AlcottAcre's 2009 Reads - Take 12

As Linda assures me that I cannot get through the year without starting another thread for December, here goes!

My January thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/51105

My February thread is here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/56421

My March thread is here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/58749

My April thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/61444

My May thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/63947

My June thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/65874

My July thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/67964

My August thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/70159

My September thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/72211

My October thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/74345

My November thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/76166

My memorable reads for 2009 thus far are:

Nonfiction
Bound for the Promised Land by Kate Clifford Larson
Crazy Horse by Mari Sandoz
The Plays and Poems of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Volume 1
The Cobra's Heart by Ryszard Kapuscinski
The Eaves of Heaven by Andrew X. Pham
Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov
Love Letters from Cell 92 by Ruth-Alice von Bismarck and Ulrich Kabitz, editors
The Diary of Mary Berg by S.L. Shneiderman, editor
Lighthouse by Tony Parker
The Good Doctors by John Dittmer
Columbine by Dave Cullen
The Diary of Gideon Welles by Gideon Welles
The Peabody Sisters by Megan Marshall
Dr. Seuss Goes to War by Richard Minear
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer
Lower East Side Memories by Hasia Diner
A True Likeness: The Black South of Richard Samuel Roberts 1920-1936 by Richard Samuel Roberts
Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals
Lost Battalions by Richard Slotkin
Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

Fiction
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Tethered by Amy MacKinnon
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
Maus and Maus II by Art Spiegelman
The Girls by Lori Lansens
The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather
So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Villette by Charlotte Bronte
Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
A City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge
The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King
A Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Young Adult/Juvenile
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Treasure of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
The BFG by Roald Dahl
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Summerland by Michael Chabon
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
The Grey King by Susan Cooper
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

A note about my memorable reads: I am not a book critic. My memorable reads list is just that: books that are memorable to me - that for some reason or other resonate with me. I do not rate books as many people here do for the simple reason that I am a terrible book reviewer! lol

First to post, first to post! Yippee! Happy December! Got you starred. :o)

You are a hard girl to catch up to!

a new thread so I can keep up at least this month ;-)
And add a few of your memorable reads to TBR.

Anita

#3: Wow! I never realized being the first to post to my thread was such a big deal :)

#4: I am not hard to catch up to - you just have to find me first, Carrie.

#5: Thanks for coming by, Anita! Glad to see you here.

Here you are! *star*

:)

I've come to the party as well. Got ya *'d.

#6, I guess I was a little excited -- but normally, when I come upon your thread, I'm quite behind on reading the posts! :o)

Hello there!

Oh, but there is a silly side of my personality that loves to be right. Stasia, my dear, you started this thread less than nine hours ago and already you have a following.

You are the glue that holds us!

Hey, everyone! Welcome to the party. For the beverage today, we are featuring a nice Oolong tea and for munchies, how about some cocoa-applesauce muffins?

I've been happily drinking copious amounts of delicious green tea this week but sadly no cocoa-applesauce muffins to munch on.

starred you again....

Hi Stasia- I saw Plainsong and The Things That They Carried listed above and immediately knew I was in the "right" place! Very homey!

Welcome to December! ;o)

Stasia,

Child 44 and The Cellist of Sarajevo both made my list this year too. There is a follow up to Child 44 called The Secret Speech that's supposed to be very good also, although I haven't read it yet. Your Memorable list looks like I have many books to add to my Pile.

Cocoa-applesauce muffins??????

I want a recipe!!!!! Or a muffin.

*hello*

#13: Well, the drink today was almost a Spiced Green, but I opted for a Celtic Knot black instead. As far as the muffins go, they do not last around here long enough for me to send you any - and that's with doubling the batch! Sorry, Caroline.

#14: Welcome to Stasia's kitchen, Mark :)

#15: Thanks, flissp!

#16: I have not gotten to The Secret Speech yet either, Brenda. My local library does not have it in, but as soon as they do, I am snatching it up!

#17: If you send me your e-mail address, I will give you a copy of the recipe. I do not think the muffins would survive the mails.

#18: Hello, calm, and welcome!

Phew, it's tough to keep up with you. Pant, pant.

A warm drink would be nice. Chicagoland, or at least my part of it, had its first snow flurries of the season today. The first ones I've seen, at any rate. We all ran to the window to look. You'd think we'd never seen snow before.

Stasia- Yes, I can smell them muffins!
Linda- I worked outside today (I live in the Downers Grove area) and it felt a bit wintry, but at least the snow didn't stick!

We had snow flurries down here in Texas yesterday and are expecting more tomorrow, believe it or not!

We are having homemade minestrone and Pain d'Ail tomorrow - you guys come on down . . .

Well I know you'll all find this hard to believe but here in Buffalo we're expecting our first snow of the season tomorrow. Not a flake in the last two months...we're pretty amazed. (Skiers are pouting.)

Stasia- What time?

Mark, up here in Lake County, I had to broom my car off a bit when I left work today. Not far from here, in Kenosha, WI, possibly 4-5 inches tonight.

People not from here don't realize how large Chicagoland is. We can have a foot of snow up here with the city having nothing.

A nice night to curl up with my current baseball book, Sixty Feet, Six Inches.

Show up about 6pm CT, Mark. Dinner will be waiting . . .

OK, Stasia, it's unrealistic to expect you to choose only 10 books as your favorites for the year when you consider how many books you read, so I'm going to choose ten books from your lists of favorites to add to my "Best of Your Best" list.

It helps that I can ignore the books I've read (that were my favorites as well) and those books that others have already recommended. Plus, I'm going to totally ignore the YA list. Please note that I take full responsibility for the list below:

Bonnie's pick of her "Top Ten" books from Alcottacre's favorites are:

Beals, Melba Pattillo: Warriors Don't Cry
Dittmer, John: The Good Doctors
Kay, Guy Gavriel: Tigana
Larson, Kate Clifford: Bound for the Promised Land
Mackinnon, Amy: Tethered
Roberts, Richard Samuel: A True Likeness
Sandoz, Mari: Crazy Horse
Smith, Tom Rob: Child 44
Thiong'o, Ngugi wa: Wizard of the Crow
Urrea, Luis Alberta: The Hummingbird's Daughter

edit. to try to fix Touchstones and, later, to fix your name.

#27: You chose some very good books, Bonnie. I am honored that you found so many to choose from on my thread and that you would take the time to do so.

*grumble, grumble* no fair.... you have hot minestrone soup on the day that I woke up craving it! no chance of me getting any here in Tokyo either .. or rather, no chance getting a bowl of good minestrone anyway. I had to make do with miso soup ... which did NOT hit the spot.

I am on roasted rice green tea today though ... interesting flavor.

...I'm still stuck on the sound of the amazing muffins... doesn't help that I still need breakfast, either... *pout*

#29: Caroline, that tea sounds similar to Peet's Genmai Cha tea. It does have an interesting flavor, but it isn't one of my favorites.

>22 alcottacre: Stasia - I'm south of Houston and it's been snowing here since about 8:00 am. This is the earliest we've ever had snow (not that we get much!!) and the weather folks are forecasting 3 - 5 inches total! It's a weird feeling for this Texas girl.

#32 I heard they're getting snow in Chicago, and now you say snow in Houston, of all places! I'm right in the middle, Kansas City. It's cold here today but sunny and dry. I want snow, too!

It is supposed to snow in DC tomorrow. We'll see. I am not looking forward to it.

#29: Sorry, Caroline. Hopefully you will be back in the States soon and be able to make your own minestrone. The tea sounds interesting, but I am not sure I would like it.

#30: If you send me a PM with your e-mail address, I will send you the recipe for the muffins, Faith.

#32: Well, our projected snow went south, so we did not get any :( It does sound weird - snow in Houston?

#33: I am with you - I want snow too, Sandy!

#34: Maybe your projected snow will not appear like mine did not?

Alas, I'm off to Singapore tomorrow for 2 weeks and only then back home to Boston .... 4 days before Christmas! My panic over Christmas shopping or rather my lack of, is starting to surface.

The tea takes some getting used to ... it's not my favorite, but it's not as bad as I thought when I first tried it.

Wow, exotic Singapore...

Happy Holidays, Stasia

#36: Order everything over the internet like I do? Just have it shipped home so it arrives when you do?

#37: Thanks! Same to you!

You know Stasia, that's a great idea. I don't even know why I didn't think of that. I feel the weight lifting off my shoulders already. Plus today I went out shopping a little and managed to buy some stocking stuffers, so if I get the main pressie online, I am so golden! Thanks so much for the idea.

Glad I could help!

Have you read The Soloist: A Lost Dream by Steve Lopez? I'm thinking about putting it on top of the stack...

#41: I read that one back in October. I liked it - I think it would make a good book to read at Christmas - the possibility of second chances in life.

I had a cold, rainy week for the most part, so I got a lot of reading done. This week's reads:

485. The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer - young adult; I loved Pfeffer's Life as We Knew It when I read it earlier this year, but to me, this book did not have the same 'magic' that the other did - I still liked it, but did not love it, and would still recommend it; there is a third book coming out Spring 2010 that combines the characters from the two books and I will definitely be reading it; recommended

486. Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly - I love Connelly's Harry Bosch character and have read all the books in the series, so when I found out a new one was out, I dropped everything else to read it; highly recommended for fans of the genre

487. A Rare Benedictine by Ellis Peters - Angela recommended this one on her thread as an introduction to the Brother Cadfael series and as I had only read the first book in the series, I thought I would go back and pick this one up; nothing spectacular here, although the copy of the book I had contained some nice illustrations; recommended only for died-in-the-wool Brother Cadfael fans

488. Bayou by Jeremy Love - my, how far comic books have come! This graphic novel, recommended by legxleg is terrific, a commentary (without beating you over the head with it) about the Jim Crow south; highly recommended - and it can be read online here: http://www.zudacomics.com/bayou

489. The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux - nonfiction; a classic of travel writing, although somewhat dated now and sometimes it seems as if the author is trying a bit too hard; to me, the saddest note in the book was in one of the footnotes 'Now - April 1975 - most of the Vietnam towns I passed through by rail have been blown up . . . The little train no longer runs between Hue and Danang.'; guardedly recommended

490. Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd - young adult; a terrific book about an Irish youth caught up in the fight for the Irish independence movement; highly recommended

491. The Lucky Gourd Shop by Joanna C. Scott - a kind of 'meh' read for me - the premise sounded good - 3 adopted children search for their birth mother in Korea - but somehow the book itself just did not work for me; not recommended

