Marie's 2016 Challenge (x2)

Welcome! My name is Marie and this is my seventh year with the 75ers. I'm in the last year of my twenties (!) and an academic librarian living in South Carolina with my active duty husband (Air Force). We belong to a tiny dog named Finn and a giant cat named Neko.

Previous Threads:

75 Books Challenge in 2010
75 Books Challenge in 2011
75 Books Challenge in 2012
75 Books Challenge in 2013
75 Books Challenge in 2014
75 Books Challenge in 2015

Books Read In 2016

January
1. Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich
2. The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson
3. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
4. Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson
5. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
6. 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad
7. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
8. Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

February
9. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
10. The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson
11. My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
12. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
13. Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen
14. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
15. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

March
16. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
17. The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows
18. Queen Lucia by E.F. Benson
19. All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks
20. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

April
21. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

May
22. How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
23. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
24. The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler
25. The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial by Peter Goodchild
26. John Quincy Adams by Harlow Giles Unger
27. The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson

June
28. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
29. The Train by Georges Simenon
30. March by Geraldine Brooks
31. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
32. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks
33. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
34. If At Birth You Don't Succeed by Zach Anner

July
35. Me Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
36. The Shining by Stephen King
37. Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
38. Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon, Shana Knizhnik
39. The Librarian's Nitty-Gritty Guide to Content Marketing by Laura Solomon
40. Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach
41. Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield

August
42. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling
43. The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck
44. Heart and Brain: Gut Instincts: An Awkward Yeti Collection by The Awkward Yeti
45. Sweet Promised Land by Robert Laxalt
46. Sidney Chambers and The Dangers of Temptation by James Runcie
47. The Trouble With Women by Jacky Fleming
48. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer
49. At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England by Walter Dean Myers
50. The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life by Anu Partanen
51. Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady by Kate Summerscale
52. Martin Van Buren by Ted Widmer
53. Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly

September
54. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
55. William Henry Harrison by Gail Collins
56. Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart
57. Corn From A Jar by Daniel S. Pierce
58. Matilda by Roald Dahl
59. Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America by Linda Lawrence Hunt
60. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
61. Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

October
62. Legend by Marie Lu
63. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S Lewis
64. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
65. Where Am I Now? by Mara Wilson
66. Augmented Reality: An Emerging Technologies Guide to AR by Greg Kipper
67. In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives by Kenneth C. Davis
68. Library of Luminaries: Coco Chanel: An Illustrated Biography by Zena Alkayat
69. Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou

November
70. How To Be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Tudor Life by Ruth Goodman
71. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
72. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
73. Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
74. The Violinist's Thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code by Sam Kean
75. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

December
76. Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart
77. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
78. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
79. Talking As Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
80. The Anatomical Shape of the Heart by Jenn Bennett
81. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families by Philip Gourevitch

2016 Challenges

President's Challenge:
1. Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow (2015)
2. First Family: Abigail and John Adams by Joseph J. Ellis (2015)
3. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham (2015)
4. James Madison: The Founding Father by Robert Allen Rutland (2015)
5. The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness by Harlow Giles Unger (2015)
6. John Quincy Adams by Harlow Giles Unger (May 2016)
7. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham (June 2016)
8. Martin Van Buren by Ted Widmer (August 2016)
9. William Henry Harrison by Gail Collins (September 2016)

Our Shared Shelf:
January: My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem (February 2016)
February: The Color Purple by Alice Walker (March 2016)
March: All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks (March 2016)
April: How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (May 2016)
May: The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson (May 2016)
June: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (June 2014)
July/August: Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein (July 2016)
September/October: Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn (February 2010)
November/December: Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou (October 2016)

Welcome, come on in. I'm just waiting out Tropical Storm Colin here in South Carolina. Sheesh, talk about rain.

So great Persepolis is on OSS - hope lots of people discover it.

Happy new thread Marie. Hope you just get rain and nothing scarey.

Hi Marie!

Happy new thread, Marie.

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread, Marie! Love the chalkboard on top.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Marie!

Happy new thread!

Love the chalkboard topper! I want to go on a hobbity adventure when I'm 50 too...

Happy new thread, and nice job on your 2016 challenges!

Happy new thread, Marie!

