to the part where Kornblum and Josef smuggle the Golem out of Prague. It will be a fairly dense read, which is okay, so I'm also going to start The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin for a light read - British, humorous, literary, mystery. Four of my favorite types of reads.

#26: I like Brit mysteries, too. I will have to check out Mr. Crispin.

Well, I've finished The Case of the Gilded Fly. It was as good as I remembered Edmund Crispin being. I'll review it later in my reviews section. It's not as hilarious as some of the other books (a disembodied head roving around the countryside comes to mind) it's very satisfying. The language is quite wonderful, the mystery satisfying, and Fen wonderfully eccentric.

After I read some more of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay I'll start Holy Disorders.

I was disappointed to find out that my local library has exactly 1 of Crispin's books. I will give it a try, though, and see if I can find some more on my own if I like the library's book.

Which one do they have?

The Moving Toyshop - know anything about it?

I don't own it. The premise sounds interesting and I certainly would read it if I had it. I didn't even think about other books Crispin's written that aren't about Gervase Fen! More books to get! Let me know what you think if you read it.

Gads. You'll think me an idiot. The Moving Toyshop is Fen, I just didn't have it in my collection for some reason. I'm ordering it from Amazon today.

Does this count as 'contributing to the delinquency of a book lover?' I am probably in trouble with some book overseeing authority :)

Hey alcottacre - I got The Moving Toyshop. Hooray! Have all the Gervase Fen books.

Yes! You've contributed to the delinquency of a book lover. Thank you. I won $56.50 for the NCAA Men's Basketball pool at work (I had Kansas and they won the championship). My husband said to spend the money anyway I wanted (I was going to anyway), so books it is!!!

Regarding The Moving Toyshop, I was getting confused because Swan Song was mentioned as the fourth book but I'd only read the second Holy Disorders and the gap was The Moving Toyshop. It's now in the Crispin stack, waiting to be read.

I'm reading The Glass Castle right now - it's my bookclub choice for our April meeting and it's fantastic. I'm about halfway in. Also continuing with Kavalier & Clay. When I finish either one of those, I'll pick up Moving Toyshop.

I have read both The Glass Castle and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. I found them both to be very good, if not excellent. Let me know what you think.

I've posted my review of The Glass Castle. Definitely one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read.

I've started listening to Beowulf. I'm also going to read it for the 888 challenge. The exciting part is that I'm listening to one translation and will read another.

About 2/3way through Kavalier & Clay.

And I have plans on finishing The Assault on Reason by Al Gore this month too.

Hooray! The Assault on Reason has been finished. A very good book, full of thoughtful insights and interesting theories about TV, public discourse, democacy, etc.

Finished listening to Beowulf and have started reading the Francis B. Grummere translation in Harvard Classics.

Read Bridget Jones's Diary for a mental break. Fun, laughed out loud.

Might pick up Silhouette in Scarlet by Elizabeth Peters...

Read Silhouette in Scarlet and disliked it. Read Swan Song and liked it. Started and finished Agatha Christie an Autobiography.

Finally got Pirkei Avos with a Twist of Humor, my March ER book and have started it.

#39 Great minds think alike, I just finished Bridget Jones's Diary for exactly the reason you stated. It was fun.

I am almost finished with Pirkei Avos and will start Shades of Glory this evening.

Tough going on Shades of Glory. So many names, so many scores, so many teams, all having the word Giants in them! Right now I'm stuck in the 1890s-1900s and am hoping it gets more interesting soon. This is my April ER book so will finish it, but gads! it's not an easy or fun read right now.

So to reward myself for reading something I'm not particularly enjoying, I read The Woods by Harlan Coben. I like his Myron Bolitar series better.

This one zoomed around a lot but actually did resolve nicely at the end. Who did what when to whom kept changing. The protagonist and narrator, Paul Copeland, is a flawed human being, but ultimately likable.

Another reward for Shades of Glory - Firefly Rain by Richard Dansky, an LT author. Really, really enjoyed this book. It's a keeper.

Next is the new Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse book, From Dead to Worse.

So far June's been a read-for-stress month. I'm waiting for my July bookclub book to arrive.

I'm starting Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi, I think.

