longwing's 75 challenge

A friend and I had already decided to work on 52 books in 52 weeks but I'm feeling maybe a little over confident that I'll surpass that by end of year...so 75 sounds great! Below are the books I've read so far for 52...

1. The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid
2. The Breast - Philip Roth
3. Lolita - Vladimir Nabakov
4. Slam - Nick Hornby
5. The Thin Place - Kathryn Davis
6. The Giant's House - Elizabeth McCracken
7. The Bookshop - Penelope Fitzgerald
8. Everyman - Philip Roth
9. The Road - Cormac McCarthy
10. What is the What - Dave Eggars
11. Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri
12. The River of Wind - Kathryn Lasky
13. Life as I Knew It - Randi Hacker
14. Vernon God Little - DBC Pierre
15. The Worst Thing I've Done - Ursula Hegi
16. I'm Proud of You - Tim Madigen
17. The Lightening Thief - Rick Riordan
18. Reviving Ophelia - Mary Pipher
19. Sharp Teeth - Toby Barlow
20. The Wolf at the Table - Augusten Bourroughs
21. Comfort of Strangers - Ian McEwan
22. Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
23. Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri
24. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See
25. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - Maggie O'Farrell
26. The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
27. The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan
28. The Varieties of Romantic Experience - Robert Cohen
29. Good to Great - Jim Collins
30. North of Everything - Craig Crist-Evans
31. The Liberation of Gabriel King - K.L. Going
31. Stormbreaker - Anthony Horowitz

Hi
I'm curious to learn what you thought of The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
I read this a few months ago and then followed it with another of her books After You'd Gone.

I liked both very much.

And I'm curious how did you find No 24 from your list?

i wasn't expecting to like it much but i did. it was one of those books that i just sorta picked up because i liked the cover :) i was very drawn to the character of esme - was angry for her, hurt for her. i didn't see the ending coming at all - how the family members fit together (won't give anything away). i was captivated by this book!

i haven't read anything else by her so thanks for the recommendation...

well, i wasn't convinced that i'd finish it until i was about half way through. can't pinpoint the exact reason but the story wrapped me closer then. maybe the conflict made the story more interesting at that point? it certainly gave a fascinating insight into foot binding. horrifying stuff.

i'd recommend it the book. stay with it if it seems sort of slow in the beginning.

I'm just starting to read "Snow...", I'm just on the page No 32, but I already like it quite much. Maybe because I read before already quite some books settle in this reality? Who knows...

the more i think about the book, the more i realize how drawn i was to the relationship between the girls. i think i preferred the adult conflicts in the story. tell what you think when you finish!

I just finished and I loved the whole book very much! Now, I'll just "hunt" on BM and Polish exchange website for another book of her.

And my opinion about this book is here: http://zyciowapasja.blogspot.com/2008/08/snow-flower-and-secret-fan-by-lisa-see....

Later today I'll publish it on LT.

to continue...

32. The Red Pony - John Steinbeck
33. Breaking Dawn - Stephanie Meyers
34. Someone Like You - Sarah Dessen
35. A Bend in the River - V.S. Naipaul
36. Nights of Passed Over - Mark Kozelek

oops, forgot these...

37. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
38. The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
39. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain

To Kill a Mockingbird is a wonderful classic! It is my all time favorite book and I try to read it once a year, each time gaining new insights.

How did you like this book?

I'd read it before at university and was sadly lacking in emotion that time around. i cried this time and got goosebumps and crossed my fingers that my daughter (who was reading it too) felt the same way... but still no verdict from her...i just have to hope she'll visit it again as I did.

I just recently read To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time and loved it. I have a feeling it will be going on the stack of books I read on an annual basis.

Yes, great idea!

That's odd, longwing, because I too, was unaffected by it the first (and only time) that I read it. (I think I was about 12 or so) I've seen many, many LTrs go on about it and I've never felt the need or desire to go back and try it again. I'm not sure that I will read it again - I am probably even less emotional now than I was way back when, so I don't think that I would have that same experience that so many of you have. But, who knows?

Fourpawz2
I think the book impacted me on a deep level when I had to read this in 12th grade as a senior in high school in English class.
The teacher was one of my favorites and he made the book come to life.
Plus, when I read the book it was during the turbulent late 60's. Civil rights, Viet Nam, the Kennedy assignations all had an impact on the country. Reading To Kill a Mockingbird resonated with me then and now.
Plus, as a student in a small town high school, there were times when I felt like Dill...an outsider trying to be more than I was.

40. Lincoln's Wars - Adam Braver
41. An Abundance of Katherines - John Green
42. Moccasin Trail - Eloise Jarvis McGraw

#17: Did you enjoy An Abundance of Katherines? John Green has another very good book out, Looking for Alaska if you are interested.

I did, I did! Read Looking for Alaska also, twice and I'm not a two time book reader for the most part. His new book is out soon - anxiously awaiting it's arrival.

#19: What's the title of his new one, do you know? I am very interested in reading it having enjoyed the other 2.

It's called Papertowns - check out John Green's website at www.sparksflyup.com

#21: Thanks for the info, longwing. I appreciate it and will definitely be checking out his website.

43. Flash Fiction - James Thomas
44. The World's Shortest Stories - Steve Moss
45. The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas - Davy Rothbart

46. Parallel Universes - Roz Chast
47. The Wonder Spot - Melissa Bank

48. Wonder When You'll Miss Me - Amanda Davis
49. The Great Turkey Walk - Kathleen Karr

50. A Separate Peace - John Knowles

What did you think of Wonder When You'll Miss Me, longwing? I am trying to read more young adult fiction this year and it looked like one I might enjoy.

I read the title of the second book in your last message and immediately this picture of people taking turkeys out for walks like dogs slipped into my mind, lol.

A Separate Peace by Knowles was one of my reads either this year or last. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. What did you think? Did I see you say that you were reading it as part of a class?

you know, it'd been on my shelf for at least a year and something made me pick it up. i would recommend it. interesting twist on teen tragedy.

i had no idea that the author had been killed in a plane crash until i'd already started reading. knowing that cast an interesting shadow on the story for me... i immediately ordered her collection of short stories.

i homeschool my kids and we do some of their literature as read alouds - The Great Turkey Walk is a fantastic, fun read! In the story there are 1,000 turkeys! Walked from Missouri to Colorado...people really did that stuff but not in such large numbers. I've read it three times :)

i, also, enjoyed it far more than i planned to. it's required reading for my daughter's literature this year and i teach her - sooo, also had to read it. i'm very glad i did. found myself underlining lots of passages...

#29 longwing: I am another homeschooling mom myself, so I understand doing literature as read alouds. We do that quite a bit with the plays we read, each of us taking at least one part.

great idea! mind sharing some of the plays you've enjoyed reading together?

#32 longwing: I do not know how old your children are, which may have some bearing on the plays you read. Both my children are seniors this year, so we have been reading plays like Cyrano de Bergerac and Romeo and Juliet. I stick with the classics for the most part.

i have a 5th and 9th grader. but romeo and juliet is on the reading list this year for my high schooler. my gears are turning though so thanks for the recommendation! i'll find a piece that works for us...

The Rivals by Sheridan is one of the funnier plays around.

thanks! i'll check it out.

Oh plays! What fun! Other classics which do well with children are:

Comedy of Errors by Shakespeare (all those mixed up twins, and easier to follow than Twelfth Night
The Devil and Daniel Webster- by Stephen Vincent Benet (will the Devil keep a soul by jury vote?)
A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt (terrific history plus debate on church versus state)
Lysistrata by Aristophanes (because women are inherently smart and brave)
Moliere (if they're able to follow the double entendres--and Cyrano de Bergerac would let you know)
The Lark or Antigone by Jean Anouilh for the older audience because of the storylines (Joan of Arc in the first instance)
Androcles and the Lion and The Devil's Disciple by George Bernard Shaw
Peter Pan and The Admirable Crichton by James M. Barrie
The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck
Our Town or The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder
Auntie Mame, Inherit the Wind, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail--all by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee

What a fun thread! Always wanted to be a homeschooling mom, but we never got the kids to do it with. You go gals.

wow! i can't wait to try some - really wonderful variety too... favorite?

i remind myself all the time how lucky i am. thanks for the support!