492. Alex and Me by Irene Pepperberg - nonfiction; I have been wanting to read this one since I read Wesley the Owl earlier this year; on the whole, I think I preferred 'Wesley' to 'Alex', but I would still recommend this one because the subject matter is very interesting (at least to me, lol); recommended

493. Dark Curse by Christine Feehan - BC pure and simple

494. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold - having read Bujold's first book and thinking it was a Harlequin romance in disguise, I was not really sure I wanted to read this one, her seventh, but I was pleasantly surprised by it - her writing was much improved (although she did still have some 'Harlequin' moments to my mind), but I just do not like all of the politics in the book - I guess I just expect my science fiction to be that - Carolyn (MusicMom41) liked it better than I did, so you might want to check her thread for her review here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/76313; guardedly recommended by me - highly recommended by Carolyn

495. The Witch Doctor's Wife by Tamar Myers - this was an ER book and as I had never read anything by Myers before I was not sure what to expect; this was a pretty good historical fiction novel set in 1950s Africa; Here is my review 'This book had a little bit of everything: a great setting; interesting, likeable (and some not so likeable) characters; a mystery; and just a bit of romance. My only quibble with the book, and it is a minor one, is that there is a lack of depth to the characters. Other than that, I thought it a very good book.'; highly recommended

496. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson - juvenile fiction; I loved this story of a family of hellions who decides to join the Christmas pageant at the local church and manages to teach the regular church members the true meaning of Christmas; highly recommended

497. The Sweet Dove Died by Barbara Pym - this was the fourth Pym book I have read and the first that I have been disappointed in; I just could not get into this story of a love pentagram (Humphrey-Leonora-James-Phoebe-Ned); guardedly recommended only for die-hard Pym fans

498. Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle - I really enjoyed this end-of-the-world scenario book, although it is decidedly dated having been written over 30 years ago; recommended

499. Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - the second book in the Agent Pendergrast series and a pretty good one; recommended for series fans

500. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - I kind of cheated in making this book 500 - I had already determined that if I made it this far, this was going to be the book to do it with; What more can I say about this book than has already been said? It is deservedly a classic, Tolstoy painting on a broad canvas and managing to make everything come together; I loved it and am seriously thinking of reading it again next year along with the group read of Anna Karenina; highly recommended - and while I am at it, I will recommend the Pevear-Volokhnosky translation that I used

OK, I am done for the year. Yep, not picking up any more books until January (and if you believe that - I have a bridge in Brooklyn you need to buy.)

Congratulations, Stasia!!! And what a great choice of a book to hit 500 with. I have that new translation, but I'm not sure when I'll get to it.

Bayou sounds very interesting; I'll look at it today. I'll check out The Great Railway Bazaar and Bog Child, too.

Which bridge in Brooklyn are you selling? :)

Thanks, Darryl! I am going to use the Pevear-Volokhnosky translation for Anna Karenina next year as well. I urge you to get to War and Peace - it really is worth the time and effort.

I've read 50 pages of Bayou so far; I'm glad I'm not reading this at night!

I'll probably read one or two of the new translations of Dostoevsky by Pevear & Volokhonsky first, probably Crime and Punishment and The Idiot.

You will have to let me know how the Dostoevsky books are - I have an older translation of The Idiot (I do not know who the translator(s) is/are, but I know it is not P-V).

Enjoy Bayou!

Stasia- What a blast of books! I have never read War and Peace or Anna Karenina. Maybe I'll get to one of them next year! I have not read much Michael Connellyeither, but I loved The Lincoln Lawyer and have The Brass Verdict in my tbr.

Congratulations on hitting 500!!!

I will get around to War and Peace some day. I read Anna Karenina this year and am listening to The Brothers Karamazov right now (it's the free download from christianaudio.com for December). With that much Russian literature under my belt, maybe I can tackle W&P next year.

Wow! Congratulations!

I completed 60 pages of Bayou but I needed to stop at that point in order to get into my proper Christmas Card writing mood.
Very good artistry at work in Bayou - and I plan to finish it later today.

Congratulations on reading 500 books so far! I can't believe how much reading you do; it's truly impressive. I've added a bunch of books to my TBR list from your reading for this week, so thank you for that (I think!). I'm also so glad that you enjoyed Bayou, and that it seems to be making the rounds with some other readers. I was so impressed by it.

500 books *marvels*

Stasia, Congratulations on the 500 and I'm especially glad you liked War and Peace so much (I confess to having read it three times) -- Darryl, you should definitely read it too. Anna Karenina is also wonderful. By the way, Netflix has the Russian multi-disc version of W&P and it is fabulous. OK, enough effusiveness for one post.

Stasia, Bayou absolutely blew me away! I just finished the first 4 chapters (the first 155-160 pages of the online version), which makes up Book 1, according to Amazon. The author is posting pages online as he writes them, and it looks like most of Book 2 is there. Per Amazon it won't be published until this coming July. I've also ordered several copies to give as Christmas gifts. I'll post comments on my thread about it. Thanks for this fabulous recommendation!

Congrats on 500 books, Stasia!!

Wow--Lucifer's Hammer. Back in the 70s, I absolutely loved that book. I haven't thought of that one in years.

I rarely read those kinds of books today but, back then, I loved stuff like that. A lot of weather catastrophe books, too, though I still like those. Blizzard by George Stone, for instance--what if it doesn't stop?

Congratulations on 500, Stasia!!! You're reading rate is both inspiring and intimidating! I am hunting Bog Child, I love Irish fiction (and nonfiction).

During a series-mystery phase in the late 90's, I read Tamar Myers mysteries. I don't read as much series-mystery anymore, so I haven't kept up. I always found them enjoyable, but as you say, the characters lacked depth. They have some really funny moments, though.

Congratulations on reaching 500 books, Stasia.

Not only is it a truly amazing achievement, it also allows those of us who have read that less half that number (and whose TBR pile contains fewer books than you've read so far this year) to say when questioned about our reading habits, "But my reading is very modest - I know someone who reads FAR more than I do!" Thank you for performing this valuable public service. ;)

I agree with you about The Sweet Dove Died - it is my least favourite Pym novel so far.

The Witch Doctor's Wife looks interesting, and has gone on the wishlist.

Congratulations on hitting 500 books for the year! What an accomplishment.

I'm sorry that you didn't like Cordelia's Honor. I am one of Lois McMaster Bujold's biggest fans. I have read all of her books many times. I like the love story between Aral and Cordelia. I also like the adventures of thier son Miles for a more space opera kind of theme. Unless you are opposed to romance, you should try her new series The Sharing Knife. She deliberately tried to combine science fiction and romance. It is interesting to hear her talk about the difficulty of combining the two genres.

Congratulations on hitting 500 books for the year! What an accomplishment.

I'm sorry that you didn't like Cordelia's Honor. I am one of Lois McMaster Bujold's biggest fans. I have read all of her books many times. I like the love story between Aral and Cordelia. I also like the adventures of thier son Miles for a more space opera kind of theme. Unless you are opposed to romance, you should try her new series The Sharing Knife. She deliberately tried to combine science fiction and romance. It is interesting to hear her talk about the difficulty of combining the two genres.

Hooray for Stasia! 500 books! Wonderful! Marvelous! Congratulations!

I honestly don't know how you do it . . .

Wow, congratulations on making your target of 500 and finishing up with War and Peace is impressive. Glad that you enjoyed Bog Child, her first novel A Swift Pure Cry is also stunning.
Trying not to add to my own Black Hole but did visit the Bayou website after legxleg posted about it.

Congratulations on the 500!

Also, thank you for mentioning that there's a third Life As We Knew It book coming out soon. I still haven't read The Dead and the Gone (waiting for the paperback release), but I will definitely read both that and the next one eventually.

I was glad to read your review of The Witch Doctor's Wife as well. That was one that I requested from ER and didn't receive, so I may have to keep an eye out for it in stores.

Congratulations on hitting 500 Stasia. How in the world do you do it?

congratulations Stasia!!
500 is really like WOW

My own plans to read more classics this year did not work out, although I did read Don Quichote, for next year I am in doubt, one of the Russian classics or Moby Dick. I won't plan more than one ;-)

Anita

500!!! That is amazing, Stasia!!!! And I think that I've put about 495 of them on my TBR list!

500! Where do you get the time? And here I'm struggling to reach my 75. Your an inspiration to show it can be done. Now, if only I could find the time . . .

Congratulations, Stasia! An amazing accomplishment!

500!!! They should start a bookmobile race featuring libraries on wheels and call it The Stasia 500.

I can't get over you hitting 500 books - what an incredible achievement. I feel so inspired by the thought of the richness and variety of what you've been able to read your way through this year - wonderful. I'm trying to avoid saying 'congratulations' or 'well done' because it doesn't quite express how I feel about it! But if you'd like that, do take it as read.

Congratulations on reaching 500! That is really an achievement.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever has been a tradition in our family for many years. And on Friday night the play we went to was a musical production of that story by our local theater company! A nice way to "kick off" the holiday season.

War and Peace is a favorite of mine, also. I've read it twice and you've inspired me to get the P-V translation and read it again next year--it's been quite a while since my last read. I already have Anna waiting on the "short shelf" for January. I also bought the P-V translation of The Brothers Karamazov last year to do a reread and it is still waiting patiently. I may make 2010 my "Year of the Russian Novels!" :-)

Congrats on 500!

What an amazing achievement - I'm so glad you accomplished your goal. :)

Super cool, girlfriend! Woo Hoo 500!! :o)

Congrats on reaching 500, Stasia! That is absolutely amazing.

Stasia, Wow! 500 books. So impressive.

Congratulations on hitting the 500 mark!

What a great list of reads last week. I've already got Nine Dragons and The Great Railway Bazaar on my TBR, but I've added Lucifer's Hammer and The Witch Doctor's Wife to my wishlist. I've not read anything by Tamar Myers yet and I've been reading some good reviews of her stuff, so time for me to dive in.

Are we still going to do the Anna Karenina group read in January?

Congrats on hitting 500! So amazing.

Boy, I go away for a few hours and my thread gets flooded. You talk of my inspiring you, but I wish I could tell all of you individually how much you inspire me! So. . .

Congratulations on reaching 500, Stasia! Quite an accomplishment.

