Finished Book 13

I finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time yesterday. I really liked this book. It was an interesting read and the style that it was written in was very unique. I loved how the main character, Christopher, was able to figure out so much on his own. He was one brave boy. I do need to research whether "Nora" is a cuss word in England, because it was mentioned that way twice in the book. This was a great book club pick. I'm glad I finally got a chance to read it.

221 pages

Book 14: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I haven't gotten very far in Angela's Ashes, but I wanted to start my next book since it is the book club selection for January. The book club pick is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. It's told in the perspective of an autistic boy who finds his neighbor's dog speared with a garden fork. The boy, Christopher, decides to write a murder mystery to find out who killed the dog. I just got the book from the library today and have only read a few pages, but I already find it interesting. I have wanted to read this book for a long time, so I'm glad it's the book club pick.

Book 13: Angela's Ashes

I started reading 'Angela's Ashes' by Frank McCourt yesterday. I have to admit that I have always heard of people reading this book and know it is a movie, but I had no idea what it was about. I bought it at The Book Shoppe a few weeks ago without reading the description. When I went to get it off the bookshelf I was really hoping it was a WWII story, but it's a memoir about Frank's childhood in New York and Limerick. It is supposed to deal with the struggles he faced growing up in a poor, Irish Catholic family.
Memoirs have been really hit or miss for me lately. They are usually filled with too many stereotypes that sometimes seem to be exaggerated to gain more readers. I hope this one isn't too disappointing.

Finished Book 12

I finished 'Night' by Elie Wiesel on Wednesday night. When I first started reading this, I didn't know it was a true story. This book was so sad. I still cannot believe what the Jewish people and so many others went through in WWII. I just can't imagine how horrible it must have been to not know what was happening to other people in your family. The treatment of people was terrible, no one could be trusted, and fathers and sons were turned against each other. I don't know if I missed this part in the book, but I wondered what happened to his other sisters. I only remember him talking about his younger sister and mother being taken.
Even though Dawn (Night#2) is a fictional story, it's supposed to be a follow up to this book. I have added it to my to-read list.

Book 12: Night

In keeping with the WWII theme for one more book, I will be reading 'Night' by Elie Wiesel. It's the story of a young boy in a Nazi death camp who is agonized by the horror he witnesses. I have heard that this book is small but powerful.

Finished Book 11

I just finished 'Winter Garden'. This was a very sad and intriguing story. Once the mother started telling her story, I really didn't want to put the book down. I was so anxious to hear what happened. I'm glad the story had a somewhat happy ending, since the mother's story was so full of loss.
This book has made me realize that I would really like to learn more about my parent's background. It's always hard talking about the past with divorced parents, but I think it's really important that I learn their stories before it is too late.

391 pages

Book 11: Winter Garden

I started 'Winter Garden' by Kristin Hannah today. I have only read one chapter so far, but I am already intrigued by the story. This book is about a mother telling a story to her daughters as their father is on his deathbed. The story starts 60 years ago in Leningrad and ends in modern day Alaska. I have been really interested in WWII stories lately and hope to really enjoy this book.

Finished Book 10

I finished 'How to Make an American Quilt' by Whitney Otto this morning. This book went through the lives of various women in a quilting circle. In addition to giving brief instructions on making different kinds of quilts, the book really focuses on the idea that every quilt tells a story about the life of the person who made it or the person it was made for. I liked hearing about how all the women came to meet each other and why quilting became important to them. It was interesting to see that love, friendship, and suffering all played an important part in the making of the quilts. This book was good, but was kind of slow at times. I'm glad I read it, but it's not one I would really recommend to many people.

236 pages

Book 10: How to Make an American Quilt

I am starting book #10, 'How to Make an American Quilt' by Whitney Otto today. I don't really know much about this book besides it being about a group of quilters who talk about stages of their lives while they make a quilt. I was flipping through the cable guide about a week ago and saw that this movie was on. The next day we went to The Book Shoppe and they had the book for sale for 50 cents, so I thought maybe those were signs that I should read it.

Finished Book 9

I just finished 'Like Water for Chocolate'. This was a pretty quick read. It was an interesting love story that was also filled with recipes and home remedies. This story was a magical tale of how a denied love can affect all others around you.

