divinenanny's 100 Books in 2010 Challenge

Last year I participated in the 50 and 75 book challenges, as the year before I read only 36 books. I surpassed them (and my expectations) both by reading 86 books, and that is including some slow months. So I figured this year I would surely be able to read 100 books if I tried, so here I am!




2010 reading list

January 2010 (12 books, 88 to go)
1. Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris
2. Nebra - Thomas Thiemeyer
3. Microserfs - Douglas Coupland
4. Blood Music - Greg Bear
5. Het ei van Salaì - Monaldi & Sorti
6. De grote wereld - Arthur Japin
7. Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr
8. Excession - Iain M. Banks
9. Eleanor of Aquitaine - Alison Weir
10. The Complete Fables - Aesop
11. The Lost World - Arthur Conan Doyle
12. Sovereign - C.J. Sansom

February 2010 (14 books, 74 to go)
13. Revelation - C.J. Sansom
14. Tarzan of the Apes - Edgar Rice Burroughs
15. I wish I'd been there - Byron Hollinshead (ed.)
16. The Great Mortality - John Kelly
17. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
18. Doomsday Book - Connie Willis
19. Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger
20. King Solomon's Mines - H. Rider Haggard
21. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
22. The Road - Cormac McCarthy
23. The Zombie Survival Guide - Max Brooks
24. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
25. Feersum Endjinn - Iain M. Banks
26. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown

March 2010 (14 books, 60 to go)
27. The Complete Maus - Art Spiegelman
28. Stardust - Neil Gaiman
29. Handling the Undead - John Ajvide Lindqvist
30. Persepolis - Marjane Sartrapi
31. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
32. People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks
33. Inversions - Iain M. Banks
34. Dracula - Bram Stoker
35. Duel - Joost Zwagerman
36. Nothing (VSI) - Frank Close
37. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror - Robert Louis Stevenson
38. From Demons to Dracula - Matthew Beresford
39. The Children's Book - A.S. Byatt
40. The Natural History of Unicorns - Chris Lavers

April 2010 (10 books, 50 to go)
41. The Swan Thieves - Elizabeth Kostova
42. Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
43. Look to Windward - Iain M. Banks
44. The Return of Tarzan - Edgar Rice Burroughs
45. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami
46. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
47. Classical Mythology (VSI) - Helen Morales
48. Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
49. Wuthering Heights - Emily Brönte
50. Lost in a Good Book - Jasper Fforde

May 2010 (6 books, 44 to go)
51. To Say Nothing of the Dog - Connie Willis
52. The Owl Killers - Karen Maitland
53. Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones
54. The Well of Lost Plots - Jasper Fforde
55. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Seth Grahame-Smith & Jane Austen
56. Club Dead - Charlaine Harris

June 2010 (12 books, 32 to go)
57. Quicksilver - Neal Stephenson
58. A long way down - Nick Hornby
59. The Biographer's Tale - A.S. Byatt
60. Het Zeewezen - John Ajvide Lindqvist
61. Rashomon - Ryunosuke Akutagawa
62. De schaduw van de wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón
63. Dead to the World - Charlaine Harris
64. Nederland van Prehistorie tot Beeldenstorm - Wim Blockmans (ed.)
65. Onmacht - Charles den Tex
66. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet - David Mitchell
67. Nachtschade - Karin Slaughter
68. The Passage - Justin Cronin

July 2010 (16 books, 16 to go)
69. Zoenoffer - Karin Slaughter
70. Nation - Terry Pratchett
71. Superfreakonomics - Steven Levitt
72. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
73. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner - Stephenie Meyer
74. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan
75. The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket
76. The Strain - Guillermo Del Toro
77. Persian Fire - Tom Holland
78. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
79. Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan
80. Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
81. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
82. Something Rotten - Jasper Fforde
83. Dead as a Doornail - Charlaine Harris
84. Animal Farm - George Orwell

August 2010 (6 books, 10 to go)
85. Rubicon - Tom Holland
86. The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan
87. Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami
88. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
89. Making History - Stephen Fry
90. The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet - Reif Larsen

September 2010 (7 books, 3 to go)
91. Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
92. The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood
93. The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
94. A spot of bother - Mark Haddon
95. Fragile Things - Neil Gaiman
96. Christianity: A Very Short Introduction - Linda Woodhead
97. Dawn of the Dreadfuls - Steve Hockensmith

October 2010
98. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
99. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
100. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

And book #1 is just finished: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
The second book in the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series. Light hearted reading that sure fits a TV show. Nothing too deep, a bit trashy, but an ok read. Three stars.

Catching up for 2010! Looking forward to seeing where the year takes us...

Hi Ellie, welcome :D I am hopeful for 2010 reading, I have already planned a bookbuying (and work, blech) trip to London for Februari ;)

Just popping in to star you for 2010.

Thanks :D

Just finished #2, Nebra by Thomas Thiemeyer. A Dutch translation of a German book about the Nebra skydisk. Thiemeyer's books are always about archeology and the supernatural, and so it is with this one. A slow start, but interesting premise and a fast paced and action packed ending. Entertaining. 4 stars.

And now that I am working again (and thus riding the trains again) it all goes a lot quicker. There goes #3, Microserfs by Douglas Coupland. I had read (and seen the TV series) JPod before and really liked it, so I was looking forward to its predecessor, Microserfs. However, I was disappointed by this book. I think because it felt so much the same as JPod, the gimmick of a hip narrative had worn out for me. Also, and maybe this was the goal, the story went nowhere, got a goal, then ended abruptly with something completely different. No more Coupland for me, I think. 3 stars.

#4, Blood Music by Greg Bear. I have been in the mood for some SF lately so from my recent acquisitions pile I picked Blood Music to read. The premise is an intelligent cellular "thing" that is created in a lab in California, and that is let out and spreads. The book describes the epidemic and the reactions to it. Somewhat theoretical, but a very nice book to read. Four stars.

I read that one a while ago. I quite like a bit of Greg Bear to satisfy my SF cravings!

9, Me too, I like his Eon/The Way series, and Songs of Earth and Power. I am letting myself slowly discover the rest of his books.

#5, Het ei van Salaì by Monaldi & Sorti.
This was about the supposed conspiracies surrounding who discovered America (Vespucci, Columbus, Templars, Vikings....). Told by Salaì in his down to earth language as a report to a judge, it was very interesting and a nice read. Four stars.

And a very short read was next:
#6, De grote wereld by Arthur Japin. A book week gift (boekenweekgeschenk) so a very short read (they are all about 90 pages). The book describes the life of Lemmy, a little person who lives in the years before WWII in dwarf villages and sideshows. It describes how he grew up in Dreamland (Coney Island) in a village for little people with his parents (also little), how he lost his parents, joined a traveling village and emigrated to Germany for love. The story is told right before WWII, when the nazis destroy the village he and his wife live in, and they try to get out of Germany before true prosecution starts. Short but intense story. Three stars.

#7 Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, a YA novel about faeries (as opposed to vampires). A nice book, makes me want to read others in the series. Basic story is about a girl that sees (and fears) faeries, but is chosen by the Summer King as his queen. It reads like an introduction, but an interesting one. Four stars.

#6, Nebra, it sounded interesting, but was not in English. I had never heard of it. Just tonight I am watching the National Geographic channel and they have an hour long documentary on it. So cool. I saw the name in the TV listing and knew I had to watch it. Without your book listing, it would have meant nothing to me. Thanks !

13, Yeah, Nebra is a book in a genre which seems very popular in Germany. Most books are translated by the same publisher here, and since I like the genre, most books by that publisher (Karakter) are a safe bet for me. I knew of the Nebra Sky Disk, but reading this book makes me want to see it for myself...