I'm sorry you didn't like Barrayar more, but I understand. I think that much science fiction, that which is more than just an action story, at least, interacts with politics a lot. Its nature is to examine ourselves, or at least aspects of humanity, in social and cultural contexts which are mutated from those familiar to us. I have always said that SF keeps my assumptions loose--that I am not embedded in our cultural matrix and the tacit assumptions therein quite so much because I am reading a literature that questions all of them in one way or another, and makes them explicit in a way no other genre can. This means there are often political overtones, and always political undertones.

However, if you ever run across it, I would strongly recommend that you read the novella, The Mountains of Mourning. I think it is simply a beautiful story. You can find the first chapter at
http://www.baen.com/library/1011250002/1011250002.htm

Thanks for the recommendation, Roni. I will certainly look for the novella.

Actually, I went back to re-read the story myself, and realized even though the heading said Chapter 1, the entire story was there.

I found the novella in a collection of Hugo Winners on PBS and have already ordered it, so I am hoping to have my hands on it by the end of the week.

Congratulations on achieving your goal!!!! It is amazing how many books you have read this year. I just wish I could read nearly half as much but, unlike you, I do require some sleep now and then!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a great book. I read it to my daughters last year and we loved it.

Stasia

I've been out of town since Thursday and wanted to check your thread before I return home this evening..I found 68 new messages!

Congratulations on reaching 500! Please do continue to stay with us not=so=high achievers.

You are incredible!

Unless I get kicked out of the group, I have no intention of going anywhere else!

500 books is amazing! Congratulations!!

Wow. 500 books. Wow.

...I've lined up War and Peace for Christmas - looking forward to it!

Congrats on reaching 500. I just told a couple of my coworkers and their jaws dropped! One said that she has not even finished the one book that she started this year. I promptly looked at her like she was crazy.

Not read one book? Now that is scary...

Congratulations on reading 500 books!

Wahoo! That's fantastic! Congrats on 500!

I'm not sure I could do 500 books a year if I did nothing but read. Sounds like heaven though! Congratulations!!

I think what your 500 book achievemant means to me is almost that many books added to my Wish List. Thanks for doing all the leg ..er..eye work for us Stasia. Looking forward to your 2010 recommendations for my brand new, shiny Wish List notebook.

Thank you all so much for your congratulations! I love this group of book-lovers!!

#89: I am with flissp on that one - not even one book? That is scary

#94: Lynda, I know that I have added more than my share from your reading list this year to the BlackHole, so turn about is fair play, heh?

Stasia- That is such an incredible number! For me it's almost mind-blowing! I try to start doing the math. One a day is...364.. and then.. Just WOW! Congrats!!

Yeah!!! 500!!!! I love that your no. 500 was War and Peace. Lovely and poetic!

#96/97: Thanks, Mark & Linda!

500... 500!!! Oh my goodness... just... wow. Congratulations!!! :)

500 books--more than I have in my entire library! A big fat congratulations, Stasia!

Stasia--WOW!--500 books. I am so in awe of you. And you have a life too!

Deborah

#99-101: Thank you all!

Stasia, you are amazing. Reading (averaging?) more than one book per day is incomprehensible to me.

Is this your most ever?

#103: Linda, I have averaged 500 books a year for as long as I can remember. I have no idea what the most is that I have hit in a year.

The sequel to the original Book Quiz:

You're The Scarlet Letter!

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Raised in a culture steeped in religious values, you raise some
serious questions about the nature of that culture. While you no longer see
yourself as a part of that society, you are a staunch defender of the rights
of those who wish to remain there to do so. At the same time, you illustrate
the hypocrisies of that society and some of the better intended people therein.
Ultimately, it's possible the best improvement you think anyone could make would
be the improvement of communication devices on ships. Your least favorite letter
is A.


Take the Book Quiz II
at the Blue Pyramid.

Thanks to Amanda4242 for putting up the link for me to copy!

I'm the Scarlet Letter, too! Weren't we both Watership Down on the first quiz?

#106: I think so, Sandy. Somehow, this is scary :)

#107 Yeah, especially for you! ;-)

#108: No, I was thinking the other way around!

#109 Let's compare again when they come out with Book Quiz III

#110: If we match up again, we are really going to have to meet one of these years!

#111 Absolutely!

We can meet in the middle - somewhere in Oklahoma, I think. Aren't you from Kansas? I am almost at the Oklahoma border, in Texas.

I'm in Kansas City - almost at the Kansas border in Missouri. The KS-OK border would be about half way. Of course, there's not much there... how about Tulsa?

Tulsa works for me! See you after Book Quiz 3.

#115 Looking forward to it!

I just took the book quizzes too. Thanks for the link.

On quiz 1 I was The Mists of Avalon and on quiz 2 I was The Scarlet Letter. Now, I know that The Mists of Avalon in somewhere buried in my TBR pile but I have never read it. I actually try to avoid anything Arthurian and "camelotish". I do like a lot of the books by MZB but prefer the Darkover books to her Arthurian stuff.

And I do remember reading The Scarlet Letter at some time in my past but I don't own it, don't want to, and don't remember much about it. Six questions seems to be an awfully short quiz to determine what book you are.

We are having a blizzard today. Theoretically, this means lots of reading time (after I remotely finish my school work).

I'm As I Lay Dying. I have not read it, but it sure sounds uplifting!

Stasia and Sandy: I'm also A Scarlett Letter.

well I am with jmalony:

You're As I Lay Dying!

by William Faulkner

Schizophrenic and unpredictable, you are able to hold many conflicting ideas in your head at once without getting confused. However, this doesn't mean those around you or trying to communicate with you fail to be confused.
In fact, your willingness to say precisely whatever is on your mind lends a kind of mystery to you that makes some people afraid of you. But maybe it's just that people don't like being as morbid as you can be. Despite this dark streak, you really like the singer/songwriter Jewel.


Take the Book Quiz II
at the Blue Pyramid.

I am not sure what I was at the first Book Quiz, but I think it was Watership Down

First quiz I was The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.
2nd quiz I'm Macbeth.
Wild.

1st quiz - Babar
2nd - A portrait of the artist as a young man

It seems I'm growing up! I'll probably be The old man and the sea by the 3rd quiz.

I love these book quizzes! I think they are just great fun.

#123: Not only are you growing older, Lynda, but it appears that a sex change operation must be in your future :)

Well I went from To Kill a Mockingbird in the 1st quiz to The Phantom Tollbooth in the 2nd quiz.

That's just crazy.

#123 Babar. Way cool, Carmenere.

#124 Mmmmm good point Stasia, perhaps Middlesex will be the result of my 4th quiz.

Whoa! I just turn my back for a little while, and there's 24 posts to catch up . . . :)

I don't think I want to know what book I am today, though . . . .

Hello, anyway! ;)

I was Catch-22 in the first quiz and Jane Eyre in the second. I've never read either book. Guess I need to put them on my TBR pile.

I took the Book Quiz 2, and I am apparently Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing because I don't take things too seriously. Too funny....

You're not really sure what all the fuss is about, but it seems
like it's all a lot of overreaction. Light and playful, you tend to be the one
making dirty jokes in the corner, or even in front of a whole bunch of people.
You end up being more or less unable to keep a straight face, even when something
serious seems to be on the line. Despite this, you still have something to say
about gender equality. In the end, you're just looking for a hero.

#127: LOL!

#130 cameling, I was Much Ado About Nothing this time round too (A Prayer for Owen Meany last time...)

First time around I was Jurassic Park and this time I was Tristram Shandy - I've never read TS although it is lurking on the shelves. Is this an odd pairing?

no way I am catching up.. so I am sneaking in from work to say hello!

*waves*

#134: *Waving back*

This quiz is fun - the answers don't always obviously correspond to any book! I got Treasure Island. I really should read that one of these days ~_~.

This week's reads:

501. The Real Diary of a Real Boy by Henry A. Shute - nonfiction; this was very short, only 58 pages, but a quite enjoyable look at life when things were slower and boys still fished at swimming holes; be aware that the diary is not edited for spelling and punctuation errors, which are rife throughout as it was written when the author was about 8-10 years old; recommended

502. The Tennis Partner by Abraham Verghese - nonfiction; I greatly enjoyed Verghese's My Own Country when I read it and so looked forward to this book with anticipation, but this one just did not have the magic for me that the other one had - it is still a good read, but I just preferred the other book; recommended

503. Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen - very good historical fiction novel and I loved the grandmother in it - I already have book 2 home from the library to read; highly recommended

504. The Joys of Yiddish by Leo Rosten - nonfiction; a very enjoyable romp through the Yiddish language filled with pronunciations, meanings, anecdotes, and jokes; highly recommended

505. To Kingdom Come by Will Thomas - this is the second book in Thomas' Cyrus Davenport series, but does not live up to the first, enjoyable enough, just not as good; guardedly recommended

506. Brother in the Land by Robert Swindells - young adult; another one of my dystopian reads for the year, and overall a pretty good one; recommended

507. The Worst Years of Our Lives by Barbara Ehrenreich - nonfiction; I will say first off that this book was not what I was expecting - I thought it was going to be a look at the economic situation during the Reagan era, but instead what I got was basically a diatribe against all things Republican, conservative, or fundamentalist, all of which I am; it is a shame, because I really liked Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed; recommended for people other than me

508. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Thurston - audiobook; this book has been in the BlackHole forever now and when RebeccaAnn mentioned on her thread that she had listened to it, I thought it was about time to get to it, and I am glad I did - an absolutely terrific book with a wonderful job of narration by Ruby Dee; highly recommended and on my memorable reads list for the year

509. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta - young adult; this book takes some work, flipping back and forth between past and present as it does, but I loved it - I thought the character of Taylor Markham was well-done and Marchetta has some terrific chapter endings in the book; highly recommended

510. The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges - nonfiction; this is a compendium of imaginary beings from both Eastern and Western literature, done with a Borges touch - thanks go to Greg for the recommendation of this one; I suspect J.K. Rowling has more than a passing knowledge of it, given the number of imaginary beings in her Harry Potter books (basilisks, phoenixes, centaurs, mandrakes, etc); recommended

511. On Fortune's Wheel by Cynthia Voigt - young adult; my daughter Catey tells me that this is her BFF Terra's favorite book, and I can see why it appeals to her: likeable hero and heroine caught in circumstances beyond their control; I enjoyed this very much, the second book in Voigt's Kingdom series; recommended

512. Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede - this is the concluding book to Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles and I liked this one nearly as much as I enjoyed the first book in the series; recommended

Two more weekly posts and then one midweek post will wrap up 2009. Hard to believe, isn't it?