246 pages

Book 9: Like Water for Chocolate

I am starting 'Like Water for Chocolate' by Laura Esquirel today. This is the next book club pick for the Boone YMCA book club. Maggie has read this in both English and Spanish and says it's one of her favorite books. Basically all I know about it is that it is a Mexican love story and has recipes in it. Maggie is highly intrigued by the "magical realism" presented in the book. I look forward to reading it and discussing it with the book club in December.

Finished Book 8

I just finished 'City of Thieves' by David Benioff. This was a very good story. It was a little vulgar, but it seemed to fit into my idea of what would happen behind the fighting line. For as sad as it was, it was still a beautiful story. It reminds me a lot of the writing style in 'Everything is Illuminated', which I absolutely loved.

258 pages

Book 8: City of Thieves

I am starting 'City of Thieves' by David Benioff tonight. This is a story of an adventure between 2 men who were jailed together during the Nazi siege of Leningrad. Every review I have read has given a different description of the story, so I'm not going to describe it in detail. Lindsey really liked this story, so I hope I will too.

Finished Book 7

Finally! I had 110 pages of Pride and Prejudice left this morning and forced myself to sit down and finish it. It's sad to say, but I really could not get into this book. I found the writing very boring and was confused by all the different characters. Out of all the book, I'd say I liked a few pages at the beginning and liked the last 70 or so pages once there was finally some action. It was probably a good story overall, but it just didn't keep me interested. I think I will keep the book and maybe try to read it again in a few years.

314 pages

Book 7: Pride and Prejudice

I am starting 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen today. This will be the 7th or 8th time that I have tried to read this book. I'm hoping the book challenge will give me the motivation I need to actually complete it. I think the furthest I've ever got is about 100 pages. I just get confused by all the characters and feel that the writing it kind of boring. This is supposedly Austen's best book, so if I don't enjoy it, I know I don't even have to try the others.

Finished Book 6

I just finished 'Lullaby' by Chuck Palahnuik. This book was really weird, but creative. It also had some shocking twists at the end. It was about a reporter who finds out that a culling song was killing children. He goes on a mission to find all the copies of the lullaby, but ends up finding that other people know about it and use it for their own needs. This book was a little disturbing at times, but it definitely kept me interested. The story was about SIDS, the culling song, witchcraft, hauntings, murder, animal rights, etc. So many details in a very unique story.

260 pages

Book 6: Lullaby

I will be starting 'Lullaby' by Chuck Palahniuk today. This is the story of a reporter who is writing up a story about SIDs cases. The reporter discovers that some parents had been singing a culling song to some of the child victims before bed. The culling song is a type of African lullaby that is known to give a painless death to the old. The parents who were simply reading their children a lullaby were actually accidentally killing them. He begins a quest to put this song to rest and save the nation of accidental disaster. Palahnuik is known to have a weird twist on humor, and I really enjoyed Fight Club, so I'm interested to try another one of his books.

Finished Book 5

I just finished 'Vanishing Acts' by Jodi Picoult. This book was about a child who was kidnapped by her father when she was 4 yrs old and goes through all the reasons he had for taking her and whether it was right to do so. In the other 2 books I read by Picoult there was one main moral that was focused on. This books seemed to be full of moral dilemmas and had too many different stories to focus on. I thought the writing felt very scattered and that there should have been one main focus point. When reading 'My Sister's Keeper' and 'Handle with Care', I was really interested in the story and excited to hear the outcome. In 'Vanishing Acts', I wanted to hear the end, but just so I could be done reading. The book was not nearly as good as the other 2 books.

418 pages

Book 5: Vanishing Acts

I will be starting 'Vanishing Acts' by Jodi Picoult today. In a way I'm both excited about it and dreading it. I always feel that her books have such a big moral dilemma that ends up making me sick and angry throughout the whole book. On a good note they do usually keep me interested and I end up reading them fairly quickly. I only had a few minutes to grab a book before book club on Tuesday night and came to a blank on authors. I saw a whole shelf of Picoult books, so I decided to give another one a try.
'Vanishing Acts' is about a woman named Delia Hopkins. As she is planning her wedding she keeps getting strange flashbacks. The police come to her with a shocking secret about her past that may jeopardize her future and her ability to trust people.

