2009 Challenge - Biblioholic29

I managed 48 books in the 9 months I gave myself last year, so I'm hoping I'm up for 75 books in 12 months!

Welcome to the group!

Hey, biblioholic29!
You can do it! I started late last year, too! Since I'm blessed with a good memory for books, I was able to retrace my reading and record most of what I'd read in prior months, thankfully, and barely made the challenge. It's great that you managed 48 books in the time you had! I'll look forward to seeing your progress this year!

Welcome back!

Hope you find some great stuff to read as you work toward your goal.

1. Title: Jumble Pie
Author: Melanie Lynne Hauser
Publisher: N/A
Pages: 347
Date Started: 1/7/09
Date Finished: 1/10/09
Genre: Chick Lit
Other Information: I was offered an electronic ARC through my blog. For my review, click here

I read the PDF version of Jumble Pie as well. I really enjoyed it even though it was not what I normally would have chosen to read. I think I even got teary eyed at one point during the book.

Wow... it's good?! I got the electronic ARC as well, but I didn't ever get around to reading it, unfortunately. Still holding onto it... I just have a really hard time reading long documents on the computer. But if it's really good...!

It was, I was pleasantly surprised. I read it with the TV on and had absolutely no problem concentrating more on the book than the TV.

2. Title: The History of Now
Author: Daniel Klein
Publisher: The Permanent Press
Pages: 295
Date Started: 1/26/09
Date Finished: 1/28/09
Genre: Fiction
Other Information: Early Reviewer book. Review here. Release date scheduled in March.

#10: I am awaiting the review with bated breath. I would think that by the time Now had a history it would be Then.

You're in luck alcottacre, see the link above! I tried to explain part of the reasoning behind the title without getting to in depth. I loved the book!

Sounds like a winner! On to the Continent it goes.

3. Title: The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Author: Alison Weir
Publisher: Grove Press
Pages: 571
Date Started: December 2008
Date Finished: 1/31/09
Genre: Historical Biography
Other Information:My "lunchtime" reading book, meaning I read it an average of 4 days a week for 30 minutes at a time.

4. Title: The Book of Lost Things
Author: John Connelly
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Pages: 470
Date Started: 2/2/09
Date Finished: 2/6/09
Genre: Fantasy
Other Information: fun, interesting read

5. Title: Fairy Tales
Author: The Brothers Grimm
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 2/6/09
Date Finished: 2/18/09
Genre: Children's
Other Information: Read during downtime at work on Project Gutenberg.

I'm enjoying your format especially the 'other info' bits :) Edited because I figured out the answer to the dumb question I have now erased :)

#17: Thanks! I was trying to figure out a new way to not only track what I read, but how much page-wise, how long it took, and when I read. I'm glad other people are finding it enjoyable as well!

#18: I think it's wonderful how everyone here has their own way of recording their books. Everyone has a method that works well for them, and we all get inspired by looking at other people's methods in case we want to tweak our own.

6. Title: The Vegetarian Table: North Africa
Author: Kitty Morse
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pages:159
Date Started: 3/1/09
Date Finished: 3/3/09
Genre: Cookbook
Other Information: I was just going to pull out some recipes for a dinner I'm throwing this weekend, but I got pulled in by the history and descriptions. The author is Moroccan and the book is peppered with stories and interesting culinary tidbits.

#20: Another new cookbook for me to try!

7. Title: The Lightening Theif
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Miramax Books
Pages:375
Date Started: 3/3/09
Date Finished: 3/4/09
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Other Information: A great way to remind yourself of Greek Mythology!

8. Title: The Sea of Monsters
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Miramax Books
Pages:279
Date Started: 3/10/09
Date Finished: 3/11/09
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Other Information: Library book.

9. Title: The Titan's Curse
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Miramax Books
Pages:312
Date Started: 3/12/09
Date Finished: 3/13/09
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Other Information: Library book.

10. Title: The Battle of the Labyrinth
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Miramax Books
Pages:361
Date Started: 3/14/09
Date Finished: 3/16/09
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Other Information: Library book.

11. Title: Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome
Author: E.M. Berens
Publisher: N/A
Pages:323
Date Started: 3/12/09
Date Finished: 3/17/09
Genre: History/Mythology
Other Information: gutenberg.org read during downtime at work.