I have only read 139 nonfiction books this year and so will fall short of my 150 nonfiction book goal, but overall I am satisfied with my reading for the year. I do intend to continue my civil rights movement and Vietnam War reading into 2010.

Well past time to start reporting the damage you do to my TBR.

This sounds like my kind of book - The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges (so onto the find list it goes) and there are a few others to investigate!

#138: Thanks for dropping by! Glad to see you have found something to your taste in this week's reads.

I'll probably read The Tennis Partner next year. His other two books, My Own Country and Cutting for Stone are spectacular.

I'll get to The Book of Imaginary Beings someone in the future, after my TBR collection shrinks a bit.

Stasia, if you liked The Book of Imaginary Beings then you might also like Adventures in Unhistory: Conjectures on the Factual Foundations of Several Ancient Legends by Avram Davidson. There, I sound just like an Amazon feature.

#140: Darryl, your TBR collection actually shrinks? I do not believe it!

#141: Well, I would trust you over Amazon any day of the week, VG. Thanks for the recommendation of the book, but unfortunately my local library does not have that one - it is already in the BlackHole.

The TBR collection continues to grow, like Tribbles. I received five books in the mail this weekend, and I just ordered another, American Journals by Albert Camus from Amazon this morning. Two more books from Archipelago should come this week, and I just finished updating my Amazon wish list (from 251 to 18 items), so that my friends can send me more books!

2010 will be the year that the TBR pile shrinks, despite my plan to read less books (100-125) and despite the fact that I'll already be 11 books in the hole on January 1st, counting the books that will come throughout the year from Archipelago. Keep hope alive!

#143: I have to shrink my TBR pile next year, too, a seemingly impossible task. I have promised my husband to make a dent in it and so am not buying any books next year, which may kill me. I am also scaling down considerably on the number of library books I check out since about 99% of the books I have read in the past 2 years have come from that source.

Have you made specific plans on which books from your pile you plan to read next year? I think I'll go through the books I have, and select ones that I've been dying to get to, but continue to put off. I've also created a tentative 1010 Challenge list, to help organize my reading, as Kerry mentioned. I think I'll also take a hard look at books I've read, and books that I probably won't ever get to, and give them to my partners, several of whom are becoming avid readers, or donate them to the local library.

That reminds me: I need to write a list of book recommendations today, as my group is starting a formal book club this week.

Specific plans: pick a shelf and read every book on it. That's about as specific as I have gotten, lol.

Now you've done it Stasia! You've made me begin on my 2010 notebook cause '09 was completely full. #501 for my son, Will so he realizes there was life before Wii. #503 - I love historical fiction (doesn't matter when) and I plan on listening to #508 as well. I'm sure it will be very powerful told by Ruby Dee.

#143 - I like your reference to tribbles Darryl

#144 "so not buying any books next year" snicker, snicker

#147: Congratulations on the early start on 2010, Lynda :)

I have over 800 books in my house that I have not read yet (I mean what would I read if the local library ran out of books or burned down or something), so I have really got to make a dent in the stack!

Hi Stasia- It looks like you posted some good books! I'm currently immersed in Cutting For Stone and loving it, so I would be very interested in reading Verghese's other works. Their Eyes Were Watching God also sounds very good! Hope you are having a great weekend!

Doozy of a week for my TBR pile! Through a Glass Darkly, Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Book of Imaginary Beings *and* Adventures in Unhistory all sound excellent!

Stasia..

I'm resigned to the fact that I will NEVER finish the tbr pile. I still have many of your recommendations from 2008, and now 2009....Each time I visit here Sunday morning there are more and more and more.

Happy Sunday to all!

The Book of Imaginary Beings has been on my shelf for awhile, and the entries I've read from it have been lovely. I really ought to finish it. And I think I'll put Brother in the Land on my TBR pile because I like a good YA dystopic book.

Book of Imaginary Beings and Adventures in Unhistory both end up on the wishlist.

Glad to hear that the Patricia C Wrede series ends strong - I don't think I ever made it past book #3, but was thinking of re-reading the series in 2010.

Talking to Dragons, despite being the last book chronologically in the series, was the first one written and so was the first one I read. There was something special about being as ignorant as Daystar about what was going on and discovering all the little bits along with him. Ever since, I have had trouble deciding whether to recommend reading them in published or in chronological order. It is still my favorite, I think.

My amazon wishlist has grown exponentially since I've started reading your thread. The Joys of Yiddish has just been thrown into the mix.

I'm so glad you enjoyed Ruby Dee's narration of Their Eyes Were Watching God!

The Joys of Yiddish is a wonderful book -- be sure to get the original and not the new "iupdated" version.

Good morning Stasia;
It seems so long since I have spent a Sunday morning on the Acre. It feels good to be here.
I am so very pleased that you liked Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston is just a wonderful author and I loved this particular book.
Hope things are well with you and the family.
I hope also to get to see you again next year. This time it will be my turn to buy.
luv n hugs,
belva

>137 alcottacre: (book #507), The Worst Years of our Lives. Well, kudos to you, Stasia, for coming over to the "Dark Side." ;-) I try to read across the range of political views too. Some writers are definitely more objective than others. Unfortunately, it seems like the "flame throwers" on both sides are the ones who get published! Sigh! This far-far-to-the-left Democratic Liberal/Progressive, for one, enjoys your always fair reviews.

P.S. I'm sure that B.E. would say that some of her best friends are "Republicans, conservative, or fundamentalists." ;-)

We should have a thread in 2010 for books we have pulled from the depths of our TBR piles. I know that I am going to be reading from deeper down the pile for a blog challenge here http://ellzreadz.blogspot.com/2009/12/bottoms-up-reading-challenge.html
I feel bad that I can 't keep up. This would help remove some of the guilt.

Hi Stasia,

I am way, way behind on threads, but I just spent about 30 minutes getting caught up on your last two. Congrats on meeting your 500-book goal - I think that is incredible! I think I read somewhere that you are in the midst of The Children's Book, right? I'm waiting for your opinion on that one, as it is my favourite read of the year.

Have a great week :)

#149: Thanks, Mark, I hope you had a wonderful weekend as well. I cannot recommend Their Eyes Were Watching God highly enough - just a terrific book!

#150: I am glad you found a lot to like this week, Missy!

#151: Linda, I promise in 2010 to read books that you will hate so I do not add to the TBR pile :)

#152: I am glad to see that you are enjoying The Book of Imaginary Beings, which really is not designed to be read through the way I did it, but I hope you get to finish it soon. It really does have some lovely prose. Thanks for stopping by, legxleg!

Stasia

re. #151...not possible. You and I have the same reading likes and dislikes. I'm simply happy to learn about all the wonderful morsels you send my way!

#153: Sandy, I had a good time with the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, so I hope you enjoy the re-read in 2010.

#154: Roni, I agree with you that one of the charms of the book was Daystar and his complete ignorance of what is happening around him. It is a series I will probably read again at some point since I enjoyed it so much the first time around.

#155: I predict you will enjoy The Joys of Yiddish, Luxx. I am glad to know that I am adding substantially to your wishlist as you have done to mine!

#163: I promise to try?

#156: I really did. She did a wonderful job. Thanks so much for the suggestion of listening to the book!

#157: I did not even know there was an updated version, so I guess I am very lucky that my local library just had the old one from the sounds of it!

#158: Hey, Belva! Glad to see you around the Acre of a Sunday morning. I am looking forward to our next meeting.

#159: I agree with you, Bonnie - it does seem that the flamethrowers who grab all the headlines and attention. Unfortunately, those folks do not seem to know the meaning of the word 'moderation.' I have no quibble with stating your opinion, what I have a problem with is the assumption that no one else's opinion is of any importance (especially if they disagree with you), and that is what Ehrenreich's book seems to do.

#160: Kathy, not everyone can keep up! We just do the best we can.

#161: Thanks for the congrats, Cait. I looks like it will be next year before I finish The Children's Book, but thus far, I am really enjoying it!

Phew I miss one day, Stasia, and I have to spend 15 min. catching up on your thread. I just got The Tennis Partner in the mail recently after loving Cutting for Stone so I expect to read it sometime in 2010. Did you say you're not going to buy any books next year? Really?

#168: Really. If you see a headline reading 'Woman Dies in Texas from Lack of Book Buying' you will know who it is!

#169 More likely headline: "Texas economy tanks when local woman stops buying books"

Good luck in achieving such a difficult goal!

#170: LOL!

#166 I didn't know there was an updated version either, until I saw a post about it here on LT. I looked it up, and it seems the criticisms include that the updater tried to make some of the humor more "politically correct." First of all, that changes the jokes from their historically accurate form; second, if it ain't broke, why fix it?!

#172: I am with you on that one - changing it to 'politically correct!?' Egad!!

Ditto.

The Joys of Yiddish...

I will play devil's advocate, and mention that I'm reading the updated (30 years after) version. Lawrence Bush (the reviser) states in the intro to the later book that "American life and Jewish life worldwide have all undergone tremendous transformations....My task has been to reflect some of those changes through a concise commentary on Rosten's text."

It seems that what Bush has done in the 2001 version (as far as I've read--I'm not very far yet) is to add commentary and explanation to the original Rosten book. The book blurb says that he worked closely with Rosten's daughters to do this.

Stasia, I'm sorry to impinge on your thread, but it's always nice to have an alternative viewpoint, I think. I'm sure that in either one of these editions, the greatness of the original comes through.

Karen

Re: Through a Glass Darkly
Is your next book Dark Angels or Now Face to Face?
Dark Angels is the prequel and Now Face to Face comes after Through a Glass Darkly. I was very confused when I read Through a Glass Darkly then discovered there was one that came before it only to find out that it was written later but took place before Through a Glass Darkly. I still have to read Now Face to Face. It is sitting on my shelf at home waiting patiently. A lot of people think Dark Angels is weaker, but I liked it just as much.

#175: Good info to have, although I think I will stick to the original just the same. No problem about impinging on my thread - everyone does it, and I love it!

#176: I picked up Now Face to Face the other day at the library. I am not sure when I going to get to it, but I will eventually.

Congrats on surpassing 500, Stasia! You amaze me.

Thanks, Marcia! Nice to see you here again.

800 books unread in your house?! Have you considered being the 2nd lending library for your town, Stasia?

I've already got Their Eyes Were Watching God on my TBR pile (very twee compared to yours, thank goodness) and maybe I should move it up the read rank since I'm hearing such fantastic reviews.