Finished Book 4

I finished the book 'Rebecca' last night. This book was not really what I expected, but I really enjoyed it. It was a little slow going into it, but then I found I didn't want to put it down. I really can't think of a review that will not give away parts of the book, so I just recommend everyone to read it. It's kind of a haunting, love, suspense, and mystery story all in one.

Book 4: Rebecca

Tomorrow I will be starting 'Rebecca' by Daphne Du Maurier. I don't really know too much about this book besides Rebecca "haunting" her husband's new wife. I know that I watched a movie based on this book with my grandma who said it was one of her favorite books. I can't really remember too much about the movie and I'm just hoping the story isn't scary in any way, especially close to Halloween.

Finished Book 3

I just finished 'The 158-Pound Marriage'. I have to say that this was my least favorite Irving novel. I still think the writing was good and creative, but the subject matter just made me mad. It was a story of cheating, sex, and wrestling, 3 of my least favorite things. Throughout the story I felt sorry for all the 4 main characters at different times, but I just found them all stupid for thinking that "partner swapping" could be the answer to their problems. It's hard to say whether I liked or disliked this book. I think the subject just makes me so mad that I can't like it, but then I have to like that it's something I wouldn't normally read and it was written in an interesting way.

Book 3: The 158-Pound Marriage

My third book will be 'The 158-Pound Marriage' by John Irving. This is the first book club selection for the Boone YMCA book club. I love John Irving, but I have read reviews that this is not one of his best books. The reason we picked it for the Boone Y club is that it is short (only 154 pages) and has sex in it. Most of his books contain sex, but Levi tells me this one is filled with it. It's set in New England during the sexual revolution and tells the story of 2 couples involved in "partner swapping". The book is supposed to deal with how the swapping affects the couples' relationships. Kind of an interesting subject and not normally something I would be interested in. Hopefully I won't see it as a huge disappointment in Irving's career.

Finished Book 2

I almost finished Sarah's Key last night, but kept falling asleep, so I finished the last few pages this morning. I absolutely loved the first half of this book. The chapters were alternated between Julia and Sarah's stories and I thought it really worked well. I didn't want to put it down. I didn't like the second half of the book as much when it switched to just Julia. It was still good, but I guess I just found the writing a little more cheesy and predictable.
Even though it was a fictional story, it really got me interested in learning more about the Vel'd'Hiv' roundup. Such a sad time, but so important to history. I will definitely be looking up more books about this subject.

293 pages.

Book 2: Sarah's Key

'Sarah's Key' by Tatiana de Rosnay is the Boone Library book club selection for October. They will be discussing it on Oct. 19th, which gives me a little over 2 weeks to read it. This is the story of a 10 year old Jewish girl named Sarah who is arrested by the French police in 1942. Before the police arrest her family she locks her little brother in the bedroom closet thinking she will be back in a few hours to let him out. 60 years later a journalist named Julia Jarmond is investigating the arrests of 1942 finds a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah. This book sounds really interesting but has got mixed reviews. I'm hoping I enjoy it so it will be easier for me to get back on track with my reading.

Finished Book #1

I finished 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte last night. I really liked the writing style compared to some other classics. The language and format of the book just felt a little more modern, which for me made it less boring than some. The only thing I've really heard about this book is that it's really sad. I did fell sorry for the title character, but I didn't think it was as sad as people made it out to be. Overall I really liked the writing and the story itself. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite books, but it is one of my favorite "classics".

Finished 10-01-10: 466 pages

First Book: Jane Eyre

My first book for this year's challenge will be 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte. I never really knew what this book was about before besides it being one of the classics that everyone recommended. In the book 'The Cider House Rules', the books 'Great Expectations' and 'Jane Eyre' were constantly mentioned. Homer Wells and Dr. Larch read these books to the orphans, because they believed the best books to read to orphans would be books about orphans. I am really curious to read both of these books now. Levi's cousin just finished 'Jane Eyre' and really liked it, so I decided I would try it for my first book.

Year 2

Today I will be starting year 2 of the 50 Book Challenge. I can't wait to read some more new books. I also hope to finish some that I have started before but not been able to make it through. My favorite thing about the challenge last year was making myself finish every book that I picked up. I loved how Lindsey kept track of the number of books and number of pages last year, so I am going to do that this year too.

Year one is over

Well, year one of the 50 Book Challenge is over. I ended up finishing 54 books, averaging about 1 book a week. I am half way through The Wizard of Oz with the boys and about 1/3 of the way through Driftless. I feel like I have really not had any time to read lately. I am hoping to get back on track once I start the new year's challenge. I am going to wait until I finish Driftless and then start the next 50 books. Sadly my goal is to be done with it by Sunday. That would over 2 weeks on one book, but I guess that's better than nothing.

Driftless

My 55th book will be 'Driftless' by David Rhodes. I just got a library card at the Boone Public Library and this is the September pick for the library book club. I thought I would give their book club a try until I can find another one. The book is about Words, Wisconsin. It is a dying rural town in the "driftless" area of Wisconsin. For other reviews it sounds like there will be several characters introduced to give their take on living in this area.

The Wizard of OZ

I started reading 'The Wizard of Oz' by L. Frank Baum to the boys last week. We usually only read 1 or 2 chapters a night, so we aren't too far into it. It's funny to see how different the book is from the movie. So many things have been different already, for one thing the ruby slippers are actually silver. I think since the movie is so popular, it may be hard to not constantly make the comparisons to the book.

Book 54: The Cider House Rules

I will be starting 'The Cider House Rules' by John Irving either tonight or tomorrow. I have read a lot of Irving and love his books, but I haven't read this one yet. I saw the movie awhile back, but really don't remember it at all. This is the story of Dr. Wilbur Larch an obstetrician/abortionist and founder and director of the St. Cloud orphanage. It also tells the story of Homer Wells, who is one of the orphans who never gets adopted. I think I remember Wells working in an apple orchard during his teens/early adulthood which is where the title comes from, but I could be wrong.

Since we are moving Friday, I figure it may take me awhile to finish this book. It's a little longer than the last few I read (over 600 pages). I'm thinking I may only get 55 or 56 books in by the end of the challenge.

Book 53: Darkly Dreaming Dexter

I am starting 'Darkly Dreaming Dexter' by Jeff Lindsay tonight. This is the story of a blood splatter expert who is a serial killer of "bad people". He starts to worry when a string of brutal murders using his style shows up.
Lindsey is the only person I know who has read this book and she seemed to like it. Everyone has been talking about the tv show lately and it is one that I would really like to watch from the beginning if I get time. I thought I would give the first book a shot before I start watching the series.

Book 52: Good Bones and Simple Murders

I just started 'Good Bones and Simple Murders' by Margaret Atwood. This is a book of short stories and poems with twists on fairy tales and traditional stories. So far I've read the first four and liked three of them. I didn't really understand one the of the stories even after reading it three times. I guess there are some hidden meanings that just go over my head. I have been wanting to read some of Atwood's books for awhile, but this is the only one that was on the shelf at the library. Even after just a few pages, I think I would be interested in reading more of her books.

Book 51: Push

My 51st book will be Push by Sapphire. I heard about this book before I knew there was a movie, but I never got around to reading it. Then with all the hype of the movie Precious I thought I'd wait a while before reading the book.
This is the story of a girl named Precious who has a very hard life. She is raped by her father and beaten by her mother. When Precious is pregnant with her 2nd child she meets a teacher who tries to turn her life in the right direction. I am thinking Dangerous Minds meets The Bluest Eye, or some similar combo. I hope the book and movie are worth all the attention.

Completed 50 Book Challenge

I finished my last book in the 50 Book Challenge today. I can't even remember all 50 books that I read, so I'm really glad Lindsey convinced me to do this blog. There were several books that I loved and several that I didn't. I really think that the challenge helped me to finish every book I started even when I didn't think I would like it. Some I ended up really liking after I got part of the way through. I think I am going to continue the challenge and see how many books I can read by the end of a year's time. Thanks so much Lindsey for the idea!

Book 50!!!!

