Amy's 100 for 2010

Last year, I joined a 100 challenge, and fell shy at 91 books read. This year, I'm barely in june, and I'm past 60, so the 75 book group feels too easy.

So everyone knows, here's my list so far!

January
1. The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
2. Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
3. Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater
4. Untangling my Chopsticks by Victoria Ann Riccardi
5. Educating Esme by Esme Raji Codell
6. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
7. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
8. My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

February
9. Vacations from Hell by Libba Bray
10. Journal by Kristine & Joyce Atkinson
11. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
12. Here, There be Dragons by James A Owen
13. Freakonomics by Steven D Levitt & Stephen J Dubner
14. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
15. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
16. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
17. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
18. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
19. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
20. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
21. Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

March
22. Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
23. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
24. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
25. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
26. Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
27. Geisha: A Life by Mineko Iwasaki
28. Grease Town by Ann Towell
29. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
30. Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind by Phillip Done
31. The Green Man by Terri Windling
32. Search for the Red Dragon by James A Owen

April
33. A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire
34. Descent into Dust by Jacqueline Lepore
35. Petals from the Sky by Mingmei Yip
36. Stopping Time by Melissa Marr
37. The Armour of Contempt by Dan Abnett
38. 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny by Phillip Done
39. The Secret Circle: The Initiation and The Captive Part I by LJ Smith
40. The Captive Part 2 and The Power by LJ Smith
41. Beautiful Child by Torey Hayden
42. Only in Death by Dan Abnett
43. The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld
44. Touching Darkness by Scott Westerfeld
45. Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld
46. Immortal: Love Stories with Bite by PC Cast
47. The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
48. Break by Hannah Moskowitz
49. Fight Club by Chuck Paluhniuk
50. Magician: Apprentice by Raymond Feist
51. Magician: Master by Raymond Feist
52. Silverthorn by Raymond Feist
53. A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond Feist

May
54. Prince of the Blood by Raymond Feist
55. The King's Buccaneer by Raymond Feist
56. Daughter of the Empire by Raymond Feist
57. Shadow of a Dark Queen by Raymond Feist
58. Rise of a Merchant Prince by Raymond Feist
59. Confessions of a Back Up Dancer by Anonymous
60. Rage of a Demon King by Raymond Feist
61. An Invisible Sign of My Own by Aimee Bender
62. Servant of the Empire by Raymond Feist

For June, I'm in the midst of four books. I'll finish Freedom Writers Diary first, followed by Shards of a Broken Crown, then The Indigo King, and eventually get enough time with the ereader to finish the Kelewan trilogy, Mistress of the Empire.

Welcome (back) to the 100 group! Some fun reads on your list, I loved the Kelewan series, must re-read that one year.

What a great list! Congratulations for being past the half way point already for the 100 books challenge. I read all of the Sherlock Holmes short stories last year and really enjoyed them.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

June
Shards of a Broken Crown by Raymond Feist
The Freedom Writers Diary

Still about 50 pages into The Indigo King, and just past the first plot twist in Mistress of the Empire. eBooks are great, when you get the ereader to yourself.

I couldn't resist. I picked up the next in the series, Talon of the Silver Hawk

And again, this time with numbers!

June
63. Shards of a Broken Crown by Raymond Feist
64. The Freedom Writers Diary
65. The Indigo King by James A. Owen

66. Mistress of the Empire by Janny Wurts & Raymond Feist

So difficult not to start another book! Still working on Superfreakonomics and Talon of the Silver Hawk.

67. Superfreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

These two make nonfiction fun. The epilogue alone makes this book worth reading.

I'm impressed by your Feist-fest! I have a fair number of his books on my tbr pile. Generally though, I've found that after the great original trilogy, later books set in Midkemia haven't been as entertaining. Any thoughts on their relative merits and/or demerits?

I enjoyed the Empire series co-written by Janny Wurts. Usually, even if a book or trilogy is dragging along, there's at least one character I want to see through to the end. Jimmy the Hand is the obvious example, though I finished the Serpentwar trilogy for his grandsons. In the latest book, there's only one main character, and I struggled to finish.

I typically skim through the battle descriptions, which can take up several pages, but the politics and interaction between people really keeps me reading.

Another thing is the vast world Feist created, and how what I read was reflected in a geography class I was taking about why people migrate and settle where they do. So I guess what I'm trying to say is there are a lot of good things about Feist, but yes, it does get repetitive after you've read one trilogy.

