Tag: lists

Silly Rabbit Comes Early

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Month five of the Challenge. I have made a decision. I have come to the conclusion that I don’t like this big long list with book titles crossed off. While the list of books finished looks impressive I’m not liking the overall concept. I will stick this list thing out for this year, but come December we’re doing something different. Don’t know what yet but definitely something different. Here are all the books for the year with the books for April in bold:

  1. Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  2. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman
  3. By a Spider’s Thread by Laura Lippman (AB)
  4. Recognitions by William Gaddis (DNF)
  5. Maus by Art Spiegelman
  6. Lady Franklin’s Revenge by Ken McGoogan
  7. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao* by Junot Diaz (AB)
  8. Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  9. Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
  10. Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
  11. ADDED: A Good Doctor’s Son by Steven Schwartz
  12. ADDED: Drinking: a Love Story by Caroline Knapp
  13. ADDED: Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day by Philip Matyszak
  14. ADDED: Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout
  15. ADDED: Treasure Hunter by W. Jameson (ER)
  16. Maus II by Art Spiegelman (Jan)
  17. ADDED: The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat (AB)
  18. ADDED: In Xanadu by William Dalrymple
  19. ADDED: The Assault by Harry Mulisch
  20. Wild Blue by Stephen Ambrose
  21. Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore
  22. Greater Nowheres by David Finkelstein/Jack London
  23. ADDED: Alma Mater by P.F Kluge
  24. ADDED: Old Man & Me by Elaine Dundy
  25. ADDED: Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
  26. Good Life by Ben Bradlee
  27. Underworld by Don DeLillo
  28. Her Name Was Lola by Russell Hoban
  29. Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton
  30. Fires From Heaven by Robert Jordan
  31. Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce DNF
  32. Herb ‘n’ Lorna by Eric Kraft
  33. Polish Officer by Alan Furst – AB
  34. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan (Mar)
  35. ADDED: Walden by Henry David Throreau
  36. ADDED: Reservations Recommended by Eric Kraft (Mar/Feb)
  37. ADDED: Selected Letters of Norman Mailer edited by J. Michael Lennon – ER (Feb /Mar)
  38. Chasing Monarchs by Robert Pyle (Mar)
  39. ADDED: Saturday Morning Murder by Batya Gur (Mar)
  40. Bebe’s By Golly Wow by Yolanda Joe (Mar)
  41. Lives of the Muses by Francine Prose (Mar)
  42. Broom of the System (David Wallace (Mar)
  43. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (Apr)
  44. ADDED: Little Follies by Eric Kraft (Apr/Feb)
  45. ADDED: Literary Murder by Batya Gur (Apr)
  46. ADDED: Bob Marley, My Son by Cedella Marley Booker (ER)
  47. ADDED: Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Mar)
  48. ADDED: Southern Mail by Antoine de Saint- Exupery (Mar/Apr)
  49. ADDED: Measure of All Things, the by Ken Alder (Apr) AB
  50. Two Gardeners by Emily Wilson (Apr)
  51. Royal Flash by George Fraser (Apr)
  52. Fifties by David Halberstam (Apr)
  53. Binding Spell by Elizabeth Arthur (Apr)
  54. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  55. Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  56. ADDED: Where Do You Stop? by Eric Kraft (May/Feb)
  57. Murder on a Kibbutz by Batya Gur (May)
  58. Flash for Freedom! by George Fraser (May)
  59. Murder in Amsterdam by Ian Buruma (May)
  60. Petra: lost city by Christian Auge (May)
  61. From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman (May)
  62. Jordan by E. Borgia (May)
  63. Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill (May)
  64. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (May)
  65. Flash at the Charge by George MacDonald Fraser (May)
  66. ADDED: What a Piece of Work I Am by Eric Kraft (Jun/Feb)
  67. Castles in the Air by Judy Corbett (Jun)
  68. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson (Jun)
  69. Thirty-three Teeth by Colin Cotterill (Jun)
  70. Millstone by Margaret Drabble (Jun)
  71. Winter’s Heart by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  72. Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  73. At Home with the Glynns by Eric Kraft (Jul/Feb)
  74. Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill (Jul)
  75. Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme (Jul)
  76. New Physics and Cosmology by Arthur Zajonc (Jul)
  77. Grifters by Jim Thompson (Jul)
  78. Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Jul)
  79. Snow Angels by James Thompson (Jul)
  80. Ararchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (Aug)
  81. ADDED: Leaving Small’s Hotel by Eric Kraft (Aug/Feb)
  82. Flashman’s Lady by George MacDonald Fraser (Aug)
  83. Possession by AS Byatt (Aug)
  84. In the Footsteps of Ghanghis Khan by John DeFrancis (Aug)
  85. What Just Happened by James Gleick (Aug)
  86. Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett (Aug)
  87. ADDED: Inflating a Dog by Eric Kraft (Sep/Feb)
  88. Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (Sep)
  89. Flashman and the Redskins by George MacDonald Fraser (Sep)
  90. Queens’ Play by Dorothy Dunnett (Sep)
  91. Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (Sep)
  92. Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (Sep)
  93. Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Sep)
  94. Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman (Oct)
  95. Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill (Oct)
  96. Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett (Oct)
  97. Flashman and the Dragon by George MacDonald Fraser (Oct)
  98. Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman (Nov)
  99. Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Collin Cotterill (Nov)
  100. Flashman and the Mountain of Light by George MacDonald Fraser (Nov)
  101. Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett (Nov)
  102. Andorra by Peter Cameron (Nov)

DNF = Did Not Finish; AB = Audio Book; ER = Early Review

Happy Birthday Benito

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Here we are, three months into a new year of the Challenge. March marks month four. Weird, I know. Here are the books. You will notice a few additions. That’s because I found out that Batya Gur wrote a series and Murder on a Kibbutz is in the middle.

