I challenge you...

[Dasquian Belargic]

I challenge you to read 50 books this year.

(Idea stolen from http://community.livejournal.com/50bookchallenge/profile)

... Get going, you don't have much time.

[James Prent]

Any restriction on the books? As in, not childrens books unless you happen to be a child?

[Dasquian Belargic]

So long as it's a novel or a novella, I'd say it counts.

Preferably something you haven't read before.

[James Prent]

Something I haven't read before! Now, that will be a challenge. :D

[Khendon Sevon]

In 2006 I maybe read 20-25 books. I don't think I could manage much more unless it were, you know, my major.

Do technical books count? I read a lot of those.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Well, the livejournal thing that I got the idea from says this:


2. What kinds of books count for the challenge? Variations on this theme include "Can I count textbooks?" and "Do graphic novels count?" and "What if I read the back of the toothpaste tube while I'm on the can, can I mark that down?" The answer to all of these should be obvious from the answer to the first FAQ above, which is "Count whatever makes you happy."

[James Prent]

This means I'll have to buy 50 new books this year. Hooray! :D

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Ohh, I accept this challenge.

I have about ... 20 or so books already lined up. Heh. And already half way through The Elegant Universe.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Awesome :)

Post your lists in here as you go. That way we can trade ideas of what to read next ;)

[Byl Laprovik]

Crap & a hat. The books I have are either very thick or very technical. I'll be lucky for 25 to be honest.

[Zereth Lancer]

50 books? I Must have read close to that in 2006. I once read four Discworld books in one week. Of course I read most of my books multiple times in a year, my personal library is quite small. I shall have to start writing down the books I read and see how far I can get :) Cool idea Jen.

[Ryan Pode]

I read about 20ish in 2006. And 3 in 2007 already, though I've read them all already.

[Zereth Lancer]

I've only finished one so far in 2007, almost two.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I started a wish list on amazon.com for my 50 books - feel free to buy me one or two. ;)

<code><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/2BY8DTFNR7ZJZ/ref=wl_web/"><img src="http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/gifts/registries/wishlist/v2/web/wl-btn-74-b._V52198558_.gif" width="74" alt="My Amazon.com Wish List" height="42" border="0" /></a></code>

[Dasquian Belargic]

I started a wish list on amazon.com for my 50 books

I copied you :D ... well, I just renamed the wishlist I already had, to be honest, but still.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/registry/3I83EL20PNQVW

[Dasquian Belargic]

FYI if you are too cheap to buy books:
http://wikisource.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
Read them online for free.

[Ryan Pode]

I heard on Elliot in the Morning that President Bush read 90 books from January to August of 2006. 90 books!

[Khendon Sevon]

Yes, I hear he's very good at finding Waldo.

I'm reading First Democracy: The Challenge of an Ancient Idea and finding it amaaazing. I just finished The Adventurer's Handbook: Life's Lessons from History's Great Explorers.

I don't think I could put together a "to-read" list. I find that books just fall in my lap.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I heard on Elliot in the Morning that President Bush read 90 books from January to August of 2006. 90 books!

I'm not surprised. It's not as if he has anything better to do.

Khendon - I doubt that my list will match up with what I actually read, what with having to read for school and all.

[Ryan Pode]

Yes, I hear he's very good at finding Waldo.


Actually, he books he's reading were history books. Not even ones I found interesting.

[Park Kraken]

Let's see....so far this year I've read World of Warcraft complete dungeon guide, Harlan Coben's Promise Me, WWE: Behind the scenes, Cold Paradise (A stone barrington novel), and Timeline. And I have about five more novels lined up, which is good because I got called into work tonight.

[Byl Laprovik]

I'm in the middle of World War Z, but also reading a book on Ruby Ridge at more or less the same time.