68. Stolen by Kelley Armstrong
69. Talon of the Silver Hawk by Raymond Feist

70. King of Foxes by Raymond Feist

Started Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson. I wanted to start Exile's Return, the last in the Conclave trilogy, but I couldn't find my husband's copy, and he took the ereader with him...grr.

71. Exile's Return by Raymond Feist

72. Flight of the Nighthawks by Raymond Feist
73. Into a Dark Realm by Raymond Feist

My counting system has changed...items 39 & 40 become 4 items, because they're omnibuses... So my numbers are a little wonky.

76. Wrath of a Mad God by Raymond Feist
77. My First Year as a Teacher by Pearl Rock Kane
78. Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
79. Feed by MT Anderson
80. Night Life by Caitlin Kittredge
81. Storm Front by Jim Butcher

82. Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

I rather liked Julie and Julia, I found her a fun companion for the ride. And I'm a sucker for foodie challenges, so it was a fun ride! Still to see the movie, however.

Her voice challenged me for the first half, until I realized she reminded me of myself. Once I Realized that, it was easy to laugh at myself and finish it.

For some reason, I didn't list this book before, so I'll list it now.

83. The Oracle of Dating by Allison van Diepen
84. Reliquary by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

...it was easy to laugh at myself...

:) I don't know why, but that tickled my fancy.

17: It's an old saying that people we dislike because we see ourselves in them. Once I realized the reason I hated the narrator was because she embodied my own negative traits, I could deal with my bias.

And yes, it is fun reading something you could easily do and laugh, "I would have done that, too."

85. The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

My Feist obsession seems to have been sidetracked by Preston & Child. I suppose I should be happy, since reading through long series involves lots of books being read in a short period.

86. Silent Boy by Torey Hayden

I can't get enough of this woman's memoirs.

I really liked The Cabinet of Curiosities; glad to see Preson & Child appreciated...

I heard about the Relic movie and hoped it was good. Watched the trailer on youtube and sighed. A friend of mine who got me hooked onto the series is raging that Michael Bay's attached to the next movie attempt at Preston & Child's world.

87. Still Life with Crows by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Brimstone won't even be mailed until next week. I'm so upset, but I couldn't resist finishing the mystery of the crows!

Oh my God. Those are the only words to describe my reaction to The Hunger Games. I knew with the sustained buzz it would be good, but...it has been a while since I've read a book that lived up to its hype, and even surpassed it.

88. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
89. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
90. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

I've read the first 2 books in The Hunger Games series and have Mockingjay on the TBR pile. Can't wait to get to it, hopefully this weekend.

I've also got Fool Moon on the TBR pile. What a fun series.

Hunger Games is on Mt TBR. I wonder if I should wait until I have all three books to hand before starting it...?

You should at least read all three books in the Hunger Games series close together, if not consecutively. I just started Mockingjay and I've forgotten a lot of the plot from the first two books. I'm thinking maybe I should have re-read at least the second book before starting the third. I bet that once you start the first book, you will have trouble stopping till you've read all three!

Oh, don't you hate that? It's one reason for my contemplation of getting all three books before starting reading. (Or at least making sure they're easily available from the local shop!)

If George R.R. Martin ever gets his act into gear, I have so much re-reading to do to catch up on that Fire and Ice cycle. I don't trust my memory to remember all the details! Just broad brushstrokes of "he killed off who????".

I'm actually planning on re-reading The Hunger Games--after my husband has read it, and bought books 2 and 3 for us. That means he can gloat about knowing what comes next while I can leisurely read through the trilogy.

And yes, I just started Butcher's Grave Peril today. I alternately delight and loathe the author for dangling unknown plot tidbits here and there. Suddenly a relic from his past shows up, who wasn't mentioned in books 2 or 3, while those earlier plot tidbits remain unexplained. Do we ever learn all of Dresden's past?

Really, I'm just staring at Catching Fire on Powells.com and waiting for DH to pick up the book and catch the fever. I'm already running into Mockingjay spoilers.

@28: I've been getting a lot of suggestions for his series, but the fact he's left readers waiting 5 years for the next book makes me hesitant to join the restless fans.

Regarding Mr George R.R. Martin: they were *excellent* books, I really loved them. Unlike anything I'd ever read before, great stories and wonderful characters, well worth the time.