Yup, Zoe's Tale it is. Almost finished, too. Will start The Far Traveler: voyages of a Viking woman by Nancy Marie Brown next.

I finished Zoe's Tale and really enjoyed it. I don't like very much SF, but the author captured a teenage girl's voice quite well (having a teenage girl in the house to compare to). Now if I could only figure out why it got sent to me! I don't remember asking for it from any source.

The Far Traveler is slow going. The author jumps around and mixes contemporary translations of Viking sagas with archaeological dig details. Not exciting so far.

I just started Search for a Soul by Rosemarie Bishop. A vampire story.

Well, I have broken my pledge to myself to finish every book I've started this year. I may pick it up before the end of the year, but I don't think so - Search for a Soul. Drek.

I've finished The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman and although it seemed dry as dirt as I was reading it as soon as I stopped taking it as a biography of Gudrid and started reading it as archaeology, it seemed more interesting. I discounted most of what she wrote about Gudrid as wishful thinking on her part.

I'm also reading The Aviary Gate an ARC by Katie Hickman. Fairly predictable so far and the current-day protagonist Elizabeth is a bit irritating in her love for a louse named Marcus. We'll see.

'Drek" !!!!!! This is yet another reason I love LT. I get exposed to so many new and interesting words!

Hey Karen...you're going well ain't ya! :)

I simply must get 'Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict'....(I'm in a bit of an Austenish place at the moment heh).

I'm glad to contribute to your store of new words, blackdogbooks!

Severn - along the lines of Jane Austen, I've got The Jane Austen Book Club on my 888 list. Does that count?

And yes, I'm surprised at myself. This is a normal year of reading for me as far as volume and number of books, I think. I have never recorded how many I've read in a year, but this feels pretty average for me, so I must read quite a few! At this rate it will be well over 100.

TTFN!

I'm in a strange little slump right now. I'm reading but not devouring. I've started Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie. Light, easy, undemanding.

Well, I put that one down. I'm reading The Power Makers by Maury Klein which is a very interesting but dense read.

I'm zooming through Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.

Still going, are The Vanished Pomps of Yesterdayby Sir Frederic Hamilton and Beowulf but neither is moving quickly.

Still in the strange slump, but Twilight is at least getting me to spend time reading again. It's very good - my daughter read it at camp and I wanted to be able to talk with her about it.

Done with both Twilight and New Moon by Stephenie Meyer and am about halfway through Stealing Athena by Karen Essex. I seem to be out of my slump, although my nonfiction titles are giving me fits. But at least I'm reading fiction again.

Nonfiction is still iffy - but I read Sojourn by Jana Oliver and was pleasantly surprised.

Onward to Eclipse!

#53 karenmarie: I do not know if the advice helps or not, but cut yourself some slack as far as the nonfiction goes for a while. I know that when I am in a reading slump forcing myself to read something just for the sake of reading it is about the worst thing I can do. I make myself take a break from reading one day a week so that I avoid reading slumps for the most part, but I have gone through them - and hate them! To get myself out of a slump, I basically just walk through a bookstore or library and check out books that catch my eye. Not any particular author or genre, mind you, just things that look interesting.

Hope the slump is over soon for you!

Hey alcottacre - thanks for the advice. You're right, of course. I am stressing my 888 challenge AND got in a bit over my head on ARCs. I think I'm only going to allow myself to have one ARC at a time, unread or in-process, in the house. Otherwise I feel like I have to just read ARCs and then I get slump-ish.

I just started Eclipse. Breaking Dawn arrives tomorrow. I bought the books because my almost-15-year-old was interested and read the first two at camp, but since being home she's not in a reading mood. So I'll read them, then hopefully she'll read them before school starts and we can talk about them.

I can't imagine reading as much as you do. Your 2008 list amazes me. Keep up the good work!

I have absolutely adored the last two ARCs I've read - both historical fiction. Stealing Athena and The Heretic's Daughter.

I'm out of the slump.

Glad to hear that your slump is no more!

I'm re-reading The Eight by Katharine Neville in anticipation of reading my ER book The Fire.

I just finished The Fire I'll be interested in what you thought about it. Also how the second reading of The Eight held up for you.

hey beeg - I'm on page 456 of 598 of The Eight. For some reason lately I haven't been getting in a lot of reading. But that's okay. I'm really enjoying my re-read.

I finished The Fire last night and my first impression was how disappointing it was. I'll have to do some thinking about it and see where I end up.

uh huh, I know I do terrible reviews, but if you get a chance see if you agree with me :)

I'm not counting them towards my 75 book challenge, but I'm pretty amazed at how many audiobooks I've listened to so far this year - 22.

My NPR listening has suffered, but for some reason I'm not feeling too bad about it.

If I may ask karenmarie, why are you not counting audiobooks? As with other things on the challenge, counting them is subjective - I am including them and am just curious as to why you are not.

Hi alcottacre - I guess because it's passive reading and doesn't take any effort on my part. It's not holding a book and seeing the title page and ending of a chapter and chapter titles, etc. and opening it for the first time with excitement.

I've just never considered listening to a book reading it. This is the first year I've actually written down every book I've read and listened to and I've surprised myself at how may I've read and listened to. I have 888 challenge to thank for some fantastic books this year, as well as some ARCs I've gotten.

I've really enjoyed audio books this year so far, I still just don't consider counting them.

Another reason might be that I own every book I read. I may get rid of them, but when I read them I own them. I don't get library books. I do get audio books from the library though. Perhaps the book has to belong to me for me to consider read. Don't exactly know. I don't borrow books from people either. So I get books from Amazon, and the Library's book sale, and the Thrift Shop and BookMooch - and yesterday I got Independent People from B&N (retail - yech) for my bookclub.

Good question. Strange answer.

Sounds like a perfectly normal answer to me. With the exception of the Hank the Cow Dog books, I've never listened to any other audiobooks. Part of my dillema - where would I put them on the shelf? I, too, have this feeling that I MUST own the books I read. I have only a few books here on LT that don't belong to me, but were lent by friends or family. I am not compelled in the least to do the whole Book Mooch thing. Call me greedy and not able to share with others. I run with scissors, too.

Hey Fourpawz2 - I only own LOTR and all the Harry Potters on CD. I don't like LOTR, but bought it thinking that even if I hated reading it I might listening to it .... nope. Here it sits. I'll probably let my 15-year old daughter have it. She loves the movies but hasn't been able to get into the books and might like listening to it.

I just got 2 books-on-cassette through BookMooch. I catalogued them last night, and will put them with the HPs and LOTRs.

All the books in this username are owned by me, my husband, or my daughter. (although I haven't catalogued hardly any of theirs yet.) I do have another username, kairfa, that holds wishlists, books I've bookmooched to other people, books I want to keep a review of that I don't own anymore, and audiobooks from the library that I've reviewed.

I'm greedy about books I love, too. I'm just getting to the point of deciding to not loan books out anymore to anybody because some have come back in bad shape...

The reason I like BookMooch is that I have, over the years, bought books I don't like or haven't read and don't want to read. I got rid of perhaps 150 books when I started cataloguing, pre BookMooch, to the thrift store and Library for their annual sale. I still have about 80 on my shelves that I want to get rid of so I can get more books that are worthy of keeping. My husband has been fantastic at getting shelves built for me in various nooks and crannies in our house, but we are really running out of room for more. (After my daughter moves out in .... however many years.... I'll have an additional 60-linear of feet of shelving in her rec room. Watch out then.)

Plus I've gotten some good books on BM to fill gaps or that sparked my interest.

I own a ton of audiobooks and never check them out of the library, although that was how I initially got hooked on them. I discovered The Curse of the Pharoahs by Elizabeth Peters on tape one day by accident at my local library, and the rest, as they say was history. I think I own about 150 or so now, and I listen to them a lot. I work graveyard at my office and am often there alone, so audiobooks are a great way for me to get some reading in when I cannot physically read a book.

I understand about not wanting to get rid of books. Books come to my house to die, because once I have the book, unless I absolutely cannot stand it, it stays. Bookmooch would never work for me, lol! That is the reason why I read so many library books - I flag the ones that at some point I would like to have in my personal library. If I bought every book I wanted to read, I would never have enough space (I already don't have any bookshelves).

>71 alcottacre: alcottacre
That is why stopped going to the library: I want to own every good book I read so that got too expensive ;-)

#72 FAM: That reasoning would not work for me, because I would still buy books, lol, I just would not have vetted them first.

