50 Book Challenge 2010

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I've done about 200 books so far this year.

[hotshoe]

Funny, almost the only post I regret losing from RDnet was the 50 book challenge. So, here is mine:

The Snack Thief - Andrea Camilleri; translated by Stephen Sartarelli
Third in a series of detective novels about a Sicilian detective, Inspector Montalbano

Stitch'n bitch : the Knitter's Handbook - Debbie Stoller

The City & the City - China Miéville
Mind-bending story about a city divided amongst two nations

The Light Fantastic - Terry Pratchett
An early discworld novel

Rain Gods - James Lee Burke
crime thriller set in Texas, by the great James Lee Burke -- but it's marred by improbable coincidences and much repetition of themes

Ringworld - Larry Niven
science fiction classic I have read three (or four?) times, but not in this millenium. Holds up pretty well, with interesting speculations about the tradeoff between lucky genes and free will

Ringworld Engineers - Larry Niven
after re-reading Ringworld, I wanted to re-read the sequel as well. Less philosophical than the first.

Tripoint - C.J. Cherryh
Maybe the least interesting of the Merchanter novels, marred by emphasis on how being fathered by a rapist had damaged the protagonist Tom Bowe-Hawkins. Nonetheless, compelling.

Foreigner - C. J. Cherryh
The first book of the "Foreigner universe" where human colonists are stranded on a planet inhabited by an alien civilization, the Atevi, who have no feelings of love or affection but an overruling concept of duty and loyalty. The only human character in most of the book is the translator/paidhi Bren Cameron.

Invader - C. J. Cherryh
Second book, where Bren Cameron suddenly has to deal with the appearance of a human space ship in orbit and the reactions to it in both Atevi and human colonial politics

Inheritor - C. J. Cherryh
Third in this series, with more overt action, as war is threatened by conservatives on both sides

Echo Burning - Lee Childs
Jack Reacher. Great modern noir fiction. This one is a little different, set in border Texas with home-grown criminals having nothing to do with Reacher's military past. Probably not the best introduction to Childs' writing if not already a fan, though, too much driving around and griping about the heat.

The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
A young-adult fantasy/adventure story about the modern-day half-blood children of the Greek gods and their battle to defend Olympus against the powerful TItans. Reads like a movie.

The Star Fraction - Ken MacLeod
A political science-fiction novel of a Balkanized UK set in about 2040 AD. But political maneuverings, including the national revolution, are dominated by a deus-ex-machina, an independent AI which has replicated itself everywhere in the computer networks.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
Well, I had not ever read it, and now I have.

The Illustrated A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking
Having already read A Brief History of Time when it was first published, this was a refresher course, and I really enjoyed the enhancement of the illustrations.

A Dirge for Sabis - Leslie Fish with C.J. Cherryh
Excellent tale of "natural philosophy" and the birth of technology when the empire falls and only the facade of powerful wizardry holds a promise of peace and safety. None of Cherryh's voice is noticeable.

Reap the Whirlwind - Mercedes Lackey with Cherryh
Stupid book set later than Dirge for Sabis in a society where there has been no progress in spite of the Order (of science/wizards) having survived in their safe refuge. Fortunately a very short book.

A Year Down Yonder - Richard Peck
Newberry Medal-winning tale set in a small rural town where 15-year-old Alice is sent to live with her Grandma Dowdel when her family in Chicago was displaced in the Great Depression. Charming and earthy, well worth reading.

The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin
Another Newberry Medal winner - a tightly constructed "murder" mystery which turns out not to have a murder, with a happy ending for the sixteen "heirs" of Sam Westing, especially for 13-year-old Turtle who figures out Eastman's place in the puzzle.

Persuader - Lee Child
Seventh Jack Reacher novel is a little creepier, with Reacher realizing that a criminal he left for dead a decade ago is somehow still alive and running an untouchable smuggling operation. The opening kidnap scene is worth re-reading more than once; in fact, the whole book is worth re-reading. But the abuse of female characters might give rise to nightmares. (Of course, the criminals - all males - get what they deserve).

Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle - ed. Dunning, Lueders, Smith
Hmm. 142 pages of 20th century poetry. That's a lot to digest. Does not include any of my favorites but there are a few intriguing word-images.

