50 Book Challenge - #41 to 45
1. Where the Heart Is - Billie Letts
2. Rachel's Holiday - Marian Keyes
3. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
4. Jemima J - Jane Green
5. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - Helen Fielding
6. Paint it Black - Janet Fitch
7. Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind The DaVinci Code - Dan Burstein
8. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir - Bill Bryson
9. Johnny Cash: The Biography - Michael Streissguth
10. Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 - Garrison Keillor
11. Jesus Land - Julia Scheeres
12. Digital Fortress - Dan Brown
13. Cross-X - Joe Miller
14. The Innocent Man - John Grisham
15. Trace - Patricia Cornwell
16. The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters - Elisabeth Robinson
17. The Boleyn Inheritance - Philippa Gregory
18. A Child Called "It" - Dave Pelzer
19. The Lost Life of Eva Braun - Angela Lambert
20. Girl with a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier
21. Apaches - Lorenzo Carcaterra
22. Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee - Charles J. Shields
23. Tommyland - Tommy Lee
24. The Chocolate War - Robert Cormier
25. Running with Scissors - Augusten Burroughs
26. Back Roads - Tawni O'Dell
27. Break No Bones - Kathy Reichs
28. Downsiders - Neal Shusterman
29. Second Guessing God: Hanging on When You Can't See His Plan - Brian Jones
30. Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings - Christopher Moore
31. The Book of Ruth - Jane Hamilton
32. Name All the Animals- Alison Smith
33. You Suck - Christopher Moore
34. Safe Passage - Ellyn Bache
35. The Regulators - Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
36. Back on Blossom Street - Debbie Macomber
37. The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love - Jill Connor Browne
38. Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore
39. A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore
40. A Heart Like Jesus - Mac Lucado
#41 - Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Christopher Moore
Amazon.com
While the Bible may be the word of God, transcribed by divinely inspired men, it does not provide a full (or even partial) account of the life of Jesus Christ. Lucky for us that Christopher Moore presents a funny, lighthearted satire of the life of Christ--from his childhood days up to his crucifixion--in Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. This clever novel is surely blasphemy to some, but to others it's a coming-of-age story of the highest order.
Joshua (a.k.a. Jesus) knows he is unique and quite alone in his calling, but what exactly does his Father want of him? Taking liberties with ancient history, Moore works up an adventure tale as Biff and Joshua seek out the three wise men so that Joshua can better understand what he is supposed to do as Messiah. Biff, a capable sinner, tags along and gives Joshua ample opportunities to know the failings and weaknesses of being truly human. With a wit similar to Douglas Adams, Moore pulls no punches: a young Biff has the hots for Joshua's mom, Mary, which doesn't amuse Josh much: "Don't let anyone ever tell you that the Prince of Peace never struck anyone." And the origin of the Easter Bunny is explained as a drunken Jesus gushes his affection for bunnies, declaring, "Henceforth and from now on, I decree that whenever something bad happens to me, there shall be bunnies around."
#42 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
Amazon.com - The long-awaited, eagerly anticipated, arguably over-hyped Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has arrived, and the question on the minds of kids, adults, fans, and skeptics alike is, "Is it worth the hype?" The answer, luckily, is simple: yep. A magnificent spectacle more than worth the price of admission, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will blow you away. However, given that so much has gone into protecting the secrets of the book (including armored trucks and injunctions), don't expect any spoilers in this review. It's much more fun not knowing what's coming--and in the case of Rowling's delicious sixth book, you don't want to know. Just sit tight, despite the earth-shattering revelations that will have your head in your hands as you hope the words will rearrange themselves into a different story. But take one warning to heart: do not open Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince until you have first found a secluded spot, safe from curious eyes, where you can tuck in for a good long read. Because once you start, you won't stop until you reach the very last page. A darker book than any in the series thus far with a level of sophistication belying its genre, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince moves the series into murkier waters and marks the arrival of Rowling onto the adult literary scene. While she has long been praised for her cleverness and wit, the strength of Book 6 lies in her subtle development of key characters, as well as her carefully nuanced depiction of a community at war. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, no one and nothing is safe, including preconceived notions of good and evil and of right and wrong. With each book in her increasingly remarkable series, fans have nervously watched J.K. Rowling raise the stakes; gone are the simple delights of butterbeer and enchanted candy, and days when the worst ailment could be cured by a bite of chocolate. A series that began as a colorful lark full of magic and discovery has become a dark and deadly war zone. But this should not come as a shock to loyal readers. Rowling readied fans with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by killing off popular characters and engaging the young students in battle. Still, there is an unexpected bleakness from the start of Book 6 that casts a mean shadow over Quidditch games, silly flirtations, and mountains of homework. Ready or not, the tremendous ending of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will leave stunned fans wondering what great and terrible events await in Book 7 if this sinister darkness is meant to light the way.
#43 - Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot - Max Lucado
From Publishers Weekly
Bestselling author Lucado (Come Thirsty) dedicates his latest book to helping readers discover their "sweet spot"-the job or life calling they were created for. He guides readers on their search to find the unique abilities God may have built into them. First step: "read your life backward" to see where you've been successful and what you've loved in the past. Readers are directed to find their personal "S.T.O.R.Y."-strengths, topic, optimal conditions, relationships and "Yes!" moments. This acronym originates with People Management Inc., whose theories helped Lucado find his own strengths and form much of the foundation for this book. For Lucado, discovering one's life purpose is really about honoring the God who gave the unique abilities in the first place, so he instructs readers not to make decisions based on greed. Instead, he exhorts them to "make a big deal out of God" rather than worrying about their own reputation and to trust God to use their "small beginnings" in his overall purpose. The book contains a "Sweet Spot Discovery Guide" with detailed exercises from People Management to help readers uncover their own personal "S.T.O.R.Y."-though some will want further guidance. As always, evangelical readers will appreciate that Lucado is easy to read while still substantive and orthodox, and many struggling to find the work that's right for them will find this book very helpful.
#44 - The Stupidest Angel - Christopher Moore
From Publishers Weekly
This audiobook starts off innocently enough-with a few minutes of bright, punchy Christmas music-but as we meet each resident of Pine Cove, Calif., the story bends, becoming as twisted as an image in a funhouse mirror. Lena Marquez is the sanest of the bunch, even if she does have a habit of wreaking violence on her ex-husband, known here as the "Evil Developer." Then there's Lena's best friend Molly, a former B-movie actress who hears voices, occasionally believes herself to be "The Warrior Babe of the Outland" and is married to the town constable, Theo, a former pot addict who's slipping off the wagon. To top that off, there's Tucker, a lonely pilot who has a Micronesian fruit bat for a pet, and a rather witless archangel named Raziel who comes to Earth to grant one boy's Christmas wish. It is that wish which turns this Christmas comedy into a holiday horror story. Roberts narrates the whole affair with skill, using his warm, hearty voice to great effect. His is the kind of voice that one would expect to hear in the audio version of A Christmas Carol or a children's storybook, which makes him the perfect reader for this book since it is, in part, a parody of the Christmas classics-albeit a gruesomely entertaining one. Whether crooning a few bars of the blues, personifying the dead or delivering one of the story's uplifting messages ("Life is messy. People generally suck"), Roberts's velvet voice rings with mirth, accentuating the humor and absurdity of each moment.
#45 - The Marvelous Land of Oz - L. Frank Baum
Book Description
Few fantasy lands have captured our hearts and imaginations as has the marvelous land of Oz. For over four generations, children and adults alike have reveled in the magical adventures of its beloved folk. Now, for the first time in over seventy years, the second book about Oz is presented here in the same deluxe format as the rare first edition, complete with all 16 of the original John R. Neill color plates, its colorful pictorial binding, and the many black-and-white illustrations that bring it to joyous life.
First issued in 1904, L. Frank Baum's The Marvelous Land of Oz is the story of the wonderful adventures of the young boy named Tip as he travels throughout the many lands of Oz. Here he meets with our old friends the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, as well as some new friends like Jack Pumpkinhead, the Wooden Sawhorse, the Highly Magnified Woggle-Bug, and the amazing Gump. How they thwart the wicked plans of the evil witch Mombi and overcome the rebellion of General Jinjur and her army of young women is a tale as exciting and endearing today as it was when first published over eighty years ago.