[Fiona Devlin]

I started a wish list on amazon.com for my 50 books - feel free to buy me one or two. ;)

<code><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/2BY8DTFNR7ZJZ/ref=wl_web/"><img src="http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/gifts/registries/wishlist/v2/web/wl-btn-74-b._V52198558_.gif" width="74" alt="My Amazon.com Wish List" height="42" border="0" /></a></code>

The screwtape letters is a fun read. It was very inspirational for plotting Sorsha's mischief before the reset. :D

[Zereth Lancer]

Do picture books count? :D

[Miranda Tarkin]

If that's the case, then I would totally win this with my comic books :cool:

[Nathanial K'cansce]

I just realized this is basically a book a week.

What have I gotten myself into? -_-

[Jens Vec]

If that's the case, then I would totally win this with my comic books :cool:

Me too. Otherwise, 2 down, 48 to go.

[Zem-El Vymes]

If that's the case, then I would totally win this with my comic books :cool:

I read three tech manuals to every one comic book of yours >D

[Tristan Tahmores]

Do textbooks count? With my Physics course, I've got about 50 per module. :\

I think I probably managed to read 50 books last year. But then, I sometimes go through stuff in a single sitting. Kinda defeats the object of reading a book to help me sleep... |I

[Nilk]

I've read a book-and-a-half so far in 2007...50 books I've never read sounds tough, but I'll try. :)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Ok, my list so far:


Idolon by Mark Budz - 448 pages
American Gods by Neil Gaiman - in progress

[Jaime Tomahawk]

I just realized this is basically a book a week.

What have I gotten myself into? -_-

A book a week is dead easy. In fact I don't see how 50 books a year is a challenge. I usually do one every 2-3 days

[Dasquian Belargic]

If you don't find 50 books challenging, then try 100 :mneh

50 will be tough for me, having school, work, etc to contend with.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Well, for those of us who don't read a lot to begin with, it is a challenge. :p

I haven't really been able to get into a serious reading frame mind ever since September '06... what with school and work taking up all my time. And the only time I feel I can read at home is from the housrs of... well, now and 4 am. (it's basically the only times I don't have to deal with a parental unit trying to converse with me/trying to get me to "do my keep" in the house...)

But, hopefully this challenge will kick me into gear.

I'm half way through two books now! I think I'll be lucky if I get 25 done this year. Heh.

[Zereth Lancer]

Three books down so far for me.

Color of Magic
Light Fantastic
Only you can save Mankind - all by Terry Pratchett
And currently I'm reading the Wintersmith (also by Pratchett) and The Mainspring of Human Progess, (Can't Remember the name of the author) the latter is not a novel and thus might not count to my 50 books.

Do only novels count, or all kinds of books?

[Dasquian Belargic]

Novels, novellas, graphic novels, textbooks, critical anthologies, manuals, technical guides... if you would call it a book, then it counts. As I quoted earlier, from the LJ community I got the idea from:


2. What kinds of books count for the challenge? Variations on this theme include "Can I count textbooks?" and "Do graphic novels count?" and "What if I read the back of the toothpaste tube while I'm on the can, can I mark that down?" The answer to all of these should be obvious from the answer to the first FAQ above, which is "Count whatever makes you happy."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Updated list with progress because I'm bored while I'm waiting for a printer driver to DL:
Idolon by Mark Budz - 448 pages
This book was picked up on a whim, turned out to have an interesting plot and a fairly cool 'future world' with lots of detail only to have it all go to pot in the very last act, which was a shame because it was promising up until the moment it completely lost me.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman - 588 pages
Love it, love it, love it. I'll let you know how I really feel at the end of the book. ... This book is brilliant - blends mythology seamlessly into the story and keeps you guessing until the end, in a good way. I really enjoyed it, and will be picking up Anansi Boys, which I think is the sequel.
Ilium by Dan Simmons - just started
Hugo Award winning novel - the Illiad as sci-fi. Can't wait.!

[Nathanial K'cansce]

And so starts my list of finished books:


Emperor: The Field of Swords by Conn Iggulden - 587 pages
This is the third book in the Emperor series, continuing the life story about Julius Caesar and his exploits in Spain, Gaul, and Briton. It also depicts the first signs of the growing rift between him and his best friend, his sword arm - Marcus Brutus. I absolutely love this series, and this book solidified it as possibly my favorite that I've read in my entire life. When I finished it last night, I was in tears - the first time any form of media outlet (TV, movies, music, books...) has been able to do so. I can't wait until the fourth book of the series comes out in paperback in March.