#8 was Excession by Iain M. Banks, a SF novel in the Culture series/universe. The story seemed to be a bit chaotic at first, with several different story lines. The main story lines were the Excession (a mysterious object that appeared) and the Affront (a particularly nasty and mean species). It took me a bit of effort to get through, but the final 150 pages, where it all comes together and the full story is shown were all worth it. Four stars.

#9 was Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir. My first non-fiction of the year, and I loved it. With reading all these books about the (early) middle ages you sometimes come across characters who are fascinating and you want to know more about. Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of two kings, mother of two (and a half), with her blood running through just about every royal house still in Europe is pretty fascinating. She wasn't a nice silent docile wife either, and lived for over 80 years in a time when 40 was old.
The book by Alison Weir describes the life of Eleanor, from before birth until a little after her death, including the actions of her husbands, sons and daughters. The book is a very nice read, set up in a chronological story. Four stars and highly recommended.

I've added Eleanor of Aquitaine to the TBR pile. I've been reading a lot of historical fiction about her and I'm very interested in reading her biography, and I like Alison Weir's writing. Thanks for the recommendation.

Oh, I know next to nothing about Elanor of Aquitaine! I shall have to keep my eye open for this book, as I've always felt I should know more about her from the brief references to her I keep on coming across.

Oh yeah, she is so interesting, she was connected to such a large and influential part of both English and French history.

Today I read The Complete Fables by Aesop (#10), basically for the same reason as I read about Eleanor. References are always popping up, and now that I have read them, I can see so much is based on them. One that stuck with me was expression "the swan song", which is based on one of the Aesop's fables. A must read for anyone interested in iconography, fairy tales and moralities. 4 stars.

And I could not put #11 down! It was The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, from my series of boys adventure novels. This was another classic. Strange unknown place, rumors, unknown people, adventure. Oh, and dinosaurs of course. Every bit as good as She was. Very nice writing (not at all hard to read even though it is almost a 100 year old story). Four stars.

"As good as She" is high praise! Your last three books all look interesting.

I'll have to search out The Lost World as a fun adventure book! (I did like my first foray into Conan Doyle's books earlier this month, with Sherlock Holmes.)

Funnily enough, I was gently grumping last year that one of my favourite crime series - Amelia Peabody mysteries, by Elizabeth Peters - had a dud book because it was a homage to books like She etc, and I'd never read any of these books. I'm beginning to think I should spend some time investigating the genre of Boy's Own Adventure novels... oh, the pain, the pain... ;)

Pain? ;) I (as a totally not girly girl) am loving these books. My boyfriend gave me three out of Penguin's Classic Boys Adventures and I am thinking of getting even more (my third and thus far unread one is Tarzan of the Apes).

Definitely pain from biting my tongue, since I shoved it so far into my cheek. :)

I've definitely always preferred Boys Own to Girls Own adventures. Just not really into ponies; pirates were always my preferred sub-genre. (Says she, whose pony-loving daughter is currently twirling in a purple tutu with a pink butterfly painted on her face. Obviously the non-girly-girl gene skips a generation.)

:D
I think my family totally eradicated the girly girl gene, as my mom wasn't/isn't one, and I don't really have any in my family. Now if I ever get a daughter that is a true girly girl... I would be stumped ;)...

I would also have trouble relating to a girly girl, but our biggest fear is that we end up with non-readers.

Oh, that would be so frustrating. Both my mom and brother are non-readers, I am glad my boyfriend (and his family) are readers, otherwise I would be here all alone as a reader (with LT within arms reach, so not quite alone)....

On the recommendation and because of her enthousiastic review, I finally picked up Sovereign by C.J. Sansom (#12). I only bought it about 2.5 years ago :D. Anyway, this is the third book in the Matthew Shardlake series and it was as good as I remember the first two being. This book deals with Henry VIII's progress up to York while married to Catherine Howard. Shardlake is put in charge of the petitions and also needs to watch over a prisonner by Archbischop Cranmer. Anyway, lots of intrigue, death, attacks, wrapped up in a great historical novel. Go read it :D. Four stars.

Gosh, people will keep on recommending that series!!

Mr Bear doesn't seem very keen on reading. He still enjoys being read to (yay for Roald Dahl!), but when we go to the bookshop, he always wants the sticker books. He does rather like those "facts" books, you know, the ones with blueprints of Clone Wars spaceships, information about the ice planet Hoth, lists of Jedi knights, etc.

Miss Boo is my hope for the future of reading in the family. So far, she can write her own name. It's a start. (She starts Kindi tomorrow!!!)

:) I loved the same books when I was young. Who knows, that may grow into a love for non-fiction books ;).

I read the last (for now) book in the Matthew Shardlake series, Revelation (#13). The book itself was good. The story dealt more with a murder mystery than with the political situation of the time. Unfortunately I liked the politics in the previous book better, because it seemed this murder mystery could have taken place in any time. I was also slightly annoyed because sometimes I got the feeling that Sansom was telling parts of the story just to show off his knowledge of the time period (what's with the teeth?!). And the whole Barak/Tamasin thing... But despite all that (I guess I just have a Sansom overload for a bit) I liked the book. Four stars.

#14 was a quick read, another boys classic, Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs. My last boys classic (for now). I knew of the story of Tarzan (though have never seen any movies/musicals about Tarzan) but the book was a pleasant surprise. The book tells the story of Lord Greywater and Lady Alice, and their son, as they are abandoned on an uninhabited stretch of African coast. Long story short, the parents die and the baby is raised by an ape (not a gorilla). It then switches to how Tarzan grows up and learns about himself in the jungle. The final parts of the story deal with the coming of Jane and her party, when Tarzan first encounters white men.
The story itself was a really good read, but it was also a good read knowing what we know now. I could not stop thinking about the whole Nature vs. Nurture debate, as Burroughs describes the gentleman nature of Tarzan several times. Four stars, and a highly recommended read.

Yes, the Barak/Tamasin thing has gotten annoying. Don't tell me how it ends, though I have been trying to guess if she gets it in the end. Also, I've been trying to think why I don't like this one as much as Sovereign (which I think was brilliant). I think you nailed it on the head about the political versus the mystery thing. I am, however, enjoying the peripheral period stuff like the teeth. :) I wonder if it's because I'm having a lot of dental work done on mine right now. lol

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Dissolution and having a fun time. I agree, it's gotten better as it became less about the murder (although I'm dying to find out whodunnit) and more about the monks and their future and Shardlake's conflict between what the crazy monk Jerome tells him, and what he wants to be true. Not to diss the murder side of the story, but one can read a murder mystery set in any time. It's the rest that's making this an exceptional read.

33 "one can read a murder mystery set in any time". Exactly. And I like historical fiction, and not so much the murder mystery. I know it is a favorite plot for historical fiction, so I live with it, but the strength of Sansom's books lay in all that surrounds the mystery. I hope he returns to that in Heartstone...

I finished I wish I'd been there this morning (#15). This is a collection of 20 essays by historians about the moment in world history they wish they were a fly on the wall. They are arranged chronologically and range from Alexander the Great to the surrender of Germany with General Montgomery. I liked the essays leading up to the seventeenth century the best, but I knew that before I started reading. Some of the historians had a pretty specific field (science, music or art history) and they appealed a bit less to me. I am just not that interested in music, science or art history that I need exact descriptions of the works or theories to understand what is happening. All in all a nice collection, three stars.

Finished The Great Mortality, (#16), this morning about the Black Death in the fourteenth century. The story told in this book is truly frightening. It is so hard to imagine that about 50% of all people died, that there was no cure, and there was no stopping it. The book itself was not so amazing unfortunately. A lot of the anecdotes are told more than once, and there is no clear line in the story. It is like the writer made a checklist of subjects and just wrote a piece about each subject. Also, I am not quite convinced about the qualifications of the writer. I feel he did not do the search for what really caused the Black Death and how it spread justice as he seemed convinced it was Y.Pestis and nothing was going to change his convictions. Three stars.

