Reading challenge 2014: I've read 99 books but GRRM ain't one

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Reading challenge 2014: I've read 99 books but GRRM ain't one

Prolonged Shame: Sep 5, 2004

I'm going to shoot for 100 books again this year. My goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8528817-squids

# ¿ Jan 2, 2014 19:27

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 17:39

Prolonged Shame: Sep 5, 2004

I don't think I will be finishing anything else in January, so here are this months books:

1) Winters Heart - Robert Jordan
I am still enjoying this series despite the slow pacing through the last couple of books.
2) Inferno - Dan Brown
Not bad for what it is, I enjoy the descriptions of the art and architecture, but the 'twist' at the end was pretty stupid.
3) The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
Better than I expected. It was an interesting take on the life of a minor Biblical figure.
4) Andrew Johnson - Anette Gordon-Reed
Andrew Johnson was a huge racist and a terrible president. The biographer did a good job of remaining as unbiased as possible given the subject matter.
5) The Silver Star - Jeanette Walls
Disappointing. I loved her two previous books but this one was a bit of a flop. She was clearly trying for a 'To Kill a Mockingbird' vibe and it just didn't happen.
6) King Henry VI Part II - William Shakespeare
Just ok. Supposedly the 3rd part of the trilogy gets better.
7) The Godfather - Mario Puzo
Ugh. Not totally awful, but one of the few cases where the movie is (far, far) better than the book. There is an entire section about a tertiary character getting surgery on her oversized vagina that has literally no bearing on the main plot.
8) The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America - Erik Larson
A really good book about the events surrounding the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair and the serial killer Herman Mudgett who was operating in the area at the time.
9) The Divine Comedy - Dante Alighieri
This took me almost all month. The first section, 'Inferno' is by far the best. I started losing interest towards the middle of 'Paradiso'.

So far: 9/100

# ¿ Jan 29, 2014 21:29

Prolonged Shame: Sep 5, 2004

Prolonged Shame posted:

Here are my February books:

1) Crossroads of Twilight - Robert Jordan: Oh man. Everyone kept saying that the series starts to drag around books 9-11 and they weren't kidding. Literally nothing of importance happens in this book. The plot doesn't advance at all. All the characters sit around squabbling with one another and Perrin goes to buy grain.
2) Divergent - Veronica Roth: I'm not usually too into young adult fiction but everyone has been raving about this series so I figured I'd read it before the movie came out. It's not bad. The premise is interesting but the characters are standard young adult types (fish out of water main character, attractive but with a mysterious past love interest, etc)
3) 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus - Charles C. Mann: The author's hypothesis here it that the western hemisphere supported a much larger and more advanced pre-Columbus population that was decimated by smallpox and other European diseases leading to the notion that the new world was populated by only a small number of 'savages'. He makes a good case. I'm trying to read more non-fiction and found this quite enjoyable.
4) King Henry VI Part III - William Shakespeare: A satisfying end to the trilogy, even though I basically had to keep Wikipedia open while reading this to keep all the kings of England straight.
5) Grant - Jean Edward Smith: Loved this. Of the 20 presidential biographies I've read so far this is the only one I've given 5 stars. It read like a novel and did a fantastic job both relating the facts of Grant's life and giving the reader a real sense of his personality. I even understood most of the battle schematics and those are usually gibberish to me.
6) The Iliad - Homer: I've been meaning to read this forever. It was a little tedious and repetitive. I'm currently reading The Aeneid and enjoying it a lot more.
7) The Princess of Cleves - Madame de La Fayette: Some people consider this the first novel. It's a bit difficult keeping the characters straight but it's otherwise enjoyable.
8) Knife of Dreams - Robert Jordan: Thank goodness the plot started moving again, but the level of spanking has gone off the charts. Why are all these adults constantly spanking one another? It's bizarre and a little uncomfortable. Otherwise it was quite good.
9) Insurgent - Veronica Roth: I can't not finish a series. At least it was a quick read. Not terrible.
10) Rutherford B. Hayes - Hans L. Trefousse: Not an amazing biography, but he did a good job of showcasing Hays' personality. He's a pretty underrated president.