  1. Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  2. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman
  3. By a Spider’s Thread by Laura Lippman (AB)
  4. Recognitions by William Gaddis (DNF)
  5. Maus by Art Spiegelman
  6. Lady Franklin’s Revenge by Ken McGoogan
  7. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao* by Junot Diaz (AB)
  8. Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  9. Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
  10. Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
  11. ADDED: A Good Doctor’s Son by Steven Schwartz
  12. ADDED: Drinking: a Love Story by Caroline Knapp
  13. ADDED: Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day by Philip Matyszak
  14. ADDED: Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout
  15. ADDED: Treasure Hunter by W. Jameson (ER)
  16. Maus II by Art Spiegelman (Jan)
  17. ADDED: The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat (AB)
  18. ADDED: In Xanadu by William Dalrymple
  19. ADDED: The Assault by Harry Mulisch
  20. Wild Blue by Stephen Ambrose
  21. Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore
  22. Greater Nowheres by David Finkelstein/Jack London
  23. ADDED: Alma Mater by P.F Kluge
  24. ADDED: Old Man & Me by Elaine Dundy
  25. ADDED: Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
  26. Good Life by Ben Bradlee
  27. Underworld by Don DeLillo
  28. Her Name Was Lola by Russell Hoban
  29. Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton
  30. Fires From Heaven by Robert Jordan
  31. Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce DNF
  32. Herb ‘n’ Lorna by Eric Kraft
  33. Polish Officer by Alan Furst – AB
  34. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan (Mar)
  35. ADDED: Walden by Henry David Throreau
  36. ADDED: Reservations Recommended by Eric Kraft (Mar/Feb)
  37. ADDED: Selected Letters of Norman Mailer edited by J. Michael Lennon – ER (Feb -?)
  38. Chasing Monarchs by Robert Pyle (Mar)
  39. ADDED: Saturday Morning Murder by Batya Gur (Mar)
  40. Bebe’s By Golly Wow by Yolanda Joe (Mar)
  41. Lives of the Muse by Francine Prose (Mar)
  42. Broom of the System (David Wallace (Mar)
  43. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (Apr)
  44. ADDED: Little Follies by Eric Kraft (Apr/Feb)
  45. ADDED: Literary Murder by Batya Gur (Apr)
  46. Two Gardeners by Emily Wilson (Apr)
  47. Royal Flash by George Fraser (Apr)
  48. Fifties by David Halberstam (Apr)
  49. Binding Spell by Elizabeth Arthur (Apr)
  50. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (Apr)
  51. Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan (May)
  52. ADDED: Where Do You Stop? by Eric Kraft (May/Feb)
  53. Murder on a Kibbutz by Batya Gur (May)
  54. Flash for Freedom! by George Fraser (May)
  55. Murder in Amsterdam by Ian Buruma (May)
  56. Petra: lost city by Christian Auge (May)
  57. From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman (May)
  58. Jordan by E. Borgia (May)
  59. Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill (May)
  60. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (May)
  61. Flash at the Charge by George MacDonald Fraser (May)
  62. ADDED: What a Piece of Work I Am by Eric Kraft (Jun/Feb)
  63. Castles in the Air by Judt Corbett (Jun)
  64. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson (Jun)
  65. Thirty-three Teeth by Colin Cotterill (Jun)
  66. Millstone by Margaret Drabble (Jun)
  67. Winter’s Heart by Robert Jordan (Jun)
  68. Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan (Jul)
  69. At Home with the Glynns by Eric Kraft (Jul/Feb)
  70. Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill (Jul)
  71. Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme (Jul)
  72. New Physics and Cosmology by Arthur Zajonc (Jul)
  73. Grifters by Jim Thompson (Jul)
  74. Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Jul)
  75. Snow Angels by James Thompson (Jul)
  76. Ararchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (Aug)
  77. ADDED: Leaving Small’s Hotel by Eric Kraft (Aug/Feb)
  78. Flashman’s Lady by George MacDonald Fraser (Aug)
  79. Possession by AS Byatt (Aug)
  80. In the Footsteps of Ghanghis Khan by John DeFrancis (Aug)
  81. What Just Happened by James Gleick (Aug)
  82. Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett (Aug)
  83. ADDED: Inflating a Dog by Eric Kraft (Sep/Feb)
  84. Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (Sep)
  85. Flashman and the Redskins by George MacDonald Fraser (Sep)
  86. Queens’ Play by Dorothy Dunnett (Sep)
  87. Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (Sep)
  88. Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (Sep)
  89. Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Sep)
  90. Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman (Oct)
  91. Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill (Oct)
  92. Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett (Oct)
  93. Flashman and the Dragon by George MacDonald Fraser (Oct)
  94. Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman (Nov)
  95. Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Collin Cotterill (Nov)
  96. Flashman and the Mountain of Light by George MacDonald Fraser (Nov)
  97. Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett (Nov)
  98. Andorra by Peter Cameron (Nov)

DNF = Did Not Finish; AB = Audio Book; ER = Early Review

The Shortest Month

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This is the second month of this strike-through technique and I’m not sure I like it. I am really bothered by the fact that any additional books get crossed off almost immediately. Sigh. I will say this, though – I like how the crossed off titles look against the full list. Impressive!

  1. Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  2. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman
  3. By a Spider’s Thread by Laura Lippman (AB)
  4. Recognitions by William Gaddis (DNF)
  5. Maus by Art Spiegelman
  6. Lady Franklin’s Revenge by Ken McGoogan
  7. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao* by Junot Diaz (AB)
  8. Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  9. Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
  10. Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
  11. ADDED: A Good Doctor’s Son by Steven Schwartz
  12. ADDED: Drinking: a Love Story by Caroline Knapp
  13. ADDED: Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day by Philip Matyszak
  14. ADDED: Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout
  15. ADDED: Treasure Hunter by W. Jameson (ER)
  16. Maus II by Art Spiegelman (Jan)
  17. ADDED: The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat (AB)
  18. ADDED: In Xanadu by William Dalrymple
  19. ADDED: The Assault by Harry Mulisch
  20. Wild Blue by Stephen Ambrose (Jan)
  21. Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore (Jan)
  22. Greater Nowheres by David Finkelstein/Jack London (Jan)
  23. ADDED: Alma Mater by P.F Kluge (Jan)
  24. ADDED: Old Man & Me by Elaine Dundy (Jan)
  25. ADDED: Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy (Feb)
  26. Good Life by Ben Bradlee (Feb)
  27. Underworld by Don DeLillo (Feb, maybe)
  28. Her Name Was Lola by Russell Hoban (Feb)
  29. Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton (Feb)
  30. Fires From Heaven by Robert Jordan (Feb)
  31. Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce (Feb)
  32. Herb ‘n Lorna by Eric Kraft (Feb)
  33. Polish Officer by Alan Furst – AB (Feb)
  34. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan (Mar)
  35. ADDED: Reservations Recommended by Eric Kraft (Mar/Feb)
  36. Chasing Monarchs by Robert Pyle (Mar)
  37. Murder on a Kibbutz by Batya Gur (Mar)
  38. Bebe’s By Golly Wow by Yolanda Joe (Mar)
  39. Lives of the Muse by Francine Prose (Mar)
  40. Broom of the System (David Wallace (Mar)
  41. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (Apr)
  42. ADDED: Little Follies by Eric Kraft (Apr/Feb)
  43. Two Gardeners by Emily Wilson (Apr)
  44. Royal Flash by George Fraser (Apr)
  45. Fifties by David Halberstam (Apr)
  46. Binding Spell by Elizabeth Arthur (Apr)
  47. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (Apr)
  48. Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan (May)
  49. ADDED: Where Do You Stop? by Eric Kraft (May/Feb)
  50. Flash for Freedom! by George Fraser (May)
  51. Murder in Amsterdam by Ian Buruma (May)
  52. Petra: lost city by Christian Auge (May)
  53. From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman (May)
  54. Jordan by E. Borgia (May)
  55. Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill (May)
  56. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (May)
  57. Flash at the Charge by George MacDonald Fraser (May)
  58. ADDED: What a Piece of Work I Am by Eric Kraft (Jun/Feb)
  59. Castles in the Air by Judt Corbett (Jun)
  60. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson (Jun)
  61. Thirty-three Teeth by Colin Cotterill (Jun)
  62. Millstone by Margaret Drabble (Jun)
  63. Winter’s Heart by Robert Jordan (Jun)
  64. Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan (Jul)
  65. At Home with the Glynns by Eric Kraft (Jul/Feb)
  66. Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill (Jul)
  67. Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme (Jul)
  68. New Physics and Cosmology by Arthur Zajonc (Jul)
  69. Grifters by Jim Thompson (Jul)
  70. Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Jul)
  71. Snow Angels by James Thompson (Jul)
  72. Ararchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (Aug)
  73. ADDED: Leaving Small’s Hotel by Eric Kraft (Aug/Feb)
  74. Flashman’s Lady by George MacDonald Fraser (Aug)
  75. Possession by AS Byatt (Aug)
  76. In the Footsteps of Ghanghis Khan by John DeFrancis (Aug)
  77. What Just Happened by James Gleick (Aug)
  78. Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett (Aug)
  79. ADDED: Inflating a Dog by Eric Kraft (Sep/Feb)
  80. Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (Sep)
  81. Flashman and the Redskins by George MacDonald Fraser (Sep)
  82. Queens’ Play by Dorothy Dunnett (Sep)
  83. Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (Sep)
  84. Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (Sep)
  85. Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Sep)
  86. Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman (Oct)
  87. Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill (Oct)
  88. Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett (Oct)
  89. Flashman and the Dragon by George MacDonald Fraser (Oct)
  90. Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman (Nov)
  91. Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Collin Cotterill (Nov)
  92. Flashman and the Mountain of Light by George MacDonald Fraser (Nov)
  93. Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett (Nov)
  94. Andorra by Peter Cameron (Nov)

