1st 50 Book Challenge Post
I was going to wait until the end of the month to post, but I can't sleep tonight, and it's close. I decided at the beginning of August that I was going to delurk and actually start keeping track of what I was reading. My goal is still 50 books by the end of the year, which is a do-able (am I NUTS?) 10 books a month. Yeah, we'll see if that happens if/when I go back to grad school in September.
#1 Anthem, by Ayn Rand. 105 pages. (1938)
Having never read any Ayn Rand before, I'm really glad I started with this, since it's one of her earlier publications. It was a short, easy read (I think it took me about 2 hours of a plane ride), but is so eloquent in expressing the dichotomy between personal freedom and the common good. The world of Equality 7-2521 is the absolute extreme, but he's somehow totally believable in his quest to be an individual. I'll definitely be adding Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged to my list.
#2 Don Quixote, by Miguel Cervantes. 982 pages. (1605-1615)
Don Quixote is supposed to be the best novel ever written, or at the very least, the first modern novel, and who can really say that they're a reader if they've never read the BEST BOOK EVER? To me, it dragged along in places, but many classics do, especially ones that are translations from another language. But despite the fact that reading it actually put me to sleep at times (maybe that's what I get for reading late at night and early in the morning on the train to work), it also made me laugh out loud more than any book I've read recently. The adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza were surprisingly relatable to a modern reader, and I found myself agreeing with the supporting characters, especially the ones who played along with his madness just to see what the two of them would do next! So, despite the fact that it's a pretty big commitment in a book (it will take you far longer to read than a thousand page modern book) it's something everyone should read at least once in their life, just for the cultural references (I personally kept thinking of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda). My recommendation: take a break between Part 1 and Part 2 and read something fluffy. If you're anything like me, you'll be more than ready to go back to Don Quixote's crazyness after a short break.
#3 Roads Taken: Women in Student Affairs at Mid-Career, edited by Kristen A. Renn & Carole Hughes 216 pages. (2004)
This book of essays by women in College/University Student Affairs has a pretty specific audience. I really related to the narratives and found myself wanting to take their advice, but it's certainly not a book for everyone.
#4 Academ's Fury, by Jim Butcher. 534 pages (2005)
Anything by Butcher is like Fantasy/Sci-Fi candy to my brain. I admit that while I liked The Furies of Calderon, I didn't think these characters could ever match Harry Dresden, but by the end of this book, I'm hooked on this world. Although I'm even more sure that I've figured out the "punchline" than I was in the first book, Butcher doesn't give away too much too fast, and ultimately it's reminding me of the Belgariad, my favorite fantasy series of all time.
#5 The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver. 545 pages (1998)
This might not be the kind of book that I'd want to reread over and over again, but it is the kind of book that stays with you and weighs on your mind, which is something that really good literature tends to do. There's so much in this story, from the history of the Congo, to the damage that we (meaning Americans) can cause trying to make everyone just like us, to the vast differences between siblings and between people in general that only come out when their lives are tested in some way, to what it really means to be a good Christian or even a good person. I was especially impressed with the subtle differences between the voices of the 4 sisters as they told the story (Adah's palindromes and Rachel's constant malapropisms) that would have made it clear who was writing each chapter even without the titles, but somehow didn't detract from making a cohesive story.
#6 Wanted, by Mark Millar & JG Jones. 208 pages (2008)
This graphic novel (which included 1-6 plus a bunch of bonus material) was a gift from a coworker after I told her I wanted to read the comic before I saw the movie. I can't imagine that the movie has anything to do with the comic other than the main characters' names and the fact that there were a whole lot of guns. Mark Millar is one of my favorite comic writers, and I can't help but love the gratuitous swearing, sex, and violence every once in a while.
#7 The Perfect Fit, by Louise Kean. 340 pages (2005)
I'm slightly ashamed to admit that this book made me cry big fat happy ending tears. I don't know what it is about the British that makes them write the most relatable chick lit, but this one had just about everything that makes chick lit such a guilty pleasure: the (in this case formerly) chubby girl learning what it really means to like herself, the guy that seems right and the one that is, 'best friends' who just don't get, and wacky things that you only wish would happen in real life. All around it was pure fluff, but I liked it anyway.