Through a Glass Darkly and Jellicoe Road have made it onto my wishlist.

Move Their Eyes Were Watching God up, Caroline. You will not be sorry.

Unfortunately the 800 unread books is probably just the tip of the iceberg since I do not even have all of my books catalogued on LT yet. *sigh* What will I read if I read all of them and the local library catches on fire or goes out of business or something? This is a major fear for me!

Boy isn't that the truth. What would we do w/o the towering pile if the library was closed for even one day. We really need that comfort pile, just in case. Although 800?? Wow!

#182: The sad truth for me though is, Bonnie, 800 books is really only about a year and a half's reading. Not much of a stockpile if you ask me. I would prefer a 10-year stockpile :)

Congratulations on 500 books, Stasia! I agree with you completely about Their Eyes Were Watching God! The Ruby Dee recitation was absolutely wonderful.

#181 : Done, Stasia.... I've moved Their Eyes Were Watching God up my TBR stack and it will be one of my January 2010 reads.

#185: Great! I look forward to seeing what you think of it, Caroline.

adding one more...

#187: I hope you like it, Kath!

I have not felt well this week, so most of the reading for the week is of the lightweight variety. I humbly apologize and beg your indulgence.

513. Turning Angel by Greg Iles - this is the second book in Iles' Penn Cage series and I was disappointed in it; the story revolves around the murder of a high school student who was sleeping with a 40+-year-old man, but there were several plot holes I could not get over, nor could I reconcile my mind to the fact that in the book not just one, but several of the high school girls were sleeping with men old enough to be their fathers; not recommended, unless there is nothing else on hand to read (I would prefer cereal boxes to this myself)

514. The Alchemyst by Michael Scott - young adult; the formula that keeps Nicholas Flamel and his wife from aging has been stolen from them and a set of 15-yo twins gets thrown into the midst of the battle to get the formula (contained in a book) back; not Harry Potter, but then what is, but still enjoyable enough; recommended

515-517. Bone, Volumes 6, 7, & 8 by Jeff Smith - graphic novels; I have thoroughly enjoyed the Bone series (and am anxiously awaiting the final volume); what started out as a lightweight tale rapidly evolved into quite a complex one, with great worldbuilding by Smith IMHO; highly recommended

518. MacBeth by William Shakespeare - Catey and I are studying this for British Literature, so I gave the play a re-read this week; Mac remarked on his thread comparing Shakespeare and Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series and how they both wrote for the audience, but I must say that I do not think that Meyer's books will hold up as well as old Will's plays do, just because of the sheer number of quotations from Shakespeare that we continue to use today; recommended

519. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood - I am going to be in the minority on this, but I prefer Oryx and Crake to this one, although I really liked this book too; highly recommended

520. A Mighty Long Way by Carlotta Walls Lanier - nonfiction; this is the third book I have read this year about the integration of the high school in Little Rock, Arkansas and of the three, I prefer the one by Melba Patillo Beals, Warriors Don't Cry; one thing I did appreciate about Lanier's book was the chapter on what the election of Barak Obama meant to her; recommended

521. Lost Battalions by Richard Slotkin - nonfiction; this is not an easy book to read - it is lengthy and goes into detail about several WWI battles - but I think it is probably one of the most important nonfiction books I have read this year; the battalions referenced in the title refer to the 369th Infantry (the Harlem Hellfighters) and the 77th Division, which was famously surrounded in the Argonne but refused to surrender despite massive losses (there was a film made for A&E about 10 years ago about this and it is very good); the book asks the question 'Should black and ethnic Americans (the 77th was primarily composed of Italian and Jewish immigrants) have fought for a country that treated them as second class citizens?'; terrific book, highly recommended and on my memorable reads list for the year

522. The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough - nonfiction audiobook; I have wanted to read this book for several years, but my local library did not have the print version, and when Tina mentioned the audiobook on her thread, I thought I would give it a try; Edward Hermann's narration was pretty good and the book itself was excellent, giving a very good picture of the happenings up to and beyond the time of the flood; recommended

523. Bleak House by Charles Dickens - I finished this several days past the 'due date', but I really enjoyed the book; Dickens' creates atmosphere from the very beginning, but I found the character of Esther too much of a ninny for my taste; highly recommended (even to you, Richard!)

524. The Emigrants by W.G. Sebald - I had never read anything by Sebald before, so I was not quite sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book, a fictional memoir narrated by Sebald presumably, who meets 4 people and they talk to him about their lives and what lead them to emigrate and the ramifications of that decision; Theme of the book seems to be: '. . . Mental suffering is effectively without end. One may think one has reached the very limit, but there are always more torments to come. One plunges from one abyss to the next.'; highly recommended

525. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie - juvenile fiction; several people were appalled that I had never read this one, but now that I have done so, I think I can truthfully say it is better designed for people younger than I am - I think I would have loved it as a child, but as an adult, not so much, especially the racism toward the 'Indians' and I am not sure that the mention of the fairies having an orgy is really appropriate for the age group, however it was intended

So, with this week's reads my nonfiction total for the year is up to 142. I am still not going to make 150, but I am happy with the nonfiction I have read this year nonetheless.

A fascinating and eclectic collection as always!

The Slotkin book has been on the "get it if you come across it" list for a while, but I haven't "come across it" yet! Two books I have come across however, are Five Days In October: The Lost Battalion Of World War I by Robert H. Ferrell, and Blood in the Argonne: The "Lost Battalion" of World War I by Alan D. Gaff; both of which deal with the infamous 77th. I hope to tackle at least one of these in 2010.

Interesting you mentioned the Sebald book. His On the Natural History of Destruction is one which I've recently been recommended.

Congratulations on finishing Bleak House! I meant to do that group read, but I fell by the wayside pretty early. So I'm just that much more impressed by you!

#190: I will look for the other two WWI books you mentioned, Peter. Thanks for mentioning them.

#191: Dickens is a favorite of mine, so finishing Bleak House was no chore for me. I do hope you get a chance to read it in future, Ashley.

An amazingly fruitful year for you Stasia. I'm adding two to page 2 of my 2010 wish list , Bleak House and a little apprehensively, The year of the Flood, if you highly recommend it, I'll give it a try.

Lots of great reads this week for you! As always! I sure do hope you feel better soon.

#193: Already up to page 2? Wow! I would recommend reading Oryx and Crake before The Year of the Flood if you have not already done so, Lynda. There are several mentions of the former book in the latter.

#194: Thanks, Linda.

Thanks for the advise, Stasia.

No problem!

Hi Stasia- I can't imagine how you would have done, if you had felt better! Impressive list! I have not read Atwood. The The Johnstown Flood looks very interesting!

#198: History buff that I am, I find all of McCullough's books interesting.

I had not read any Atwood until this year. I have now read 3: Oryx and Crake, The Penelopiad, and The Year of the Flood, and I liked them all. I have her Alias Grace on the agenda for next year.

OK, this is probably a stupid question that is answered somewhere, but I have no idea where. So, how do we thank our Secret Santa? I received the books, but the only
name on the receipt was Tim's, so how do I know who to thank?

Posting to the Kitchen too.

Good question. I've been wondering about that myself. Am I right in assuming that the tag on the box indicates the person who picked for me? (Haven't opened the box yet - saving it for Christmas Day.) If so, my Secret Santa lives about 7 or so miles away. All the people on LT - people from all around the world - and my SS lives in the next town!
Put The Johnstown Flood on the wishlist - looks good. I've been looking forward to reading Atwood's The Year of the Flood even though I was not a fan (not at all) of Oryx and Crake.

#201: I will be interested in your take on The Year of the Flood, Charlotte, since you did not like Oryx and Crake.

I have seen people thanking their Secret Santas on their profile pages, I just have not figured out how they found out who their Secret Santas were. I did not do the Secret Santa thing last year - this is my first year to do it, so I thought someone who may have done it before could spill the secret.

If you can't find your gifter's name on the shipping receipt, then after Christmas the SantaThing page will be unlocked so that you can view your own posting, including who chose your gifts (their comments will be outlined in a red box).

Well, unless Tim was my Secret Santa, which I seriously doubt, I guess I will have to wait until after Christmas to find out who it is. Thanks for enlightening the unenlightened, Ashley!

Or if you want, we can just tell you now. Everyone else can see your SantaThing page, after all....

Macbeth was my first introduction to Shakespeare, and remains a favorite. I think I'm due for a reread.

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy Peter Pan more; I read it to Brooks this year and have considered picking up others in the series.

Hope you're feeling better!

Glad that you liked the Sebald book- he wrote in a very interesting style!

I can see how Esther in Bleak House might have gotten annoying after a while. In my review, I called her 'the sweetest fictional character I have ever met' - but sometimes she was a little too sweet. And she needed a bit more self-confidence, lol...

Looks like another great reading week to me!

Hope you are feeling better.

Glad you liked The Year of the Flood, Stasia, and I wouldn't call that list entirely lightweight, btw!

Think I will seek out Lost Battalions for my husband as it sounds right up his book alley.

I can't imagine how you were able to get so much reading done while you were sick. Hope you're feeling better soon.

For not feeling well you did some great reading this week. I hope you're feeling better.

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy Peter Pan. I'll admit I haven't read it, but the theatre department at my university recently performed it and it was delightful. They did have to change the "Indians" to "Islanders", though, because we live in South Dakota. I forget who forbid us from doing the play with "Indians" (it was some sort of Native American delegation but I don't know the name). I think I prefer Islanders, myself. I always find it hard to read really racist books, even though I do know they're just a product of their times (books like Huckleberry Finn, etc...)

#205: Thanks for the thought, Zoe, but I think I will just wait. It is like one more package to unwrap after Christmas!

#206: As far as Peter Pan goes, Luxx, I think it is more my age than anything else. I am betting Brooks loved it - pirates and Indians both - and he would probably enjoy the rest of the series (I did not even know it was a series!), and then you have Max to read it to as well.

#207: Cyrel, was The Emigrants recommended on your thread? If it was, I apologize for not recognizing your recommendation - I do try to thank people when I know where the recommendation came from. You are right, Sebald did write in an interesting style and I am going to be looking for more of his books. I am sorry he died so young and will not be writing any more.

#208: Like I said, she was entirely too much of a ninny for me. Thanks for dropping in today, Angela!

#209: Thanks! I am feeling a bit better this evening.