DNF = Did Not Finish; AB = Audio Book; ER = Early Review

Mistakenly Committed

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December is a new year of the Challenge. Only, not the year I thought it was. How embarrassing it is to discover not only an incomplete list of books but that I’ve been wrong about what year of the Challenge I’m on? It’s only now that I realize I am on year TEN of the project. When did that happen? W.T.F? I have been working on this reading list since 2006. So, yes, this list represents the tenth year. Here it is…in all its glory:

  1. Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (Dec –  maybe, since I bailed on Book #2)
  2. By a Spider’s Thread by Laura Lippman (Dec – maybe, since I still have In a Strange City to get through)
  3. Recognitions by  William Gaddis (Dec)
  4. Maus by Art Spiegelman (Dec)
  5. Lady Franklin’s Revenge by Ken McGoogan (Dec – maybe, since no local library has it)
  6. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao* by Junot Diaz (Dec)
  7. Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (Dec)
  8. Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin (Dec)
  9. Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan (Jan – see Dragon Reborn)
  10. Maus II by Art Spiegelman (Jan)
  11. Wild Blue by Stephen Ambrose (Jan)
  12. Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore (Jan)
  13. Greater Nowheres by David Finkelstein/Jack London (Jan)
  14. Good Life by Ben Bradlee (Feb)
  15. Underworld by Don DeLillo (Feb)
  16. Her Name Was Lola by Russell Hoban (Feb)
  17. Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton ((Feb)
  18. Fires From Heaven by Robert Jordan (Feb)
  19. Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce (Feb)
  20. At Home with the Glynns by Eric Kraft (Feb)
  21. Polish Officer by Alan Furst (Feb)
  22. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan ((Mar)
  23. Chasing Monarchs by Robert Pyle (Mar)
  24. Murder on a Kibbutz by Batya Gur (Mar)
  25. Bebe’s By Golly Wow by Yolanda Joe (Mar)
  26. Lives of the Muse by Francine Prose (Mar)
  27. Broom of the System (David Wallace (Mar)
  28. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (Apr)
  29. Two Gardeners by Emily Wilson (Apr)
  30. Royal Flash by George Fraser (Apr)
  31. Fifties by David Halberstam (Apr)
  32. Binding Spell by Elizabeth Arthur (Apr)
  33. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (Apr)
  34. Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan (May)
  35. Flash for Freedom! by George Fraser (May)
  36. Murder in Amsterdam by Ian Buruma (May)
  37. Petra: lost city by Christian Auge (May)
  38. From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman (May)
  39. Jordan by E. Borgia (May)
  40. Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill (May)
  41. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (May)
  42. Flash at the Charge by George MacDonald Fraser (May)
  43. Castles in the Air by Judt Corbett (Jun)
  44. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson (Jun)
  45. Thirty-three Teeth by Colin Cotterill (Jun)
  46. Millstone by Margaret Drabble (Jun)
  47. Winter’s Heart by Robert Jordan (Jun)
  48. Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan (Jul)
  49. Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill (Jul)
  50. Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme (Jul)
  51. New Physics and Cosmology by Arthur Zajonc (Jul)
  52. Grifters by Jim Thompson (Jul)
  53. Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Jul)
  54. Snow Angels by James Thompson (Jul)Ararchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (Aug)
  55. Flashman’s Lady by George MacDonald Fraser (Aug)
  56. Possession by AS Byatt (Aug)
  57. In the Footsteps of Ghanghis Khan by John DeFrancis ((Aug)
  58. What Just Happened by James Gleick (aug)
  59. Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett (Aug)
  60. Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (Sep)
  61. Flashman and the Redskins by George MacDonald Fraser (Sep)
  62. Queens’ Play by Dorothy Dunnett (Sep)
  63. Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (Sep)
  64. Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (Sep)
  65. Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Sep)
  66. Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman (Oct)
  67. Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill (Oct)
  68. Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett (Oct)
  69. Flashman and the Dragon by George MacDonald Fraser (Oct)
  70. Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman (Nov)
  71. Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Collin Cotterill (Nov)
  72. Flashman and the Mountain of Light by George MacDonald Fraser (Nov)
  73. Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett (Nov)
  74. Andorra by Peter Cameron (Nov)

I’ll be reading some of these short stories in June. I’ll see how far I get:

Ann Packer:

  • “Babies”
  • “Mendocino”

Clifford Simak:

  • “Shadow Show”
  • “Answers, the”

Daniel Stolar:

  • “Marriage Lessons”
  • “Jack Landers is My Friend”

David Bezmozgis:

  • “Natasha”
  • “Tapka”

David Foster Wallace:

  • “the suffering channel”
  • “Mr. Squishy”

J.D. Salinger:

  • “For Esme”
  • “Perfect Day for Bananafish, a”

Joseph Epstein:

  • “Artie Glick in a Family Way”
  • “The Executor”

Laura Furman:

  • “Drinking with the Cook”
  • “Hagalund”

Laurie Colwin:

  • “Lone Pilgrim”
  • “The Achieve of”

Lorrie Moore:

  • “Four Calling Birds…”
  • “People like that…”

 

This Will Be the End

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This is the end of another year of the challenge. Here is everything, including what I didn’t quite finish.

FINISHED (Dec 2013 – Nov 2014):

  1. Absolute Zero by Helen Cresswell*
  2. After the Dance by Edwidge Danticat
  3. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow*
  4. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin*
  5. All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren
  6. Andorra by Peter Cameron
  7. Angels Weep by Wilbur Smith
  8. Any Four Women Could Rob the Bank of Italy by Ann Cornelisen
  9. Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler
  10. Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
  11. Art Student’s War by Brad Leithauser
  12. Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman*
  13. Beirut Blues by Hanan al-Shaykh
  14. Benjamin Franklin: an American Life by Walter Isaacson
  15. Biodegradable Soap by Amy Ephron
  16. Bring Me a Unicorn by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  17. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks*
  18. Black Lamb and Gray Falcon by Rebecca West (DNF)
  19. Bluebird Canyon by Dan McCall
  20. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
  21. Butcher’s Hill by Laura Lippman
  22. Cabin Fever by Elizabeth Jolley
  23. Captain Sir Richard Burton by Edward Rice (DNF)
  24. Careless Love by Peter Gurlnink
  25. Caroline’s Daughters by Alice Adams
  26. Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks
  27. Children of Cambodia’s Killing Fields: Memoirs of Survivors compiled by Dith Pran
  28. Civil Action by Jonathan Harr
  29. Clean Eating 28-Day Plan by Rockridge Press (ER)
  30. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire*
  31. Cradle of Gold by Christopher Heaney
  32. Culture of Disbelief by Stephen Carter (DNF)
  33. Dancer and the Thief by Antonio Skarmeta
  34. Dancer with Bruised Knees by Lynne McFall
  35. Dark Sun by Richard Rhodes (DNF)
  36. Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan*
  37. Dervish is Digital by Pat Cadigan
  38. Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler
  39. Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder
  40. Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
  41. Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
  42. Faith Fox by Jane Gardam
  43. Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith*
  44. Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
  45. Fifty Year Silence by Miranda Mouillot (ER)
  46. First Man by Albert Camus
  47. Flower and the Nettle by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  48. Fordlandia by Greg Gandin
  49. French Revolutions by Tim Moore*
  50. Georges’ Wife by Elizabeth Jolley
  51. Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee
  52. Graduates in Wonderland by Jessica Pan & Rachel Kapelke-Dale (ER)
  53. Grass Dancer by Susan Power* (DNF)
  54. Great Hunt by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  55. Half Magic by Edward Eager*
  56. Herzog by Saul Bellow
  57. History Man by Malcolm Bradbury
  58. Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  59. House of Morgan by Ron Chernow – (DNF)
  60. Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman
  61. In the Graveyard of Empires by Scott Jones*
  62. Inside Passage by Michael Modzelewski
  63. Inspector Ghote Breaks an Egg by H.R.F. Keating
  64. It Looked Like Forever by Mark Harris
  65. Last Train to Memphis by Peter Guralink
  66. Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  67. Leopard Hunts in the Darkness by Wilbur Smith
  68. Life in the Air Ocean by Sylvia Foley
  69. Long Way From Home by Frederick Busch
  70. Lotus Eaters by Tatjani Soli
  71. Lulu in Hollywood by Louise Brooks (JFF)
  72. Men of Men by Wilbur Smith
  73. Neighborhood Heroes by Morgan Rielly (ER)
  74. Now Read This II by Nancy Pearl
  75. Ocean of Words by Ha Jin
  76. Oedipus by Sophocles
  77. Older, Faster, Stronger by Margaret Webb (JFF)
  78. Owl Service by Alan Garner*
  79. Palladian Days by Sally Gable*
  80. Partisan by Benjamin Cheever
  81. Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
  82. Prepared for a Purpose by Antoinette Tuff (ER)
  83. Price of Silence by Liza Long (ER)
  84. Professor and the Housekeeper by Yoko Ogawa
  85. Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald
  86. Raw Silk by Janet Burroway
  87. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro*
  88. Rose Cafe by John Hanson Mitchell
  89. Rose of Martinique by Andrea Stuart
  90. Run or Die by Kilian Jornet (JFF)
  91. Running for Mortals by John Bingham (JFF)
  92. Running for Women by Kara Goucher (JFF)
  93. Seeing in the Dark by Timothy Ferris
  94. Slumdog Millionaire by Vikram Swarup*
  95. Soul of All Living Creatures by Vint Virga (ER)
  96. Strength Training for Fat Loss by Nick Tumminello (ER)
  97. Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff
  98. Thousand Ways to Please a Husband by Weaver/LeCron (E-book)
  99. Thrush Green by Miss Read*
  100. Toronto by Charles Way (JFF)
  101. Transcriptionist by Amy Rowland (ER)
  102. War Within and Without by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  103. Wildwater Walking Club by Claire Cook (JFF)
  104. Winners and Losers by Martin Quigley
  105. Zero Days by Barbara Egbert