The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene 387ish pages
Basically, discusses the theories of relativity, the theory of quantum physics and mechanics, the reasons why those two cannot be combined as they are, and then explains how string theory and M-theory bridge the gap between large scale and small scale physics and how it can evolve in the future.

The Essential Calvin and Hobbes: A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury by Bill Watterson 254 pages of pure greatness
Call me crazy, but I still want a son on the order of Calvin. It'd be fun.

Star Wars: NJO: Agents of Chaos 1: Hero's Trial by James Luceno 352 pages

Star Wars: The New Rebellion by Kristine Kathryn Rusch 386 pages - hardcover

The Everything Job Interview Book by Bob Adams 307 pages
Tips, tricks and other such things to help one obtain confidence in a job interview. Also gives questions and possible desired and undesired answers that may come up! I'll prolly be re-reading this every now and again until I find a job.

1984 by George Orwell 297 pages
Hurray for distopias!

[Zereth Lancer]

Update:

Color of Magic, Terry Pratchett
Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett
Only You Can Save Mankind, Terry Pratchett
Wintersmith, Terry Pratchett
Reading: Johnny and the Dead, Terry Pratchett, and The Mainspring of Human Progess.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I am up for it I have read two so far this year and am half way through a third.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

My third book Ilium is quickly becoming one of my all time favorites. Of course I'll have to wait until the end to render final judgement, but it is one of the best sci-fi books I've ever read, so far.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

I found a list of books I wanted to get this past summer while cleaning my room, and Illium was on it. As was Olympos. Maybe I'll have to forgo what books I have in line and move Illium up in my "to read" list.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Finished Ilium this morning, going to buy Olympos today :D

[Nathanial K'cansce]

I couldn't find Ilium when I was at B&N today. :( But I did find "The Essential Calvin and Hobbes" which I have just started. And loving every page of it. <3

[Lilaena De'Ville]

My updated list:
Idolon by Mark Budz - 448 pages
This book was picked up on a whim, turned out to have an interesting plot and a fairly cool 'future world' with lots of detail only to have it all go to pot in the very last act, which was a shame because it was promising up until the moment it completely lost me.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman - 588 pages
Love it, love it, love it. I'll let you know how I really feel at the end of the book. ... This book is brilliant - blends mythology seamlessly into the story and keeps you guessing until the end, in a good way. I really enjoyed it, and will be picking up Anansi Boys, which I think is the sequel.
Ilium by Dan Simmons - 752 pages
Hugo Award winning novel - the Illiad as sci-fi is the short explaination, but it is so much more than that it would be impossible to explain in a short paragraph. Possibly the best sci-fi book I've read.
Olympos by Dan Simmons - page 341 of 891
The sequel to Ilium, Olympos is not disappointing me as it continues the story. :D
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - on deck

[Dasquian Belargic]

Look at you go :D well done!

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Just finished Olympos - a 6+ hour reading marathon after work today. ^_^; It was too good to put down.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I have yet to finish one book! Joy. Too many distractions.

[Kyle Krogen]

I havn't read a book in a few weeks. I don't have any books left to read *Flies to the library*

[Droo]

I have yet to finish one book! Joy. Too many distractions.

Same here. Plus I don't really have a comfortable reading place at home. My bedroom, which has been in tatters since last summer, will be getting decorated in February. I will have plenty of good lighting and a really comfy bed and chair. That is when my reading marathon will commence.

My first book will be The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I checked it out in Waterstones and it sounds like it will be really interesting and unique.

[Park Kraken]

Update:

1) WoW Dungeon Companion; Platicback; 443 pages
- Taught me a lot about the Dungeons in WoW, although it needs to be updated for the new expansion and little updates here and there.