12. Title: The Children of Henry VIII
Author: Alison Weir
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 366
Date Started: 2/2/09
Date Finished: 3/18/09
Genre: Historical Biography
Other Information: Lunchtime read. My favorite of Weir's Tudor bios I've read so far.

#27

Sounds like one I'll look out for :)

I definitely recommend it, I've read her bios of Henry VIII himself and the one about his wives, and they were good, but a bit dry at times. This one focused on just a few years, Edward VI - Elizabeth I's accession. (There's a separate book for her reign) which means most of it is the intrigue of Jane Grey and the Marian persecutions and false pregnancies...it definitely kept my attention!

13. Title: Middlemarch
Author: George Eliot
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 2/18/09
Date Finished: 3/23/09
Genre: Literature
Other Information: gutenberg.org read during downtime

14. Title: Darling Jim
Author: Christian Moerk
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Pages: 285
Date Started: 3/23/09
Date Finished: 3/24/09
Genre: Fiction
Other Information: Early Reviewer book, should be out next month. Read my review

15. Title: The Warden
Author: Anthony Trollope
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 3/24/09
Date Finished: 3/25/09
Genre: Literature
Other Information: gutenberg.org read during downtime

I just discovered Trollope last year and have read the first 3 in the Barchester series. Are you going to continue reading more of his?

Definitely! I really enjoyed the first one, and from what I've heard, it's no where near as good as the others.

16. Title: Twilight
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 498
Date Started: 3/24/09
Date Finished: 3/27/09
Genre: YA Fantasy
Other Information: After Darling Jim I needed a comfort read and this fit the bill.

17. Title: Barchester Towers
Author: Anthony Trollope
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 3/26/09
Date Finished: 4/6/09
Genre: Literature
Other Information: gutenberg.org

#36

Did you enjoy Barchester Towers? Its on my tbr pile but I haven't made the move yet. I think the reason is I'm concerned its quite heavy. How did you find it?

Oh, it's really not heavy at all. It's a wonderful book and I found myself chuckling out loud several times. The Warden actually comes before it. You don't have to have read it to understand and enjoy Barchester Towers but it will give you a hint as to some of the heroes' personality traits before you get to BT. It's a short read, a novella really, so you might want to give it a try, learn Trollope's style (quite an easy read) and then move on to BT. Let me know if and when you decide to pick it up!

18. Title: A Study in Scarlet
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 4/7/09
Date Finished: 4/7/09
Genre: Literature/Mystery
Other Information: gutenberg.org Though a relative gave me a complete collection of Sherlock Holmes when I was a kid, I never got around to reading any of them. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading some more of them.

I've seen The Warden is on gutenburg.org so will use that as my first try of gutenberg!!

Don't know when I'll get round to it though. lol

19. Title: The Sign of Four
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 4/8/09
Date Finished: 4/8/09
Genre: Literature/Mystery
Other Information: gutenberg.org More Sherlock Holmes! These are great for reading on my downtime at work!

20. Title: Internal Affairs
Author: Connie Dial
Publisher: The Permanent Press
Pages: 277
Date Started: 3/28/09
Date Finished: 4/8/09
Genre: Literature/Mystery
Other Information: An ARC from the publisher. Review

21. Title: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 4/9/09
Date Finished: 4/15/09
Genre: Literature/Mystery
Other Information: gutenberg.org

22. Title: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 4/15/09
Date Finished: 4/20/09
Genre: Literature/Mystery
Other Information: gutenberg.org

23. Title: The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 4/20/09
Date Finished: 4/22/09
Genre: Literature/Mystery
Other Information: gutenberg.org

They are addictive, aren't they??
I need to re-read those books again soon!

#46: I'm loving them! They're great for distracting me from my boredom at work. And though I occasionally solve the mysteries early, more often than not I'm surprised.

24. Title: The Hound of the Baskervilles
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 4/23/09
Date Finished: 4/24/09
Genre: Literature/Mystery
Other Information: gutenberg.org

I can't bring myself to read Hound of the Baskervilles cos the film scared me so much.

The only one I have ever managed to read was..........can't remember its name! Something about a spotted band or something. Very good, but I get to involved in books and scare myself too much.