How are you feeling about this season of Outlander? Note spoiler is for most recent episode. I'm a bit conflicted about how many additions and changes they've made to the original plot this season. While on one level they make some sense as the book is a lot of mental maneuvering, I'm not quite sure what the sub-plot of Claire having essentially PTSD does for the larger arch.

>5 charl08: It is a great book. Funny enough, I read it two years ago in June.

>6 norabelle414: Hi, Nora!

>7 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul!

>8 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>9 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! I love it too. I hope to be adventuring at 50.

>10 foggidawn: Thanks, Misti!

>11 scaifea: Thanks, Amber!

>12 aktakukac: Thanks, Rachel!

>13 bell7: Thanks, Mary. This is the first year I've ever been semi good at challenges. I think the difference is that I'm held accountable by other people selecting the topic and/or book to read. When left to my own reading devices, I just meander.

>14 MickyFine: Yeah, giving her PTSD kind of felt like filler to give her an attachment to the battle at hand. It let Jamie become the knight in shining armor, whereas in the books she's more take charge. On the other hand, it's kind of logical and allowed them to give her some flashback scenes. I've noticed they have started doing that the later the season goes. I'm not ready for her to time travel...

>15 rosylibrarian: What do you think of the choices so far? I haven't been following the group closely but looking at the list I was kind of surprised there weren't more "obvious" classics on the list.

>16 rosylibrarian: Ugh. Me neither. I'm not ready for the feels. The first episode of the season was already hard. That being said I'm excited to see adult Bree and Roger. And I'm curious whether they'll include the plot of trying to find Geilis before she travels back in the 60s.

Happy new thread!

>17 charl08: Well, I'm afraid I had little experience with feminist writings before undertaking this challenge, so I'm not sure of what the classics even are. I had actually never even heard of bell hooks before. That being said, I would be surprised if The Feminine Mystique didn't show up at some point. I was actually just notified that Watson is amending the book group to only select a book every other month, so we're voting for July/August right now. I'm actually a little disappointed, but then again I'm an avid reader.

>18 MickyFine: The first episode was extremely hard. God, the actor who plays Frank/Randall is so good. I honestly think he's the best actor on the show because you can love him and then instantly hate him. I am excited to see Bree/Roger too. The casting looked well done.

>19 _Zoe_: Thanks, Zoe!

>20 rosylibrarian: I know what you mean. Even re-watching the first season, I'm always so surprised at how much I like Frank after having seen everything Randall does at the end of the first season.

I haven't peeked at the casting for this season so I'm looking forward to being surprised. :)

Love the topper! :)

*waves* I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted... I'll catch up soon.

*waves*

Hope you are doing fine! Summer is the best time of the year, but I am spending so much time outdoors I do not have much time for reading, or catching up at LT. BUT, I did notice you fascination for Outlander, so I bought Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager today :)

>24 Apolline: *waves!*

I wish I had your summers. It's going to be 97 degrees and 64% humidity today. My excuse for not updating is that I've just been working a lot, and not making time for myself. I have been doing some reading though, so I'm going to try and update today.

Yeah, Outlander! I got really obsessed for a minute, and sort of had to take a step back since those books are so huge, and complex. The TV series ended this weekend I think, and I'm a few episodes behind. I hope you like them!

28. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

This is going to contain spoilers, but I feel like I'm the only one who hasn't read this book before, so I'm going for it. This short novel is written as simply as its title. An old man who hasn't caught any fish in months goes out to sea to prove his worth. He catches a huge marlin, but the marlin puts up a fight that lasts days. Finally, the old man kills the marlin, but as he sails back to his port, sharks gradually eat the marlin until the old man makes it back to his home without anything but his sense of self worth.

I someone managed to dodge this classic in high school, and college, but have been trying to sprinkle in classics to my reading list. I have to say that this book caused me a lot of anxiety. I thought for sure the old man was going to fall into the sea and die. It stirred a lot of pity in me for him. Luckily - and spoiler alert - he lives. I closed the book knowing that I wasn't digging in very deep to all the metaphors that this book provides, but content that the old man lives to tell the tale.