Total: 19/100

# ¿ Feb 28, 2014 18:46

Prolonged Shame: Sep 5, 2004

Prolonged Shame posted:

20) The Aeneid - Virgil: I liked this a lot more than The Iliad. It was interesting how Virgil clearly modeled it on Homer's work.
21) The Forest - Edward Rutherfurd: I was unsure about this one going in since the last one of his that I read (New York) wasn't very good. I figured I'd give it a try and I'm glad I did. I think the locale was more appropriate for this sort of multi-generational epic.
22) The Gathering Storm - Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson: Loved it. Things are moving, events are happening, and spanking has all but vanished. Brandon Sanderson has improved this series in my opinion.
23) The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature - Matt Ridley: A pop-science book about why humans use sex to reproduce and what sort of pressures result in our somewhat unique mating systems. Not bad but a bit dated.
24) Allegiant - Veronica Roth: I finally slogged to the end of this series. What started out as an interesting premise wound down into a constantly revolving series of characters and factions that the unremarkable yet surprisingly sought after protagonist interacted with.
25) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick: After hearing for years how amazing this book was, I was a bit disappointed in it. I found it difficult to care about any of the characters and found the futuristic setting really dated.
26) Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President - Candice Millard: Loved this. The second of the Presidential biographies I have given 5 stars to. It's a great account of the life and assassination of president James Garfield. A really interesting read even if you aren't plowing through all the US presidential bios in order.
27) Henry VIII - William Shakespeare: Not his best work, and supposedly co-written by another playwright, but a nice end to the long list of 'Henry' histories.
28) A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail - Bill Bryson: After being told repeatedly how great this was, I found it disappointing. The writing style was enjoyable, but I feel like he didn't really have enough material to merit a book. He didn't even manage to hike half the trail.
29) Towers of Midnight - Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson: Getting to the end. I think I will be both sad and relieved when I finally finish this series. I enjoyed this one a lot. No spanking at all!

Overall: 29/100

Also, some of my sub-goals for the year:
Presidential biographies: 4/12
Books over 600 pages: 7/15
Non-fiction books (not counting prez bios): 4/20

# ¿ Mar 31, 2014 18:08

Prolonged Shame: Sep 5, 2004

Prolonged Shame posted:

April books:

30) The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker: I loved this. It was a really interesting take on two somewhat ignored mythological creatures and seeing their points of view was very cool. I feel like the ending could have been a little more solid, but I think she was keeping her options open for a sequel. I recommend this if you like light historical fantasy.
31) The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo: Not bad and I understand why it is considered a classic, but man can Hugo make you hate his characters. I pitied a few of them but I didn't like any of them. Maybe the goat.
32) Roots: The Saga of an American Family - Alex Haley: Despite the controversy surrounding this book I still really liked it. Parts of it were heartbreaking. It was well written, except that Haley, like many male authors, is not as good at writing female characters as he thinks he is.
33) Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson: This was a reread. I read this as a child and was curious to see if my impression of it was different as an adult. Suffice to say: yes. It's definitely a children's classic.
34) King John - William Shakespeare: Not his best work. I'm glad to be done with the histories.
35) Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith - John Krakauer: I always read Krakauer with a grain of salt and this was no exception. He has a clear agenda with regards to the Mormon church. Nevertheless, it was well researched and informative, as his work usually is.
36) A Memory of Light - Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson: Loved it. I thought it was a great end to the series. It was a little bittersweet to finish it but I think I'll get a lot more reading done now that I'm not forever plowing through an 800+ page Wheel of Time book.
37) One Life at a Time, Please - Edward Abbey: I'm a big Ed Abbey fan and this did not disappoint.
38) The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith AKA J.K. Rowling: I was cautious going into this one as I hated The Casual Vacancy, but this was way better. It's no Harry Potter, but it's a decent little mystery. Definitely something I'd pick up at the airport before a long flight.

Overall: 38/100

Sub-goals:
Presidential biographies: 4/12
Books over 600 pages: 9/15
Non-fiction books (not counting prez bios): 6/20

# ¿ Apr 30, 2014 18:26

Prolonged Shame: Sep 5, 2004

Prolonged Shame posted:

I read a lot in May:

39) Pompeii - Robert Harris: I really liked this one. The imminent threat of the eruption of Vesuvius lent a lot of tension to the book, though I wish he'd spent more time fleshing out his characters and less describing the intricacies of Roman aqueducts.
40) I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban - Malala Yousafzai: Definitely written (or dictated) by a teenager. I suspect we'll be hearing a lot from Malala in the future.
41) Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens: A classic I've been meaning to read forever. Not bad, though not my favorite Dickens.
42) Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 - Stephen Puleo: I remember hearing about this when I lived in Boston, and this was a very explicit account of exactly what happened. Recommended if you like unusual non-fiction.
43) A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present - Howard Zinn: I was a little disappointed in this. I was expecting it to have been a little more surprising, but I guess that since it's been out for 30+ years much of the info has been incorporated into mainstream education.
44) Chester Alan Arthur - Zachary Karabell: The consensus on Chester Arthur seems to be that he was a thoroughly mediocre and unremarkable president.
45) The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Malcolm X: Very good. Witnessing the evolution of his thinking is really neat.
46) The Winters Tale - William Shakespeare: Pretty good. Now I know where the 'exit, pursued by a bear' joke comes from.
47) A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking: Just when I felt I had a handle on what he was saying, he'd go far beyond my knowledge of quantum physics. I guess I'll never win a Nobel Prize.
48) Year of Wonders - Geraldine Brooks: This was a good read about a 'plague village' in England. I enjoyed it right up until the totally tacked on out of nowhere ending.
49) Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season - Nick Heil: Not bad, but it was no 'Into Thin Air'. I felt there was too much padding and not enough about the actual 2006 Everest season.
50) The President Is a Sick Man: Wherein the Supposedly Virtuous Grover Cleveland Survives a Secret Surgery at Sea and Vilifies the Courageous Newspaperman Who Dared Expose the Truth - Matthew Algeo: Definitely the longest title I'm likely to read all year. A good biography of Grover Cleveland, though the supposed vilification of the reporter is pretty mild. Also, the tumor removed from Cleveland's mouth is still on display at the Mutter Museum.
51) The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History - Robert M. Edsel: Not bad, but sometimes it was hard to follow who was who and where they were. It's definitely an aspect of WWII you don't read a lot about.
52) Like Water for Chocolate - Laura Esquivel: I usually don't go in for magical realism but this wasn't bad. It definitely made me hungry.

Overall:52/100

Sub-goals:
Presidential biographies: 6/12
Books over 600 pages: 10/15
Non-fiction books (not counting prez bios): 13/20

# ¿ May 29, 2014 22:01

Prolonged Shame: Sep 5, 2004

Prolonged Shame posted:

Another productive reading month:

53) Gilead - Marilynne Robinson: I really enjoyed this one. Great writing.
54) Delta of Venus - Anais Nin: Awful, awful, awful. If you like tedious, repetitive erotica with the sudden, unexpected occurrence of pedophilia or necrophilia, then this is the book for you. Terrible.
55) The Olive Farm: A Memoir of Life, Love and Olive Oil in the South of France - Carol Drinkwater: I picked this up because I enjoyed 'A Year in Provence' and 'Under the Tuscan Sun'. Apparently so did the author, since this was a transparent attempt at the lifestyle travelogue genre. Unfortunately, she spent more time griping about her career/family/screenplay/movie funding than on the actual olive oil/lifestyle porn/reason I picked up the book. Not recommended.
56) The Dinner - Herman Koch: Not bad, and I found the premise intriguing, but eventually it becomes impossible to focus on anything but what a terrible person literally every character is.
57) Benjamin Harrison - Charles W. Calhoun: He was president between Grover Cleveland's two terms. That's the most interesting thing about him.
58) Big Trouble - Dave Barry: A quick read, funny. Exactly like the movie.
59) Titus Andronicus - William Shakespeare: Incredibly gory and violent.
60) Adam Bede - George Eliot: I was nervous about this since I hated 'The Mill on the Floss', but I recall liking 'Silas Marner' and 'Middlemarch' so I went ahead, and I'm glad I did. I found this one enjoyable to read.
61) The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt: Loved it. I really like Donna Tartt's novels, too bad she only writes one per decade. I highly recommend.
62) Two Rings: A Story of Love and War - Millie Werber: A holocaust memoir. I found it very powerful. She's not afraid to express her feelings, including a lot of bitterness, rage, and un-forgiveness, which I felt was very visceral and honest.
63) The Walking Dead: Book One - Robert Kirkman Yes, I am counting a comic book *clutches pearls* Too bad it wasn't very good. I'll probably just stick with the show.
64) Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel: An account of Henry VIII and the Anne Boleyn situation from Thomas Cromwell's point of view. It was a little hard to start and had some confusing moments, but once I got into it it was great. I just started the sequel.
65) The Penelopiad - Margaret Atwood: The Odyssey from Penelope's point of view. It was really good, but I think it could have been longer.