(* denotes an audio recording; JFF = Just for Fun; DNF = Did Not Finish; ER = Early Review for LibraryThing)

Poetry:

  • “Aftermath” ~ a poem by Siegfried Sassoon
  • “Romance” ~ a poem by W.J. Turner
  • “Kubla Khan” ~ a poem by Samuel T. Coleridge

Short Stories:

  • “The Huckabuck Family” by Carl Sandburg
  • “How to Revitalize the Snake in Your Life” by Hannah Tinti
  • “Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury
  • “Thirty Year Old Women Do Not Always Come Home” by Mark Winegardner
  • “Birdland” by Michael Knight
  • “Killer Inside Me” by Jim Thompson
  • “Down There” by David Goodis
  • “Crossing the Craton” by John McPhee.
  • “Lukudi” by Adrianne Harun
  • “The Eighth Sleeper of Ephesus” also by Adrianne Harun
  • “Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius” by Jorge Luis Borges

October List

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The obvious choice would have been to name this list after something having to do with Halloween (like I always do), but I’m thinking that was getting old. So. It’s just the October List. Tahdah! There it is. I’m going on my last vacation for the year and I’m going home (where else?). As an aside, I’d like to think there is someone out there who reads me often enough to know where that is! And of course I’ll be bringing some books:

  1. Captain Sir Richard Burton by Edward Rice
  2. Culture of Disbelief by Stephen Carter
  3. Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
  4. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman (to continue the series started in September)
  5. Owl Service by Alan Garner*
  6. ADDED: The Hope We Seek by Rich Shapero – In light of the additional 80+ books I had to add to my list, I decided I am not going to read this!

Here is how the last month of year eight should go:

  1. Andorra by Peter Cameron
  2. Any Four Women Can Rob the Bank of Italy by Ann Cornelisen
  3. Beaufort by Ron Leshem*
  4. Cradle of Gold by Christopher Heaney
  5. Grass Dancer by Susan Power
  6. You Get What You Pay For by Larry Beinhart

*Planned as audio books

FINISHED (Dec 2013 – Sept 2014):

  1. Absolute Zero by Helen Cresswell*
  2. After the Dance by Edwidge Danticat
  3. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow*
  4. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin*
  5. Angels Weep by Wilbur Smith
  6. Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler.
  7. Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
  8. Art Student’s War by Brad Leithauser
  9. Baltimore Blues* by Laura Lippman
  10. Beirut Blues by Hanan al-Shaykh
  11. Benjamin Franklin: an American Life by Walter Isaacson
  12. Bring Me a Unicorn by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  13. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks*
  14. Black Lamb and Gray Falcon by Rebecca West (DNF)
  15. Bluebird Canyon by Dan McCall
  16. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
  17. Cabin Fever by Elizabeth Jolley
  18. Careless Love by Peter Gurlnink
  19. Caroline’s Daughters by Alice Adams
  20. Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks
  21. ADDED: Children of Cambodia’s Killing Fields: Memoirs of Survivors compiled by Dith Pran
  22. Civil Action by Jonathan Harr
  23. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire*
  24. Dancer and the Thief by Antonio Skarmeta
  25. Dancer with Bruised Knees by Lynne McFall
  26. Dark Sun by Richard Rhodes (DNF)
  27. Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan*
  28. ADDED: Dervish is Digital by Pat Cadigan
  29. Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler
  30. Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder
  31. Faith Fox by Jane Gardam
  32. Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith*
  33. Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
  34. First Man by Albert Camus
  35. Flower and the Nettle by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  36. Fordlandia by Greg Gandin
  37. French Revolutions* by Tim Moore.
  38. Georges’ Wife by Elizabeth Jolley
  39. Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee
  40. Herzog by Saul Bellow
  41. History Man by Malcolm Bradbury
  42. Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  43. House of Morgan by Ron Chernow – attempted
  44. Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman
  45. In the Graveyard of Empires by Scott Jones*
  46. Inside Passage by Michael Modzelewski
  47. Inspector Ghote Breaks an Egg by H.R.F. Keating
  48. It Looked Like Forever by Mark Harris
  49. Last Train to Memphis by Peter Guralink
  50. ADDED: Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  51. Leopard Hunts in the Darkness by Wilbur Smith
  52. Life in the Air Ocean by Sylvia Foley
  53. Long Way From Home by Frederick Busch
  54. Lotus Eaters by Tatjani Soli
  55. Lulu in Hollywood by Louise Brooks
  56. Men of Men by Wilbur Smith
  57. Neighborhood Heroes by Morgan Rielly
  58. Now Read This II by Nancy Pearl
  59. Ocean of Words by Ha Jin
  60. Oedipus by Sophocles
  61. Palladian Days by Sally Gable*
  62. Price of Silence by Liza Long
  63. Professor and the Housekeeper by Yoko Ogawa
  64. Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald
  65. Raw Silk by Janet Burroway
  66. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro*
  67. Rose Cafe by John Hanson Mitchell
  68. Rose of Martinique by Andrea Stuart
  69. Run or Die by Kilian Jornet
  70. Running for Mortals by John Bingham
  71. Seeing in the Dark by Timothy Ferris
  72. Soul of All Living Creatures by Vint Virga
  73. Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff
  74. A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband by Weaver/LeCron (E-book)
  75. Thrush Green by Miss Read*
  76. Toronto by Charles Way
  77. Transcriptionist by Amy Rowland
  78. War Within and Without by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  79. Wildwater Walking Club by Claire Cook.
  80. Winners and Losers by Martin Quigley
  81. Zero Days by Barbara Egbert

Poetry:

  • “Aftermath” ~ a poem by Siegfried Sassoon
  • “Romance” ~ a poem by W.J. Turner
  • “Kubla Khan” ~ a poem by Samuel T. Coleridge

Short Stories:

  • “The Huckabuck Family” by Carl Sandburg
  • “How to Revitalize the Snake in Your Life” by Hannah Tinti
  • “Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury
  • “Thirty Year Old Women Do Not Always Come Home” by Mark Winegardner
  • “Birdland” by Michael Knight
  • “Killer Inside Me” by Jim Thompson
  • “Down There” by David Goodis
  • “Crossing the Craton” by John McPhee.
  • “Lukudi” by Adrianne Harun
  • “The Eighth Sleeper of Ephesus” also by Adrianne Harun
  • “Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius” by Jorge Luis Borges

For next year:

  • Hall of a Thousand Columns by Tim Mackintosh-Smith.