>26 rosylibrarian: I managed to get through an entire English degree without reading any Hemingway (this is what happens when you focus on British literature and go to uni in Canada; huge swaths of American literature remains completely untouched). I picked up The Sun Also Rises a few years ago and decided I wasn't missing much by skipping the rest of his bibliography. :P Glad you enjoyed your foray.

Well I binge-watched the rest of this season of Outlander. Feel free to drop by my thread to chat about it when you catch up. :)

>27 MickyFine: Perhaps a silly question, but I was an art history major... Who are Canada's "classic" writers? What book does every Canadian high schooler have to read? I end up reading a lot of British/American writers, but I can't think of anyone I know to be Canadian.

>28 MickyFine: I'm seriously behind. I think it's because I know what happens... also, I did not love France so I think I've been less in love with season 2. I kind of didn't love it in the books either. Jamie and Claire belong in Scotland.

>29 rosylibrarian: I have to admit I only took one Can lit course during my degree (it was required) and we didn't do a ton of classics. But big name Canadian authors (both fiction and non-fiction) that tend to get visited often include Margaret Atwood, Mordecai Richler, Pierre Berton, Michael Ondaatje, Thomas King, Farley Mowat, L.M. Montgomery, and the like.

As for Outlander, I totally share your feelings. The second book was not my favourite and I have not been as completely sucked in by this season as last. That being said the finale is solid and I was super happy with Roger and Bree's casting. And also other things we can discuss when you've caught up. :) Voyager has been my favourite book in the series (that I've read) so I'm really looking forward to next season.

>30 MickyFine: Ah, yes of course. Margaret Atwood, and L.M. Montgomery! I love both of them. The others I have not heard of, but perhaps my next read will venture north of the border. :)

From the pictures alone, they look fantastically cast. Okay, I need to finish season 2 and I'll head over to your thread.

29. The Train by Georges Simenon

Marcel Ferón is an ordinary man in a French suburb when the Nazis invade France. Ferón feels like he has been waiting his whole life for this event to happen. It's as though he expected to be uprooted from his life - his pregnant wife and his small daughter. They are separated as they board a freight train taking the refugees to somewhere safer. Where, Ferón does not know. On the train, Ferón meets a woman who he begins an affair with and together they settle into a refugee camp where Ferón begins to feel like he is leading yet another normal life. The ending packs an emotional punch.

I fell in love with the language of this book. Simenon does a magical trick in which every extraordinary event that happens to Ferón is somehow flattened by his expectations. Ferón normalizes every situation, whether he's being shot at on a train or living in a refugee camp with no word about his wife or child. He goes through the motions in such an intriguing and provocative manner. I found it unique amongst other books of this subject, and highly recommend it to anyone.

>32 rosylibrarian: Interesting stuff. I've only read one Simenon that wasn't a Maigret, and that one was kind of wrecked by me expecting the detective to turn up until about half way through (I know, I know, but I was clearly not having a very bright day...). Will look out for this one - fits nicely with a recent read.

>33 charl08: I've never read his Maigret books before. I need to give them a try if this is the kind of writer he is. In looking at his books, he's quite prolific! Hope you give The Train a try. I loved it.

>26 rosylibrarian: Loved your comments on the Hemingway book.

Just dropping by to see what you've been reading and to say hi, Marie.

>35 thornton37814: Oh, thank you. I wish I were a more serious reviewer, but alas...

>36 ronincats: I have been reading, but you wouldn't know it by my thread. I can't remember a year I've felt to busy all the time. It's my goal to update today/this weekend.

30. March by Geraldine Brooks

March is the story of the absent father in Little Women, written by one of my favorite authors. I read Little Women some time ago with little thought for the missing dad. This time I read March with little thought for the children and wife that Robert March left behind. Instead, we are plunged into the Civil War, following March as he weaves his way between battles, and the memories of his life that brought him to the present day of the book.

March is deliriously compelling, and Brooks in her best light. She writes beautifully, and the language she uses made me want to re-read another of my favorite books by her, Year of Wonders. I was drawn to March as he shifts back and forth between the ugliness of war, and the hazy nostalgia of his coming of age. It's character development at its absolute best, and a five star book for me.

31. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham

If I could sum up this book into one sentence, it would be: Man, drama followed Andrew Jackson.