#210: Lost Battalions is not just WWI history but is social history as well, so if your husband is into both, I would say it would be a book he would appreciate, Christine.

#211: The two biggies this week, Bleak House and Lost Battalions, were books I had been working on for a while, so the week looks better than it actually was.

#212: Thanks, Deborah.

#213: If you have not read it, RebeccaAnn, I recommend you give it a go and then you can decide for yourself whether or not you like it!

I had to read The Emigrants in college, but don't remember much about it. Some other Sebalds have interested me lately though, and I'll probably try and read either The Rings of Saturn or Austerlitz this upcoming year.

#217: I want to try and read more of Sebald as well, but The Emigrants is the only book my local library has of his. I will have to put the others on ILL.

I read Austerlitz recently - it was my first Sebald. I was much impressed, and certainly plan to read his other novels. In fact, Austerlitz made my best of the year list - see here.

#219: I am busily adding several of your 'bests' to the BlackHole. Thanks for the link, Ian.

214 - When I was looking for a copy of Peter Pan for B I found The Little White Bird and Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. I don't know anything about either, but they've been on my TBR list for awhile now.

Brooks and Max give me a great excuse to read books that I otherwise would have left on my list.

Are you working on any special holiday reads?

#221: I have a volume called Stories for Christmas by Charles Dickens that I want to read for the holiday (if I can ever get it back from Catey, who absconded with it because it contains A Christmas Carol). Other than that, no.

How about you?

I've been reading Brooks A Christmas Carol five pages at a time, and we'll finish it Wednesday night - just in time to read The Night Before Christmas on the 24th. But that's about it. My husband has been pushing A Short History of Nearly Everything at me for awhile now, and I finally picked it up for my own bedtime reading.

I read Short History last year, and short it is definitely not. I have no idea how you are managing it for bedtime reading! It is also not one of Bryson's best.

I enjoyed Mother Tongue, but I know a lot of people have a problem with it. I had started 13 Things That Don't Make Sense, but it wasn't really keeping my interest so I jumped over. Did you read Bryson's book on Shakespeare? I've seen it in stores, but I don't know that he's someone I'd trust the Bard to. ;)

Yes, I did read Bryson's book on Shakespeare. I would not recommend it really. Basically Bryson just tells us we do not know a whole lot about Shakespeare. The best thing about the book is that it is short :)

#223/224 I started reading A Short History of Nearly Everything a few weeks ago (it's been on my TBR pile for years too) and I have to say I agree that it's not one of his best - usually I'd have raced through something of his by now, instead, I'm just picking it up in dribs and drabs...

Re his Shakespeare, I'll second Stasia. It was a fun enough read, but it wasn't really particularly enlightening.

Stasia, thank you for reminding me about the Bone comics. I bought them as they came out for a long time, but tailed off at some point (I think it was when I went to University) - I've been meaning to catch up on them, but I have to work out where I left off first! ;)

Hello Stasia et al,

As I have not been posting reviews on my thread for a couple of months I thought you might like an update on my activities.

I have recently finished writing book number three, a crime novel called The Confession of Sandy Harris.

I have sent it to an agent who requested that I send it to him. He thought this was the most commercial of the three books I have written this year.

His initial reaction was that it was "an impressive piece of writing."!

I will let you all know if anything comes of it.

Thank you to all who encouraged and supported me throughout the year.

- TT

#227: flissp, I would think beginning at volume 1 on the Bone books and reading them again would be helpful so as not to lose the continuity of the story, but that's just me :) The local library here has volume 9 in (the final volume), but it is still 'in processing', so I have no idea when I might finally get my hands on it!

#228: TT!! Lovely to hear from you again. Linda and I were just talking the other night about you. I hope, despite all that is going on with you, that you are planning to join us in the 2010 group. Good luck with the book! Use me as a character! Kill me off! Send free copies stateside!! lol

HelloI'mOuttaHereGoodbye

*escapes without adding to Wishlist*

#230: That has got to be the shortest visit in the history of your short visits to my thread! LOL

I have to read The Johnstown Flood in the near future. I was in high school when the 1977 Johnstown Flood occurred, which killed a large number of people, though nowhere near as many as the 1889 flood. In medical school I would frequently take Amtrak to go from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia and back, and the train would stop in "Jawnstahn", which didn't seem to have changed much from the past 50-75 years. Once you see the layout of the town, with its steep hills and the location of the river, it's easy to understand how vulnerable it is to devastating floods.

The Emigrants is also going on my wish list.

#232: I hope you get a chance to read them both, Darryl. I look forward to your reviews!

The Emigrants might have been on my recommended list- I read all the W.G.Sebald books that I could find a few years ago. His style can be off putting to some readers- I recall ( and will have to go find the book to confirm) that one book seemed to be composed of one long sentence!

#234: One sentence? Wow!

Lightweight reading, she sez ... feeling ill, she sez....... and yet she still reads 10 books and 3 graphic novels in a week, and manages to add 2 books to my wishlist. *mutters under her breath*

I like Atwood's writings. Have you read The Handmaid's Tale yet? That's my next favorite of her books after Oryx and Crake. I've still got Cat's Eye on my TBR and I plan on reading that next year.

Hope you're feeling better, dear Stasia.

#236: Which 2 did you add to the wishlist? You did not say . . . Like I said in a previous message, two of the heavyweights for last week were books I had been reading a while and just managed to wrap up, so appearances are deceiving.

I have not yet read The Handmaid's Tale. The next Atwood up for me is Alias Grace, which I own, but I imagine I will be getting to The Handmaid's Tale next year. I look forward to your review of Cat's Eye. I do not know anything at all about that one.

Thanks for the good wishes. I am feeling better today.

I added The Year of the Flood and The Emigrants to my list.

Glad you're feeling better. Will you get to read as much over the Christmas holidays? I need to know, so that I can properly steel myself incase of an onslaught of recommendations from you

Ah, OK. I hope you enjoy them both!

>236 cameling:/>237 alcottacre: Cat's Eye is definitely in my personal list of all-time favourite books: she just catches the spirit of malign girlhood so perfectly. Not necessarily an easy read, but a powerful one. Have re-read it multiple times.

#240: I may give that one a shot after Alias Grace and The Handmaid's Tale. Thanks for the input, Rachael.

Cat's Eye is my favorite Atwood too!

I also enjoyed Cat's Eye and The Handmaid's Tale, although I'd say Alias Grace is my favourite. I'll second all the recommendations though!

I read my sister's A-level copy of Cat's Eye, so had all her accompanying notes in the margin of the book, which was quite amusing...

#229 Re Bone, you're probably right - the main problem is that I don't have the collections, I've got the original comics, so I think one or two "chapters" are missing... Must investigate over Christmas...

I've only read The Handmaid's Tale and The Blind Assassin. Enjoyed both, but the first was the better of the two, I think. I have Oryx and Crake, Bluebeard's Egg and Cat's Eye in the TBR box.

Stasia
I'm bringing some snow your way. As I write it is bitter cold! There are two cats that roam our neighborhood. The poor things look so darn cold and hungry this morning. I know if I feed them they will stay and then duplicate....

Still, I'm heading out with a bowl of something for them.....

Thanks for sending the snow my way, Linda, but it looks like I am getting it in the form of rain today :(

Stasia,
Maybe if I send you some from the piles from when I shoveled this morning, you could have enough to make your own little dancing snowman.

Sorry you were sick, Stasia, but I'm glad you're feeling better! I've added The Johnstown Flood to my wishlist. Thanks!

I didn't even notice the Bone graphic novels! Those will be going on my TBR for next year (along with all of Neil Gaiman's Sandman graphic novels). I do love a good graphic novel...

>229 alcottacre: Stasia, I have plans for another three books next year, so if I do join you next year I will not be posting full reviews - One is an historical novel based on Solomon to be called Solomon's Glory,requiring a lot of research, another is a non-fiction book to be called The Practice of the Disciplines which will cover a year of activities and the third will be another Dr Ratcher crime novel, to be called The Temptation of Anthony Stone. Dr. Ratcher is short for The Rev'd Dr. Roger Ratcher who is a forensic psychologist. A fascinating character.

I will gladly use you as a character and kill you off! If only I knew more about you. I am sure I will write about a book eater a some stage, suggest a title. What about The Bibliography of a Book Eater!

~ TT

#247: Thanks for the offer, Caroline! I will take you up on it.

#248: Thanks, Marcia! I am doing much better. I hope you get a chance to read The Johnstown Flood very soon.

#249: I have really enjoyed the Bone series. I hope you do too, RebeccaAnn.

#250: You could always make me a book collector who stumbles across a valuable book and gets killed for it :) All of the books you are doing sound wonderful, TT, and I wish you all the success in the world!

Popping in to wish you Merry Christmas and happy holidays, Stasia.

Stasia

You continue to be the brightest star on the tree! I'm ever so glad I have your friendship.

Merry Christmas!

Guess what we got for Christmas - snow!! In the 35 years I have lived in Texas, this makes the 2nd white Christmas (OK, so it is only Christmas Eve, but close enough) that I have had!

#253: Thanks, Caroline. I wish you that same!

#254: Right back at you :)

Merry Christmas, Stasia! I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday. You deserve it!

#256: Thank you so much, Marcia. I wish you the same!

Merry Christmas, Stasia!! I wish you just a teensy bit more snow. (Just enough to be pretty but not enough to make the roads slick.)

#258: We got about another inch or so after the picture was taken, Sherlyn, so your criteria was met!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas too!

Merry Christmas Stasia and woo hoo - a white Christmas!!

#260: Thanks, Cushla! I wish you the joy of the season as well!

ahhh Stasia a white Chrismas!

We have it too, first time since 1982 I think.
The snow started more than a week ago and today it is starting to melt.

Stasia- Merry Christmas! Congrats on the snow! We are are getting mostly rain in the Chicago area, although there is still snow on the ground too!

--> 254

I only sent you the snow you said you wanted. It's a bit of our snow from Maryland. When did it finally arrive, and why are you so surprised? :)

Merry Christmas, Stasia!

#262: Ours will be all melted off by this afternoon, Anita. *Unfortunately*

#263: It is a sad state of affairs when Texas is getting snow but Chicago is not! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas anyway, Mark.

#264: Thank you for the snow, Madeline! I love it - we received it last night, but it will be gone by this afternoon.

Yeah. I thought I'd surprise you with a white Christmas! :)

*throws snowball in a southwesterly direction*

*Catches snowball and pitches it back* Nice game of catch we have going here, despite it not being the right season!