>73 alcottacre: AlcottAcre
Well, I am still buying books I once read (from the library) and want to own ;-)
Other books I buy are the awarded YA books I collect and recommendations from others.

FAM

Thanks again for trying me on to YA books!

I went to my local library last Saturday morning and visited the young adult section. The man sitting at the reference desk smiled and said to me "be careful, there is magic in that room!"

#75 - That's either really charming, really weird/creepy or the intro to a new series of YA fantasy books. I like really charming, myself.

I'm with you fourpawz - I opt for charming. I suspect in any case, the librarian is correct "There is magic in that room!"

Oh yea! Today I finished book #75 and met my challenge. I may even hit 100 this year.

Cool! Congrats!

congratulations karenmarie :-)

go girl!

congratulations!

Ditto!

Thanks you guys! I have to say that I've read so many wonderful books this year (so far) because of LT - finding things for the 75 book and 888 challenges and reading all the threads about what people like and don't like. And since this is the first year I have ever cataloged what I've read, it's made me rather proud.

And, there are 3 months left!!!!!

Woo Hoo! Congratulations - and I hope you do make it to the 100 mark. Still, 75 is quite an accomplishment. Where's the party?

Where else, the closet book store!!!!

Closest to whom?

Me, of course! Y'all need to come on up/down/across/over and we can have a party at McIntyre's Fine Books and Bookends in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Our friend Gilda is event coordinator for Fearrington, the complex that McIntyre's is in, and they can put on a spread for us!

Every time I go into that bookstore I come out with something interesting.

OK, count me in . . . and I will bring a bunch of book money so I can support your local economy don't you know, lol.

I just finished Breaking Dawn and really really enjoyed it. It had been a while since I read Eclipse so some of the peripheral characters were a bit hazy to me, but the story was good and I liked the way it ended.

I just finished The Killer Angels by Michael Schaara and have just realized that I've read only the second book my my lifetime that I consider a masterpiece.....

Stunning, stunning book.

#91 karenmarie: Completely agree with you regarding The Killer Angels. I had it checked out of the library and loved it so much I bought myself a copy and immediately re-read it.

I've added The Killer Angels to the mountain tbr pile.
Thanks.

big sigh, me too. LOL

#94 beeg: Well, look on the bright side, beeg - you had planned on living forever so you can make it through all those books, right?

If anyone is interested in nonfiction on the Civil War, I heartily recommend April 1865: The Month That Saved America - one of the best nonfiction books I have read this year.

The Solitaire Mystery was very strange and creative and thought-provoking.

Now on to Independent People for December's bookclub meeting.

Is that very strange and creative and though-provoking in a good way or in a bad way?

Good way, alcottacre. I posted a very brief review if you want to read it. It is stories within stories and only when I finished it did I realize that I should have paid better attention at the beginning. I'll probably be thinking about it for a while, for sure.

Night owls, aren't we?

I am most definitely of the night owl variety, rarely getting in bed before 6am and most nights (days?) not before 8am.

I will add both The Solitaire Mystery and Independent People to Continent TBR. I will look for your views on the latter once you have had a chance to read it.

I am almost 3/4 of the way through Independent People by Halldor Laxness. A marvelous book so far.

ok, I now am convinced that the only way to get through my tbr pile is simply not to read posts and add more on to the list. Though, I'm addicted to all the wonderful books described in the threads...
Thanks karemarie for recommending The Solitaire Mystery and Independent People --- on to the HUGE tbr mountain they go.

Yep, The Solitaire Mystery just went on my list...

I've taken a brief respite from Independent People to read 2 Edmund Crispin mysteries and The Amish Cook by Lovina Eicher and Kevin Williams, my November ER book. I've reviewed it and it's a wonderful book.

If any of you are bakers, I'll be glad to e-mail her Sourdough starter and Sourdough bread recipes to you - the bread is light and heavenly just out of the oven and dense and slightly sweet after it's cooled. A very satisfying recipe. the starter is easy to make and is a bit different from what I expected.

Back to Independent People today - we're going to visit a cousin just out of hospital and my husband's mother (who lives in 24-7 care near the cousin) and the trip is 2 1/2 hours each way. Some of the car time will get to be spent in reading.