The Speckled Band! That remains the scariest Sherlock Holmes mystery to me...I think it was because I read it and then went to bed in the dark. And I have a great imagination! I should have read it in the early morning so I'd have time to forget it before bed!

Yeah, the Speckled Band right before bed would probably give me nightmares too! I loved The Hound of the Baskervilles but I'm a huge fan of gothic...the Bronte's in particular and Hound really fell into that line. I've only got three more Holmes books to go, but it'll be awhile before I can get to them I think, the next couple weeks at work are going to be busy...and I'm going on vacation next week.

I love both the film (the one with Basil Rathbone) and print versions of The Hound of the Baskervilles. If you have not already seen it, I recommend that you try the film version, which although changed from the book, is still very good.

Have a wonderful vacation!

25. Title: The Late, Lamented Molly Marx
Author: Sally Koslow
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 303
Date Started: 4/11/09
Date Finished: 4/25/09
Genre: Chick Lit
Other Information: Early Reviewer, review! A little less than 1/3 of the way into the year and I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal, wonderfully on target!

#52: I'll have to keep an eye out for that. Perhaps they'll have it at my library...I refuse to spend money on video rental.

Thats it, The Speckled Band. Terrified me. I'm such a wimp. Maybe I will try again one day but.....maybe not. My constitution isn't up to it, and I have a tendency for vivid dreams so reading that kind of thing won't help!

Well, lunacat, if you DO decide to try more Sherlock Holmes mysteries in the future, in my opinion that one was the scariest...so any other one you try should be easier on you!!

It's true. You might try A Study in Scarlet, it's the first one, when Watson and Holmes first meet, and I really liked it. It's a slightly different style than the rest of the books, divided into two parts, the first of which is the investigation and the second of which you experience the events that led to the crime. (Although, I'm sorry but Doyle's description of the American West is wrong). Most of the other books are actually short stories, some of which are better than others. Some of those that I've enjoyed are The Musgrave Ritual (which is not at all scary) and Five Orange Pips which might be a little scary, depending on what you find scary.

26. Title: The Crocodile on the Sandbank
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Publisher: Warner Books
Pages: 262
Date Started: 4/26/09
Date Finished: 4/28/09
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
Other Information: This is a reread. The Amelia Peabody mysteries are some of my favorite books. They're not great literature, but the characters speak to me and I'm fascinated by Egyptology.

Love the Amelia Peabody series - have you read the others biblioholic29?

I love the Peabody series, too!

I've read them all multiple times. I do a complete reread every couple years. The last one was spring 2007, so it's that time again. To me, they are true comfort reading. The Emerson's feel like my friends, they make me laugh and cry. If ever I was stuck on a desert island and I could only have 3 books, a Peabody would definitely make the cut.

Added reviews to a couple of my ARCs above.

27. Title: The Valley of Fear
Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 4/27/09
Date Finished: 4/29/09
Genre: Literature/Mystery
Other Information: gutenberg.org

28. Title: Something Borrowed
Author: Emily Giffin
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 326
Date Started: 4/30/09
Date Finished: 5/1/09
Genre: Chick Lit
Other Information: Read this on my vacation. It was surprisingly....surprising!

29. Title: Something Blue
Author: Emily Giffin
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 338
Date Started: 5/1/09
Date Finished: 5/4/09
Genre: Chick Lit
Other Information: Also a vacation read, and the sequel to the last. Not really as good as the first, but the antagonist from the last one becomes the protagonist in this one. An interesting choice.

30. Title: The Last Olympian
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 381
Date Started: 5/6/09
Date Finished: 5/7/09
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Other Information: I think this was the best of the series. I laughed out loud many times and cried a few times too.

31. Title: The Demigod Files
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney/Hyperion
Pages: 151
Date Started: 5/7/09
Date Finished: 5/7/09
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Other Information: Just a fun supplement, some extra short adventures which are fun.

#66: I am working my way through the Percy Jackson series, too. Looks like I have more good reading ahead of me!

#66: I love them. If you choose to read The Demigod Files, read them after The Battle of the Labyrinth and before The Last Olympian.

#69: I will keep that in mind. Thanks!

I'm looking forward to some of these (one day) coming up on BM or finding them in a 2nd hand bookshop.

I got the first one at a charity booksale and then had to get the rest of them out of the library right away.

Just catching up on your thread. First comment is that I'm going to have to check out project gutenberg.org
Don't you love to discover a new series when the books have actually already been written so you can read them all at once - I had that experience with Ann McCaffrey's Pern books - I read them all in a couple of weeks after reading a review somewhere for Dragonsong.
I've read the first two Percy Jackson books and they were a lot of fun.

#73: Everyone should check out project gutenberg! It is great to pick up a series when they're all out, or there only one more to go and it's only a month or two away (which is what happened to me with both Percy Jackson and Twilight), but I don't think I would give up the fun and anticipation of waiting for the next Harry Potter for anything! I think it goes both ways, some books you just don't mind waiting for!

32. Title: His Last Bow
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Publisher: George H. Doran Co.
Pages: 308
Date Started: 5/12/09
Date Finished: 5/14/09
Genre: Brit. Lit./Mystery
Other Information: Oddly, the whole book was not available on gutenberg..only the last story, titled "His Last Bow", however, I was able to find a scan of the entire book through google books. One more to go!

Dear me, it almost looks as though I haven't been reading all month, but it's just been a busy time at work and home!

33. Title: Doctor Thorne
Author: Anthony Trollope
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 5/15/09
Date Finished: 6/8/09
Genre: British Literature
Other Information: gutenberg.org

34. Title: Journey to the Center of the Earth
Author: Jules Verne
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 6/8/09
Date Finished: 6/10/09
Genre: Literature/Sci Fi
Other Information: gutenberg.org

Some great recent reads!

35. Title: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Author: Jules Verne
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 6/18/09
Date Finished: 6/22/09
Genre: Literature/Sci Fi
Other Information: gutenberg.org

I've been eschewing reading in favor of a craft project I was doing for a friend, but I finished it yesterday, so I should be back on track with my reading now.

36. Title: Fearless Fourteen
Author: Janet Evanovich
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Pages: 334
Date Started: 6/25/09
Date Finished: 6/27/09
Genre: Mystery
Other Information: Ah Stephanie Plum....she's not great literature, but she's hilarious and I love her! I'm compulsive enough that I have to collect series all in the same format, so I wait for the Plum books in paperback.

#80 My mother in law just reminded me that I've been working on a cross stich for her for 2 years now. Can you believe she suggested I lay off the book clubs until I finish? I guess I have to bump that project up abit.

LOL! It's a tough balance to strike! My general routine is get off work at 4 and take a few minutes to tidy the apartment, then read till 6 or 7 and then x-stitch or knit until about 9 (with the TV on). But when I know I'm getting close to the end of a project, the reading goes out the window. Conversely, if I'm getting close to the end of a book, the project goes out the window! This is the project I just finished, for a friend in the Hogwarts Express group:

So cool!! :)

Thank you!

37. Title: Broken Angel
Author: Sigmund Brouwer
Publisher: Water Brook
Pages: 243
Date Started: 6/27/09
Date Finished: 6/27/09
Genre: Indefinable
Other Information: An ER. Review

#85

Looking forward to your review of that as I've heard some good and some bad thigns about it.

The review is linked!

38. Title: One for the Money
Author: Janet Evanovich
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Pages: 320
Date Started: 6/24/09
Date Finished: 6/29/09
Genre: Mystery
Other Information: I'd started this in anticipation of a complete reread before reading Fearless Fourteen, but then I was out without a book and near a bookstore, so... Anyway, figured I may as well finish it. Will probably be rereading a lot over the next month. Summer is usually my time for rereads and chick lit.

39. Title: Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold!
Author: Terry Brooks
Publisher: Del Rey
Pages: 373
Date Started: 6/7/09
Date Finished: 6/30/09
Genre: Fantasy
Other Information: I read this on a friend's recommendation, apparently a new one is coming out. It wasn't bad, but I don't feel a burning desire to read the rest. If I come across them in used bookstores, I'll probably buy and read them.

Did you make your own pattern for that project, or did you use one from somewhere??? I love it! I have a friend going off to Oxford in the fall and I wanted to cross-stitch something for her (Harry Potter related, of course), but I can't seem to find decent patterns anywhere...

On another note, how long did it take you to finish that??? It looks like... months and months of work... !

Thanks! It was my own pattern using some x-stitch software and the scholastic website which has the color images of all the chapter sketches for the American books. This one was huge and took about 440 hours to complete. Unfortunately, the export file from the software makes the printed pattern hard to read and I found the easiest way was to use the pattern directly off the computer at 375% zoom. If you want more info on what I used, drop me a private message on my profile.

40. Title: Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 309
Date Started: 7/1/09
Date Finished: 7/2/09
Genre: Fantasy/ Children's
Other Information: I reread these every summer. I think I start to crave them around now because its when they used to be released. And yes, the next few days will see the rest of the series appear on this thread. :)

#83: As an avid cross stitcher myself, I applaud your effort. Great job!

Thank you very much!

41. Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 341
Date Started: 7/3/09
Date Finished: 7/6/09
Genre: Fantasy/ Children's
Other Information: I'm almost embarrassed it took so long to finish this, but I got caught up in Wimbledon finals and family time over the holiday weekend.

Nice original cross stitch Heather! I'm making progress on my mother-in-laws, I love working on it while enjoying the great weather on the deck. Hope to finish it before snow flies.

Thanks Carmenere! Good luck on yours!

42. Title: Great Expectations
Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 7/8/09
Date Finished: 7/14/09
Genre: Classics/Brit Lit
Other Information: gutenberg.org This is the first Dickens I've actually enjoyed! I'm trying to read the stuff on the BBC's Top 100 list that I haven't.

Good for you! I read Great Expectations in junior high for English class and I was still at the stage where a book had to have a happy ending. I remember being upset that the ending was not what I pictured as 'ideal'.

I've been wanting to read it again as an adult. I'm sure I'll get so much more out of it. Maybe next year? :)

43. Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 435
Date Started: 7/6/09
Date Finished: 7/16/09
Genre: Fantasy/ Children's
Other Information: Once again it took me forever! I've just been exhausted getting home and the thought of doing anything more taxing on the brain that zoning out in front of the TV gave me a headache. The good news is I'll finish the next one tonight. Thank goodness for weekends!

44. Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 735
Date Started: 7/17/09
Date Finished: 7/18/09 (okay, technically it was 12:08 AM on 7/19)
Genre: Fantasy/Children's
Other Information: It took me a very long time to get into the Harry groove this year. I'm not sure why, I guess I had too many other things going on, but it's in full swing now. I should finish Phoenix tonight and hopefully have Half Blood Prince done before I see the movie (with a bunch of fellow LTers) this coming Saturday.

45. Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 870
Date Started: 7/19/09
Date Finished: 7/20/09
Genre: Fantasy/ Children's
Other Information: Flying through them now.

46. Title: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 652
Date Started: 7/21/09
Date Finished: 7/22/09
Genre: Fantasy/Children's
Other Information: YAY! Finished it before I see the movie!

47. Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 759
Date Started: 7/23/09
Date Finished: 7/26/09
Genre: Fantasy/Children's
Other Information: I didn't get any reading done over the weekend as I was at a Hogwarts Express regional meetup to see the movie.

48. Title: Finger Lickin Fifteen
Author: Janet Evanovich
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Pages: 308
Date Started: 7/29/09
Date Finished: 7/29/09
Genre: Mystery
Other Information: Read the entire thing in four hours. Gotta love Stephanie Plum!

49. Title: Sworn to Silence
Author: Linda Castillo
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 321
Date Started: 8/3/09
Date Finished: 8/4/09
Genre: Thriller
Other Information: Early Reviewer. Here's the review

50. Title: Bleak House
Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 7/15/09
Date Finished: 8/5/09
Genre: Classic Brit Lit
Other Information: Another gutenberg read.

51. Title: Jurassic Park
Author: Michael Crichton
Publisher: Knopf
Pages: 400
Date Started: 7/31/09
Date Finished: 8/5/09
Genre: SciFi/Thriller
Other Information: Technically, this was a reread, but I haven't read it since 1993, just before the movie came out and since I've seen the movie about a million times, it was almost like reading it for the first time. I forgot just how different the movie and book really are!