While on a trip to London I bought and read #17, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. The book was extra special because it is set in London, so I was experiencing all the locations while reading the book, which was great. The book is about London, which is divided in London Above, which we all know, and London Below, which is where people and things who fall through the cracks end up. Richard Mayhew, from London Above, rescues a girl who turns out to be from London Below, and gets dragged into a quest to find out who killed her family. It is an exciting adventure and Gaiman described everything in a great way. I could really imagine all this happening Below. My first five star book of this year.

I completely agree about Neverwhere - it is so great. I loved it.

I've never actually read Neverwhere, although I do like everything Neil Gaiman has ever written. (Well, maybe Mr Punch was a bit violent for my tastes.) Did you know there's a BBC version of it? From memory, the TV show came first. I understand there are some differences, but I do like the TV version. It must be at least 10 years old now. Or, older - IMDB has it as 1996.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115288/

I've got an old video tape of it, I must upgrade that to DVDs.

Finished #18, Doomsday Book by Connie Willis on my way home today. Despite the negative conversations in the "Most Abandoned Book" topic, I loved it. I thought I would, I mean, a story about historians who time travel to they study. Anyway, this story is about Kirvin, who is sent back to 1320 without all the necessary preparations. Meanwhile, back in 2057, in Oxford, the crew and scholars that stay behind have to deal with their own crisis. It is a mix of science fiction, adventure and historical fiction. Recommended (four stars).

Since you enjoyed Doomsday Book you may be interested in Connie Willis's new book that features the time travelling historians of Oxford entitled Blackout. The time travellers visit WWII in this story and it ends on a cliff hanger, to be continued in All Clear, which is coming out in October.

Yeah, I think I saw your post about that on another talk post. I have To Say Nothing About The Dog already on my TBR pile. To be honest, WWII is not my favorite period of history, but as I like Connie Willis so far I might pick these up. But I'll wait till All Clear comes out, I really dislike cliffhangers...

I normally don't like WWII stories either, but this one is good. I can't wait till the second book comes out!

Is Doomsday Book one of the most abandoned books? How? It's so fabulous! One of my all-time favourite reads.

I haven't been a big fan of her other books (Passage I even actively disliked), but Bellwether and To Say Nothing of the Dog were both fun, and I've read some short stories with the time travelling historians and WW2 which I enjoyed. Fire Watch, I believe. I am looking forward to Blackout very much.

The discussion about the abandonment of Doomsday Book can be found here. It seems some people really dislike this book, while other love it. I am glad I love it, because I had to search high and low for this book (and To Say Nothing Of The Dog). They didn't have any other Willis books though.... Maybe they are not very popular in Europe?

Finished two more books in the last two days.

Yesterday I read Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (#19). I bought this book because I loved The Time Traveller's Wife. I was a bit apprehensive about reading this one, because the general opinion on LT seemed to be that this was a disappointment after TTTW. Luckily, I am blessed with an incredibly bad memory, so I just remember loving TTTW, not what it was exactly that I loved.
Anyway, I loved Her Fearful Symmetry too. It is not as wonderful and surprising as TTTW was, but it was great none the less. The story was wonderfully written, great characters, and I could not wait to read it all. Four stars.

And the today I read King Solomon's Mines (#20) by H. Rider Haggard. I am really getting into the classics and the adventure stories! This was another great one that partly inspired Indiana Jones. An adventure looking for a lost brother (and the treasure of King Solomon) in South Africa. Great story. Four stars.

I've got Her Fearful Symmetry on Mt TBR! I'm glad you liked it, although I still am slightly trepidatious (sp? is that even a word?) about it.

@46, just read Her Fearful Symmetry as its own book, and don't try to compare it to (the experience you had while reading) The Time Traveller's Wife. The book is lovely.

I finished #21, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. In the front of the book, one of the review blurbs compared it to The Handmaid's Tale and I can really see that. I won't give too much of the story away, but like The Handmaid's Tale this book is written in the first person. This is the life story of Kathy, a carer. Slowly in the course of the book we find out why she and her friends are special and different. A thought provoking and lovely book. Four stars.

I've had Never Let me Go sitting around in my tbr pile for far too long, particularly since Kazuo Ishiguro is one of my favourite authors. I'll definitely have to make sure to read it soon!

Hi, I decided to check your thread out because you have listed alot of books that I either want to read or have read. I am not doing the 100 books just because I don't get that much time to read and I still don't feel I can read that many in a year.

I received Doomsday Book by Connie Willis from my SantaThing this year. I have it on my list of books to read this year since she is an author I have never read before. I didn't realize that it was the most abandoned book. I will have to think about reading that soon just to see what makes it so appealing and not appealing to people.

Good luck on your challenges for 2010!! I will be back to check on what you are reading.

Regarding The Doomsday Book being one of the most abandoned books, I did have to giggle at the (grouchy) comment: "Science Fiction" written by a person uninterested in technology.

Frankly, science fiction written purely for technological plot lines is dire. I'd much rather have science fiction where it's about the characters or society. (Hello, Ursula Le Guin.)

Time travelling historians? Bring them on!

@49 Welcome to the thread :D I hadn't heard of Connie Willis before I came to LT, and it turned out to be a great find!

@50 I agree! My first thought was A Canticle For Leibowitz. That's SF and I don't remember technology there. And what about Anathem? Anyway, I loved the Doomsday Book so I don't care ;)

I haven't read Anathem, but I'm hoping to get to it this year!

I've heard of A Canticle for Leibowitz, but only in passing. Have clicked through and am now about to file it away as a "next time I'm in the bookshop" book...

I was one of those readers who put aside Doomsday Book for a while, but since I don't like leaving books unfinished I picked it up again after a few months and I'm glad I did. The ending was very powerful.

I think I had two main qualms, firstly the author had a tendency to overdescribe - I still recall a scene in a hospital waiting room, with descriptions of someone getting up, getting some water, sitting down, getting up again, pacing around, picking up a newspaper etc. This was some random person (an ambulance driver I think) in the waiting room - not a significant character in the book. I felt this journalistic mode of writing filled the page with unnecessary information. The second issue was that it was tough to get a sense of the people in the past as people since they were always described second hand by the time-traveller - this was realistic I suppose, and despite the detached style of narration, the author still managed to achieve a sense of poignancy by the end.

I read The Road (#22) last Friday. The writing style in this book took some getting used to (no names, no chapters, just fragments). Also, I was happy I knew from the beginning that the story would not be a happy one. All in all I think this was a very powerful story, though it left me wanting more. More answers (what happened to make the world this way?) and more closure (what happens to the boy?). Four stars.

I finished The Zombie Survival Guide this morning (#23). I seem to be on a dystopian/world destruction/bleak future run lately. This is the companion/prequel to World War Z which I loved, both because of the story and of the style (oral history). This is the book that is heavily referred to in WWZ. It reads like a guide, so some information is less interesting than others, but it more than makes up for it with the "Recorded Attacks" section in the end of the book. What I love about Max Brooks is that he has created this whole alternative history, but instead of describing it, he offers us the books we would have had if that world were real (a survival guide and a history book). Great stuff! Four stars.

Just finished #24, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Another book I picked up for my effort to read more classics. I also read this book to prepare for Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters which I will try to find next to read later this year.
The language in this book took some getting used to (again) but in the end it was a really nice book about engagements and suitors. I love Jane Austen's humor :D. Four stars.