The Numbers – explained

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The numbers are in! Thanks to a severe omission of several chapters from Book Lust To Go I had to add 89 additional titles to the Challenge list, bringing my total number of books left to read to 4,809. While I am irritated by this new number, 4809 is a much better number than what I had been originally anticipating. I guessed 4,840. In order to remain positive, I will try not to fixate on the fact I thought I had 4,726 to go. I will put THAT number out of my head. I will. So. Moving forward, what this means is I will be even stricter about the “fun” stuff I read on the side. I will become pickier about the “outside” books. If you weren’t recommended by Pearl, forget about it. Wait. I’m a liar. I will still review Early Reviews for LibraryThing. I am loyal to the Thing. But being stricter with the rules also means I will give up on Challenge books more easily. Does it pain me to say that? No, strangely enough, in a way I’m relieved. It pained me more to struggle through a book I had no real interest in reading in the first place. Like that history of the atomic bomb…I found myself really reading only the even pages and skipping the odd. I would do that with any book I was particularly bored with. Hey – it worked. I got the gist of the plot and didn’t feel like I missed all that much. But, from here on out, if I don’t like a book within 25 pages I’m moving on. I don’t want Kisa reading to me on my death bed just so I can finish this challenge. So, on the plus side of these new “rules”, by not wasting a ton of time with the boring books, this means I will get to the books I am really looking forward to reading that much faster.

As penance for screwing up my numbers I am going to start a countdown on my blog. “I have read X number of books to date.”

Another confession – I honestly don’t believe Pearl read every book she recommended, either.

We Interrupt This Book

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I’m not sure how to say this so I’m just going to come right out and say it. I fukced up. Somehow, in some way, I screwed up my Challenge list. I don’t even know how I figured out something had gone horribly awry. All I know is this- dozens of books from Book Lust To Go didn’t make it onto my lists, and believe me, there are a few. I am the queen of lists. I have a double no, triple no, quadruple no, quintuple-check system for keeping my books in order. Behold:

  1. First there is the excel spreadsheet called “Twist List.” It has every single title from all three Lust books. This spreadsheet is alphabetically tabbed and each title is color coded for which Book Lust it came from (white for Book Lust, light green for More Book Lust, light turquoise for Book Lust To Go, dark green for both Book Lust and another Lust book, brown for More Book Lust and another Lust book, dark turquoise for Book Lust To Go and another Lust book, and purple for when I finish the title).
  2. Then, there is a spreadsheet called “Lust To Go List.” It’s the same alphabetically tabbed list as Twist only it’s not color coded and when I finish a book it simply gets deleted from the list. It’s literally a list what I have left to read.
  3. The third spreadsheet is called “Schedule Calendar” and it is all the titles from all three Lust books organized by the month I plan to read them in. Each month gets its own tab: Jan, Feb, Mar and so on.
  4. The fourth and penultimate check system is the “Chapter List.” Each Lust book has its own spreadsheet broken out by chapter. Think of it this way: it’s the index of Book Lust et al in excel spreadsheets. Example: Once I finish a book in the chapter “Montana: the Big Sky Country” (Book Lust p 156), for example, I color code the title. At a glance I cen see I read three titles and there are ten more left to read.
  5. The fifth and final check is not a spreadsheet. It’s actually my LibraryThing account. Every book I have to read is in my “catalog” and tagged “accomplished” when I have read it.

I know, I know. It’s complicated. But, it works. So. Back to my dilemma. Somehow I realized that whole chapters of Book Lust To Go didn’t make it onto the first two lists. I’m not sure how that happened. It kills me to say my comprehensive reading list is not so comprehensive. How to fix this mess? Right now I am systematically (read=painfully) going through Book Lust To Go‘s index and checking the titles against Twist and Lust To Go. I’m up to ‘M’ and I’m adding titles where necessary (and that’s the part that REALLY kills me). Sometimes I only need to add a title to Twist and not To Go. Not sure what happened there, but whatever. Occasionally, I have been checking LibraryThing to see if I included the missing title in my catalog. Nine times out of ten the title is there, so I’m not going to worry too much about that. The lists I haven’t checked (yet) are the Schedule Calendar and the Chapter list. I’ll cross those bridges later. For now, I have enough titles mapped out that I won’t miss the missing…if that makes sense. Watch – I’ll probably end up reading nothing but books on Hong Kong at the bitter end because that’s one of the chapters I completely missed. Oh well.

Sweet September List

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The days are getting shorter. The nights are cooling down. Summer is practically all but over. It’s time to turn my attention to school and cozying up to a warm fire with a good book, or two, or three:

  1. Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman
  2. Bluebird Canyon by Dan McCall
  3. History Man by Malcolm Bradbury
  4. Raw Silk by Janet Burroway
  5. A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband by Weaver/LeCron (E-book)
  6. ADDED: The Soul of All Living Creatures by Vint Virga (Early Review for LibraryThing)

Here is how the rest of year eight (only two months) should go:

  1. Andorra by Peter Cameron (November)
  2. Any Four Women Can Rob the Bank of Italy by Ann Cornelisen (November)
  3. Beaufort by Ron Leshem* (November)
  4. Captain Sir Richard Burton by Edward Rice (October)
  5. Cradle of Gold by Christopher Heaney (November)
  6. Culture of Disbelief by Stephen Carter (October)
  7. Eye of the World by Robert Jordan* (October)
  8. Grass Dancer by Susan Power (November)
  9. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman (October)
  10. You Get What You Pay For by Larry Beinhart (November)

*Planned as audio books

FINISHED:

  1. Absolute Zero by Helen Cresswell*
  2. After the Dance by Edwidge Danticat
  3. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow*
  4. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin*
  5. Angels Weep by Wilbur Smith
  6. Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler.
  7. Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
  8. Art Student’s War by Brad Leithauser
  9. Beirut Blues by Hanan al-Shaykh
  10. Benjamin Franklin: an American Life by Walter Isaacson
  11. Bring Me a Unicorn by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  12. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks*
  13. Black Lamb and Gray Falcon by Rebecca West (DNF)
  14. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
  15. Cabin Fever by Elizabeth Jolley
  16. Careless Love by Peter Gurlnink
  17. Caroline’s Daughters by Alice Adams
  18. Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks
  19. Civil Action by Jonathan Harr
  20. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire*
  21. Dancer and the Thief by Antonio Skarmeta
  22. Dancer with Bruised Knees by Lynne McFall
  23. Dark Sun by Richard Rhodes (DNF)
  24. Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan*
  25. Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler
  26. Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder
  27. Faith Fox by Jane Gardam
  28. Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith*
  29. Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
  30. First Man by Albert Camus
  31. Flower and the Nettle by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  32. Fordlandia by Greg Gandin
  33. French Revolutions* by Tim Moore.
  34. Georges’ Wife by Elizabeth Jolley
  35. Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee
  36. Herzog by Saul Bellow
  37. Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  38. House of Morgan by Ron Chernow – attempted
  39. Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman
  40. In the Graveyard of Empires by Scott Jones*
  41. Inside Passage by Michael Modzelewski
  42. Inspector Ghote Breaks an Egg by H.R.F. Keating
  43. It Looked Like Forever by Mark Harris
  44. Last Train to Memphis by Peter Guralink
  45. Leopard Hunts in the Darkness by Wilbur Smith
  46. Life in the Air Ocean by Sylvia Foley
  47. Long Way From Home by Frederick Busch
  48. Lotus Eaters by Tatjani Soli
  49. Lulu in Hollywood by Louise Brooks
  50. Men of Men by Wilbur Smith
  51. Neighborhood Heroes by Morgan Rielly
  52. Now Read This II by Nancy Pearl
  53. Ocean of Words by Ha Jin
  54. Oedipus by Sophocles
  55. Palladian Days by Sally Gable*
  56. Price of Silence by Liza Long
  57. Professor and the Housekeeper by Yoko Ogawa
  58. Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald
  59. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro*
  60. Rose Cafe by John Hanson Mitchell
  61. Rose of Martinique by Andrea Stuart
  62. Run or Die by Kilian Jornet
  63. Running for Mortals by John Bingham
  64. Seeing in the Dark by Timothy Ferris
  65. Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff
  66. Thrush Green by Miss Read*
  67. ADDED: Toronto by Charles Way
  68. Transcriptionist by Amy Rowland
  69. War Within and Without by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  70. Wildwater Walking Club by Claire Cook.
  71. Winners and Losers by Martin Quigley
  72. Zero Days by Barbara Egbert

Poetry:

  • “Aftermath” ~ a poem by Siegfried Sassoon
  • “Romance” ~ a poem by W.J. Turner
  • “Kubla Khan” ~ a poem by Samuel T. Coleridge

Short Stories:

  • “The Huckabuck Family” by Carl Sandburg
  • “How to Revitalize the Snake in Your Life” by Hannah Tinti
  • “Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury
  • “Thirty Year Old Women Do Not Always Come Home” by Mark Winegardner
  • “Birdland” by Michael Knight
  • “Killer Inside Me” by Jim Thompson
  • “Down There” by David Goodis
  • “Crossing the Craton” by John McPhee.
  • “Lukudi” by Adrianne Harun
  • “The Eighth Sleeper of Ephesus” also by Adrianne Harun
  • “Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius” by Jorge Luis Borges

For another year:

  • Hall of a Thousand Columns by Tim Mackintosh-Smith.

Who’s You Daddy June List

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I’m posting this early because June 1st is on a Sunday and guess what I’ll be doing on that Sunday? Finishing up a 60 mile cancer walk. I sincerely doubt I will have time (much less remember) to post this!

June is known as short story month. I have a separate list of all the shorties I want to read and each June, in honor of the genre, I try to blow through as many as I can. This year I am actually revisiting some shorts I should have read last year. Here’s the list:

  • Killer Inside Me
  • Down There
  • The Huckabuck Family
  • How to Revitalize the Snake
  • Crossing the Craton

Then, there are the real books:

  1. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks*
  2. Dancer with Bruised Knees by Lynne McFall
  3. Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler
  4. First Man by Albert Camus
  5. Inside Passage by Michael Modselewski
  6. Rose of Martinique by Andrea Stuart
  7. ADDED: Zero Days by Barbara Egbert

*Audio book

Here is how the rest of year eight should go. Of course I will be adding more books to this list:

  1. Andorra by Peter Cameron (November)
  2. Any Four Women Can Rob the Bank of Italy by Ann Cornelisen (November)
  3. Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler (July)
  4. Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman (September)
  5. Beaufort by Ron Leshem* (November)
  6. Beirut Blues by Hanan al-Shaykh (August)
  7. Black Lamb and Gray Falcon by Rebecca West (July)
  8. Bluebird Canyon by Dan McCall (September)
  9. Captain Sir Richard Burton by Edward Rice (October)
  10. Caroline’s Daughters by Alice Adams (August)
  11. Cradle of Gold by Christopher Heaney (November)
  12. Culture of Disbelief by Stephen Carter (October)
  13. Dark Sun by Richard Rhodes (July)
  14. Eye of the World by Robert Jordan* (October)
  15. Faith Fox by Jane Gardam* (July)
  16. Fordlandia by Greg Gandin (August)
  17. Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee (August)
  18. Grass Dancer by Susan Power (November)
  19. History Man by Malcolm Bradbury (September)
  20. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman (October)
  21. Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges (August)
  22. Long Way From Home by Frederick Busch (August)
  23. Raw Silk by Janet Burroway (September)
  24. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro* (August)
  25. Thousand Ways to Please a Husband by Weaver/LeCron (September)
  26. You Get What You Pay For by Larry Beinhart (November)

*Planned as audio books

FINISHED:

  1. After the Dance by Edwidge Danticat
  2. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow*
  3. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin*
  4. Angels Weep by Wilbur Smith
  5. Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
  6. Art Student’s War by Brad Leithauser
  7. Benjamin Franklin: an American Life by Walter Isaacson
  8. Bring Me a Unicorn by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  9. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
  10. Cabin Fever by Elizabeth Jolley
  11. Careless Love by Peter Gurlnink
  12. Civil Action by Jonathan Harr
  13. Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan*
  14. Dancer and the Thief by Antonio Skarmeta
  15. Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder
  16. Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith*
  17. Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
  18. Flower and the Nettle by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  19. French Revolutions* by Tim Moore.
  20. Georges’ Wife by Elizabeth Jolley
  21. Herzog by Saul Bellow
  22. Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  23. House of Morgan by Ron Chernow – attempted
  24. Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman
  25. Inspector Ghote Breaks an Egg by H.R.F. Keating
  26. It Looked Like Forever by Mark Harris
  27. Last Train to Memphis by Peter Guralink
  28. Leopard Hunts in the Darkness by Wilbur Smith
  29. Life in the Air Ocean by Sylvia Foley
  30. Lotus Eaters by Tatjani Soli
  31. Men of Men by Wilbur Smith
  32. Now Read This II by Nancy Pearl
  33. Ocean of Words by Ha Jin
  34. Oedipus by Sophocles
  35. Palladian Days by Sally Gable*
  36. Professor and the Housekeeper by Yoko Ogawa
  37. Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald
  38. Rose Cafe by John Hanson Mitchell
  39. Run or Die by Kilian Jornet
  40. Running for Mortals by John Bingham
  41. Seeing in the Dark by Timothy Ferris
  42. Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff
  43. Thrush Green by Miss Read*
  44. Transcriptionist by Amy Rowland
  45. War Within and Without by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  46. Winners and Losers by Martin Quigley

Poetry:

  • “Aftermath” ~ a poem by Siegfried Sassoon
  • “Romance” ~ a poem by W.J. Turner
  • “Kubla Khan” ~ a poem by Samuel T. Coleridge

For another year (because I screwed up):

  • Hall of a Thousand Columns by Tim Mackintosh-Smith. This is a huge embarrassment. For starters, this is a sequel. I have to read Travels with Tangerine first. Secondly, I don’t even know when I’m reading Tangerine.