Overall:65/100

Sub-goals:
Presidential biographies: 7/12
Books over 600 pages: 13/15
Non-fiction books (not counting prez bios): 15/20

# ¿ Jul 2, 2014 06:12

Prolonged Shame: Sep 5, 2004

Prolonged Shame posted:

66) The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal - Jared Diamond: Not bad, a little dated. I can see the beginnings of 'Guns, Germs and Steel' in some of the later chapters.
67) Sarum - Edward Rutherfurd: I really liked this one. It's definitely one of his better novels. Recommended if you like epic multi-generational historical fiction.
68) Bring Up the Bodies - Hilary Mantel: Part two of the Thomas Cromwell trilogy. Better than the first. It was much clearer who was who in this one.
69) Dune - Frank Herbert: I wasn't a fan of this at all. It wasn't terrible, just not my thing.
70) Survival in Auschwitz - Primo Levi Another holocaust memoir. Very well written.
71) The President and the Assassin: McKinley, Terror, and Empire at the Dawn of the American Century - Scott Miller: I was disappointed by this one. I was hoping for more about McKinley the man, but this book is mostly a detailed account of anarchism in the USA. Not terrible, just not what I was looking for.
72) A Tale for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki: An interesting premise but I wish it had had a stronger ending.
73) Measure for Measure - William Shakespeare: Another one of his non-notable comedies.
74) The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger: Loved this. I was wary of starting it as it sounded a little iffy, but I really enjoyed it.
75) The Grand Sophy - Georgette Heyer: I don't ordinarily read romance novels, but this one came highly recommended for people who like Jane Austen and I liked it a lot.

Overall:75/100

Sub-goals:
Presidential biographies: 8/12
Books over 600 pages: 15/15 - done!
Non-fiction books (not counting prez bios): 17/20

# ¿ Jul 31, 2014 22:23

Prolonged Shame: Sep 5, 2004

Prolonged Shame posted:

August! I'm planning a cross country move, so I didn't read a lot this month.

76) The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides: I really liked the atmosphere he evoked in this book. It made me feel like I was growing up in a small town in the 70's. Unfortunately, it was another case of a book about women written by a man and the perspective was so male it was sort of funny how he thought females operated. Very well written though.
77) Mayflower - Nathaniel Philbrick: I picked this up because I am a descendant of some Mayflower passengers and thought it would be cool to read about their lives. Unfortunately, this book is more about King Philip's War than about the Pilgrims. Not bad, but it doesn't really deliver on the title premise.
78) The Two Gentlemen of Verona - William Shakespeare: Not bad. You can tell it was one of his early works, and you can see the beginnings of some of his later comedies in the plot.
79) The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - Edmund Morris: Excellent. I decided to do the three volume biography of Teddy Roosevelt because it's supposed to be the best, and it does not disappoint. You really get a sense of his personality. Now, I just have to finish the next two volumes.
80) Napoleon's Pyramids - William Dietrich: Enjoyably mindless. I will probably read the rest of the series.
81) The Constant Princess - Philippa Gregory: While I wait for the next Hilary Mantel book, there are plenty of Tudor court novels to tide me over. I liked this one. Catherine of Aragon is so often overlooked in favor of the more glamorous queens, it was neat to read something from her perspective.

Overall:81/100

Sub-goals:
Presidential biographies: 9/12
Books over 600 pages: 15/15 - done!
Non-fiction books (not counting prez bios): 18/20

# ¿ Sep 1, 2014 07:21

Prolonged Shame: Sep 5, 2004

Prolonged Shame posted:

Awful month for reading. I moved cross country and am working on volume II of the Teddy Roosevelt bio, but I should have finished more.

82) His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik: I'm usually not a fan of alternate histories and I'm not big on dragons, but I really enjoyed this book. I will probably keep on with the series.

83) Cymbeline - William Shakespeare: Not his best work. Apparently experts suspect another playwright helped him with this one and you can tell.

Overall:83/100

Sub-goals:
Presidential biographies: 9/12
Books over 600 pages: 15/15 - done!
Non-fiction books (not counting prez bios): 18/20

# ¿ Oct 1, 2014 02:56

Prolonged Shame: Sep 5, 2004

Prolonged Shame posted:

84) Robopocalypse - Daniel H. Wilson: I picked this up because I enjoyed World War Z and everyone said that this was very similar but with robots instead of zombies. It was not nearly as good. Some of the POV's were interesting, but most of them were just he-man soldiers and there was only one female POV and she vanished early in the book.
85) The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck: I really liked this one. It takes real talent to write a character who you shift from liking to disliking to liking etc in the course of one book, but Buck does so with ease.
86) Akira Volume II - Katsuhiro Otomo: Generally manga/graphic novels aren't my thing but I read the first in this series last year as part of a reading challenge and enjoyed it, so I thought I'd finish the series. This one was ok too.
87) Theodore Rex - Edmund Morris: The second volume in my Teddy Roosevelt biography. This one details the years of his presidency. It's not as good as the first volume, but is still excellent. I'm working on the third and final volume right now.
88) Wool Omnibus (Silo #1) - Hugh Howey: This came highly recommended by goons and I loved it. It's a nice little dystopian future novel.
89) All Souls: A Family Story from Southie - Michael Patrick MacDonald:The true story of a single mother and her 11 kids growing up in South Boston in the 70's and 80's as told by one of the sons. Not bad, but he never really finds his narrative outside of 'drugs and gangsters tore the neighborhood apart'.
90) Shift (Silo #2) - Hugh Howey: The second book of the silo trilogy. I liked it almost as much as the first one.
91) The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game - Michael Lewis: Ordinarily I give no shits about football, but this book managed to make it interesting (not to mention accessible) even to me. I read it because I liked the movie, but I enjoyed the book even more, even the chapters on football theory. Very interesting.
92) The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler: While I can appreciate the influence on the noir genre, the dated attitudes toward women and gays in this book were really off-putting. I found myself dreading the possible introduction of a non white character. I enjoyed the mystery, but terms like 'fag party' pulled me right out of the book.

Overall:92/100

Sub-goals:
Presidential biographies: 10/12
Books over 600 pages: 15/15 - done!
Non-fiction books (not counting prez bios): 20/20 - done!

# ¿ Nov 1, 2014 01:59

Prolonged Shame: Sep 5, 2004

Prolonged Shame posted:

November:
93) The Alienist - Caleb Carr: A murder mystery taking place in New York in 1896. A journalist, a pioneering policewoman, and an alienist (an early psychiatrist) amongst others form a team reporting to police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt as they hunt a serial killer. The mystery plot and characters are run of the mill, but the historical details are meticulous and amazing.
94) The Dirt: Confessions of the Worlds Most Notorious Rock Band - Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Nikki Sixx, Neil Strauss
:This one sounded a lot more interesting than it actually was. In a nutshell: the members of M�tley Cr�e were selfish assholes in the 80's and are still selfish assholes today.
95) The Silkworm - Robert Galbraith: An enjoyable murder mystery. I'm liking how Rowling is slowly developing her characters over the course of this series.
96) Dust (Silo #3) - Hugh Howey: I was a little disappointed by this one. The ending to the series was satisfying, but it could have been SO MUCH better with very little effort.
97) The Vicar of Wakefield - Oliver Goldsmith: Short, funny, predictable, and satisfying.
98) The Two Noble Kinsmen - William Shakespeare: Definitely one of his b-sides.
99) A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving: Loved this. Beautiful.

Overall:99/100

Sub-goals:
Presidential biographies: 10/12
Books over 600 pages: 15/15 - done!
Non-fiction books (not counting prez bios): 20/20 - done!

# ¿ Dec 1, 2014 15:11

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 17:39

Prolonged Shame: Sep 5, 2004

It doesn't look like I'm going to finish anything else this year, so here is my 2014 reading list:

Prolonged Shame posted:

December:

100) Timon of Athens - William Shakespeare: I wasn't a big fan of this one. I guess there's a reason it's not commonly assigned to high schoolers.
101) Colonel Roosevelt - Edmund Morris: Awesome. This was the third volume in a Teddy Roosevelt biography, focusing on his post-presidential years. He really was the most interesting person ever to live, and the biography is great as well.
102) Choke - Chuck Palanhuik: I found this incredibly boring. It felt like he was trying too hard to be edgy. I liked Fight Club but this one just didn't do it for me.
103) Edge of Eternity - Ken Follett: The third and final volume in Folletts century trilogy. I really enjoyed the first two, but he really dropped the ball with this one. When he wasn't contriving to have his characters present at important historical events (MLK's assassination, RFK's assassination) he was busy telling us why all Republican politicians were unequivocally terrible while all Democratic ones are great. He also had a terrible habit of having characters explain circumstances to other characters who logically would know them (ie having Washington insiders explain the basics of the Cuban missile crisis to one another).
104) The Haunting of Hill house - Shirley Jackson: Loved this. It was so creepy even though very few supernatural events actually occur. Beautifully written as well.
105) The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco: I liked this one a lot as well. It's a murder mystery set in a Medieval monastery, but is much more than that. It's the kind of book that I had to put down to go look things up on Wikipedia, which I always like. Highly recommended.

Done!

Overall goal:105/100 - Reached it!

Sub-goals:
Presidential biographies: 11/12 - didn't quite make this one. After 2000+ pages about Teddy Roosevelt I needed a break.
Books over 600 pages: 15/15 - done!
Non-fiction books (not counting prez bios): 20/20 - done!

I'll be back with a similar goal next year, no doubt.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2014 02:36

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Reading challenge 2014: I've read 99 books but GRRM ain't one