#103 karenmarie: As a bread baker from way back, I am always on the lookout for different takes on old recipes. Please do send me the Sourdough starter and bread recipes. My e-mail address is bookaddict777@yahoo.com.

Okay, alcottacre! I just put them into a word document and sent it to you. I'm off to have a piece of bread with butter before we head on out for the day!

Hope you enjoy the recipes.

bread is my downfall, next to books

and chocolate

and men

sigh.

beeg40@gmail.com

Edmund Crispin mysteries!! Even mystery loving friends say, "Who?" I love Gervase Fen.

#107 TadAD: I love Gervase Fen, too. I found him through karenmarie's recommendations. I wish my library had more than just The Moving Toyshop.

Well, here it is Sunday afternoon. The Panthers have screwed up and Green Bay has tied the game. I didn't get any reading done yesterday at all, and haven't so far today either. After the game is over I'll go off to the library and read some Independent People.

Beeg - the recipes are on their way!

Bad week for football. Stupid Jets with their contract that prohibits showing my Steelers game in the NY area!

#109 karenmarie: Good news is the Panthers pulled it out. Let me know how you like Independent People - it looks very interesting.

#110 TadAD: Steelers won lopsidedly (which kind of surprised me), but as I am also a Steelers fan, is good news. Bad news is next week they go against the Cowboys, so my hubby and I will be at odds while watching the game - he is a huge 'Boys fan.

It's amazing to me that I actually talk football now - I used to hate football. Being married for 18 years to a serious Dallas (now Carolina) fan, and having a 15-year old daughter who loves football and can seriously talk football, has caused me to start to enjoy football. The advantage of not having a team I cared about before marriage is that we're never in conflict. I'm just a little sheep that follows the bellwether. College basketball too... UNC Tarheels all the way.

Pretty exciting that Carolina pulled it out. Steve Smith is amazing.... Jake too of course. We went off to do various and sundry and started watching the Steelers/NE game at the beginning of the 3rd quarter when it was 10-10. Then there were 2 turnovers and two scores to take it to 23-10 .... then my sister called so I went into the library to talk with her. My daughter kept coming in to report the turnovers and change in score.

After the game was over we watched a Monty Python episode - the one with the Ministry of Silly Walks. I almost laughed myself sick seeing it again.

But I didn't finish Independent People like I wanted to for November. I have 48 pages to go out of 482. I still may count it for November anyway on my 75 book challenge for Book Of The Month group discussion purposes.

Oh well, time to start my day. Mondays are always busy and the first day of the month is always busiest - it's finance month end. I work in Information Technology and do alot of reporting and processing for the finance group.

>111 alcottacre:: I got to see the scores on the crawl below the Jets game. I was a little nervous at the half with the score tied but, based upon the updates, it was all over after that. They're not doing badly; I just hope Roethlisberger can stay reasonably unhurt through the rest of the season.

The Cowboys are the personification of evil. ;-)

>106 beeg: Beeg: Bread, Books, Chocolate and Men! You really are a wicked sinner! :)

Actually, substiture women for men and I am just as bad! (or as good!)

- TT

I just read a very good book called Anna's Book by Barbara Vine. I just saw it on the shelf calling to me.

I need to read my November ER book.... The American Journey of Barack Obama.

Finished the Barack Obama book, and that will be the last book finished in 2008. I'm in the middle of a good one - Napoleon's Pyramids by William Dietrich.

I have Napoleon's Pyramids and its sequel both on Continent TBR. I will be interested to see what you think.

Huh, me too. I just can't get ahead of you! 8^}

Two of my favorite people! Hi guys and Happy New Year. I'm about halfway through and really enjoying it so far. I'm not a historian, but it seems pretty historically accurate in many respects and although the language is a tad too modern in construction it's not hampering my enjoyment of the book this time as it does sometimes.

How many books do each of you have on your tbr pile? Mine is 634.

My Continent has almost 3000 books on it. Can anyone say "Yikes!"

Double yikes!

How many of these books do you own vs have on your reading list?

The majority of the books I own I have read already, so most of them are on my reading list.

Happy New Year Karen Marie. I've added I have added Napoleon's Pyramids to my tbr in 2009 list.