52. Title: Three Ghost Stories
Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 8/5/09
Date Finished: 8/6/09
Genre: Classic Brit Lit
Other Information: Another gutenberg read.

53. Title: On The Couch
Author: Alisa Kwitney
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 308
Date Started: 8/5/09
Date Finished: 8/9/09
Genre: Chick Lit
Other Information: Just wanted a quick, fun read.

I've never read, nor heard of Three Ghost Stories. Oh my gosh! A Christmas Carol just popped up as the touchstone. Is it indeed A Christmas Carol?

No, it popped up as the touchstone for me too, but when you hit others, the right one is like the third one down. It's weird. Three Ghost Stories has The Signalman, The Haunted House, and A Murder Trial. It was a good short read and fun.

54. Title: The Ancient Greeks for Dummies
Author: Stephen Batchelor
Publisher: Wiley
Pages: 332
Date Started: 8/6/09
Date Finished: 8/10/09
Genre: History
Other Information: I love the dummies books. I'm trying to read all of the humanities based ones. They're well written, interesting and I retain information from them better than I ever did from a textbook.

#111: I did not even realize that there were humanities based ones. I will have to check into those. Thanks for the mention.

I'm putting The ancient greeks for dummies on my wish list too.

I definitely recommend them. So far I've also read British History for Dummies which was great and I've got Archaeology for Dummies and Mythology for Dummies waiting on my bookshelves.

55. Title: Loved Me Once
Author: Gail Hewitt
Publisher: ArbeitenZeit Media
Pages: 305
Date Started: 8/11/09
Date Finished: 8/12/09
Genre: Fiction
Other Information: Another ER, review.

Did you find those Dummie books to be historically correct? As a confessed Dummie myself I don't want to stupify anyone with my new found (possibly inaccurate) knowledge.

They're written by experts in their field. Shortly after I read British History for Dummies I took an online quiz on British History and answered every question correctly. I'd say they're definitely accurate. Also, recognizing that they're simply a good jumping off point, each one has a section at the end called "The Part of Tens" where they give ideas for further investigation, books to read, places to visit, people to learn more about, etc.

Thanks alot! I'll certainly check them out.

56. Title: The Time Travelers Wife
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Publisher: Harcourt Books
Pages: 537
Date Started: 8/12/09
Date Finished: 8/13/09
Genre: Fiction
Other Information: I stayed up ridiculously late to finish this and now I'm exhausted.

But was it worth it?

Totally and completely worth it!

57. Title: Emma
Author: Jane Austen
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 8/11/09
Date Finished: 8/14/09
Genre: Classic/Brit Lit
Other Information: Gutenberg of course.

58. Title: Pride and Prejudice
Author: Jane Austen
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 8/17/09
Date Finished: 8/19/09
Genre: Classic/Brit Lit
Other Information: gutenberg. This is a book I'd picked up a couple times and could never get through the first chapter, I had some sort of mental block about it. But, I've finally overcome it and actually finished it!

59. Title: Doctor Who: The Time Traveler's Almanac
Author: Steve Tribe
Publisher: BBC Books
Pages: 191
Date Started: 8/7/09
Date Finished: 8/20/09
Genre: TV
Other Information: This book is for giant geeks. I loved it.

60. Title: Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 8/19/09
Date Finished: 8/21/09
Genre: Classic/Brit Lit
Other Information: gutenberg.

Heather, I'd really like to know what you thought of Persuasion. I read it about a month ago and would love to compare notes. Here's my review..........http://www.librarything.com/work/1500/edit/37058915

Yeah, Bib, did you like Persuasion? I am afraid to ask what you thought about Pride and Prejudice.

#126: I just read your review and it seems like we have opposite reactions for the same reason. I'm not a Jane Austen fan, I read all these mostly because they're on the top 100 list I'm working my way through at the moment, so I actually liked Persuasion best of all the Austen I've read. Mostly because it's so un-Austen like. To me it was refreshing to have this heroine who was on poor terms with her family, was over 21 and therefore knew herself a bit more and who had managed to live without being obsessed by finding a husband until the right one came along!