[hotshoe]

Funny, almost the only post I regret losing from RDnet was the 50 book challenge. So, here is mine:

The Snack Thief - Andrea Camilleri; translated by Stephen Sartarelli
Third in a series of detective novels about a Sicilian detective, Inspector Montalbano

Stitch'n bitch : the Knitter's Handbook - Debbie Stoller

The City & the City - China Miéville
Mind-bending story about a city divided amongst two nations

The Light Fantastic - Terry Pratchett
An early discworld novel

Rain Gods - James Lee Burke
crime thriller set in Texas, by the great James Lee Burke -- but it's marred by improbable coincidences and much repetition of themes

Ringworld - Larry Niven
science fiction classic I have read three (or four?) times, but not in this millenium. Holds up pretty well, with interesting speculations about the tradeoff between lucky genes and free will

Ringworld Engineers - Larry Niven
after re-reading Ringworld, I wanted to re-read the sequel as well. Less philosophical than the first.

Tripoint - C.J. Cherryh
Maybe the least interesting of the Merchanter novels, marred by emphasis on how being fathered by a rapist had damaged the protagonist Tom Bowe-Hawkins. Nonetheless, compelling.

Foreigner - C. J. Cherryh
The first book of the "Foreigner universe" where human colonists are stranded on a planet inhabited by an alien civilization, the Atevi, who have no feelings of love or affection but an overruling concept of duty and loyalty. The only human character in most of the book is the translator/paidhi Bren Cameron.

Invader - C. J. Cherryh
Second book, where Bren Cameron suddenly has to deal with the appearance of a human space ship in orbit and the reactions to it in both Atevi and human colonial politics

Inheritor - C. J. Cherryh
Third in this series, with more overt action, as war is threatened by conservatives on both sides

Echo Burning - Lee Childs
Jack Reacher. Great modern noir fiction. This one is a little different, set in border Texas with home-grown criminals having nothing to do with Reacher's military past. Probably not the best introduction to Childs' writing if not already a fan, though, too much driving around and griping about the heat.

The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
A young-adult fantasy/adventure story about the modern-day half-blood children of the Greek gods and their battle to defend Olympus against the powerful TItans. Reads like a movie.

The Star Fraction - Ken MacLeod
A political science-fiction novel of a Balkanized UK set in about 2040 AD. But political maneuverings, including the national revolution, are dominated by a deus-ex-machina, an independent AI which has replicated itself everywhere in the computer networks.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
Well, I had not ever read it, and now I have.

The Illustrated A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking
Having already read A Brief History of Time when it was first published, this was a refresher course, and I really enjoyed the enhancement of the illustrations.

A Dirge for Sabis - Leslie Fish with C.J. Cherryh
Excellent tale of "natural philosophy" and the birth of technology when the empire falls and only the facade of powerful wizardry holds a promise of peace and safety. None of Cherryh's voice is noticeable.

Reap the Whirlwind - Mercedes Lackey with Cherryh
Stupid book set later than Dirge for Sabis in a society where there has been no progress in spite of the Order (of science/wizards) having survived in their safe refuge. Fortunately a very short book.

A Year Down Yonder - Richard Peck
Newberry Medal-winning tale set in a small rural town where 15-year-old Alice is sent to live with her Grandma Dowdel when her family in Chicago was displaced in the Great Depression. Charming and earthy, well worth reading.

The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin
Another Newberry Medal winner - a tightly constructed "murder" mystery which turns out not to have a murder, with a happy ending for the sixteen "heirs" of Sam Westing, especially for 13-year-old Turtle who figures out Eastman's place in the puzzle.

Persuader - Lee Child
Seventh Jack Reacher novel is a little creepier, with Reacher realizing that a criminal he left for dead a decade ago is somehow still alive and running an untouchable smuggling operation. The opening kidnap scene is worth re-reading more than once; in fact, the whole book is worth re-reading. But the abuse of female characters might give rise to nightmares. (Of course, the criminals - all males - get what they deserve).

Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle - ed. Dunning, Lueders, Smith
Hmm. 142 pages of 20th century poetry. That's a lot to digest. Does not include any of my favorites but there are a few intriguing word-images.

Dragonwings - Laurence Yep
Young-adult novel about a Chinese man who builds the first airplane in California, just after the great 1906 earthquake, narrated by his son who has emigrated from their village to join his father in the laundry in San Francisco's chinatown. Based (very loosely) on a true story, with accurate period details while being a sensitive portrait of what it must have felt like to grow up in "Land of Golden Mountain".

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
I have read this before, but for some reason this time through I was annoyed by the over-sentimental characters and melodrama. Of course, without sentiment, Carlton would have no reason to sacrifice himself in exchange for Darnay ... still, tedious to a cynical modern view.