Yay! I'm starting book #50 today. I will be reading 'A Girl Named Zippy' by Haven Kimmel. This is a memoir of Kimmel's story of growing up in a small town in Mooreland, Indiana. She was nicknamed Zippy at a young age for the way she ran around the house. I think this will be an interesting book for me because I grew up in the small town of Gilman, Wisconsin. When I say small town, I don't mean a couple thousand people, I mean about 400. Mooreland has a population of about 300 and has since 1940, this is the same as Gilman. I think the population sign in town has said 406 people for as far back as I can remember. I'm curious to see if there are any similarities between the two towns. It's definitely a different way of life than living in a bigger city.

Book #49: The Weight of Silence

I am starting 'The Weight of Silence' by Heather Gudenkauf today. I have heard lots of good reviews about this book from everyone who has read it. It is the story of two little girls who go missing one night in a small town in Iowa. Their families are looking for the answer of what happened to the girls and find some unspoken family secrets.

Book #48: A Mercy

Today I am starting 'A Mercy' by Toni Morrison. I am a sucker for slave stories, so I always end up loving all of her books. This is a story of a young girl who is sold to a trader in exchange for a bad debt from a plantation owner. The girl's mother agrees to give her daughter away in hopes of saving her life, but the daughter feels she can never forgive her mother for her abandonment.

Book #47: A memoir by Elna Baker

Today I am going to start reading a memoir by Elna Baker titled 'The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance'. I really didn't know much about this book, but the title is very catchy. It's about a Mormon girl growing up in New York City. She is trying to balance her Mormon traditions in her life without caving into all of life's temptations.

Book 46: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

I will be starting the 3rd book in the Millennium trilogy tonight. It is 'The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest' by Steig Larsson. In this final book, Lisbeth will need to be put on trial for three murders after she recovers from intensive care. She will be fighting against everyone who has wronged her in her life. I am very curious to see what kind of revenge she has up her sleeve. I also hope to meet her twin sister, but don't know if she will make an appearance.

Book #45: Everything is Illuminated

The next book I am starting is 'Everything is Illuminated' by Jonathan Safranfoer. In this story a young man ventures out to find the woman who might or might not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Jonathan travels with an old haunted by war, a dog, and a young Ukrainian translator. Throughout the journey he tries to imagine the history behind his grandfathers life. This book is supposed to be a mix of comedy and tragedy as history unfolds.

Book #44: A Wolf at the Table

Today I will be starting 'A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father' by Augusten Burroughs. This is the book club selection for my new book club which is meeting the end of June. In this story, Augusten talks about his memories of his father and the longing for unconditional love from a parent. I have read 'Running with Scissors' and liked it, although not nearly as much as I love all of Sedaris' books. I hope to be able to really enjoy this book without all the distractions of my life lately. I'm also looking forward to discussing it with some new book club friends.

Book 43: The Lacuna

I am starting book #43, ;The Lacuna' by Barbara Kingsolver tonight. I don't really know what this book is about and the cover expert is too long, so I'll just say that this is "a story of a man pulled between two nations as they invent their modern identities". I have read 3 other novels by Kingsolver and really liked all of them, so I hope to like this one too.

Book 42: Midwives

Today I will be starting Midwives by Chris Bohjalian. This is the story of a midwife who performs an emergency c-section on a mother she believes has died of a stroke. Then a question arises as to whether the mother was really dead or if the midwife inadvertently killed her. This sounds like a really interested story.

Book 41: Wuthering Heights

I am starting 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte today. I have never read books by any of the Bronte sisters, but have heard really good things about them. The line on the back of the book "One of the most haunting and atmospheric love stories ever written" really caught my eye. This is the only book Emily wrote, but she is very famous for it. I'm excited to read one of the classics.

Book 40: Toture the Artist

I am starting 'Torture the Artist' by Joey Goebel today. This is another book that Levi borrowed from my friend. Both of them say it is a very good story. The main character in the book is a writer/musician who has a horrible life. It turns out that his manager is the source of all the torture he deals with. The manager/industry is testing whether having more pain and suffering and a miserable life, will lead to more success as an artist.

Book 39: Fight Club

I started 'Fight Club' by Chuck Palahniuk today. Levi borrowed this book from my friend to read on the flight to India, so I thought I would read it too before returning it. I read about 45 pages while I was at the gym today and it seems like it will be a really fast read. I really like this movie. Since the book is usually better than the movie, I'm sure I will like the book too.