61. Title: The Lost Constitution
Author: William Martin
Publisher: Forge
Pages: 752
Date Started: 8/14/09
Date Finished: 8/21/09
Genre: Mystery/Historical Fiction
Other Information: This is a series I discovered a few years ago when I was working at Borders. I was unpacking the shipment and came across the HC of this book. It looked interesting, but seeing that it was the 3rd in a series I ordered and read the other two. Then a bunch of stuff happened, I moved a few times and I just now got around to reading this one! These are fun American historical fiction books mostly taking place in Boston. You get a chapter in contemporary times starring Peter Fallon, rare book dealer, and then a chapter from history about whatever object he's looking for (in this one an annotated first draft of the Constitution). It goes back and forth following Fallon's search and the family who owns said object's fortune through history. They're a lot of fun.

#129: That looks like a series I would like. Thanks for the recommendation!

62. Title: A Year of Cats and Dogs
Author: Margaret Hawkins
Publisher: Permanent Press
Pages: 205
Date Started: 8/22/09
Date Finished: 8/22/09
Genre: Literature
Other Information: An ARC direct from the publisher. Review Great book!

#131: I will look for that one. Thanks for the recommendation!

It will be released in October, small publisher so not necessarily on a Tuesday. It's probably available for preorder on Amazon...

63. Title: Mythology for Dummies
Author: Christopher and Amy Blackwell
Publisher: Wiley
Pages: 340
Date Started: 8/22/09
Date Finished: 8/25/09
Genre: Non-Fiction/Humanities
Other Information: Super readable and interesting.

>128 biblioholic29: Your point is well taken. In that respect Persuasion is quite different from the other Austen novels. I think that it's probably just the cat and mouse game that Capt. Wentworth and Anne seem to play (unintentionally, I think). I will remember your take on the book the next time I reread it.

64. Title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Author: Jane Austen and Seth Grahame
Publisher: Quirk Classics
Pages: 317
Date Started: 8/25/09
Date Finished: 8/26/09
Genre: ....ummmmm.....
Other Information: Awful, awful, awful. I wrote a review.

65. Title: Dead Until Dark
Author: Charlaine Harris
Publisher:
Pages: 292
Date Started: 9/7/09
Date Finished: 9/7/09
Genre: Fantasy/Mystery
Other Information: Read at the beach. I would have finished more of them but I got sick and came home and slept for 3 days instead.

Hope you are feeling better now!

Almost human now, thanks!

66. Title: Doctor Who: A Writer's Tale
Author: Russell T. Davies and Benjamin Cook
Publisher: BBC Books
Pages: 512
Date Started: 9/10/09
Date Finished: 9/12/09
Genre: Non-Fiction/Geek
Other Information: A book for the true geek. It's basically a reprinting of emails between Russell T. Davies, headwriter on the new version of Doctor Who the first 4 years, and Benjamin Cook, a writer for Doctor Who Magazine. It's mostly about the writing process, where the ideas come from, how Davies writes, what influences him; but it's also about the process of making the show in general, the FX shots, rewrites, casting, etc. Basically perfect for me, who obsessively watches every commentary and special feature on every DVD I see!

67. Title: Making Mischief: A Maurice Sendak Appreciation
Author: Gregory Maguire
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 200
Date Started: 9/23/09
Date Finished: 9/23/09
Genre: Non-Fiction/Criticism
Other Information: A gorgeous book full of Sendak's art with commentary by Maguire.

That Doctor Who book sounds fantastic... and maybe a good gift for my father, who has watched Who since its inception...

#141: Which Doctor Who book? They were both fantastic.

68. Title: Dirty Little Angels
Author: Chris Tusa
Publisher: ?
Pages: 170
Date Started: 10/09
Date Finished: 10/09
Genre: Fiction
Other Information: Like others around LT, the author contacted me to see if I would read and review it. I read it a while ago and then forgot about it (there's a review for you). I guess I'll try to get around to writing a review this morning and link it. Review

69. Title: A Flower Blooms on Charlotte Street
Author: Milam McGraw Propst
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Pages: 103
Date Started: 10/13/09
Date Finished: 10/14/09
Genre: YA Fiction
Other Information: I received the third in the trilogy in the Early Reviewer program, but the publishers also sent the first two, so I'm starting with those. They're short, so it won't take long to get through them.

#142. Just delurking to say nice review. I just finished Dirty Little Angels and whilst I had difficulty getting into it at the beginning I ended up really enjoying. I guess because it was so removed from my reality I found it easy to go with flow and accept her actions (plus I love all those rich smiles!) :)

Thanks clfisha! It's always interesting to me when people like something for the reasons I didn't, or vice versa. It's a great reminder of the differences that make life interesting and of course goes to explain the vast array of art in the world!

70. Title: Ociee on her Own
Author: Milam McGraw Propst
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Pages: 95
Date Started: 10/15/09
Date Finished: 10/16/09
Genre: YA Fiction
Other Information: Second of the ER trilogy.

71. Title: The Best of Creative Non-Fiction: Vol. 3
Author: edited by Lee Gutkind
Publisher: Norton
Pages: 227
Date Started: 09/09
Date Finished: 10/18/09
Genre: Non-Fiction
Other Information: An ER. Review.

72. Title: New Moon
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 563
Date Started: 10/18/09
Date Finished: 10/18/09
Genre: YA Fantasy
Other Information: There's something about cold, rainy weather that makes me want to turn on some emo and read this series. I actually read Twilight this weekend too, but as I've already read that once this year, I decided not to count it.

73. Title: The Further Adventures of Ociee Nash
Author: Milam McGraw Propst
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Pages: 102
Date Started: 10/19/09
Date Finished: 10/19/09
Genre: YA Fiction
Other Information: This is the one I'll actually be reviewing...http://www.librarything.com/profile_reviews.php?view=biblioholic29

74. Title: Eclipse
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 629
Date Started: 10/19/09
Date Finished: 10/20/09
Genre: YA Fantasy
Other Information: One more book in the series and one more book to get to 75....hmmmmm......

75. Title: Breaking Dawn
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 754
Date Started: 10/21/09
Date Finished: 10/23/09
Genre: YA Fantasy
Other Information: CHALLENGE COMPLETE! Not that I'm going to stop reading or tracking what I read of course!

Congrats!

76. Title: Beer and Philosophy
Author: Stephen Hales (editor)
Publisher: Blackwell
Pages: 220
Date Started: 10/1/09
Date Finished: 11/6/09
Genre: Philosophy
Other Information: I love this book!

77. Title: A Christmas Carol
Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Started: 12/3/09
Date Finished: 12/18/09
Genre: Classic/Brit Lit
Other Information: gutenberg.org I feel like I've slacked off in my reading, but I've actually been working on handmade Xmas gifts and I've actually been pretty busy at work. At least I managed to get this one done! And perhaps I'll be able to get through a few more over the holidays. :)

I am going to read some Dickens tonight myself.

What kind of handmade gifts?

I've done a new version of the Harry Potter x-stitch above. This one only has four squares plus the logo but it took about a month of using every ounce of my free time. This weekend I'll be baking cookies, which is my annual gift for my mother (saving her from having to do it). I'm also in rehearsals for the annual pantomime put on by my local theater company.

I was planning on doing a cross stitch for a friend this year, but did not make it. I told her next year :)

I finished this one Tuesday and overnighted it on Wednesday. I'm an active member of the Hogwarts Express group here and we do a gift exchange through elfster. The "party" (we use our chat room) is tomorrow, so I made it just in time.

I love the idea of the party! Congratulations for making it in time.

78. Title: The Return
Author: Victoria Hislop
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 401
Date Started: 11/8/09
Date Finished: 12/20/09
Genre: Historical Fiction
Other Information: This was an ER. Here's the review.

Are you joining us for the 2010 challenge? The group is up and running!

I definitely will be! Because of the way I track things though, I probably won't start my thread until I've finished my first book of the year. :)

Glad to hear you will be back with us!

79. Title: Truly, Madly
Author: Heather Webber
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 305
Date Started: 12/21/09
Date Finished: 12/22/09
Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Other Information: Another ER. Review.

Nice review!

The year is over and I didn't manage to finish my 80th to get it to a nice round number. Oh well, a new year a new challenge. One more thing of note for 2009. I tracked the pages read added them all up (estimating gutenberg books at between 250 and 300 pages each) and then divided by 365. Turns out I averaged 75 pages a day. Not too shabby for working full-time and maintaining a social life!

#167: Very nice!