2) Harlan Coben's Promise Me; Hardback; 370 pages
- A really good Myron Bolitar book, nice to see him back in action, along with my favorite character, his pyscho sidekick Win.

3) WWE: Un-scripted; Hardback; 238 pages
- An interesting look into some of the WWE superstars and their lifes behind the scenes, including their hobbies, other projects, and so forth.

4) Stone Barrington's Cold Paradise
- Picked up this book out of curiosity, loved it, and now I want to read his other books, if there are any.

5) Michael Crichton's Timeline; Paperback; 496 pages
- An interesting novel. I loved how they portrayed medieval times, and it was fairly suspensful.

6) Tim Lahayne's Left Behind; Paperback; 342 pages
- Ehh. Not sure whether or not I really liked this book.

7) Dale Brown's Air Battle Force; Paperback; 518 pages
- Picked this book up at a Walden Books going out of buisness sale, along with quite a few other books that I read. Pretty good read.

8) Dale Brown's Plan of Attack; Paperback; 427 pages
9) Dale Brown's Dreamland; Endgame; Paperback; 420 pages
10) Dale Brown's Wings of Fire; Paperback; 480 pages
11) Clive Cussler's Skeleton Coast; Plasticback; 373 pages
- Wow. Very good read. I recommend this one to others.

12) Richard North's Protect and Defend; Paperback; 591 pages
13) David Miller's Submarines of the World; Plasticback; 480 pages
- Just a basic reference book. My favorite submarine would have to be the Soviet Project 705 (NATO Codename: Alfa) class. Liquid Metal cooled Nuclear Reactor with Titanium hull construction, submerged speed of 45 knots, and a dive depth of 2,300 feet. The whole reason the British spearfish and American Mark 48 ADCAP and Mk 50 torpedoes were developed was so they could catch up to this boat.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

This is all since January 1st?! :eek

[Park Kraken]

Yep. Reading is my favorite way to pass the time while at work, being an overnight security guard. BTW, being that last night was my weekly 12-hour shift....

14) Clive and Dirk Cussler Teasure of Khan, a Dirk Pitt novel. Hardback; 552 pages.
- a very good and interesting read. I'd also recommend this one to others. Very unique approach to a suspense/fiction novel.

And tonight I'll be starting on a Deep Black series book.

[Park Kraken]

Forgot to add one from earlier. The book went missing, and I didn't find it until I cleaned out my truck earlier today at work.

15) Dale Brown Act of War, Paperback; 419 pages.

[Alexia Sturkov]

I finally got a new book. I'm now reading Strata, by Terry Pratchett. I'm also reading the Deadpool & Cable comic storyline, but I don't think that counts :D

[Nathanial K'cansce]

It's strange how much free time I have to read now that I don't have classes or homeowrk in my way.


:/

[Dasquian Belargic]

My reading list at the minute is as follows:

* Raymond Chandler - Farewell, My Lovely
* Charles Dickens - Bleak House
* Herman Melville - Moby Dick
* Doris Lessing - The Golden Notebook

I am reading the first one right now, and quite enjoying it since it's a hardboiled noir thriller (and the sequel to the well-known The Big Sleep), but the other three... Bleak House is over 1000 pages long, and we're expected to clock in 300 pages a week. If it was an easy read, I wouldn't be panicking too much, but there is so much to pick up on. Daunting. Likewise, the other two are chunky reads. I reckon I could bludgeon someone to death with Bleak House quite easily.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

My updated list:
Idolon by Mark Budz - 448 pages
This book was picked up on a whim, turned out to have an interesting plot and a fairly cool 'future world' with lots of detail only to have it all go to pot in the very last act, which was a shame because it was promising up until the moment it completely lost me.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman - 588 pages
Love it, love it, love it. I'll let you know how I really feel at the end of the book. ... This book is brilliant - blends mythology seamlessly into the story and keeps you guessing until the end, in a good way. I really enjoyed it, and will be picking up Anansi Boys, which I think is the sequel.
Ilium by Dan Simmons - 752 pages
Hugo Award winning novel - the Illiad as sci-fi is the short explaination, but it is so much more than that it would be impossible to explain in a short paragraph. Possibly the best sci-fi book I've read.
Olympos by Dan Simmons - 891 pages
The sequel to Ilium, Olympos continues the story well while being a good book in its own right. Ilium stands alone better, but Olympos is a great sequel.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - 468 pages