Book 38: The God of Small Things

I am starting 'The God of Small Things' by Arundhati Roy today. This is a story of family saga, forbidden love, and political drama in Indian. The story deals with how the lives of twin boys change when their cousin arrives one day. I don't really know too much about this story, but others have read it and said it is really good. I have heard that is a powerful and disturbing read at times, but is too good to not read.

This will be my last book in the quarterly Asian theme. While I have been enjoying the last few Asian Lit reads, it will be nice to go back to some random reading for awhile.

Book 37: The Interior

'The Interior' by Lisa See is the 2nd book in the The Red Princess Mystery collection. Once again Liu Hulan will be working with David Stark to solve a case about her friend's daughter's suspicious suicide. This case will involve Hulan going undercover. While the first book focuses on the Chinese economy, this one is supposed to be more about powerful bonds of family, friendship, and history in China. I am hoping this one keeps me as interested as the first book did.

Book 36: Snow Falling on Cedars

I am starting 'Snow Falling on Cedars' by David Guterson today. I don't really know much about this book. It was on the end cap at the library and it fits the Asian theme and I remember hearing about the movie, but have never seen it. From the back description, this is a story of murder, love, and exile. It sounds really interesting and I hope I enjoy it.

Book 35: The Beach House

I am taking a break from Asian Lit to read Lindsey's book club's April pick, 'The Beach House' by Jane Green. This is the story of a 65 year old woman who is living a carefree life in her beach house, until she realizes that the money she has to live on for the rest of her life is running out. She decides to rent out rooms in her beach house. She begins to feel bonds with her house mates and feels the house is alive until an unexpected visitor turns all their lives upside down.
I really know nothing about this book and just copied that out of the cover sleeve.

Book 34: Falling Leaves

I just started 'Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter' by Adeline Yen Mah. So far I have only read the Prologue, but it sounds very interesting. It is the story of Adeline's family. Her mother died while giving birth to her, so Adeline was though of as bad luck. She is rejected by her father and emotionally and physically abused by her step-mother and siblings. I'm sure this story will be very sad, but I'm interested to see how Adeline survives through this ordeal and if she is able to forgive her family for the way they treated her when she was young.

Book 33: Memoirs of a Geisha

I am starting 'Memoirs of a Geisha' by Arthur Golden today. I saw this movie several years ago and found it interesting, but not one of my favorites. I always enjoy reading books that go with movies and since I don't really remember the movie, I thought I'd read the book now to fit into the Asian theme. I hope I enjoy the story of Nitta Sayuri's life as a geisha.

Book 32: Flower Net

Tomorrow I will be starting book number 32, 'Flower Net' by Lisa See. This is the first book in the Red Princess Mystery series about police detective Liu Hulan. In 'Flower Net', a US ambassador's son is found dead in Beijing and the corpse of the Red Prince is found off the coast of California. The Chinese and American governments team up to to see if there is a connection between these deaths and the lead investigators end up having an intense attraction to each other. In my mind I'm thinking of the description as 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' meets Asian mystery/fiction. I hope it's good.

Book 31: Unaccustomed Earth

I am starting 'Unaccustomed Earth' by Jhumpa Lahiri. This is a book of short stories about love and family in different parts of the world (as a short summary). I have heard very good reviews about this book. I am hoping to give this book the first 5 star rating out of the quarterly Asian theme.

Book 30: The Commoner

'The Commoner' by John Burnham Schwartz is the book club selection for March. After recently enjoying historical fiction about Henry VII, I hope to learn some history about the Japanese royal family.

This is my 30th book in the 50 book challenge, which means I am almost 60% complete in 6 months. I am really enjoying this challenge so far. Even though I haven't loved all the books I have read, I am making myself complete books that I might normally give up on. I think this is a great reward to me as a reader.

Book 29: Things I've Been Silent About

For my 29th book I am reading 'Things I've Been Silent About' by Azar Nafisi. I don't really know too much about this book, but a friend of mine told me it's one of her favorite books. This is a personal memoir of Nafisi growing up in Iran and dealing with family secrets and political revolution. From the very long description in the cover, it sounds like this book will be very sad, but very interesting as well.