 

 

 

 

April Foolish Games

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March was all about running. I seemed to be obsessed with a certain 10k and added four extra books about running to the list. Now, April is almost here and I have turned my attention to a certain 60 mile walk I have at the end of next month (my 6th year participating in Just ‘Cause!!). The only difference is, this time I won’t be adding any books about walking or breast cancer to my list. After five years of doing this 60 mile walk I think I have it down. Reading is a different story all together (pun totally intended).
Here are the many, many books that are on the list for this April:

  1. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin*
  2. Careless Love by Peter Gurlnink…yes, I’m STILL reading this!
  3. House of Morgan by Ron Chernow -This, you might remember, was planned for April 2013 and I selfishly decided to put it off a year. Such a coincidence since I read another Chernow last February.
  4. Leopard Hunts in the Darkness by Wilbur Smith ~ the last Ballantyne book of the series
  5. Rose Cafe by John Hanson Mitchell
  6. War Within and Without by Anne Morrow Lindbergh ~ this finishes my reading of Lindbergh’s diaries.
  7. Winners and Losers by Martin Quigley (maybe. This book is not in ly library system so I had to place an interlibrary loan)
  8. “Aftermath” ~ a poem by Siegfried Sassoon
  9. “Romance” ~ a poem by W.J. Turner

Here is the rest of year eight:

  1. Andorra by Peter Cameron (November)
  2. Any Four Women Can Rob the Bank of Italy by Ann Cornelisen (November)
  3. Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler (July)
  4. Art Student’s War by Brad Leithauser (May)
  5. Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman (September)
  6. Beaufort by Ron Leshem* (November)
  7. Beirut Blues by Hanan al-Shaykh (August)
  8. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks* (June)
  9. Black Lamb and Gray Falcon by Rebecca West (July)
  10. Bluebird Canyon by Dan McCall (September)
  11. Call It Sleep by Henry Roth (May)
  12. Captain Sir Richard Burton by Edward Rice (October)
  13. Caroline’s Daughters by Alice Adams (August)
  14. Cradle of Gold by Christopher Heaney (November)
  15. Culture of Disbelief by Stephen Carter (October)
  16. Dancer with Bruised Knees by Lynne McFall (June)
  17. Dark Sun by Richard Rhodes (July)
  18. Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler (June)
  19. Eye of the World by Robert Jordan* (October)
  20. Faith Fox by Jane Gardam* (July)
  21. First Man by Albert Camus (June)
  22. Fordlandia by Greg Gandin (August)
  23. Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee (August)
  24. Grass Dancer by Susan Power (November)
  25. Hall of a Thousand Columns by Tim Mackintosh-Smith (July)
  26. History Man by Malcolm Bradbury (September)
  27. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman (October)
  28. Inside Passage by Michael Modselewski (June)
  29. Inspector Ghote Breaks an Egg by H.R.F. Keating (May)
  30. Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott* (May)
  31. Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges (August)
  32. Long Way From Home by Frederick Busch (August)
  33. Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan (May)
  34. Raw Silk by Janet Burroway (September)
  35. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro* (August)
  36. Rose of Martinique by Andrea Stuart (June)
  37. Thousand Ways to Please a Husband by Weaver/LeCron (September)
  38. You Get What You Pay For by Larry Beinhart (November)

*Planned as audio books

FINISHED:

  1. After the Dance by Edwidge Danticat
  2. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow*
  3. Angels Weep by Wilbur Smith
  4. Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
  5. Benjamin Franklin: an American Life by Walter Isaacson
  6. Bring Me a Unicorn by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  7. Cabin Fever by Elizabeth Jolley
  8. Civil Action by Jonathan Harr
  9. Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan*
  10. Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder
  11. Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith*
  12. Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
  13. Flower and the Nettle by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  14. Georges’ Wife by Elizabeth Jolley – This finishes the Vera Wright Trilogy
  15. Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  16. Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman – This is something I tried to listen to as an audio two years ago. The cds were so scratched I gave up.
  17. It Looked Like Forever by Mark Harris
  18. Last Train to Memphis by Peter Guralink
  19. Life in the Air Ocean by Sylvia Foley
  20. Men of Men by Wilbur Smith
  21. Now Read This II by Nancy Pearl
  22. Ocean of Words by Ha Jin
  23. Palladian Days by Sally Gable*
  24. Professor and the Housekeeper by Yoko Ogawa
  25. Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald
  26. Run or Die by Kilian Jornet
  27. Running for Mortals by John Bingham
  28. Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff

I found my second “impossible to find” book. Power Without Glory by Frank Hardy. Several libraries across the country own it but are unwilling to share it. It was wildly popular in Australia in the 1950s, but not so anymore…to the point that no one will lend it without changing a fee. Bummer.

Marching Orders List

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I am looking forward to March for many reasons. March is the St. Patrick’s Day road race. I don’t talk about it as much here as I do over there, but I am excited all the same. March is my mental month of turning a corner. Winter is making a subtle exit out the back door and spring is just about to come knocking. This is the time of year when I look to flowers and gardens and growth. And speaking of growth, here are the books:

  1. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin* (April)
  2. Andorra by Peter Cameron (November)
  3. Any Four Women Can Rob the Bank of Italy by Ann Cornelisen (November)
  4. Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler (July)
  5. Art Student’s War by Brad Leithauser (May)
  6. Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman (September)
  7. Beaufort by Ron Leshem* (November)
  8. Beirut Blues by Hanan al-Shaykh (August)
  9. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks* (June)
  10. Black Lamb and Gray Falcon by Rebecca West (July)
  11. Bluebird Canyon by Dan McCall (September)
  12. Call It Sleep by Henry Roth (May)
  13. Captain Sir Richard Burton by Edward Rice (October)
  14. Caroline’s Daughters by Alice Adams (August)
  15. Cradle of Gold by Christopher Heaney (November)
  16. Culture of Disbelief by Stephen Carter (October)
  17. Dancer with Bruised Knees by Lynne McFall (June)
  18. Dark Sun by Richard Rhodes (July)
  19. Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler (June)
  20. Eye of the World by Robert Jordan* (October)
  21. Faith Fox by Jane Gardam* (July)
  22. First Man by Albert Camus (June)
  23. Fordlandia by Greg Gandin (August)
  24. Georges’ Wife by Elizabeth Jolley (April)
  25. Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee (August)
  26. Grass Dancer by Susan Power (November)
  27. Hall of a Thousand Columns by Tim Mackintosh-Smith (July)
  28. History Man by Malcolm Bradbury (September)
  29. House of Morgan by Ron Chernow (April)
  30. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman (October)
  31. Inside Passage by Michael Modselewski (June)
  32. Inspector Ghote Breaks an Egg by H.R.F. Keating (May)
  33. Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott* (May)
  34. Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges (August)
  35. Long Way From Home by Frederick Busch (August)
  36. Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan (May)
  37. Raw Silk by Janet Burroway (September)
  38. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro* (August)
  39. Rose Cafe by John Hanson Mitchell (April)
  40. Rose of Martinique by Andrea Stuart (June)
  41. Thousand Ways to Please a Husband by Weaver/LeCron (September)
  42. Winners and Losers by Martin Quigley (April)
  43. You Get What You Pay For by Larry Beinhart (November)

*Planned as audio books

Here are the many, many books that are on the list for this March:

  1. Angels Weep by Wilbur Smith
  2. Careless Love by Peter Gurlink
  3. Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan*
  4. Flower and the Nettle by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  5. Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman (March)
  6. ADDED: Life in the Air Ocean by Sylvia Foley
  7. ADDED: Running for Mortals by John Bingham
  8. ADDED: Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald
  9. ADDED: Run or Die by Kilian Jornet

FINISHED:

  1. After the Dance by Edwidge Danticat
  2. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow*
  3. Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
  4. Benjamin Franklin: an American Life by Walter Isaacson
  5. Bring Me a Unicorn by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  6. Cabin Fever by Elizabeth Jolley
  7. Civil Action by Jonathan Harr
  8. Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder
  9. Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith*
  10. Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
  11. Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  12. It Looked Like Forever by Mark Harris
  13. Last Train to Memphis by Peter Guralink
  14. Men of Men by Wilbur Smith
  15. Now Read This II by Nancy Pearl
  16. Ocean of Words by Ha Jin
  17. Palladian Days by Sally Gable*
  18. Professor and the Housekeeper by Yoko Ogawa
  19. Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff

I found my second “impossible to find” book. Power Without Glory by Frank Hardy. Several libraries across the country own it but are unwilling to share it. It was wildly popular in Australia in the 1950s, but not so anymore…to the point that no one will lend it without changing a fee. Bummer.

