Morphy's Mini-Challenge

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Morphy's Mini-Challenge

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1Morphidae
Editado: Jul 25, 2011, 7:06 pm

I'm STILL trying to complete my old 888 challenge, so this is right up my alley.

Completed: 24 of 25

1001 Fantasy Books to Read before You Are Turned into a Newt DONE
1. War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
2. Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
3. Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
4. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
5. Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart

111 Science Fiction Books to Read before a SuperNova Kills Us All DONE
1. The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
2. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
3. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
4. The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin
5. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

50 State Challenge DONE
1. My Antonia by Willa Cather
2. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
3. Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
4. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
5. Years by LaVyrle Spencer

Stephen King
1. Eyes of the Dragon
2. Misery
3. The Tommyknockers
4. The Drawing of the Three
5.

Ultimate Reading List DONE
1. Christy by Catherine Marshall
2. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
3. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
4. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
5. The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

2Morphidae
Set 17, 2010, 2:52 pm

Once I've finished with The Girl Who Played with Fire, I'll be starting War for the Oaks by Bull for the 1001 Fantasy List.

On my pile I also have Jitterbug Perfume for the fantasy list and Eyes of the Dragon for King.

3ThrillerFan
Set 17, 2010, 3:09 pm

Morphidae,

Glad you joined. I see there are others aside from myself that just don't have the time do be doing exponential amounts of reading (i.e. 64 books in '08, 81 in '09, 100 in '10, 121 in '11, etc.).

I've got a 4 1/2 month old daughter, a full time 40-hour a week job, and many chess tournaments (my primary hobby), that I'm lucky if I get 20 done in a year.

I did 19 I think in 2009, and tried to do the 1010 from November '09 to October '10, set up 10x3, and just finished the 15th or 16th book with a month and a half left. Never going to get 14 more books done.

Therefore, I set this up, and put my goal of 25 books at End of Year 2011.

Glad to have you on board! You know anyone that wants to do 100 books in a month? :-)

4Morphidae
Set 17, 2010, 3:25 pm

LOL. I read 200+ books a year, but 100 in a month would be beyond me. The most I've read in a month is 30-something. My problem is keeping focus on my challenges. I have so many that they all get sorely neglected.

5christina_reads
Set 19, 2010, 7:22 pm

I am planning to read War for the Oaks for this challenge too! I'll be interested to see what you think! :)

6Morphidae
Set 21, 2010, 5:02 pm

I'm going to give War for the Oaks by Emma Bull seven out of ten stars. It was running a solid eight until the last battle which was given a total of two pages and felt like a total wimp out. I didn't like Eddie at first, she seemed wimpy and emotionally immature. But as I "got to know her," she became more likable. One "surprise" bad guy, wasn't a surprise at all. It was a good enough story though that I spent the afternoon reading it instead of working on other tasks. "Just one more chapter..." turned into finishing the book.

7Morphidae
Set 27, 2010, 7:15 am

I zipped through Eyes of the Dragon yesterday. I found it a good read except for the quickly-over climax. It felt... anti-climatic. Like King said, "Oops, I have to finish the book in 5 pages. Okay, done!"

Still, I'd give it 7 out of 10 stars.

8ThrillerFan
Editado: Set 28, 2010, 11:36 am

Morphidae, I tried to read it a while ago. I didn't like the fact that it jumped around all over the place, especially in the beginning, and I found it hard to follow. It's the only book by King from Carrie to Rose Madder (didn't read anything of his more recent than that) that I actually ended up putting down.

My favorites by King were:

1) Christine
2) Pet Sematary
3) Fire Starter
4) The Shining
5) Needful Things
6) Rose Madder
7) Insomnia
8) The Dark Half
9) Gerald's Game
10) It

My 5 least favorite, aside from The Eyes of the Dragon, were:

1) Misery (too repetitive)
2) The Long Walk (too predictable)
3) Carrie (the writing was a little shaky if you ask me)
4) Dolores Claiborne (never been a big fanatic of books written in the first person - also, it's a woman in an interview talking about her past, rather read something that is happening right then)
5) The Dead Zone (flow of the book wasn't his best)

Then you have those I consider "ok":

Cujo
The Tommyknockers
Thinner

I didn't read any other Bachman books besides Thinner and The Long Walk, but if I missed any others written before 1994, they were probably "ok", not great enough or bad enough to remember them.

If you asked me which was the scariest one, while many would say Pet Sematary, I'd say The Shining.

9Morphidae
Set 28, 2010, 11:56 am

Interesting. I disliked Gerald's Game so much I didn't pick up another King for decades other than re-reads of The Stand. I loved The Long Walk and wasn't that impressed with The Shining. I agree It was fantastic. Firestarter and The Stand are some of my King favorites.

10ThrillerFan
Editado: Set 28, 2010, 1:38 pm

Morphidae,

Can't tell just from looking at your profile if you are a man or a woman (I would guess a woman from the picture), but if you are a woman, I can see exactly why you'd hate Gerald's Game. It's one of those books that would give a man very vivid imaginations (especially those that were single at the time of reading it, like me), and turn off any woman as it's one of those books that's kinda like strip clubs or Hooters restaurants...somewhat demeaning to women.

I actually never read The Stand.

Just out of sheer curiousity, what did you find so interesting about The Long Walk? When I read the first chapter or 2, I knew that there would be bathroom delimmas, weather delimmas, and the main character would win. Just wondering what made it interesting.

Surprised you didn't like The Shining. There's the humor part of it (i.e. Animal Shrubs, kinda like the pissing act in The Long Walk), and there was the scary parts (i.e. The Walls, The "Red Rum" (217), and what was in that room - kinda like the scary act by Gabe {or Gage, don't recall} at the end of Pet Sematary).

I put "It" at 10th instead of 1st because there were some parts that could have been shaved out of the book. Probably could have turned a 1090-page book to an 800-page book and still convey the same message.

As for Firestarter, did you ever see the movie? I've seen the movie for 1408 (never read the book), Firestarter, Christine, and Needful Things. Seemed kinda weird seeing Drew Barrymore as a little girl (I may have watched ET as a kid, but don't remember it - everything else I saw by her she was an adult).

If you haven't read Christine yet, I'd highly recommend that one. It's about a car that kills anybody that doesn't trust it. It knows who has faith in it, and who doesn't!

Also, if you like Greek Mythology, read Rose Madder if you haven't yet. It's about a woman leaving her abusive husband, who goes looking out for her trying to recapture her, and in her escape, she gets involved in a maze, needless to say, with a minotaur in it (kinda tells you which greek myth it's tied in with). Unlike Gerald's Game, where the whole book is demeaning to women, this is about 1 person that has no respect for Women, but the rest of the characters are all fighting for Women's Rights, and even one major setting in the book is a Women's Shelter that specifically aims to give women confidence and freedom. Great book.

11Morphidae
Set 28, 2010, 1:46 pm

I have no problems with S/M content, in fact, some of my favorite fantasy books have BDSM themes. I found Gerald's Game to simply be boring.

I've read Christine. Wasn't impressed. I'm reading King in order so I'll eventually get to Rose Madder.

I liked reading about the dilemmas. :)

Yes, I've seen the movie Firestarter. The only movie made from a King book that I think is good is The Shawshank Redemption. Others are okay, if not horrible.

12Morphidae
Set 30, 2010, 5:31 pm

I finished the re-read of Jitterbug Perfume. I had kept the copy for "sentimental reasons" when we did a book purge. I remember enjoying very much a couple of decades ago. But I found it waxed a little too philosophical for me this time. I wanted more story and less soap-boxing.

13Morphidae
Out 10, 2010, 8:54 pm

The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
7 out of 10 stars
Amazing how his stuff holds up.

My Antonia by Willa Cather
8 out of 10 stars
Solid writing. If I had cared just a little more about Antonia would have gotten a "9."

14Morphidae
Out 17, 2010, 1:51 pm

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
Read this because it was on a few of my lists, especially Ultimate Reading List. Excellent story. Emotional and endearing. Was able to relate to her weight and depression. Fun with actress friend - only thing missing was a book buying spree! I don't typically do chick lit, otherwise I would have rated it even higher.
8 out of 10 stars

15Morphidae
Editado: Nov 9, 2010, 7:40 pm

Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
7 out of 10 stars
Usual Butcher darkness and intensity but it's a PIG BOY story and I love pig boy stories.
Read because I like Butcher.

Christy by Catherine Marshall
8 out of 10 stars
Enjoyed it a lot. Surprised me because it is "Christian Fiction" from the 60s. A very liberal version I must admit.
Read for the Ultimate Book List.

16Morphidae
Nov 21, 2010, 2:57 pm

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
7 out of 10 stars
Read because it was on several of my lists
I didn't like how depressing it was. I liked the magical parts and the story. It wasn't an easy read but the language, something I don't normally notice, was lovely.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (audio book)
8 out of 10 stars
Read because it was on several of my lists
Narrator was excellent - there were several accents she had to deal with - Spanish, Russian, American, etc. Very well done.

Great story-telling. Would have given a higher rating if it wasn't "literary," i.e. depressing ending.

17Morphidae
Jan 20, 2011, 8:14 am

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
Moving. Funny. Bloody. Loved "the ancient scholar with a slight character flaw." Didn't get a 10 because it felt a bit episodic, but otherwise a fabulous book.
9 out of 10

Misery by Stephen King
I put off reading this for weeks if not months. I was not looking forward to this one at all. The thought of one person torturing another for a full novel was not my idea of a good time. It ended up being one of the best King's I've read so far. My favorite parts were when Paul was alone and either thinking about the past or Annie's behavior. I also liked how he learned about Annie's history. Misery is a character in a novel, a pig, and the tone of the book - this amused me. (I keep thinking of things I liked - how Paul's mind set changed throughout his ordeal, his panic made ME panic.)
8 out of 10 stars

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
I should rate this higher because of historical value but can't say I much enjoyed reading it. Found it tedious.
6 out of 10 stars

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
The writing was good enough and the story mostly kept my interest but the main character was annoying as hell for the first half of the book - shop, complain about shopping, shop, complain about shopping, shop, complain about shop, etc. At least there was some character growth near the end.
6 out of 10 stars

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
I had a hard time rating this one. I like the style. Proulx did an excellent job at setting mood. Yet... yet... I didn't like the characters much. They grated at me. Quoyle squicked me out. I wouldn't want to have him as a friend, much less even know him. The girls were creepy and the aunt seems uncaring. Not a pleasant read. I felt icky when done. (Don't you like all my technical literary terms?)
7 out of 10 stars

18Morphidae
Jan 29, 2011, 8:01 am

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Stories are interesting enough but they seem to have lost a bit of the charm I remember. Asimov is more about the story than the people. I must be confusing him with Heinlein in my memory. The suck fairy brushed it a tiny bit, but then flew away.
7 out of 10 stars

19Morphidae
Fev 4, 2011, 6:48 pm

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
Eh, it's a kid's book. I felt it lacked in comparison to The Black Stallion which I adored. Perhaps it's aimed at a younger set. It was written in such a way, I kept expecting to see every sentence end in exclamations! The style was a bit simplistic even for a children's book.
6 out of 10 stars

20Morphidae
Fev 13, 2011, 7:39 pm

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
The summary and the character names are about all that is in common between this book and the movie, Blade Runner. I think I would have rated this book higher if I could have gotten the movie out of my head. I l kept thinking "but the movie had it all wrong." This book is about racism and what makes us human.
7 out of 10 stars

21cbfiske
Fev 14, 2011, 12:24 pm

I've never read this one. You've made me want to pick it up.

22Morphidae
Mar 7, 2011, 1:51 pm

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
Not as fun as Anne of Green Gables. Rebecca didn't have much of a personality and the story was rather slow and preachy.
6 out of 10 stars

23Morphidae
Mar 8, 2011, 9:33 am

The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin
I’ve read the Earthsea novels and The Left Hand of Darkness which I thought were good. However, I barely made it through The Dispossessed. Too much politics, too much philosophy, too little plot. I liked learned about the two societies but I could have done without the pages of preaching. I’m hoping to like Darkship Thieves (next Book Club read) or I may drop out of this challenge because I didn’t like Dust (previous Book Club read) either. Maybe this genre just isn’t my cup of tea. We’ll see.
5 out of 10 stars

24Morphidae
Mar 17, 2011, 6:56 pm

Years by LaVyrle Spencer
Beautiful. Loved all the characters. The romance obstacle was solved a little too easily but otherwise a lovely story if a bit sad near the end when a blizzard and a plague take their toll.
8 out of 10 stars

25Morphidae
Abr 12, 2011, 8:09 pm

The Tommyknockers by Stephen King
Opinion: SPOILERS. Meh. Not one of his best. While the story-telling is, as always, top-notch, there was no one to root for. Near everyone mentioned dies and I found I just didn't care.
6 out of 10 stars

26Morphidae
Maio 15, 2011, 12:41 pm

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Opinion: You know it's not good when you wonder when you wish it were over. I finished the book because the story was interesting enough but her style and dialogue were rather tedious. She tried too hard to be humorous in the current time and in the past, everything was confusing. It had potential but needed tighter writing and an editor's heavy hand.
5 out of 10 stars

27Morphidae
Jul 25, 2011, 7:07 pm

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King
Opinion: This would have gotten a lower rating for being slightly tedious; however, reading King is like eating potato chips. You just want a little more, please. I'm not sure what it is about his writing but you feel compelled to continue. Perhaps because his characters are so interesting even if what they are doing is boring.
7 out of 10 stars