Book 28: Life of Pi

Today I am going to start reading 'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel. This is a story of a 16 yr old boy who is traveling with his family and their zoo animals from India to North America. The ship sinks and Pi is left in a lifeboat with a tiger. He has to rely on his faith in God to keep himself alive after the tiger eats all the other animals.
Levi read this book last year and really enjoyed it. He said it doesn't really have an Asian base, besides the boy and his family being from India. He said that it is more of a story of survival and trusting your faith. I hope I enjoy it as much as he did.

Book #27: Out

For the 2nd book in my Asian theme I am going to read 'Out' by Natsuo Kirino. This book was the winner of Japan's Top Mystery Award. I really love Asian literature and mysteries, so I really hope to like this book. It's the story of a young mother who strangles her husband and then seeks help from her co-workers to get rid of his body and cover up the crime she committed.

Book 26: Rooftops of Tehran

Book #26 for me will be 'Rooftops of Tehran' by Mahbod Seraji. This will be my first book in the Asian Literature quarterly theme. This is the story of a teenager named Pasha who is in love with his neighbor, who is "engaged" to another man. After reading some other books about Persian culture I think it will be interesting to read something told through the viewpoint of a teenager.

Asian Culture

Tomorrow I will be starting the Asian Culture theme. I am really excited to dedicating 3 months to this topic. I'm already an Amy Tan fan, so I'm looking forward to seeing what other authors are out there.

Book 25: The Bean Trees

I started 'The Bean Trees' by Barbara Kingsolver last Thursday or Friday, lost track of time while on vacation. I'm only about 3 chapters into the book, but so far I am really liking it. This is the story behind 'Pigs in Heaven' that tells us why Taylor decided to move out west and how she came to receive Turtle. I am really interested to learn more about the relationship between Taylor and Turtle.

Book 24: The Lovely Bones

It seems like everyone I know has read 'The Lovely Bones' by Alice Sebold, so I thought I'd read it and have something to discuss with people. I borrowed it from a friend so I can take it with me on vacation. I am really excited to read this since I have heard so many good things about it. And being a Mark Wahlberg fan I would love to see the movie, but I am a little obsessive about reading a book before I see the movie.

Book 23: Holidays on Ice

I am starting 'Holidays on Ice' by David Sedaris right now. I really wanted to read this around the holidays, but somebody had this book checked out for almost 2 months. This should be a really quick read since it is only 125 pages and I have read 2 of the 5 short stories in his other books. How could someone not read 125 pages in 2 months? Anyway, I want to finish this and return it to the library before vacation and then continue with book number 22.

Book 22: Player Piano

I am starting another book from our bookshelf, 'Player Piano' by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Levi said this is one of his favorite or maybe his favorite Vonnegut novel. I have only read one other book by him and thought it was just okay, so I am going to try another one. 'Player Piano' is about a man trying to live in a world that is ran by machines and a super computer. I asked Levi if it was similar to '1984' and he said it's the same concept, but isn't the same writing style.

Book 21: The Hotel New Hampshire

I am going to start 'The Hotel New Hampshire' by John Irving later today. This is one of Levi's books off our shelf that I haven't read yet. I am trying to find a good, short description of this book, but haven't found one yet. Most reviews say this book is about the Berry family and the dad's idea to run a hotel out of a former girl's boarding school in New Hampshire. There is supposed to be a large focus on each member of the family. I'm interested to see what this story is about.

Here is a quote listed on the back of the book. "The first of my father's illusions was that bears could survive the life lived by human beings, and the second was that human beings could survive a life led in hotels".

Book 20: The Secret Life of Bees

I am starting my 20th book in the challenge, 'The Secret Life of Bees' by Sue Monk Kidd. This is a book I have been wanting to read for a long time, but have never got around to it. I saw it on my friend's bookshelf while I was putting away Christmas decorations and decided to borrow it.
It is the story of a girl whose mother is murdered and her "stand-in" mother does not get along well with people in town. They both flee the town and go to live with some black beekeeping sisters. They learn the life of beekeeping and the importance of friends. This really sounds like a story that I will love.