Jackson's biography felt radically different than the rest of the presidential biographies I have read within the past year. I felt like drama swirled around Jackson at every point in the book. A lot of the book is dedicated to Jackson defending his wife's honor, and then defending the honor of Mrs. Eaton, the wife of his Secretary of War. This angered his beloved niece and her husband, and they were estranged for a great deal of time. It became known as the petticoat affairs. I would have liked more time spent on the outcomes of his political career, such as the removal of Native Americans and his nullification issues. Though discussed, I wanted more analysis and less drama.

I did enjoy learning about his childhood, and admired his resiliency. Jackson was orphaned at an early age, and his wife later died right as he was taking office. He relied on his niece to be the First Lady, but she too died at the early age of 29. Jackson seemed like a lonely sort of character throughout the narrative, but one with a strong backbone who was extremely loyal to the people he cared about.

>38 rosylibrarian: Glad that one found another fan. :)

>40 MickyFine: Geraldine Brooks can do no wrong. :)

32. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks

I love clinical tales. I find them endlessly intriguing. I think it shows fascinating insights into just how lucky people are to have their health, and what a delicate balance health can be. However, I love clinical tales even more when I can semi understand the science behind it. Oliver Sacks (RIP) does an okay job of doing that, though there were times when the terminology was definitely not for the average person.

What was for the average person were the philosophical insights presented by Sacks. If a person has no memory, can they live a fulfilled life? Can they be happy or sad? How does medicine address these grey areas? It made for a thought provoking read.

33. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer

I've only ever read one other Heyer book, Footsteps in the Dark, and it got a middle of the road review from me. Still, I've always wanted to be a Heyer fan because she seems right up my alley. I should have started with The Grand Sophy. As you may have guessed, Sophy is the heroine of this book, and what a heroine she is. Miss Stanton-Lacy is dropped on the doorstep of her aunt's house by her formidable father, and has been described to her new family as a good girl who will be no trouble at all. They are fine with that because there is already a power struggle going on with their oldest son who has inherited a great deal of money.

But, of course, Sophy is a lot of trouble because, alas, she is a smart girl who knows her own mind and just wants to ride her horses around London without a male chaperone. This infuriates her cousin who thinks it extremely unbecoming of a woman. His cousin Sophy should be more like his fiancee who just happens to be an awful person. A lot of hilarity ensues, and I was quite taken with the Grand Sophy. There is some cousin love to this story, but if you can get past that, it's a pretty good one. My faith has been renewed in Georgette Heyer, and I will be picking up her books in the near future.

>43 rosylibrarian: I pick up Heyer at least once or twice a year. My favourite remains Frederica which I loved enough to add to my personal collection.

How are you, Marie?

I've only read one by Heyer, Arabella, but I quite liked it:)

I hope September is treating you well!

B

>45 Apolline: Sigh. Busy. September is treating me well, but I can never seem to make time for updating LT. My stats at the top are up to date, but I am hopelessly behind on writing reviews. It's actually really frustrating, because when I go to review a book, it is not as fresh in my mind as I would like it to be. I feel like I don't have a chance to process my reading, and reflect. And yet... I'm just really busy with work, and life. But, still here, and hoping for a break soon!

Glad you had a bit of time to check in, Marie. Hope the busy of the beginning of term lets up for you soon.

Here's another Geraldine Brooks fan. I've read everything she's written except for The Secret Chord. My favorite is Nine Parts of Desire (which is nonfiction) but March and Year of Wonders are up there, too.

As for Heyer, I liked Frederica more than The Grand Sophy though I enjoyed both. I recommend staying far away from The Talisman Ring however. Yuck.

>47 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky. Hopefully so!

>48 Morphidae: Hi Morphy, glad to see you back at LT. I have yet to read The Secret Chord either, and I've never tried Nine Parts of Desire.

I'll also need to try Frederica. I've heard it a good un'!

34. If At Birth You Don't Succeed by Zach Anner

I knew of Zach Anner not through Oprah, or his YouTube videos, but through a small media company called Rooster Teeth, where Anner makes guest appearances from time to time. When I heard he had a book coming out, I jumped at the chance to read it. I'm glad I did, because Anner is as funny on paper as he is on the screen.