February Love List

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Love is in the air. Technically, this February I celebrate my fifteenth Valentine’s Day with Kisa. (15 being in the pre-wife role and I believe, even pre-girlfriend role.) He won’t agree. He thinks we were dating by this time but I call it the anniversary of MY acceptance. I truly gave in to the idea of a decent guy being in my life. For real. February also marks the anniversary of me, myself & moi being on this planet for forty some odd years. But, enough of all that. Here’s the list for month three of a different anniversary, one with a lot of books. New this time around is the addition of the month in which each book should be read:

  1. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin* (April)
  2. Andorra by Peter Cameron (November)
  3. Any Four Women Can Rob the Bank of Italy by Ann Cornelisen (November)
  4. Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler (July)
  5. Art Student’s War by Brad Leithauser (May)
  6. Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman (September)
  7. Beaufort by Ron Leshem* (November)
  8. Beirut Blues by Hanan al-Shaykh (August)
  9. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks* (June)
  10. Black Lamb and Gray Falcon by Rebecca West (July)
  11. Bluebird Canyon by Dan McCall (September)
  12. Cabin Fever by Elizabeth Jolley (March)
  13. Call It Sleep by Henry Roth (May)
  14. Captain Sir Richard Burton by Edward Rice (October)
  15. Caroline’s Daughters by Alice Adams (August)
  16. Cradle of Gold by Christopher Heaney (November)
  17. Culture of Disbelief by Stephen Carter (October)
  18. Dancer with Bruised Knees by Lynne McFall (June)
  19. Dark Sun by Richard Rhodes (July)
  20. Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan* (March)
  21. Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler (June)
  22. Eye of the World by Robert Jordan* (October)
  23. Faith Fox by Jane Gardam* (July)
  24. First Man by Albert Camus (June)
  25. Fordlandia by Greg Gandin (August)
  26. Georges’ Wife by Elizabeth Jolley (April)
  27. Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee (August)
  28. Grass Dancer by Susan Power (November)
  29. Hall of a Thousand Columns by Tim Mackintosh-Smith (July)
  30. History Man by Malcolm Bradbury (September)
  31. House of Morgan by Ron Chernow (April)
  32. Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman (March)
  33. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman (October)
  34. Inside Passage by Michael Modselewski (June)
  35. Inspector Ghote Breaks an Egg by H.R.F. Keating (May)
  36. Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott* (May)
  37. Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges (August)
  38. Long Way From Home by Frederick Busch (August)
  39. Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan (May)
  40. Power Without Glory by Frank Hardy (March)
  41. Raw Silk by Janet Burroway (September)
  42. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro* (August)
  43. Rose Cafe by John Hanson Mitchell (April)
  44. Rose of Martinique by Andrea Stuart (June)
  45. Thousand Ways to Please a Husband by Weaver/LeCron (September)
  46. Winners and Losers by Martin Quigley (April)
  47. You Get What You Pay For by Larry Beinhart (November)

*Planned as audio books

Here are the six books that are on the list for this February:

  1. ADDED: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow*
  2. Careless Love by Peter Gurlink
  3. Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  4. Men of Men by Wilbur Smith
  5. Ocean of Words by Ha Jin
  6. Palladian Days by Sally Gable*

FINISHED:

  1. After the Dance by Edwidge Danticat
  2. ADDED: Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
  3. Benjamin Franklin: an American Life by Walter Isaacson
  4. Bring Me a Unicorn by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  5. Civil Action by Jonathan Harr
  6. Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder
  7. Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith*
  8. Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
  9. It Looked Like Forever by Mark Harris
  10. Last Train to Memphis by Peter Guralink
  11. Now Read This II by Nancy Pearl
  12. Professor and the Housekeeper by Yoko Ogawa
  13. Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff

Resolution January List

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For starters, this is late. Like a week late. Sorry! January is the start of a new year but only the second month of the seventh year of the BookLust Challenge. I know, it’s confusing. I took off the planned poetry and haven’t added the short stories. I think for now, while the list is so big, I’ll keep them off.

  1. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin*
  2. Andorra by Peter Cameron
  3. Any Four Women Can Rob the Bank of Italy by Ann Cornelisen
  4. Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler
  5. Art Student’s War by Brad Leithauser
  6. Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman
  7. Beaufort by Ron Leshem*
  8. Beirut Blues by Hanan al-Shaykh
  9. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks*
  10. Black Lamb and Gray Falcon by Rebecca West
  11. Bluebird Canyon by Dan McCall
  12. Cabin Fever by Elizabeth Jolley
  13. Call It Sleep by Henry Roth
  14. Captain Sir Richard Burton by Edward Rice
  15. Careless Love by Peter Gurlink
  16. Caroline’s Daughters by Alice Adams
  17. Cradle of Gold by Christopher Heaney
  18. Culture of Disbelief by Stephen Carter
  19. Dancer with Bruised Knees by Lynne McFall
  20. Dark Sun by Richard Rhodes
  21. Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan*
  22. Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler
  23. Eye of the World by Robert Jordan*
  24. Faith Fox by Jane Gardam*
  25. First Man by Albert Camus
  26. Fordlandia by Greg Gandin
  27. Georges’ Wife by Elizabeth Jolley
  28. Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee
  29. Good Life by Ben Bradlee
  30. Grass Dancer by Susan Power
  31. Hall of a Thousand Columns by Tim Mackintosh-Smith
  32. History Man by Malcolm Bradbury
  33. Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  34. House of Morgan by Ron Chernow
  35. Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman
  36. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman
  37. Inside Passage by Michael Modselewski
  38. Inspector Ghote Breaks an Egg by H.R.F. Keating
  39. Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott*
  40. Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges
  41. Long Way From Home by Frederick Busch
  42. My Father’s Moon by Elizabeth Jolley
  43. Ocean of Words by Ha Jin
  44. Palladian Days by Sally Gable*
  45. Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan
  46. Power Without Glory by Frank Hardy
  47. Raw Silk by Janet Burroway
  48. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro*
  49. Rose Cafe by John Hanson Mitchell
  50. Rose of Martinique by Andrea Stuart
  51. Thousand Ways to Please a Husband by Weaver/LeCron
  52. Wheels Within Wheels by Dervla Murphy
  53. Winners and Losers by Martin Quigley
  54. You Get What You Pay For by Larry Beinhart

*Planned as Audio books

Here are the five books that are on the list for this January:

  1. Benjamin Franklin: an American Life by Walter Isaacson
  2. Last Train to Memphis by Peter Guralink
  3. Feast of Love by Charles Baxter*
  4. Bring Me a Unicorn by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  5. After the Dance by Edwidge Danticat

FINISHED:

  1. A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr
  2. Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder
  3. Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith
  4. It Looked Like Forever by Mark Harris
  5. Now Read This II by Nancy Pearl
  6. Professor and the Housekeeper by Yoko Ogawa
  7. Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff

Christmas List

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It’s weird to start all over again. This list of finished books is tiny. It looks pathetic compared to the lists I have been working with in the last seven to eight months. But, but. But! It’s only one month’s worth of reading. Oh well. Here is the list of books read so far (December):
FINISHED:

  1. Civil Action by Jonathan Harr
  2. Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder
  3. Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith (audio book)
  4. Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
  5. In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin
  6. It Looked Like Forever by Mark Harris
  7. Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff

UPCOMING FOR JANUARY:

  1. Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson –  in honor of Franklin’s birthday
  2. Feast of Love by Charles Baxter (audio) – in honor of when Michigan became a state
  3. Last Train to Memphis by Peter Guralink – in honor of Elvis’s birth month
  4. Men of Men by Wilbur Smith – to continue the series started in December