Since you are responsible for the weather here in Texas, I am requesting a mild summer - no 100 degree days :)

A very merry Christmas to you too, Stasia!

*looks for snowball*

Are you sure you tossed it back to Maryland?

Since you are responsible for the weather here in Texas, I am requesting a mild summer - no 100 degree days

If I don't have it, how can I send it down to you? We have hot, humid summers. Want a bit of that?

Seriously, though. Do you have lots of 100-degree days?! Yikes!!

*thinks about hot weather with great wistfulness*

*remembers reading at the beach - background: soft winds, unruly waves, sparkling sand...*

#268: Thanks, Zoe!

#269: We have been known to have over 90 days straight of 100 degree temperatures. I do you not think you would be thinking of hot weather with any wistfulness then, Madeline :)

Merry Christmas Stasia!I'll see your snow and raise you another foot ;-)

--> 270

Hmmmm? Let me think that temperature over a bit. Hot and dry beats cold and wet to me any day.

#271: Merry Christmas to you too, Bonnie!

#272: I think cold and wet would win over 90+ days of 100+ temperatures personally :)

Merry Christmas, Stasia! Hope you had a wonderful day.

#274: I did, Emily, thank you very much. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas too!

Belated Merry/Happy, Stasia..all of the snow is gone, here..it rained all day yesterday..my driveway was a skating rink of wet ice..i stayed in by the fireplace...eating homemade vegetable soup...and Reading...best to you & yours

Jude

#276: Staying in by the fireplace sounds like a grand plan, Jude! I hope you were snug and warm :)

Weird snow system. In northern Chicagoland, we had snow a few days before Christmas. Freezing rain all day on 12/23, rain all day on Christmas Eve, and then snow on Christmas Day afternoon and now it's supposed to snow all day today.

Today's a great day to stay home and read.

Christmas day we still had a couple of feet of snow on the ground, and today it's all gone (a nice "warm" rain swept through starting late yesterday, so we got a white Christmas and now we're free of the burden). Hooray!

No way am I going to try to catch up here... not enough time..two of my kids are here...
I will catch up with you in 2010!

Take care... embrace happy!

#254 Here's how northern Minnesota does it. Christmas Eve:


And after dinner on Christmas night, it took 3 hours with snow blower and shovel to clear out the driveway and find my car.



I got lots of reading done!

wow that's a lot of snow! This winter has been so weird for me. I live in Ohio, and while it sounds like everywhere around us is covered in snow, we've had barely any at all.

I live in upstate NY, which is usually pretty snowy, but this year all we got for Christmas was rain and sleet!

--> 281

Well, Kathy, now that you've found your car in all that snow, how do you drive in it? :)

--> 284

I don't know. I haven't tried to drive anywhere yet. I'm waiting a couple more days until the City crews have cleaned the streets up a little more. I have plenty of books to keep me busy.

I copied this from usnmm2's Books off the Shelf challenge:

Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.
-- Arnold Lobel

I think all of us can relate!

*tiptoes in, peering fearfully around corners*

Oh! It's early enough on Sunday that I got here before Stasia empties the Temptation Truck all over! Glad you had a good Christmas, dear, and look forward to another trip here...wait, it's almost 2010!...ah, farewell fat old thread, I'll see everyone in the 2010er soon.

#287: I expect you back here Richard, after 5am CT Sunday morning (when I post the weekly list), you hear? You are not getting off that easily! Besides, I still have 4 more days until 2010.

This week's reads:

526. A Lady of Quality by Frances Hodgson Burnett -I tend to think of Burnett as a children's writer (The Secret Garden, etc), but this book is decidedly for adults and once you get around the somewhat archaic speaking style, pretty good; recommended

527. Ada by Vladimir Nabokov - Nabokov has firmly taken a place among my favorite authors, even though I had never read anything by him before last year; this book about the incestuous love between a half-brother and sister is very good and Nabokov's use of language is top-flight - this book bears a re-read because I know I did not catch everything Nabokov was saying the first time through; highly recommended

528. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld - young adult; I have no idea what the purpose of this book is other than to be the second book of a trilogy and it does not even hold up well then; disappointing and honestly, I think it could be skipped (and I am saying that without having read the third book yet)

529. Slay Bells by Kate Kingsbury - a nice enough mystery set at Christmas, nothing earth-shattering but a good way to spend a couple of hours; guardedly recommended

530. The Road by Cormac McCarthy - I have nothing to add to the multitude of reviews for this book other than to say 'I loved it!'; highly recommended and on my memorable reads list for the year

531. Bone Volume 9: Crown of Horns by Jeff Smith - graphic novel; a fitting, bittersweet ending to the Bone series of books; highly recommended

532. Stories for Christmas by Charles Dickens - this book contains not only A Christmas Carol, but several of Dickens' novellas and even more short stories; highly recommended, even if you read it for nothing more than A Christmas Carol

533. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver - nonfiction; I have been reading this book off and on for several months now and have really enjoyed Kingsolver's journey from consumer to producer; highly recommended

534. Fadeout by Joseph Hansen - the Dave Brandstetter series was recommended to me by Richard, who knows I enjoy a good mystery and this one was very good; recommended

535. T.H. White: A Biography by Sylvia Townsend Warner - nonfiction; I stumbled across this book while searching for others by Warner after having read her Lolly Willowes and enjoying it; this is a good biography of T.H. White, who wrote one of my all-time favorite books, The Once and Future King, although from other sources I have read there seems to be some controversy over Warner's claim that White was a sadistic homosexual; the letter that White wrote upon the death of his beloved dog Brownie is heartbreaking; recommended, despite the controversy (especially since it has no bearing whatsoever on White's writing ability!)

Nonfiction-wise, this week's reads brings me up to 144, so even if I do not hit my goal of 150 for the year, I am going to get awfully close. I am currently reading another nonfiction, Hunting Eichmann, but I think it may be my last nonfiction for the year. We shall see - I still have 4 more days left :)

I'm happy to see you loved The Road. Sometimes difficult to read it is still one of my all time favorite books simply because of the emotion it draws out of the reader.

I need to check into this Nabokov guy. Know he wrote Lolita but I've not read anything by him. On to the list anything my Nabokov goes.

Nice to read that you loved The road. Your reaction on Nabokov makes me curious. I have Lolita somewhere here. Should read it next year.

#290/291: I have not read Lolita yet. I have read, in addition to Ada, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight and Speak, Memory, Nabokov's autobiography, which is on my memorable reads list for the year. It is absolutely wonderful!

Stasia- I need to read more Nabokov also! I loved Lolita, maybe I can squeeze something in this coming year. I read several of Joseph Hansen "Brandstetter" mysteries many years ago and really enjoyed them. I'm due a re-read of The Once and Future King. I haven't read it since my school days but it has always been a favorite. I think that would make a good group read!

#293: I think The Once and Future King would make a terrific group read! I think I will float the idea in the 2010 75 books challenge group after we finish the Chronicles of Prydain. Are you in if we do it, Mark?

Yes, I would! How about sometime in the Spring? I'm all-ready hosting World Without End Jan 15th and Midnight's Children in March. BTW, can you join us for either?

#295: Not for World Without End - I barely made it through the first book of the series - did not care for it.

I will read Midnight's Children with you though - if I can find my copy!

Spring sounds good for The Once and Future King.

Hi stasia, more good books ;-)

BTW I've added some more info on the bug collector's next page in group thing.

I read Lolita for a banned book reading group I was trying to start, and I absolutely loved it. Onto the tower with Ada. Maybe I can find another free Kindle version...

I'm sure I'll be back before Thursday, but just in case I'm not I wanted to wish you a Happy New Year!

I see you read two books I enjoyed very much. The Road to me was excellent, but my husband didn't like it at all. Go figure!

I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle slowly month by month as I was participating in a CSA and harvesting vegetables from my own garden. I could relate to a great deal of what she said,
experiencing such things as the overabundance of tomatoes first-hand. I so much prefer Kingsolver's nonfiction to her fiction. I esepcially love her books of essays. Have you read any of those?

I have to say, I think Specials is worse than Pretties... he's also written a fourth related book, but I haven't even bothered to read it.

I read two Nabokov books this year, the light and humorous Pnin, and the utterly wonderful Lolita. I have Pale Fire on my nightstand and now, and, thanks to you Stasia, I will add Ada. I'm going to look for Speak, Memory that I will sneak into my All About Me (memoir) category in the 1010 challenge. Thanks Stasia.

Add me to the 75ers who will read Nabokov next year. I have had Lolita on the shelf for years, and I bought Pnin a few years ago, but haven't read either one. Ada will be added as well. Thanks, Stasia!

I've wanted to read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle for ages - nearly bought it for my sister-in-law's husband this Christmas. Glad to hear it's worth it.

Fair warning, all! Ada is huge, and iit's either addictive instantly or intolerable instantly. (A re-read is worth your time, dearest, and I can tell you that you'll see things you didn't even skim past that will have you chuckling.) Lolita is an excellent gateway drug, Pnin a good second fix, and I myownself like King, Queen, Knave better than Pale Fire...the high lasts longer.

Not that I've read any Nabokov, you understand.

The Road, bah. GOOD post-apocalyptic lit? Earth Abides. A Canticle for Leibowitz. Even Gather, Darkness! is good, though dated, and The Day of the Triffids still sends chills up my spine 35 years after my first read of it.

WHAT AM I DOING HERE?!? THERE IS A LIST! *flees*

I loved Lolita, Ada, and Pale Fire. I reread Lolita last year, and Pale Fire this year, so I'm due for a reread of Ada. I also hope to read Speak, Memory next year.

See you over on your 2010 thread next week!

#297: I will zip over to Bug Collector's here shortly and see if your additional help helps technologically challenged me.

#298: Thanks, Luxx! Happy New Year to you (and your boys) as well!!

#299: I have not read any of Kingsolver's essays to this point, but I do have her Last Stand: America's Virgin Lands on the list of books I am going to try and put on ILL next year. Is there any book of her essays in particular that you would recommend, Madeline?

#300: I have both books 3 & 4 of the series home from the library now. I want to finish the series because it irks me not to, but I must say that I am sorry to hear that is continues downhill after such a promising beginning.

#301: Bonnie, Speak, Memory is the master wordsmith at his best, IMHO. It does not read like a traditional biography, so be forewarned. I hope you enjoy it. I am hoping to get to Pnin and Pale Fire both next year.