7 / 50 books. 14% done!
2930 / 15000 pages. 20% done
Crossposted to 50bookchallenge
#1 Anthem, by Ayn Rand. 105 pages. (1938)
Having never read any Ayn Rand before, I'm really glad I started with this, since it's one of her earlier publications. It was a short, easy read (I think it took me about 2 hours of a plane ride), but is so eloquent in expressing the dichotomy between personal freedom and the common good. The world of Equality 7-2521 is the absolute extreme, but he's somehow totally believable in his quest to be an individual. I'll definitely be adding Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged to my list.
#2 Don Quixote, by Miguel Cervantes. 982 pages. (1605-1615)
Don Quixote is supposed to be the best novel ever written, or at the very least, the first modern novel, and who can really say that they're a reader if they've never read the BEST BOOK EVER? To me, it dragged along in places, but many classics do, especially ones that are translations from another language. But despite the fact that reading it actually put me to sleep at times (maybe that's what I get for reading late at night and early in the morning on the train to work), it also made me laugh out loud more than any book I've read recently. The adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza were surprisingly relatable to a modern reader, and I found myself agreeing with the supporting characters, especially the ones who played along with his madness just to see what the two of them would do next! So, despite the fact that it's a pretty big commitment in a book (it will take you far longer to read than a thousand page modern book) it's something everyone should read at least once in their life, just for the cultural references (I personally kept thinking of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda). My recommendation: take a break between Part 1 and Part 2 and read something fluffy. If you're anything like me, you'll be more than ready to go back to Don Quixote's crazyness after a short break.
#3 Roads Taken: Women in Student Affairs at Mid-Career, edited by Kristen A. Renn & Carole Hughes 216 pages. (2004)
This book of essays by women in College/University Student Affairs has a pretty specific audience. I really related to the narratives and found myself wanting to take their advice, but it's certainly not a book for everyone.
#4 Academ's Fury, by Jim Butcher. 534 pages (2005)
Anything by Butcher is like Fantasy/Sci-Fi candy to my brain. I admit that while I liked The Furies of Calderon, I didn't think these characters could ever match Harry Dresden, but by the end of this book, I'm hooked on this world. Although I'm even more sure that I've figured out the "punchline" than I was in the first book, Butcher doesn't give away too much too fast, and ultimately it's reminding me of the Belgariad, my favorite fantasy series of all time.
#5 The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver. 545 pages (1998)
This might not be the kind of book that I'd want to reread over and over again, but it is the kind of book that stays with you and weighs on your mind, which is something that really good literature tends to do. There's so much in this story, from the history of the Congo, to the damage that we (meaning Americans) can cause trying to make everyone just like us, to the vast differences between siblings and between people in general that only come out when their lives are tested in some way, to what it really means to be a good Christian or even a good person. I was especially impressed with the subtle differences between the voices of the 4 sisters as they told the story (Adah's palindromes and Rachel's constant malapropisms) that would have made it clear who was writing each chapter even without the titles, but somehow didn't detract from making a cohesive story.
#6 Wanted, by Mark Millar & JG Jones. 208 pages (2008)
This graphic novel (which included 1-6 plus a bunch of bonus material) was a gift from a coworker after I told her I wanted to read the comic before I saw the movie. I can't imagine that the movie has anything to do with the comic other than the main characters' names and the fact that there were a whole lot of guns. Mark Millar is one of my favorite comic writers, and I can't help but love the gratuitous swearing, sex, and violence every once in a while.
#7 The Perfect Fit, by Louise Kean. 340 pages (2005)
I'm slightly ashamed to admit that this book made me cry big fat happy ending tears. I don't know what it is about the British that makes them write the most relatable chick lit, but this one had just about everything that makes chick lit such a guilty pleasure: the (in this case formerly) chubby girl learning what it really means to like herself, the guy that seems right and the one that is, 'best friends' who just don't get, and wacky things that you only wish would happen in real life. All around it was pure fluff, but I liked it anyway.
7 / 50 books. 14% done!
2930 / 15000 pages. 20% done
Crossposted to 50bookchallenge