Anner was born with Cerebral Palsy, and has a lot of challenges thrown his way as a result. That hasn't stopped Anner from becoming a YouTube superstar, traveling the world, making a TV show with Oprah and continuing to constantly create meaningful content. It's an inspiring story, though it doesn't feel inspiring because Anner's sense of humor is so self deprecating. It's not until the very end when you take a step back to gather your thoughts that you realize what a huge list of accomplishments he's achieved. And he's only 31.

Check out his Youtube content here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ZachAnner

>50 rosylibrarian: Sounds good. Wishlisted!

I loved March, it made a big impression on me. I think because (like Longbourn it took such a well loved story and did such an unexpected thing with it. I think I've got a copy, might go looking for it.

35. Me Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Greg Gaines loves to be invisible in high school - and yet the way he achieves this is by being slightly visible to everyone. He's everyone's friend, and yet no one's. The only person he really ever hangs out with is Earl, and even their relationship is complacent. That all changes one day when Rachel Kushner is diagnosed with leukemia, and Greg's mom forces him to try to and comfort her.

This book felt extremely realistic. The characters are all deeply flawed, and their interactions are humanistic. While there are real moments of beauty, ultimately this book is not designed to make you happy. There are no great lessons to be learned, except that life is very random, and people don't always change. That might paint a depressing picture, but I really enjoyed it for that reason. It felt authentic.

I read this book because YALLfest is happening in November, and Jesse Andrews will be there, so hopefully I can get his signature. Anyone coming to YALLfest this year? Anyone watch the movie to the book?

>51 charl08: I'm always cautious when authors take a beloved story and revamp or expand its canon, but you are right about March. It was such a different book that you could have never read any of the Little Women books, and been totally fine. Plus, Brooks is such a beautiful writer.

>52 rosylibrarian: I read that one last year and enjoyed it but I haven't watched the movie yet (it continues to sit in my Netflix list). If you get there before me, let me know how you like it. :)

36. The Shining by Stephen King

37. Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein

38. Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon, Shana Knizhnik

39. The Librarian's Nitty-Gritty Guide to Content Marketing by Laura Solomon

40. Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach

41. Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield

42. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

43. The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck

44. Heart and Brain: Gut Instincts: An Awkward Yeti Collection by The Awkward Yeti

45. Sweet Promised Land by Robert Laxalt

46. Sidney Chambers and The Dangers of Temptation by James Runcie

47. The Trouble With Women by Jacky Fleming

48. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer

49. At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England by Walter Dean Myers

50. The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life by Anu Partanen

51. Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady by Kate Summerscale

52. Martin Van Buren by Ted Widmer

53. Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly

>68 rosylibrarian: I tried to contact the author after reading this to see if he'd lodged the letters he claims to own. Nada. I was a bit miffed they didn't even bother to reply!

54. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

>73 charl08: Hmm. When did you contact him? He died in 2014.

55. William Henry Harrison by Gail Collins

56. Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart

57. Corn From A Jar by Daniel S. Pierce

58. Matilda by Roald Dahl

59. Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America by Linda Lawrence Hunt

60. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Phew, okay. I finally added all of the books I have read this year - albeit without reviews. I'll try and add those back in later. Man, I can't remember a year where I fell so far behind on LT.

The good news is that I'm feeling a tad bit better about hitting 75 books this year. According to Goodreads, I'm 5 books ahead.

>75 rosylibrarian: Well, that's useful to know. But luckily for me it was back in 2012, so I don't feel too bad.

>83 charl08: LOL! I wonder what his estate did with the letters if he did indeed have them.

Very solid progress and a good selection of reads. I may have played the collection librarian game of "ordered it, ordered it, didn't order it," etc. I'm such a nerd.

Hope you're doing well, Marie!

I've had Tuck Everlasting on my shelf for years, but never gotten around to it. Saw the movie, but maybe I should have waited to read the book first ;)

>85 MickyFine: Why thank you, Micky. Man, I miss playing that game. I don't do any acquisitions in my current position, and I'm very sad about it.

>86 Apolline: I've never seen the movie, but I kind of wonder if it would make a better movie than a book. The book is cute, and I would have loved it as a kid, but I def wanted more.

Just checking in. We evacuated from our home in Charleston, SC and are currently up in NC. Just waiting to see what happens...

>88 rosylibrarian: Stay safe!

Glad you're safe, hoping for the best.

Hi, Marie. Good to know you are still reading up a storm.

I'm glad you're okay, Marie! I hope your house is okay too.

I just read Tuck Everlasting too. I found it underwhelming but I could see how it would have been impressive if I was younger or I was reading it closer to its publication.

The most recent movie adaptation, starring Alexis Bledel, ages Winnie up to 15yo from the start. I can see why they made that choice, but I think it does take something away from the story. I liked the book better.

We're okay! It was a stressful week, but our house and everything in it was fine.

My husband recently had surgery on his Achilles heel, so our "evacuation vacation" was non-eventful and we spent a lot of time sitting in the hotel room. We also ended up spilling a gas can in the trunk of our car, so much fun was had by all.

>91 ronincats: Reading up a storm, ha ha

>92 norabelle414: You know, I've never seen the movie, but I was underwhelmed by the book too. I agree it's probably an age thing. I didn't buy the whole insta-love of it.

62. Legend by Marie Lu

I'm proud to say my almost 13 year old niece is a total bookworm, and she's finally old enough to start reading YA. Yay! So, she picked this series up and I started reading it with her. While I'm super happy to be reading YA with her... this book sucked.

The premise is that a 15 year old boy and girl are on opposing sides of a war. She's a prodigy badass/military official. He's a renegade badass/wanted for murder for killing her brother. Their perfectness was grating. Their attention to detail was superhuman and only served to move the plot along. And of course, they started making out with each other at some point, because why not? It was just bad, bad, bad. And now I probably have to read the second book for my niece... oh the things we do for family!

>93 rosylibrarian: Glad you and your house came through ok.

>94 rosylibrarian: Ha! I'm glad my niece is only 18 months. Her books are much shorter. And cuter. :)

>94 rosylibrarian: Hahaha Marie not the review I expected after the short preamble! I love that my youngest Belle is an avid reader too but uniformly hate the stuff she devours with such relish.

Have a great weekend.

>94 rosylibrarian: You are an awesome Aunt.

I've been avoiding the Internet as a whole since the day after the American election. I'm angry, sad, and confused as to why this country elected such a horrible human being.

63. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S Lewis

64. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

65. Where Am I Now? by Mara Wilson

>98 rosylibrarian: *hugs* (I meant to post that earlier).

Nice recent reads. :)

66. Augmented Reality: An Emerging Technologies Guide to AR by Greg Kipper

>102 MickyFine: Thanks! All of America needs a hug right now - or at least the sane ones. (Sorry Republican LTers.)

67. In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives by Kenneth C. Davis

68. Library of Luminaries: Coco Chanel: An Illustrated Biography by Zena Alkayat

I associate Coco Chanel with French luxury, and quiet beauty. I also associate it with my late grandmother who wore Chanel no. 5 religiously. Yet, I have never wondered about its namesake until I saw this listed as an advanced reader copy via LT.

I'm glad I selected it, because it's a nice gateway into a complicated woman's life. While it is very brief, it's a good place to start, and a great gift for friends who love France and fashion. The illustrations were charming, and gave the book a nice breezy feel.

A few quibbles, if I may. The typeface was in all caps throughout the entirety of the book, and made the text a bit tedious to read. The book also dedicated a lot of space to her multiple romantic entanglements. While interesting, I wanted to know more about her fashion. What inspired her? What drove her? Less about who she slept with, please. And, the ambiguous ending. So... did she kill herself? Was it accidental? Had she been using morphine for all of those years? Thank goodness the authors included a few books in their acknowledgement for me to seek out.

69. Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou

Some great books here. I want to read the Maya Angelou, the Davis and I'm hoping that Mara Wilson's book comes out here too (my library doesn't like books published elsewhere. I'm not sure why).

70. How To Be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Tudor Life by Ruth Goodman

71. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

>108 charl08: Sadly, I had never read anything by Angelou before. Our Shared Shelf has really been a great experience, and has opened me up to authors I knew I needed to read, but hadn't.

Davis' book was much needed after reading so many biographies about our Founding Fathers. Some addressed slavery, others glossed over it, and I needed a counterbalance to those perspectives.

Mara Wilson was delightful, and now I need to watch Matilda again.

72. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

73. Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

74. The Violinist's Thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code by Sam Kean

Well, this year has been a terrible year for me and LT. I am resolving to do much better in 2017, so bear with me. I am just one book away from the magical number... and I'm reading it in a cabin in the woods near Asheville, NC. Bliss!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope book number 75 treats you well!

I love her version of Matilda. They usually show it as part of the Xmas scheduling here, and I usually manage to catch it.

>113 rosylibrarian: I'm reading that one right now! I may have just laughed out loud over it a bit in the break room on my coffee break this afternoon.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving break!

>108 charl08: Piping in as a collections librarian. It is super difficult to purchase books not published on your continent. I have this problem all the time when library customers request stuff that's been published in the UK (or Australia, those books take forever to make it to North America) but our book vendors just can't get it here yet.

>117 MickyFine: I think I'm surprised because amazon and other book suppliers seem to manage international shipping. But I appreciate I only see the customer side of things.

Happy Thanksgiving, Marie. xx

Happy VERY belated Thanksgiving to all. I spent my Thanksgiving up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in a tiny little cabin. It was magical, until my back gave out. I say this as a 29 year old. It sucked. It gave out right as we were getting ready to drive back to Charleston and it was the longest drive of my life. Thank goodness for muscle relaxers. I'm feeling a lot better now.

75. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

I've watched Nicola Yoon speak twice in the past two years at YALLFest and she is absolutely delightful. Her first book Everything, Everything was pretty cute, and I enjoy her writing style.

The Sun is Also a Star was an even better book for me. The premise of the book is that the son of two Korean immigrants meets a girl the day she and her family are getting deported back to Jamaica. It's a beautiful little book about what identity and nationality means, and how lives intersect in the strangest of ways. I really loved the two main characters, and it was wonderful to read a book with real, authentic, and diverse characters.

I'm looking forward to more from this author. If I remember right, her first book was picked up for a movie adaptation, and if I'm not mistaken, her second book might have been optioned too. I foresee big things from Yoon.

And with that... 75, hooray!

Good to see you around, Marie, as you've not been very active here this year. Amazing when you have full time work and the hubby around full-time, huh? Sorry to hear about your back, but I hope it is getting better.

And CONGRATULATIONS on reaching the 75 book mark!!

Congrats on the 75. Great to make it on a book you liked so much too.

Congrats on reaching the magic number, Marie!

You're not alone in the back weirdness while still 29. I had that a couple times last year. Muscles in my lower back would suddenly just freak out and I'd spend a day or two trying to stay as still as possible. I haven't had that problem as much lately, I think partly because I had an ergonomic assessment at work and I do everything they told me. Plus I've started to go to a massage therapist every once in a while just to keep my muscles all loose. It's pretty great. Yay for health benefits that cover massage!

Are you in the end of term lull yet?

>123 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! I know, this has been my worst year yet on LT. I've really missed it too. I used to get away with checking it on my lunch break, but this job has me running all over the place, so lunch is sometimes nonexistent.

>124 charl08: Thanks! I always try to save a book for #75 that I'm 99% sure I will love.

Congrats!

>125 MickyFine: Thank you!

Man, I wish my insurance covered massages. They offered to send me to physical therapy, but I balked. Damn you US health care system!

I am not quite there yet. The one class I'm taking is over, but we're moving an entire lab of computers next week, and then putting in a bunch of new technology. We're creating a makerspace, which is very awesome, but very stressful.

>127 drneutron: Thank you! Thanks for letting me stay in LT, even though I'm a lousy member this year. :)

76. Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart

In Stewart's follow up to Girl Waits With a Gun, Constance Kopp has let a fugitive get away. Dr. von Matthesius, a German criminal, gives her the slip, and suddenly Kopp is trying everything to uphold her reputation as a detective and get her man back in jail. (New Jersey law at the time also gives her trouble. Oy with the sexism.) It was a fun, light read with a steady pace that I enjoyed.

Also, I love the covers to all of Stewart's books. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

>128 rosylibrarian: I hear you on the work madness. We're moving to a temporary location while our central branch gets "revisioned" (AKA renovated) and it's just nutty.

>130 MickyFine: OMG, renovations are the worst. At the three libraries I've worked at, they have all been renovated while I was there and it took up so much of my time dealing with that. I should add a line on my CV that says I'm an expert at moving library furniture and books and figuring out how to reconfigure library space. How long are you in your temporary location? Are you crammed into an office with a ton of people? (During my last renovation go around, there were five of us crammed into an old storage room.)

>131 rosylibrarian: Renovations are supposed to take about 3 years. We are in a downsized space. It's not terrible but I haven't actually started working in it yet. First day in the temporary space tomorrow.

>132 MickyFine: Wow, 3 years. Good luck with your first day!

>133 rosylibrarian: They're pretty massive renovations and include major structural changes. This is what the building looks like right now and these are the renderings of what it will look like.

First day is going ok although it is a bit cool in here. I think I'll be bringing in a second office blanket.

I suppose it is not quite the same but I have two companies - one doing construction project management and the other a construction company. In order to operate the two more effectively I decided to merge the two into one office which took plenty of accommodation and cooperation between staff especially. They all appear to be happy with the result and frankly worked like trojans to get it accomplished.

Have a lovely weekend, Marie.

77. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

78. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

79. Talking As Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham

>137 rosylibrarian: What did you think of Behind the Beautiful Forevers? Is it unrelentingly bleak?

>137 rosylibrarian: It is rather bleak, but the people whose lives you follow are endlessly fascinating. You begin to marvel at their ingenuity, and realize just how much the system works against them. It isn't a rosy story, but I was engrossed.

>140 rosylibrarian: *waffles*

>140 rosylibrarian: Do it when you're in the mood to explore a different culture. It really is worth the read, but perhaps best avoided if you want to maintain any sort of holiday cheer. ;)

80. The Anatomical Shape of the Heart by Jenn Bennett

I would have never read this had it not been for a book club. It made for a fun discussion though. (Well, maybe that was the bourbon.)

81. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families by Philip Gourevitch

Now THIS was a bleak read. I guess I must be in some kind of weird mood.

Impressive mix of reads and props for taking on some of those important but bleak reads.

>134 MickyFine: Wow, the new renderings are truly impressive. I wish the US pumped money into innovative library spaces.

>135 PaulCranswick: Two companies?! I can barely get out the door with two shoes on...

>145 MickyFine: Eclectic, fo sho. I'm going to try light and romance-y for the rest of the year.

>143 rosylibrarian: Snort! Sounds like the book and the bourbon were good.

>144 rosylibrarian: This is on my list. One day, when I'm feeling super strong.

>147 rosylibrarian: That's where I've been most of this month. It's nice to indulge in comfort reading.

>148 charl08: Well, the book isn't going to win any awards for best writing, but sometimes those make the best book club books.

>149 MickyFine: Today is my first day of holiday break, and I am loving the indulgence of spending so much time hanging out on LT. Comfort reads next!

Top 5 of 2016 (in no particular order)

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
The Train by Georges Simenon

Wouldn't it be nice if 2017 was a year of peace and goodwill.
A year where people set aside their religious and racial differences.
A year where intolerance is given short shrift.
A year where hatred is replaced by, at the very least, respect.
A year where those in need are not looked upon as a burden but as a blessing.
A year where the commonality of man and woman rises up against those who would seek to subvert and divide.
A year without bombs, or shootings, or beheadings, or rape, or abuse, or spite.

2017.

Festive Greetings and a few wishes from Malaysia!

This is the Christmas tree at the end of the Pacific Beach Pier here in San Diego, a Christmas tradition.

To all my friends here at Library Thing, I want you to know how much I value you and how much I wish you a very happy holiday, whatever one you celebrate, and the very best of New Years!

Merry Christmas from northeastern Nevada!

Looking forward to your continued company in 2017.
Happy New Year, Marie

Wrapping up 2016...

2016 Challenge

Books read: 81
Pages read: 24,433

Fiction: 38
Non-Fiction: 42

(The same as 2015, crazy!)

Top 5 (in no order):
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou
The Train by Georges Simenon
Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo

My new thread is up!

See you over here!