Unfortunately, he just writes them too slowly, I've gone off and found Stephen Erikson (who does write and publish regularly), and I'm just not sure if I'll ever get back to Songs of Fire and Ice. It's too much investment in my already cluttered reading time, and (as my husband and his friends are muttering direly), I think other authors have caught up and passed Mr Martin, leaving him in their dust.

He was ground breaking when he started, now I think he's probably just run of the mill. If he'd written faster (or more consistently), he would have stayed ahead of the pack.

It's a crying shame, because the books were great, and I'm sorry that he's somehow lost the ability to continue the series.

ETA: But if he started writing and publishing consistently, I would be happy to jump back on the bandwagon to see how it all ties up.

Ugh, I'm having trouble finishing books, or even working up the energy to pick them up lately. Anyone else run into these reading slumps?

I got past it today, read a good 100 pages of Brimstone by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston, but I couldn't finish either Grave Peril by Jim Butcher or Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry, despite being interested in both.

I'm having a focussing-slump, where I just can't quite keep my mind on one book, and keep on picking up other books. It's much more fun if I can just read one book exclusively, but my mind is being too scattery for that this week.

September
91. Brimstone by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
92. Dance of Death by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

And within 100 pages of the end of The Book of the Dead

93. The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

94. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
95. One Child by Torey Hayden
96. Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
97. Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
98. Snake Hips: Belly Dancing and How I Found True Love by Anne Thomas Soffee

99. Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry

100. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Goal met! What next?

congratulations!

congratulations!

Congratulations on reaching 100. And it looks like you've had some very good reads.

Congratulations! What's next? I would have thought book #101. :)

What came next? A big splurge on books!

I bought...Cemetary Dance, Paranormalcy, Blood Pact, The Iron King, Fallen, Linger, Soulless, The Replacement, Clockwork Angel, White Cat, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, Shift, Alpha, City of Glass, Dracula, My Love, & St Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. I also ordered Death Masks & Blood Rites, but the bookstore managed to sell those books before filling my order.

101. Dry by Augusten Burroughs
102. Learning to Bow by Bruce Feiler

103. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
104. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

105. Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
106. White Cat by Holly Black

Picked up Catching Fire last night, also in the midst of Dracula, my Love and Only Uni.

107. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

As I hit the halfway mark in Mockinjay, I wonder if 125 is too small a goal for the rest of the year...

108. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
109. Reluctant Disciplinarian by Gary Rubinstein

Some nice reading and purchases! Love the title of St Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. I hope the book is half as good!

It was recommended to me by a bookseller when I picked up Aimee Bender's latest collection. I'm hopeful.

110. Dracula, My Love by Syrie James

111. Going Bovine by Libba Bray

I am in the midst of so many books...St Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, Only Uni, The Book Thief, Death Masks, Blood Pact

112. Blood Pact by Dan Abnett
113. Only Uni by Camy Tang

Hope to finish off Death Masks by Jim Butcher today!

114. Death Masks by Jim Butcher

115. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Started Little Bee by Chris Cleave and Fine and Pleasant Misery by Patrick F. McManus.

116. Fine and Pleasant Misery by Patrick McManus
117. War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
118. Lover Unbound by JR Ward

119. Short Second Life Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

Started Eisenhorn, Pretty Little Liars, & halfway through Lover Enshrined.

120. Lover Enshrined by JR Ward
121. Xenos by Dan Abnett
122. Malleus by Dan Abnett
123. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

December's off to a good start!

124. Lover Avenged by JR Ward

125. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Started For the Win by Cory Doctorow. Got through the introduction on his views on copyright, haven't started the novel proper yet!

Still working my way through Hereticus by Dan Abnett, and haven't picked up Lover Mine since Monday...

126. Hereticus by Dan Abnett
127. Lover Mine by JR Ward

Still working on For the Win, and I just my ER book, The Fences Between Us: The Diary of Piper Davis today!

I'm so thrilled about this, as it marks the reboot of the Dear America series, a series I adored growing up. The cover design is different, the book itself is larger, but it's still bound in that loose leaf style, and the story of a girl living through World War II is extremely interesting.

I do wish they would bring back the Dear Canada and My Australia books. And I wish all of the books were accessible in between countries. It would be nice if this series could have a world spanning spin-off.

128. Reaper by Rachel Vincent
129. The Fences Between Us by Kirby Larson
130. My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent