Katie's First 100 Book Challenge

This is about twice what I normally read in a calendar year, but I managed to up my reading speed in the last six months, so I think I can give it a go for 2014. I'm a Reference Assistant at a local public library, with a focus on readers advisory, so this challenge is as much for professional development as it is for pleasure. I'm also taking part in the 2014 Category Challenge (http://www.librarything.com/topic/162849), just to make sure I balance my reading choices amongst several genres. I'm excited for 2014 to start!

Yeah, Katie! :)

Welcome to the group, Katie!

Welcome aboard!

1. Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight - M.E. Thomas
Review posted here.

Happy New Year Katie & good luck with your 2014 reading challenges. I look forward to following you.

Welcome to the group. Look forward to following your reading.

2. Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane
Review posted here.

3. The Dinner - Herman Koch
Review posted here.

Hmmmmm; Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight; what an intriguing title.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel like the book lived up to its name. It was interesting enough, but since the author is a diagnosed sociopath who admits to fabrication and being a pathological liar, it was hard to know what was true and what wasn't, especially since she contradicted herself at several different points. I'm not disappointed that I read it, but I expected more. I posted the link to my review in the original post.

Thank you Katie for adding that.

4. Dark Places - Gillian Flynn (reread)
Review posted here.

Katie, I obviously made a wrong turn in my life. Being able to read books of my choice as "professional development" sounds like a dream! My professional read at the moment is "Big Data" if that gives you an idea how far away I am from my ideal. Ha!

Once I discovered readers' advisory, I knew I found my calling! I also discovered that by working with readers at a public library, I am what the publishing industry refers to as a "professional reader." If I had known this was an option back in kindergarten, I wouldn't have bothered with "dolphin trainer" as a potential career!

You are my hero!!!

Hi Katie, I like your review on The Dinner, which was one of my favourite reads from last year. It was a fascinating story for me, but I know that many other readers would not like it at all. But, like you, I still think about that dinner more than a year later!

Public libraries are where it's at!

5. Firestarter - Stephen King
Review posted here.

6. Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library - Don Borchert
Review posted here.

"Dolphin trainer" vs. "professional reader". :) I think that's a difficult choice!

7. My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search For Peace of Mind - Scott Stossel
Review posted here.

8. The Burn Palace - Stephen Dobyns
Review posted here.

21: your review of My Age of Anxiety was very powerful.

Thank you - as inconsequential as a Goodreads book review may be, I very much appreciate that. On a serious note, I'm really glad that this book has gotten so much attention because it brings anxiety disorders into the mainstream and gives people a place to start a conversation. It's early in the year still, but I have a feeling that will end up as one of my favorite books of 2014.

9. Casino Royale - Ian Fleming
Review posted here.

10. Quiet Please: Dispatches From a Public Librarian - Scott Douglas
Review posted here.

11. The Fifth Wave - Rick Yancey
Review posted here.

12. Hell House - Richard Matheson
Review posted here.

Nice review of no 10. But I am still confused. Should I read it or not?

I honestly would read the other librarian memoir first, Free For All. A lot of readers seem to be extremely turned off by the author of Quiet Please, and I couldn't quite figure out my feelings towards him. I felt frustrated a lot, but I think I mentioned that that was more due to my own personal experiences and frustrations than to his writing. If you like Free For All and want something more, then I would give Quiet Please a try and see what you think.

What I did learn, though, is that sometimes reading something TOO closely related to my life can backfire! Time to give the nonfiction a break for a little bit, I think.

13. The Bone Collector - Jeffrey Deaver
Review posted here.

14. Just Listen - Sarah Dessen
Review posted here.
15. Snowblind - Christopher Golden
Review posted here.

16. The Age of Miracles - Karen Thompson Walker
Review posted here.

17. Hyperbole and a Half - Allie Brosh

18. The Returned - Jason Mott
Review posted here.

19. You Should Have Known - Jean Hanff Korelitz
Review posted here.

20. Track of the Cat - Nevada Barr
Review posted here.

21. Watching You - Michael Robotham
Review posted here.

22. Dying for Chocolate - Diane Mott Davidson
Review posted here.

23. The Butcher - Jennifer Hillier
Review posted here.

24. Aunt Dimity's Death - Nancy Atherton
Review posted here.

25. The Weight of Blood - Laura McHugh
Review posted here.

Goodreads says I'm 1 book behind schedule. This will not do!

26. The Stranger Beside Me - Ann Rule
Review posted here.

I have enjoyed reading your very thoughtful reviews. I think we agree on The Age of Miracles and The Returned, but I wasn't as impressed with Snowblind as you were. I needed some more depth to the story. Unlike you, not having any experience with snow storms, I found myself stretched to try to imagine the town and how it was affected by the weather.

No experience with snow storms?! I'm jealous. Chicago's been covered in snow for 6 months, and we just got an extra dusting today, after a 76 degree Saturday. It's terrible.

Snowstorms aside, though, I think one of the things I appreciated the most in Snowblind was the subtle buildup of suspense, where you know something's not entirely right, but you're not sure what's going on, so you keep reading. It's easier to pull off in movies, where so much of the suspense is built around visual and auditory elements, so I'm always happy to find an author who can achieve the same effect in print.

And your compliment is much appreciated :) The reviews started out as a personal training tool for my readers' advisory work, so it's always gratifying (and a little surprising) to realize other people are seeing them as well. Thank you. :)

I love reading your reviews. Concise and interesting . . the way I would like mine to be!

And in my thirty something years of living on the outskirts of Melbourne (in what pass as mountains here) it has snowed three whole times. Every time the snow has melted as it touches the ground.

Looking forward to reading your next reviews too.

27. Mother, Mother - Koren Zailckas
(I read this one last year, but it's so fantastically twisted, I had to read it again!)
Review posted here.

28. Crank - Ellen Hopkins
Review posted here.

29. The Winter People - Jennifer McMahon
Review posted here.

30. This Dark Road to Mercy - Wiley Cash

31. The Martian - Andy Weir
- Note: this book was AMAZING, and I don't usually choose to read science fiction.
Review posted here.

32. Until You're Mine - Samantha Hayes

33. The Troop - Nick Cutter
Review posted here.

Oh, *everyone* tells me I must read The Martian! It's on the wishlist....

34. Reconstructing Amelia - Kimberly McCreight (reread)
Review posted here.

35. We Were Liars - E. Lockhart
Review posted here.

36. The Snowman - Jo Nesbo
Review posted here.

37. Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton (reread)
Review posted here.

38. Fiddlers - Ed McBain
Review posted here.

39. Mind of Winter - Laura Kasischke
Review posted here.

40. K is for Killer - Sue Grafton
(Note: Do NOT try reading this one if you're new to the series. The ending is terrible.)
Review posted here.

41. I Remember You - Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Review posted here.

I'm leading an urban fiction genre study at work for the Reference Department, so I have a huge stack of books that I'm trying to make my way through.

42. Heartbreak of a Hustler's Wife - Nikki Turner
Review posted here.

43. Push - Sapphire
Review posted here.

44. Bittersweet - Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Review posted here.

45. Payback is a Mutha - Wahida Clark
Review posted here.

Oh, K is for Killer was the worst of the series. The others have been much more fun (although getting a little angst-ridden towards the end).

Okay, I'll add another Sue Grafton novel to my list. Normally, vague endings don't bother me too much, but not in a mystery series like that. I was really ticked.

46. The Secret Place - Tana French (Advance copy of her newest book, out in September. AMAZING, just like all the rest of her novels!)
Review posted here.

A new Tana French out this year?!?!?! Time to preorder (if possible).

B&N were taking preorders for SIGNED copies of The Secret Place, for, like, $20. Don't know if they're still offering that, but that's a heck of a deal! The book's being released sometime in September.

47. World War Z - Max Brooks
Review posted here.

48. The Coldest Winter Ever - Sister Souljah

49. Birdman - Mo Hayder
Review posted here.

50. My Bloody Life - Reymundo Sanchez
Review posted here.

Still a book or two behind my 100 book pace, but even still, 50 books a little past the halfway point is still exciting!

51. The White Devil - Justin Evans (audio)
Review posted here.

52. The Alienist - Caleb Carr
Review posted here.

53. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Review posted here.

54. Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Review posted here.

Currently listening to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and I've just started The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King.

55. The Innocent Sleep - Karen Perry

56. The Beekeeper's Apprentice - Laurie R. King

57. The Girl From the Well - Rin Chupeco

58. The Replacement - Brenna Yovanoff

59. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (audio) - JK Rowling

60. The Quick - Lauren Owen