#25 was Feersum Endjinn, one of the science fiction books of Iain M. Banks not set in the Culture universe. The location of this book is Earth, but in the far far far future. Man has left the earth to look for better places, and left behind some people who did not like the advanced technology. No advancements were made, and in time, detailed knowledge of it was lost. They do make use of it though, most of all the Crypt, a sort of Data Cluster that everybody can tap into and even live in (after death, which does not have to be permanent). Anyway, the catalyst is The Encroachment, a space cloud that threatens to block out the sun and moon, thereby ending all life.
The story follows four main characters as they all seem to have something to do with a plot to save the Planet. It becomes a bit hard to follow sometimes, especially the story of Bascule, who, because of dyslexia or some other disorder, writes his story phonetically. Reading phonetically written sentences, including numbers and signs, in a language that is not your own can be very tiering, as you have to sound most of it out.
Anyway, all in all the story was really nice, and it all came together great in the final sections. Four stars.

Ah, I always wondered what Feersum Endjinn was about! I've read a couple of Iain M Banks' Culture novels and was impressed. I'll keep my eyes open for this one too!

I've got to get my hands on The Zombie Survival Guide - I absolutely adore World War Z and the way Brooks just drops you into a surprisingly believable zombie apocalypse!

57 Wookiebender, Feersum Endjinn is in essence a classic Banks book. If you like the others, you will like this one :D

@58 Aerrin99, The Zombie Survival Guide is a wonderful companion to World War Z, also because it contains a chronological listing of Zombie attacks/sightings...

I finished #26, The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I have read Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, and liked them (in a way). However, this was at least 7 years ago, before I read as much as I do know, before I knew better what was good. Even then Brown's writing style managed to annoy me (as he was announcing every thing that happened at least 10 pages in advance).
This time it seemed worse. The short chapters. The flash forwards. And the unbelievability of the story. I believed this one even less than any of the others. In the beginning the first thing I thought of was the movie "What the bleep do we know!?". I did not buy it then, and I don't know. I think that is what annoys me the most about Brown, his insistence that it is all real.
Anyway, the story was ok (even though he used basically the same characters as always), the mystery was ok. Two stars for effort.
But I am glad I have read it now, so I can move on to bigger and better things.

Oh oh, a co-worker loaned me The Lost Symbol and I'll be reading it soon. I read Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code a while back, and I agree, my reading choices have changed very much since then. I've learned what a good book really is from fellow readers here on LT. I'll at least make an effort to read The Lost Symbol, but I'm not expecting much. Dan Brown's books are hugely popular, but not so much here on LT.

@60, loriephillips, It is not a bad book per se, at least as good as the previous two. But I guess our tastes have gotten better over the years ;)

Finished #27, The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman, a graphic novel about Spiegelman's father's memories of his time during the second world war. This is a must-read book, but it is not a nice book. I had to read it in bursts, and it really affected me. The combination of the story of Vladek's time in the war and the story of the relationship between father and son, and the son's struggle to be a 'survivor' really made this story special. Very well done, five stars.

Oh, I agree with you about Maus! Incredibly powerful and moving. I also recommend reading it in short bursts!

To brighten my day, I read #28, Stardust by Neil Gaiman yesterday after finishing Maus. A very nice short fairy tale about a fallen star, a kingdom without a king, and witches. Great story, great fantasy, nice and uplifting. Four stars.

I finished #29, Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist last night. This book, written by a Swede and taking place in Sweden, approaches the zombie subject from a whole other direction. One night, there is an electrical storm, appliances will not turn off anymore. All of a sudden the tension disappears, but then the dead come back to life, all people who died within the last two months. They want to go home.
The book explores what these people (the 'reliving') are, what they want, what should happen to them, is this a blessing, is it a curse? They aren't man eating soulless beings, making the decisions for government, army and family a lot more difficult.
Interesting book, interesting perspective. Four stars.

And there goes #30, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. This is the famous graphic novel about Satrapi's youth in pre- and post-revolution Iran and abroad in Austria. The book tells the story of growing up, of the changes of the revolution, of the hope, fears and dreams, and of the troubles. I thought it was a very good book and a touching story. Four stars.

Wow! Some great books here! I agree with you on so many of them, but I found The Zombie Survival Guide a real disappointment. I was so in love with World War Z that I was expecting the second one to be just like the first. But it was very different and I didn't appreciate it. I did, however, really like Handling the Undead.

67, judylou, I guess it all depends on your expectations. I knew from browsing the book long before that this would be a survival guide style book, and not a narrative or a history. Therefore it is always less enjoyable that World War Z, but I feel it completes the story. And I really like John Ajvide Lindqvist's books, he approaches the standard horror/supernatural in such a refreshingly different way...

> 65

Whoa, that sounds really interesting! This is the guy who wrote Let the Right One In (Or Let Me In depending on the translation), right? I've been trying to get hold of /that/ book for ages. I wonder if I'd have any better luck with this one!

> 67

I'm in the same place right now! I read WWZ and adored it to itty bitty pieces, so I thought I'd give the Survival Guide a shot. I'm finding it okay, but it's certainly not as captivating as WWZ. I think it's something I'll probably keep around for a bit to pick through in smaller chunks of time while I read something more substantial.

I think part of the problem is that many of the same things are discussed in a more engaging fashion in WWZ (which I believe came second?), so in some ways it's like rereading the material, but without the story to go along with it.

>68 divinenanny: What other Lindgvist books would you recommend?

I read the Survival Guide before WWZ. I don't think it would have been very interesting the other way around. Actually, the actual guide part wasn't even super interesting regardless, although it gave some nice extra foundation for WWZ. The incident reports in the end are well worth reading, but you really can skip to that part.

@69, Aerrin99. Yup, the same Lindqvist as from Let the right one in. I see that Amazon has spotty availablity for his books. Try bookdepository.com, they seem to have both in stock. Based on these two I would recommend all his books, but alas, only these two have been translated. Now if you can read Swedish or German....

@69 and 70 I agree about the order of World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide. Read/browse the guide first, then read WWZ. Or treat the guide as a companion.

#31 took a bit longer. It was American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I am so glad I discovered him, I love all I have read by him so far. This was another great fairy tale with wonderful mythology and history behind it. The story is hard to describe (old and new gods battle in and for America) but is absolutely wonderful and gripping. Five stars.

Finished #32 this morning, People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. This books was interesting to me on two levels. On the one hand just the story, the different chapters dealing with different historical events to do with the book. The stories were very interesting though sad in most parts. I felt the story of Hanna was sometimes a bit too much (I cared more about the book) but I can see why it was in there.
On the other hand, this book tells the story of an object, the haggadah. This ties into my studies of Museology and all the layers of story an object can tell us. Not only that of the creator and why it was created, but also of the life of the object. Which is why it should never be restored to a new-like state, but be preserved as is. The object is so much more than just the object.
A great book, four stars.

Thanks for the welcome dininenanny. You are sure moving along with your reading. I am trudging through a book right now, not because it is boring just that I don't have as much time to read as I would like to.
You have read quite a few interesting books so far. Neil Gaiman is an author I hope to try this year.
Happy reading.

Hi crazy4reading. Well, if I didn't have to commute 3+ hours everyday I wouldn't read as much as this... I would highly recommend you try Neil Gaiman, I just love him. I discovered him only last year (I truly had not heard of him before Coraline was filmed) and love both his children's/YA and his adult novels. I am dying to try Preludes and Nocturnes, volume one of his graphic novel series Sandman, but the price is keeping me back for now....

Coraline is the book that I plan to read this year for my 1010 challenge. I understand about the price preventing you from buying a series of books. I have cut back tremendously on my book purchases only purchasing books with gift cards that I have received.

I buy my books in England or via the internet in England. They are about 50% or more cheaper then they are here. I enjoy browsing through bookstores, and I do want to support my small local bookshop, but if they charge me three times as much as online, then I am just buying online...

I finished #33, Inversions by Iain M. Banks. This is one of the Culture books, though you (and I) wouldn't notice it. It was only after I finished reading and I researched a bit online that I saw what was going on. The story is divided in two. One side follows the (foreign) personal doctor of a king, the other the (foreign) personal bodyguard of an usurper. They live in neighboring countries and seemingly don't have much to do with each other. The setting is a different planet, though the society sounds late European Medieval. All in all the stories were nice, though I had expected the connection between them to be a bit more obvious, at least in the epilogue. Three stars.