#302: Darryl, I do hope you get the chance to read Nabokov in the upcoming year. He is decidedly worth the effort.

#303: Rachael, I think you would enjoy Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I hope you get a chance to read it soon. Thanks for dropping by!

#304: Yes, Richard, I am going to try and get a re-read of Ada in next year because I realized as I was reading it initially that I was missing things. The man was writing at 70 things that at 47 I do not understand yet I am sure. I have read Earth Abides and liked it very much, I own A Canticle for Leibowitz although I have not read it yet. The Day of the Triffids is already in the BlackHole and now I am adding Gather, Darkness!. I hope you are happy. My list nothing - you posted your own :)

#305: Thanks for stopping by, Deborah! I look forward to your thoughts on Speak, Memory in 2010.

Hi Stasia, belated Happy Christmas/New Year!

I'd like to pipe up and support the shifting of The Day of the Triffids up your monstrous TBR pile if I may? Great book (although I like The Chrysalids even better...)

#309: Hey, fliss, and Happy New Year to you, too! I am currently hunting for a copy of The Day of the Triffids, which my local library does not have. I have to order it before January 1st since I am not buying any books in 2010 (unless my hubby breaks down and gets me a gift card for my birthday!)

How can your local library not have it?!!!! They should be ashamed of themselves ;)

I'm sending mental waves to break down your husband's resolve... :)

Well, the good news is that I found a volume that contains both The Day of the Triffids and The Chrysalids. The bad news is my birthday is not until March, so your mental waves are going to have to work for while :)

I've been catching up on your thread. *sigh* I'm going to convert my TBR list to a scroll!!

#313: Sorry, Cindy. Look on the bright side - you only had 1 thread to catch up on!

Hey Stasia, I've been away from LT for awhile, so a belated congrats on reaching 500. Happy New Year.

Thanks, Mike! Happy New Year to you as well.

Ah... I see you shared my reaction to Pretties... so disappointing! I'm not eager to find the third one, that's for sure. The whole book was an excuse just to end up back where we started. Sigh.

I've already got Animal, Vegetable, Mineral somewhere in my TBR pile ... I'll try to get to it in 2010.... which is rapidly approaching.

#312 I haven't read Day of the Triffids for such a long time. I think I'm going to look for The John Wyndham Omnibus!

#318 Animal, Vegetable, Mineral can easily be read in sections to fit around all the other books you are reading, cameling.

Happy New Year!

#317: I am going to finish the series, but I have no idea what the purpose of book 2 was and it ticks me off that he put the book in there just so we end up at the same place we were in book 1. I mean really? Geesh.

#318: Caroline, as Ren says in her message, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is divided in such a way that it can easily be fit in around your other books. Give it a try!

#319: Thanks for coming by! I am looking forward to getting my hands on The Day of the Triffids as well, since to this point I have read exactly 1 book by Wyndham, and I cannot say that I was terribly impressed. I am hoping Triffids and Chrysalids redeem him for me.

Stasia - The Road and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle are two of my favorites! But I have never read anything by Nabokov - so he definitely goes on the TBR list.

Also, I read Small Wonder, a book of essays by Barbara Kingsolver, last year and highly recommend it.

I have so enjoyed your threads this year. I'm looking forward to 2010!

#321: Amy, thanks for the recommendation of Small Wonder. It even looks as though my local library has that one!

I am looking forward to 2010 - and your threads.

Small Wonder is wonderful! Enjoy that great book of essays, Kingsolver at her best.

I was able to pick up Small Wonder at the library today. I look forward to reading it - some time next year!

:)

Stasia. Your comment regarding Vladimir Nabokov is a strong recommendation. If you count him as one of your favorites then he must be great. I'll look forward to reading his works in 2010.

#326: I had never read anything of his prior to 2008, and now I completely entranced by his books. His use of language is just wonderful! I hope you get a chance to read his books next year. I am planning on reading at least 2: Pnin and Pale Fire.

Stasia--I'll be interested in your take on Pnin and Pale Fire. The main characters in each are very similar. Pnin is a straightforward narrative, though, and Pale Fire is structured as a long narrative poem with footnotes, where you read between the lines to get the story. So they are similar, but very different works. I read both this past year, and I'm wondering which you will like better.

#328: Deborah, since I am not overly fond of poetry, I would bet on Pnin, but with Nabokov, you never can tell!

With all that talk on The Day of the Triffids, I thought I'd mention the new 2-part BBC adaption of the book, that screened in th UK a few days ago. I haven't seen it yet, but it'll be hard to beat the atmospheric 1962 British film adaptation.

>330 petermc: I didn't watch it, Peter, but the general verdict on Twitter last night was not favourable - which is a shame, as the trailer looked really good.

I liked Pale Fire...but I read it yonks ago.

Stasia

As you can see by the link for my 2010 thread, there is a small band of mighty LTfriends who want to see you when/if you arrive in PA. How I hope this happens!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/79072

Same here, Stasia; if you're in the Philadelphia area and I happen to be visiting my parents I'd love to meet you in person, too!

Isn't there some reason that you *have* to visit your parents in July, Daryl? :)

If you ask my parents, the answer is definitely yes!

:)

#333ff: I am more than a little flattered by everyone! Wow! I am going to try my best to make it.

Happy New Year, Stasia! It's been great!!

Happy, Happy New Year, Stasia. :) Hope you don't have to work tonight.

Happy New Year, Stasia ... see you on the other thread starting tomorrow!

#339ff: Thanks guys! I will be doing one last post tonight with the reads through the end of the year and then I will meet you on the flip side. Happy New Year to you, too!

Not working tonight, Lynda - tomorrow is another story :)

Peace, love and good will all coming your way from me Stasia. I wish you the best in 2010.
big new year hug,
belva

Belva, have not heard from you in the longest time! I wish you all the best in the coming year, too.

Thank you and I hope you had a lovely Christmas and that 2010 will be everything you could possibly hope for.

Happy New Year Stasia

Frank does work this night, he just left. I will see him again in the morning.
So me and the Chows pretend it is just a night like any other ;-)

See you tomorrow in the 2010 group!

Anita

Just dropped in to wish you a Happy New Year.

Here's a big Happy New Year from moi...and the frozen penguin buddies in SE Ohio:


glitter-graphics.com

Happy New year, and I refuse refuse refuse to look at this thread ever again because you're putting up another Temptation Torture list. See you (for real! Cool!) in 2010!

Happy New Year Stasia. Wish I was going to be in SE Pennsylvania in July. What a party!

Happy New Year, Stasia, and I wish good reading to you for 2010!

Dear Stasia

You are such a joy and inspiration to me!

Happy New Year!!!!

Happy New Year! See you on the other side tomorrow.

My final weekly post of the year, believe it or not:

536. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom - nonfiction; I really enjoyed this book detailing the stories of 2 different men's lives; one of my favorite quotes from the rabbi talked about in the book, a very wise man IMO ''It is far more comforting to think God listened and said 'No' than to think that nobody's out there.'; highly recommended, not for the greatness of the writing, but for the character of the two men - on my 'memorable reads' list for the year

537. Hunting Eichmann by Neal Bascomb - nonfiction; a very good account, using info recently released, of the hunt for Eichmann who escaped the allies after WWII; one error in the book (the kind that drives me nuts!): the concentration camp at Ohrdruf was spelled 'Ohrdurf' - I hate that kind of error, which should have been caught in editing, surely; recommended, especially for WWII buffs

538. A Place of Execution by Val McDermid - Suslyn mentioned this book at the end of 2008 and I have finally gotten to it, an excellent police procedural; highly recommended (thanks, Susan!)

539. The Best American Short Stories of the Century edited by John Updike - I checked this book out of my local library to read one short story, Susan Glaspell's A Jury of Her Peers, and ended up reading the entire book over the course of about 6 months (I cannot tell you how many times I had it in and out of the library, lol); recommended

540. Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke - this was my ER book for September, which I finally got a couple of days ago; a pleasant enough addition to the series, but nothing remarkable; I do wish the author would finally resolve the love triangle one way or other, though!; guardedly recommended for fans of the series or cozy mysteries in general

541. Report from Ground Zero by Dennis Smith - nonfiction; a very good book describing the efforts of firefighters (primarily), police officers, and Port Authority offices during the 9/11 attacks and aftermath (thanks Terri for the recommendation!); I think the book would have been stronger without the second half of the book - the interviews in the first part of the book were strong enough to support it, IMHO; highly recommended

542. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare - young adult; the final book in the 'Mortal Instruments' series and a very good conclusion to the series; highly recommended, but read the first two before tackling this one!

OK, so final reckoning: 542 books completed, but I fell short of my goal of pages read (188,000) coming in at only 170,938; fell short of my goal of nonfiction reads (150) coming in at 148.

Overall, I am very pleased with my year's reading, thinking that the quality of my reading is definitely going up thanks to LT! I still have pedestrian tastes in my books, but I am continuing to expand my reading horizons.

I wish I could go to everyone individually and tell you how much your comments and discussions have both challenged and encouraged me this year. From the bottom of my heart 'Thank you!'

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Happy New Year!

Only 542? What have you been doing with your time? Maybe this year you'll do a little better. :-)
Happy New Year, Stasia!!

LOL Mark! You have a great New Year, too.

542! Just think how many you could have read if you were a speed reader! An amazing accomplishment, nonetheless.

Thanks, Charlie!

Hunting Eichmann goes on my list! Happy New Year, Stasia!!!

#361: I hope you like it when you have a chance to read it, Sherlyn. Happy New Year to you, too!

Loved The Road, wanted to pick up the Kingsolver book, and now I'll be picking up Ada. Sounds interesting. And congratulations on an inspirational year

Thanks, Andrea!

Happy New Year! I can't wait to see what you read this year although I don't think my TBR mountain can take it!

The Best American Short Stories of the Century?! Sounds enticing. I'll add it to my wishlist with the hope that the book lives up to its name.

#366: Bonnie, as with any short story collection there are going to be some that are not as good as others or that you do not like as well, but overall it is a very good collection. There were not any in there that I can honestly say I out and out hated. I hope you enjoy the book - it is a hefty one! BTW - the story I checked it out originally to read, A Jury of Her Peers, is excellent.

Belated Happy New Year Stasia! Hope you enjoy The Day of the Triffids more than the last John Wyndham, when you get to it!

...right, I'm over to the 2010 thread to fight a losing battle against keeping track - it may be a while before I surface!