[JOZeldenrust]

1) F. Bordewijk, Bint
2) M. Pessl, Special topics in calamity physics
3) J. Zwagerman, Duel
4) Euripides, Ifigeneia in Aulis
5) Euripides, Elektra
6) Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely loud and incredibly close
7) Multatuli, Max Havelaar
8) J.K. Oudendijk, William III, stadtholder of Holland, King of England
9) J. de Decker, Goede vrydag ofte Het lijden onses heeren Jesu Christi (Good friday or the suffering of our lord Jesus Christ)
10) H.S. Haasse, Oeroeg
11) W.F. Hermans, Among professors
12) J. Slauerhoff, The Isle of Spring and Other Stories
13) J. Slauerhoff, Strange Bedfellows
14) F. Bordewijk, Cubes
15) F. Bordewijk, Knorrende Beesten (Burling Beasts)

[JOZeldenrust]

1) F. Bordewijk, Bint
2) M. Pessl, Special topics in calamity physics
3) J. Zwagerman, Duel
4) Euripides, Ifigeneia in Aulis
5) Euripides, Elektra
6) Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely loud and incredibly close
7) Multatuli, Max Havelaar
8) J.K. Oudendijk, William III, stadtholder of Holland, King of England
9) J. de Decker, Goede vrydag ofte Het lijden onses heeren Jesu Christi (Good friday or the suffering of our lord Jesus Christ)
10) H.S. Haasse, Oeroeg
11) W.F. Hermans, Among professors
12) J. Slauerhoff, The Isle of Spring and Other Stories
13) J. Slauerhoff, Strange Bedfellows
14) F. Bordewijk, Cubes
15) F. Bordewijk, Knorrende Beesten (Burling Beasts)
16) H. Mulisch, The Assault
17) W.F. Hermans, Het Behouden Huis (The Preserved House)
18) G. Reve, The fall of the Boslowits family
19) Vanden Levene ons Heren (Of the Life of Our Lord)

[anna09]

1. The Stuff of Thought- Steven Pinker
2. The Nurture Assumption- Judith Rich Harris
3. The Big Sleep- Raymond Chandler
4. Catcher in the Rye- Salinger
5. Evil Genes- Barbara Oakley
6. Nomad- Ayaan Hirsi Ali
7. The Language Instinct- Steven Pinker
8. Hitch-22- Christopher Hitchens
9. Why Evolution is True- Jerry Coyne
10. Comet- Carl Sagan
11. The Psychopath: Emotion and the Brain
12. No Two Alike- Judith Rich Harris
13. Don't Shoot the Dog: The New Art of Teaching and Training- Karen Pryor

[The Curious Squid]

I started this first back on RDF didn't realise it was still going!

Sadly, I don't read that much any more this year, I've read about 5 books.

[anna09]

I started this first back on RDF didn't realise it was still going!

Sadly, I don't read that much any more this year, I've read about 5 books.

College is getting in the way of my reading.

[Pappa]

I started this first back on RDF didn't realise it was still going!

Sadly, I don't read that much any more this year, I've read about 5 books.

I used to devour books.... now I hardly read at all. I blame the intertubes.

[anna09]

1. The Stuff of Thought- Steven Pinker
2. The Nurture Assumption- Judith Rich Harris
3. The Big Sleep- Raymond Chandler
4. Catcher in the Rye- Salinger
5. Evil Genes- Barbara Oakley
6. Nomad- Ayaan Hirsi Ali
7. The Language Instinct- Steven Pinker
8. Hitch-22- Christopher Hitchens
9. Why Evolution is True- Jerry Coyne
10. Comet- Carl Sagan
11. The Psychopath: Emotion and the Brain
12. No Two Alike- Judith Rich Harris
13. Don't Shoot the Dog: The New Art of Teaching and Training- Karen Pryor
14. The Moral Landscape- Sam Harris

[JOZeldenrust]

1) F. Bordewijk, Bint
2) M. Pessl, Special topics in calamity physics
3) J. Zwagerman, Duel
4) Euripides, Ifigeneia in Aulis
5) Euripides, Elektra
6) Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely loud and incredibly close
7) Multatuli, Max Havelaar
8) J.K. Oudendijk, William III, stadtholder of Holland, King of England
9) J. de Decker, Goede vrydag ofte Het lijden onses heeren Jesu Christi (Good friday or the suffering of our lord Jesus Christ)
10) H.S. Haasse, Oeroeg
11) W.F. Hermans, Among professors
12) J. Slauerhoff, The Isle of Spring and Other Stories
13) J. Slauerhoff, Strange Bedfellows
14) F. Bordewijk, Cubes
15) F. Bordewijk, Knorrende Beesten (Burling Beasts)
16) H. Mulisch, The Assault
17) W.F. Hermans, Het Behouden Huis (The Preserved House)
18) G. Reve, The fall of the Boslowits family
19) Vanden Levene ons Heren (Of the Life of Our Lord)
20) F. Kellendonk, Mystiek Lichaam (Mystical Body)
21) H. Hoeken, J. Hornikx, L. Hustinx, Overtuigende Teksten (Persuasive Texts)