#73 Glad you liked People of the Book, I enjoyed it as well. Have you read A Year of Wonders by the same author? It's even better in my opinion.

@78, loriephillips, I haven't read Year of Wonders yet, but it is very high on my wishlist. I had to pick one of the two to try out Geraldine Brooks and I picked People of the book because of my cultural heritage and history background. Good to know that YoW is even better.

I finished both #34 and #35 this morning. #34 was Dracula, another book in my effort to read more classics. I have tried to read Dracula before, when I was in high school. Both the old fashioned language and the epistolary style made me put down the book back then. I figured since I recently found out I actually love all these classics, I had to try Dracula again. An arterial motive is that I have also recently picked up the book From Demons to Dracula about the creation of the modern vampire myth, and figured I would like that book a whole lot better if I had actually read the classic and ultimate vampire novel.
And now I loved it, I could not put it down. Of course there were some style and language things that in a modern book I would not have liked, but here it was okay. The thing that struck me the most, is that after about 400 pages of finding out about Dracula and researching and finding him, the final battle takes about 1 page. That's something I don't think you see in many modern books. I liked to see that some typical ideas about vampires were seen here, except the most important one. As far as I read and understood it, Dracula can survive daylight... Now I am looking even more forward to From Demons to Dracula to see what that was all about. Great book, must read! Four stars.
#35 was a short, dutch book, Duel by Joost Zwagerman. This book is handed out currently because of the Week of the Book (buy a Dutch book, get this book for free). It is a short book about a director of a (closed) Dutch modern art museum who struggles with the meaning of art and modern art. It is a lovely book examining the meaning of art, and of objects, and of the role of museums and people buying art. Four stars.

#36 was Nothing, A Very Short Introduction by Frank Close. I like these Very Short Introductions on subjects I know nothing about. I am not a beta person, so most of this book (mostly about physics) went over my head, but I felt Frank Close did a good job of slowly trying to explain what is going on. I liked that he set up the book chronologically, starting with ancient Greek philosophers all the way up to the LHC at Cern. Three stars (for not liking the subject that much, not for bad writing).

I love those Very Short Introductions too. They are excellent!

@81, Yeah, especially in subjects you are kind of interested in, but not enough for a 400 page book.

#37 was The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson. I wanted to read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as it is a classic that is referred to so much. I never knew the story was so short, and like Dracula, it was set up very differently then I would expect. A good story and a good read nonetheless. The other two stories were The Body Snatchers and Olalla, both of which I did not find as good. Might be because I am not scared by the same things as the people in Victorian England. Four stars.

#38 was From Demons to Dracula by Matthew Beresford, a book that analyses the Vampire myth from stone age up until now. The book was so so. I felt that the writer sometimes picked and chose from ancient legends, customs and myths to fit his story. Also, he kept referring to ancient demons as vampires, while saying that the word did not exist as such before 1770, and admitting that the ancient peoples did not see those demons as vampires. Interesting overview nonetheless, and a fun read (just not very scientific). Three stars.

Oh, I've got Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde near the top of Mt TBR! Am hoping to get to it soon. (It's a re-read, but from so long ago now that it probably counts as a new read. :)

I've been meaning to read Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde for a while, ever since Valerie Martin's Mary Reilly ended up on my tbr pile. Thought I should read the original before I read the feminist reworking of the tale. I'm looking forward to reading both.

I finished #39, The Children's Book, a long but satisfying read. The story follows mostly the children of several families during the end of the nineteenth and begin of the twentieth century in South-East England. The families have artists (writers, potters, museum keepers) and keep in touch with artists and idealists (Fabians, anarchists, socialists, suffragettes) and are present at historical events (the world expo in Paris, the first performance of Peter Pan). Each child develops differently, and each family has its own problems. Lovely story, sad endings, happy endings. Four stars.

And there goes #40, The Natural History of Unicorns by Chris Lavers. I bought this book after being so intrigued by the title. The book follows the myths and stories about unicorns and tries to find out which animals they might be based on. Very interesting reading. I am a bit disappointed the author never explained how we got from an ass or a goat to a majestic horse, but what he does explain sounds cool. I give the book three stars because I feel some of his conclusions are not really explained well enough.

I was busy last week, but not at work, so no train trips, and almost no reading. My book of the week was #41, The Swan Thieves. I was a bit nervous to read this, as The Historian is one of my favorite books of the last years. The Swan Thieves got mixed reviews, with the main sentiment that it was not as good as The Historian.
Luckily I have to disagree. Yes, the story is completely different, a bit less of an adventure (no vampires but painters) and different periods. But I loved letting myself disappear in this book. The story was multi-layered and interesting, even though I figured out the "shocking" secrets about half way through. Four stars.

I read and enjoyed The Historian a couple of years ago. After reading your comments, I think I'll add The Swan Thieves to the TBR pile.

Oh, I (re-)read Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and I did enjoy it. (Review RSN...) I'd forgotten there was Mary Reilly out there, I might keep my eye open for that.

The Historian and The Children's Book are both on Mt TBR. The latter will be read very soon now, as it's for book group for next month, and it looks as if it'll take quite a while to read!

88 Yeah, The Swan Thieves was a good story, and I think the general feel of the story (the way it draws you in and makes you want to read on) is similar.

@89 The Children's Book is a very nice, but long read. I would imagine it is good for Book Group discussions.

I finished #42, Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. I already had it on my TBR pile, but I read it now to participate in Atwood in April discussions. I read my first Atwood back in December (The Handmaid's Tale) and loved it. The description on the back of O&C made it sound really weird. However it was a dystopian novel. I "enjoyed" it very much, mainly because it showed the history leading up to the disaster and the life after. Very interesting concepts. Four stars.

#43 was some more SF for me, with Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks. This is another Culture novel. I really enjoyed this, because unlike some other Banks stories, you could follow the happenings a lot better here, learning as you go instead of one final climax that brings it all together. Intresting and enjoyable story. Four stars.

I've been keeping my list up to date, but not my reviews, so here come numbers 44 to 48 from the last two weeks:

#44, The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I wanted to read this book as the sequel/continuation of Tarzan of the Apes, which I loved more than I would have thought. On the other hand, the description filled me with dread, as I did not want anything bad to happen to Tarzan. In the end, I loved the book. It is one of the lovely nineteenth century adventures, complete with undiscovered tribes in the wilds of Africa. Great fun! Four stars.

#45, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. This is one of the books I got because of LibraryThing and the many times it was recommended here. And I absolutely loved it! The mix of Japanese modern life and traditional culture made me think of the Studio Ghibli movies. It gave me the same wonderful feeling. I will surely be reading more of Murakami's books, and give this one five stars.

#46, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. For me the last one in the classic horror trio together with Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I knew some of this book (I knew it was the doctor, not the monster that was Frankenstein), but not much. The story was great. Not very scary to modern standards, but very good. I did not expect the monster to be so eloquent, that was a surprise. Four stars.

#47, Classical Mythology, A very short introduction by Helen Morales. Another very short introduction. I initially thought (and this is my own fault for not reading the intro on the inside cover) this would be a nice short who's who of classical mythology. Instead it is a short overview of the influence classical mythology had and has on mankind. It shortly touches on our need for mythology, the sources, the beliefs and the Roman versus Greek mythology. I really liked the subjects, but I don't thing the Very Short Introductions format was right here, it was really too short to do it right. Now it just tried to describe many different subjects in a little over 100 pages. Either just one subject or more than 100 pages would have been better. Three stars.

#48, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I was reading a depressing (to me) book (see below) and needed some cheering up. As I love Jane Austen's humor, I picked up Northanger Abbey for my reading. I loved the humor and the intrigue. Not literature of the highest order, but a great diversion. Four stars.

And unfinished Under the Dome by Stephen King. I tried reading this book. It was compared to The Stand, which I loved. So, although not all reviews were positive, I thought I might like this one. I liked the idea of the Dome (though I could not get The Simpsons Movie out of my head) and the search into what caused it. I also liked the analysis of what would happen to those in the dome (oxygen, weather, wind?). What I hated so much was the character of Big Jim Rennie and the general nastiness of the people in the village. It seemed just a succession of violent actions. I didn't think it had that much to do with the Dome, King could have chosen a nicer peopled village and I would have liked it more. I didn't finish it because in the end picking it up filled me with dread. Not for me unfortunately, as I was really looking forward to this one.

Oh, I'm glad you liked The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle! That was a five-star read for me too. (Over on the "75 book challenge" group they're doing a group read of Norwegian Wood in May - I'm hoping to join in, as luckily enough that's already on my shelves, unread.)

Frankenstein is slowly moving its way up Mt TBR. I *think* I've already read it, but many (many!) years ago. And I've got Northanger Abbey on audio. I'm not a great listener, but it's fun as background noise (I already know the story well).

Sorry that you didn't like Under the Dome. I've not read King as yet, and the positive comments were leaning me towards trying that one, but your summary has changed my mind. I might try one of his older works first, now...

As far as I remember (and my memory for book plots is very weak), the King books I read and loved had the supernatural and horrific as the main plot line. Books like Insomnia and The Stand.... But this was my first King in at least 10 years, so my tastes might have changed (well, they have changed, but I didn't think this much)...

I was going to try The Shining, since it's a "1001" book so that way I can also cross another one off that list... :)

>wookiebender, The Shining, now there is one that I might try in the future....

#49 was Wuthering Heights. I knew that this book was different from Jane Eyre (being it was written by a sister and not the same writer) and that some LT members didn't finish it... I did want to read it. Back in elementary school we learned English by translating song lyrics, and Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights was one of them. I now wanted to know the story behind it.
Although this is not a happy book (101 how to destroy two families), it was still a very good read. Depressing yet fascinating. 3 stars.

#50 was Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde. I liked The Eyre Affair, but it took me some time to get into the "universe". I had the same 'problem' with this book, but not as much. I really love the universe Ffrode creates here, it is just so creative. Another very good story, adventure, and makes me really want to read The Well of Lost Plots soon. Four stars.

For some reason, whenever someone mentions The Well of Lost Plots I feel compelled to say that it is my favorite, and watch out for the Wuthering Heights Anger Management scene. Which is perfect, since you just finished the real Wuthering Heights.

Good to hear that, because I felt Lost in a Good Book led up to something even better. I think my plan to not buy books for a while might be out of the window....

#51 was To Say Nothing Of The Dog by Connie Willis, another book in the Oxford Time Travelling Historians series. This time they went back to the Victorian times, where one historian is hiding and recovering, they are searching for an ugly Bird Stump from Coventry Cathedral and they are trying to fix a time travelling mix up where a cat (extinct in 2060) travelled back to the future with one of the historians. A very good and interesting book, makes me want to read even more in this loosely connected series. Four stars.

#52 was The Owl Killers by Karen Maitland. Even though I was not that over the moon with Company of Liars I wanted to try another Maitland book, because she does seem to recreate my favorite time period (middle ages) very well. This was another ok book. I didn't hate it but didn't love it either. It was an okay read, with an interesting story about local superstition, the church and beguines in rural England. Three stars.

And jfetting, I just bought The Well of Lost Plots today and will start in it tomorrow.

Have your read Three Men in a Boat. It is sorta related to To Say Nothing of the Dog and a fun read.

I also did not enjoy Company of Liars all that much, so I think I'll pass on The Owl Killers. Too bad.

101, To Say Nothing of the Dog did make me want to check Three Men in a Boat out, but I was scared it might be a bit too British for me to get it all. But then again, I have been reading more pretty British classics lately. Thanks for the recommendation, on to the wishlist it goes!
And even though The Owl Killers is a very different story, to me it gave me the same feel and reaction as Company of Liars.

#53 was Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. This book pops up on LT Talk once in a while, always with a discussion about which was better, the book or the movie. To me it seems that it depends on what you experienced first. Those who saw the movie (by the brilliant movie maker Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli) first like the book, those who read the book first think the movie is wrong. I saw (and loved) the movie first, and with my extremely poor memory for plots, the movie seemed to follow the book quite closely. I enjoyed the book very much, and finished it in one day. I do have to wonder however, how confused I would have been by all the strange twists and turns if I didn't have the movie memories to "back it up" for me.... Either way, four stars from me.

#54 was The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde, the third book in the Thursday Next series. I loved this one even more than the last one I think. The world of Thursday Next and Jurisfiction is even more fleshed out here, and I love the original ideas (or not, there hasn't been one since 1884 and Flatland ;)). I need to read the other ones too. Four stars.

Yay! Another reader succumbs to the lure of Thursday Next! Great books, somewhat patchy in quality (I was less fond of #3 & #5), but always good fun. Must re-read them...

Good to know that #4 for you was a strong one, I really want to read it soon... Just have to find an excuse to buy it...

#55 was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. I read the original last year, mainly because I wanted to read this one and wanted to have read the original first. I was afraid this might feel too forced or too much like a gimmick, but I have to admit, I laughed out loud at some parts. The whole zombie/violence thing was very well woven into the story, I especially loved what they did to poor Wickham. Great enhancement of a great story. Four stars.

#56 was Club Dead by Charlaine Harris. A quick and fluffy read. Like previous parts to the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series, this reads like a movie/TV plot. A bit too suggestive, too much sex, and not too deep. But okay as entertainment. Three stars.

That is exactly true about the Sookie Stackhouse books. I love them just for pure enjoyment and entertainment.

#57 was a very long and dense read, Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson. I read Anathem last year, and was very impressed. I knew this was more historical than science fiction, and not even my preferred period (late seventeenth century). The book is really a combination of three different books, one following David Waterhouse, doctor, scientist, courtier, the other following Eliza and Jack (ex-slave and vagabond), and the last one having them come together. I love it when you follow different story lines in a book that come together in the end in unexpected ways. I am still not sure how I feel about this book. There was no main storyline, no main goal or adventure, just the description of what was happening in the world around our main characters. I did keep getting drawn back into the book, and I do plan to read part two in the cycle, Confusion. Minor irk were the geographical mistakes. Looks like the author did major research on the historical events, and then got out a modern map and wrote about Belgium and the IJsselmeer (both didn't exist in the seventeenth century). Four stars.

#58 was a quick one, A long way down by Nick Hornby. On the cover it said it was a funny read, I mostly found it tragic. In the end it was nice to see how everyone worked on their problems, but the group itself was just tragic. Four people all try to commit suicide by jumping of a building at the same moment and decide not to and try to help each other. Some characters were just too self destructing (Jess, Martin), some just too sad (Maureen). All in all a good but not very uplifting read. Three stars.

I picked up #59 (The Biographer's Tale by A.S. Byatt) at a second hand shop, purely based on the fact that I loved The Children's Book. Afterwards I read the reviews and they weren't very enthousiastic. I tried the book anyway and loved it. I can't exactly point out what I liked, it was a wandering tale of a student who steps out of the literary criticism field and decides to write a biography of a biographer. He hardly finds anything, except for material of a book he was writing when he disappeared in Norway's Maelstrom. Meanwhile he gets a job, finds girls, and discovers himself. Lovely writing, lovely storytelling. Four stars.