Hi longwing

I wanted to thank you for posting comments regarding An Abundance of Katherines by John Green Thanks to your recommendation, I added this book to my tbr pile. I finished reading it today and enjoyed it tremendously.

hi whisper1. first and foremost - at the risk of seeming horribly ignorant, how do you guys get all of the titles and authors to link like that? anyway, so glad you enjoyed the book. i haven't purchased Papertowns yet (hoping my family buys it for me for christmas - IF i can wait that long). also, have you read Looking for Alaska?

The links are called touchstones, and there are two types. The first links to book pages, and you set up the link by typing {book title} in your message, except replace the curly brackets with square ones. The second type links to author pages, and you get those by typing {{author name}} in your message, except again replacing the curly brackets with square brackets.

The thing you're linking to will show up on the right of the message window. If it's the wrong book or author, click on "other" and you be given a selection of all matching books or authors. Pick the right one by clicking on it.

I found An abundance of Katherines at the library and started reading today.

aha! thanks so much! i'll use touchstones for my list now.

FAMeulstee - hope you like it. a fun, smart read.

longwing..
I would never say you are "horribly ignorant"

longwing
yes I liked An abundance of Katherines.
I just posted my review on my 75 thread

51. Circling the Drain: Stories by Amanda Davis
52. The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey
53. A Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
54. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
55. Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt

56. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog by Dylan Thomas

i did the touchstone thing right!

#47 well thanks, that's nice to hear - however, i now see the touchstones description has been in text right next to my postings all along :)

#49 longwing: Across Five Aprils brings back memories. I read it for the first time when I was about 10, I think. I believe it is one of the books that initially spurred my interest in the Civil War.

>47 Whisper1: I did the same thing!

I read it with my son who is 10 and he had trouble with it - lots of ideas, lots of words. But we had some interesting conversations nonetheless. I just picked up Uncle Tom's Cabin because it seems important that I do so.

#53 thank goodness i'm not alone!!

Oh heavens no, you're not alone. I thought the notes on the side were only for "special" entries, and it wasn't until months and many readings later that I finally got the picture on using the touchstones. Now I'm working on the italics and bold stuff. Much harder!

Italics, bold and underline just need opening and closing HTML tags.

If I typed this:

This sentence has words in <i>italics</i>, <b>bold</b>, and <u>underline</u>.

I'd get this:

This sentence has words in italics, bold, and underline.

You make it so easy to follow! So if I want more emphasis, this is the way it works? Thanks!

Oh excitement! Just edited to say thanks again because it worked. You should be writing LT's instructions--so much clearer!

56. Unseen Rain - Rumi
57. Poems from Homeroom - Kathi Appelt

oops -

57. Unseen Rain - Rumi
58. Poems from Homeroom - Kathi Appelt

Message 57...
Thanks TadAD!

59. A Glass Half Full - Felix Dennis
60. The Host - Stephanie Meyer
61. 1-2-3 Magic - Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D.

62. Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper - Harriet Scott Chessman
63. In the Country of Men - Hisham Matar

Looks like you have read a couple of excellent books in the past few days! I am putting both of them on Continent TBR.

I recommend both. Wondering in the midst of the holiday shuffle if I'll make it to 75...either way, it's been fun trying. Continent TBR - I love it!

64. Verses - Ani Difranco
65. Annie Leibovitz at Work - Annie Leibovitz
66. New and Selected Poems - Mary Oliver

longwing

I've enjoyed your posts in 2008. You have read some very interesting books.

All good wishes
Linda

Thanks! See you on the 2009 list?