[anna09]

1. The Stuff of Thought- Steven Pinker
2. The Nurture Assumption- Judith Rich Harris
3. The Big Sleep- Raymond Chandler
4. Catcher in the Rye- Salinger
5. Evil Genes- Barbara Oakley
6. Nomad- Ayaan Hirsi Ali
7. The Language Instinct- Steven Pinker
8. Hitch-22- Christopher Hitchens
9. Why Evolution is True- Jerry Coyne
10. Comet- Carl Sagan
11. The Psychopath: Emotion and the Brain
12. No Two Alike- Judith Rich Harris
13. Don't Shoot the Dog: The New Art of Teaching and Training- Karen Pryor
14. The Moral Landscape- Sam Harris
15. The Varieties of Scientific Experience- Carl Sagan

[JOZeldenrust]

1) F. Bordewijk, Bint
2) M. Pessl, Special topics in calamity physics
3) J. Zwagerman, Duel
4) Euripides, Ifigeneia in Aulis
5) Euripides, Elektra
6) Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely loud and incredibly close
7) Multatuli, Max Havelaar
8) J.K. Oudendijk, William III, stadtholder of Holland, King of England
9) J. de Decker, Goede vrydag ofte Het lijden onses heeren Jesu Christi (Good friday or the suffering of our lord Jesus Christ)
10) H.S. Haasse, Oeroeg
11) W.F. Hermans, Among professors
12) J. Slauerhoff, The Isle of Spring and Other Stories
13) J. Slauerhoff, Strange Bedfellows
14) F. Bordewijk, Cubes
15) F. Bordewijk, Knorrende Beesten (Burling Beasts)
16) H. Mulisch, The Assault
17) W.F. Hermans, Het Behouden Huis (The Preserved House)
18) G. Reve, The fall of the Boslowits family
19) Vanden Levene ons Heren (Of the Life of Our Lord)
20) F. Kellendonk, Mystiek Lichaam (Mystical Body)
21) H. Hoeken, J. Hornikx, L. Hustinx, Overtuigende Teksten (Persuasive Texts)
22) W. Elsschot, Soft Soap
23) W. Elsschot, The Leg

[anna09]

1. The Stuff of Thought- Steven Pinker
2. The Nurture Assumption- Judith Rich Harris
3. The Big Sleep- Raymond Chandler
4. Catcher in the Rye- Salinger
5. Evil Genes- Barbara Oakley
6. Nomad- Ayaan Hirsi Ali
7. The Language Instinct- Steven Pinker
8. Hitch-22- Christopher Hitchens
9. Why Evolution is True- Jerry Coyne
10. Comet- Carl Sagan
11. The Psychopath: Emotion and the Brain
12. No Two Alike- Judith Rich Harris
13. Don't Shoot the Dog: The New Art of Teaching and Training- Karen Pryor
14. The Moral Landscape- Sam Harris
15. The Varieties of Scientific Experience- Carl Sagan
16. Death by Black Hole- Neil Degrasse Tyson

[anna09]

1. The Stuff of Thought- Steven Pinker
2. The Nurture Assumption- Judith Rich Harris
3. The Big Sleep- Raymond Chandler
4. Catcher in the Rye- Salinger
5. Evil Genes- Barbara Oakley
6. Nomad- Ayaan Hirsi Ali
7. The Language Instinct- Steven Pinker
8. Hitch-22- Christopher Hitchens
9. Why Evolution is True- Jerry Coyne
10. Comet- Carl Sagan
11. The Psychopath: Emotion and the Brain
12. No Two Alike- Judith Rich Harris
13. Don't Shoot the Dog: The New Art of Teaching and Training- Karen Pryor
14. The Moral Landscape- Sam Harris
15. The Varieties of Scientific Experience- Carl Sagan
16. Death by Black Hole- Neil Degrasse Tyson
17. Billions and Billions- Carl Sagan