I have finished #60, Het zeewezen (Människohamn), another great book by John Ajvide Lindqvist. It was definitely worth the wait and the price to me. What a great book. I love how Lindqvist explores the human consequences of his horrors. That is where the horror is, not the monsters themselves but what they mean and make happen. I loved the flashbacks, the exploration of island culture, myth and folklore. If you liked other Lindqvist books, find this one. Fantastic. The only slight complaint is the fast ending which is not analysed at all. But still a full five stars for me!

> 11 That sounds fantastic! Has it been translated, or do you read Swedish?

As far as I know, it is available in Swedish, German and Dutch. I have read the Dutch translation.

Oh, if only I read any of those languages! ;) I'll keep an eye out, maybe it will make it to English one day.

Congratulations on finishing the first book in the Baroque Cycle! I've got all three on the shelves, and *one day* I will pick them up...

They are a bit of work, but worth it. I have just bought The Confusion and will start that soon.

#61 was Rashomon en andere verhalen by Ryunosuke Akugatawa, a short collection of stories written by the famous Japanese author. They were shorter than expected, and took some getting used to due to the cultural differences, but all in all a nice read. Three stars.

#62 was De schaduw van de wind (The Shadow of the Wind) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. I admit, I only picked this up because so many people seemed to love it, and it was on sale. But, I am not sorry, I loved this book and I just could not put it down. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be 'tragedy'. But it is also a mystery and uses the 'false witness' really well. The main character finds a book, reads it and falls in love. He tries to find out all he can about the author, and unravels the mysteries of the past. Meanwhile this takes place in Barcelona just after the war, so it also deals with the start of the fascist regime. Five stars.

#63 was Dead to the World, another Snooky Stackhouse/True Blood novel. Not much more to say than that. Three stars.

#64 was Nederland van Prehistorie tot Beeldenstorm. This is a history book that uses places to tell historical stories. This is part one, and tells 40 stories. Aside from some incorrect historical facts, and some writing styles I did not like (every story is by a different writer), I really enjoyed the book. So much so that I bought the other three parts, even though I do not care for the other time periods that much. Four stars.

#65 was a very short one, Onmacht by Charles den Tex. This book was given for free this month because it is month of the thriller here in The Netherlands. Short book about a marriage that is falling apart and the powerlessness of the people involved. Three stars.

#66 was The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. We bought this book originally for my boyfriend who loves Japan and Japanese history, and our chauvinistic hearts could not pass up a book about a Dutchman on Dejima in Japan. He gave up on the book after about 100 pages mainly because he is just too busy to read something like this. So I read it. I have just finished it, and am not sure what I think of it. I was glad for the middle part which focuses on some Japanese characters, did not care for the.... negotiations part (not trying to spoil here) and liked the ending. All in all three stars.

#67 was Nachtschade (Blindsighted) by Karin Slaughter. H. bought this book as a quick easy read and really liked it, so I decided to read to see what was so good about it. I did like the book, and the fast paced writing. But, these type of detective stories are not really my genre. A bit too gory, a bit too awful in what happens to the main characters. Three stars.

I am so far behind in my reading diary.... Time for an update:

#68 was The Passage by Justin Cronin. I noticed this book on the Waterstones website, and it was promoted heavily by posters in Dutch train stations. After reading the description I just had to pick it up. I know this is just part one of a trilogy (that has no part 2 or 3 yet), but I decided to read it anyway, mainly because of the dystopian theme. The basic story of the book is, there is a virus in the jungle, the US army tries to develop it to make super soldiers, they fail and the world as we know it is destroyed. Then the story picks up 90 years later with a group of survivors. I loved the first part of the book the best (how did we destroy our world) and it took me a long while to get into the future part. However, I found the mythology behind the story well thought out, and I cannot wait to read the other parts. Five stars.

69. Zoenoffer - Karin Slaughter
Another Karin Slaughter book, so a horrific crime described in much detail with much drama. "Fun" read, three stars.

Small interlude: Between this book and the next I have received my iPad. Yay, I am so happy with it. I have loaded a lot of eBooks onto it (see my eBook collection here on LT) and due to a lot of travel I have read many books on my iPad already. I love reading on my iPad, no problems with eyestrain, glare or whatnot. Now, I have never used a true e-Reader, and I am used to sitting staring at a computer screen all day... Anyway, I read more than I did before, because now I also read at home and while staying at family, in between surfing the web or playing a game. I love it!

70. Nation - Terry Pratchett
A young adult novel about a micronesian island after a tsunami where a group of survivors (including one English girl) try to survive. A very nice and interesting story, bordering on fairy tale sometimes. Four stars.

71. Superfreakonomics - Steven Levitt
I held off buying this book because of some really bad reviews regarding inaccuracies and liberties with the truth, but read it as an ebook. It wasn't as good as the previous book, as it seemed the authors were not merely reporting stories, but trying to solve the problems. Entertaining though. Three stars.

72. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
After so many recommendations here on LT, I tried The Hunger Games. I did not like it as much as most, though I was interested. I do feel that the author/publisher should have published the story in one book, instead of 'ending' it half way through. Four stars.

73. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner - Stephenie Meyer
After reading all the other Twilight books, I had to read this one. I am no major fan, I can see the flaws in the stories, but for entertainment they are ok. This story highlights a bit more of the background of the vampire lore. It is ok, I feel that Meyer is better at writing sappy love stories than true vampire fiction (though I loved The Host which did have more of a back story). Three stars.

74. The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan
This book has been on my wishlist a while now, but when H. wanted to watch the movie with me, I quickly read it. And loved it! It does follow a similar pattern to Harry Potter (lonely misfit, turns out to be hero, best in school/camp), but who cares. I find the idea of living Greek gods refreshing. Four stars.

75. The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket
A quick in between read. A bit too much for young children, but a fun read. Three stars.

76. The Strain - Guillermo Del Toro
After reading The Passage this all sounds very familiar. Still, I love the novel interpretation of the Vampire myth. These are definitely not your sparkly lovely vampires, but the vicious enemies that they should be. A plane lands on JFK and dies. No electricity, no contact. And so a virus enters NYC and only a few are aware what is happening. Four stars and can't wait till part 2 and 3.

Another major update:

77. Persian Fire - Tom Holland
After Millennium I just love Tom Holland, and even though this is not my favorite time period, it is extremely interesting to read Holland's story about Persia. Four stars.

78. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
79. Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan
80. Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
81. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
After my first positive experience with Percy Jackson and Rick Riordan I could not wait to start reading the other parts of the five part series, and they did not disappoint. Five great books, and I am glad to know that he is continuing his writing in the same style with new series. All have four stars.

82. Something Rotten - Jasper Fforde
Another part in the Thursday Next series. It took me while to get used to the absurd and surreal world that Fforde has created, but now I cannot get enough of it, and this was another good one. Four stars.

83. Dead as a Doornail - Charlaine Harris
Another Sookie Stackhouse book, same style, same writing, same type of story. Three stars.

84. Animal Farm - George Orwell
I can't believe I hadn't read this classic story yet. Knowing more about the meaning made it hard to read as a 'new' story, but all in all a very good, and still very current, story. Three stars.

85. Rubicon - Tom Holland
Another Holland, this one about the Romans. Not my favorite period by far, too much testoron, but still very interesting. Three stars.

86. The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan
The first part of a new series by Riordan, this time focussing on Egyptian gods instead of Greek gods. The Egyptian Gods want to come back, and two kids have to stop them to save the Western world as we know it. Another great one by Riordan, with the added bonus of being much longer than the Percy Jackson ones. Four stars.

87. Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami
This is my second Murakami, after “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle”. On LibraryThing, opinions were mixed but people generally thought this book to be less than Wind-Up. I’m not so sure what I think. I loved Wind-Up as my first introduction to Murakami and his brand of magical realism, but I have to say I loved Kafka too. Of course Nakata was my favorite character, but I liked the whole book, with all it’s special story lines coming together. I also love how Murakami’s books give me the same nice feeling as Hayao Miyazaki’s movies. I need more Murakami! This book gets five out of five stars.

88. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
The Help has been very popular on LibraryThing these past few months. I didn’t think it would be for me, but when two colleagues shortly after each other recommended it to me I had to read it. And I am not sorry. Despite the tough subject and the sadness the book was lovely and fantastic to read, one of the few books keeping me reading late at night.
The characters are gorgeous and real, the writing is good, all was great. Four stars out of five.

89. Making History - Stephen Fry
I just finished my first ever Stephen Fry book, “Making History”. Quite shameful really, I am such a big fan of the man, and of his language skills, how could I put of reading his work for so long? Anyway, I picked this book because it involves a form of time travel, which is a subject I always enjoy.
And I loved this book, I could not put it down. Fry has really thought things through, including the common but sad theory that history cannot be changed majorly, a situation will still need to be revolved. Anyway, Fry did a wonderful job, it was a great read. And I loved how he worked in love and relationships, very good. Five out of five stars.

90. The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet - Reif Larsen
I just finished “The selected works of T.S. Spivet” by Reif Larsen. I picked up this book mainly because of it’s unusual size and the many side notes and illustrations. For me, it took some getting used to, because those illustrations and side notes can be distracting. However, this is a wonderful story about a twelve year old prodigy discovering the adult world, secret societies, family history and more. A great read, four out of five stars.

91. Brooklyn - Colm Tóibín
This is another prize winning book that got mixed responses on LibraryThing. For me it was short but (bitter)sweet. It reads as one long story, divided in a few parts but no chapters. Sometimes the timeline was a bit murky, but the story itself was great. It is about a young woman from Ireland who emigrates to the US, Brooklyn, in the hope of a better life. The move itself is hard, but the choices she faces are even harder. Four out of five stars.

92. The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood
This is the companion of one of her previous books, Oryx and Crake. In that book a dystopian future is painted where mankind is almost wiped out. Before society is ruled by corporations who splice genes and alter DNA left and right while outside their compounds the world is destroyed. Anyway, this book is taking place at the same time as Oryx and Crake but from the perspective of some ‘regular’ people outside the corporations. A very good story, a ‘nice’ read that tied in well to O&C. It makes me want to read more Atwood. Four stars out of five.

93. The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I planned on reading a bit yesterday and finishing this book this morning but I just could not put it down. I loved this book as much as Zafon’s previous book, The Shadow of the Wind. It takes place in the same world, with some of the same characters. It is story with mostly real must some magical elements. The main character is a writer who is approached by a man who offers him a lot of money to write an influential work. Like in Shadow there is a historical mystery taking place in the background. The climax is very full of action which resolves some of the story but for me didn’t quite understand the entire clue. However it is a very good read, four out of five stars.

94. A spot of bother - Mark Haddon
I picked up this book mainly because I loved “The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime”. This book was very different, but after a little while I could not put it down again. The main thing which took me a while to get in to is how British this family is. However the writing makes everything very clear and nice to follow and in the end you care about all characters. I give the book four out of five stars.

95. Fragile Things - Neil Gaiman
I just finished the first book I bought last week in London, Neil Gaiman’s book of stories, Fragile Things. And it was like coming home. I love Gaiman and I can’t believe I just discovered him last year. This book was a good collection of his (mostly award wining) stories and some poems. One story even belonged to the American Gods story arc. Great stuff and highly recommended. Five out of five stars.

96. Christianity: A Very Short Introduction - Linda Woodhead
For my LibraryThing 1010 challenge (10 books in 10 categories starting 10 October 2009 and ending 10-10-10) the last book I had to read was a non-fiction book. I picked a very short introduction about Christianity. The book describes the history of the faith, in the West, the East, the southern hemisphere and other countries. Also the faith for poor people, for men and for women. It was a good introduction but a bit dense because it packed 2000 years of worldwide information in 150 pages. In the end I am giving it three out of five stars.

97. Dawn of the Dreadfuls - Steve Hockensmith
“Dawn of the Dreadfuls” is the prequel to the mashup “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”. In this book the training of the Bennett girls and the coming of zombies (unmentionables or dreadfuls) to Meryton is explained. Also, the reason that Netherfield stands empty. The book itself is far more basic than P&P&Z and doesn’t have anything to do with Jane Austen and her writing (except the setting). This means the books is fun, but not much more than that. Fun is good though, so I give this book three out of five stars.

Hi! I'm just dropping in after way too long. You have been reading some great books. So many of them I have either read, or have on the TBR! I can't wait to read The Passage - just have to wait for the husband to finish it - and I have to get back into the Sookie Stackhouses and Percy Jacksons too.

Happy reading!

divinenanny, you're on a reading roll! Three more to go! Rah! Rah! Rah!

(I'm expecting to finish my 100th - if I get up to it! - just before midnight on 31st December. ;)

Thanks :D I never expected to go as fast as I am going... last year my total was 86, I was reading my 56th book... :D And I should pick up speed next week again when I start work again (I am still home with a bad back).

Ouch! Bad backs are horrid! Hope it gets better soon.

I like how you read more when you're at work. :) I'm the same - it's the commute on public transport that really gives me reading time!

Looks like you are having a great year! And almost to 100. Congrats. I'm a big Gaiman, Fforde, Willis and Pratchett fan as well.

98. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
This is another book I found because of LibraryThing. It is the story of an old man who tells of his history as a vet at a traveling circus during The Depression. It is a very emotional story that is great to read, and I could not put it down. I highly recommend it, and give it four out of five stars.

99. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Again a book I would never have known of if not for LibraryThing. The subject matter is quite depressing as this book is about a dystopian future where books are forbidden. If you are found to own books firemen come and burn your house down. But the people don’t care, they don’t even want to read, to feel anything negative. The book follows one firemen who starts to realize what he is actually doing and starts to think for himself. Not very uplifting but despite it’s age still (depressingly) accurate. Five out of five stars.

100. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
After reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet I really wanted to read more by David Mitchell. I picked Cloud Atlas purely by chance.
I am not quite sure what to think of this novel. Its setup is six interlocking stories, each story cut in half and interrupted by the following story. They are all set in different (subsequent) time periods, two of which lie in the future. They all deal with the same sort of characters, with strong hints that they are reincarnations of each other. Also, each following story mentions reading/finding the previous one.
Other than that the main theme is power, who has it, why, and how does this influence the life of our characters?
I liked the book, I liked the stories. But maybe the main message is too broad for me. History is cyclic, humanity craves power. But I expected one main event, one big thing tying the stories together. However, the more I think about it, the more the brilliance of the book stands out. And for that reason it gets five out of five stars.

On a sidenote, this was book 100 for me for this year. :-)

Congratulations on reaching 100! I'm intrigued by Cloud Atlas. I've heard such good things about it that I'm adding to the wishlist.

Woo-hoo! Congratulations on reaching the 100 book mark for the year!

Thanks :D I could relax... but then I need to pick up a book again because I cannot do nothing.... :D So on to.... 125. I think that will be about the max this year.

Congrats! and David Mitchell is a nice one to "end" on on. I think his number9dream is better if you are keen to try more, it playful but more of a story

I ordered Cloud Atlas from my library... alas they only allow a two week checkout and no rechecks on ordered books. So I didn't get very far into it. It seems like a book to be read and savored, not raced through, so I'll buy it from half.com or somewhere and read it at my leisure.

Whoops, been a while since I've been here! Congratulations on reaching 100, good luck with 125!

I loved Cloud Atlas too, great stuff.

Yes, congratulations! I also loved Cloud Atlas and have The Thousand Autumns waiting patiently by my bed.

Thank you both. Mitchell is one of my new favorite writers, one I will be sure to read more from.
My current reading can be found here, in my Green Dragon Reading Diary.