Handed to me after I exclaimed that Ilium was the best sci-fi novel I'd read to date, with the explaination that this was the best, I ended up a little disappointed. The characters are some of the best I've read, and the texture and style of the novel and the world its set in are fantastic - the plot itself let me down a little as it gets itself bogged down in at least two lengthy explainations of psuedo-historical/religious things. But, at least the lynchpin of the plot was imaginative and unique. I did enjoy the book very much.

[Dasquian Belargic]

At last...

My List:
Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler - 306 pages
One of the assigned texts at university. This is the second in Chandler's series of detective crime-thrillers about private eye Philip Marlowe and was a very easy and entertaining read. I really enjoy the hard-boiled style of narrative, and the fact that Chandler doesn't need to use a hundred and one plot twists to keep the story interesting.
Bleak House by Charles Dickenes - In Progress: 312 of 935 pages
This is the first Dickens novel I've ever read and while I was a little apprehensive of getting started on it, mainly because of its size and my own preconceptions about Dickens' style, I can't say that I dislike it. Then again, I can't really say that I'm looking forward to unravelling the various mysteries of the plot, because they have already been explained to me (read: spoiled) in lectures.

[Park Kraken]

16) Star Wars: Allegiance by Timothy Zahn - 324 pages (hardback)
A novel set in the time period between the battle of Yavin and the Empire Strikes Back. The novel focuses mainly on a group of stormtroopers and their service to the Galatic Empire, as well as plot involving Han, Luke, Leia, and Mara Jade as the Emporer's Hand. Typical for Zahn books, this one was very good and I recommend this one to other readers.

17) Inuyasha: Ani-Manga by Rumiko Takahashi - 206 pages.
It's a backwards book. Covers TV episodes 49/50/51.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Updated!



Emperor: The Field of Swords by Conn Iggulden - 587 pages
This is the third book in the Emperor series, continuing the life story about Julius Caesar and his exploits in Spain, Gaul, and Briton. It also depicts the first signs of the growing rift between him and his best friend, his sword arm - Marcus Brutus. I absolutely love this series, and this book solidified it as possibly my favorite that I've read in my entire life. When I finished it last night, I was in tears - the first time any form of media outlet (TV, movies, music, books...) has been able to do so. I can't wait until the fourth book of the series comes out in paperback in March.

The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene 387ish pages
Basically, discusses the theories of relativity, the theory of quantum physics and mechanics, the reasons why those two cannot be combined as they are, and then explains how string theory and M-theory bridge the gap between large scale and small scale physics and how it can evolve in the future.

The Essential Calvin and Hobbes: A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury by Bill Watterson 254 pages of pure greatness
Call me crazy, but I still want a son on the order of Calvin. It'd be fun.

Star Wars: NJO: Agents of Chaos 1: Hero's Trial by James Luceno 352 pages

Star Wars: The New Rebellion by Kristine Kathryn Rusch 386 pages - hardcover

The Everything Job Interview Book by Bob Adams 307 pages
Tips, tricks and other such things to help one obtain confidence in a job interview. Also gives questions and possible desired and undesired answers that may come up! I'll prolly be re-reading this every now and again until I find a job.

1984 by George Orwell 297 pages
Hurray for distopias!

Star Wars: The Cestus Deception by Steven Barnes 397 pages
Ugh. Light-whips. -_- Yay Kit!

[Lilaena De'Ville]

My updated list:

Idolon by Mark Budz - 448 pages
This book was picked up on a whim, turned out to have an interesting plot and a fairly cool 'future world' with lots of detail only to have it all go to pot in the very last act, which was a shame because it was promising up until the moment it completely lost me.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman - 588 pages
Love it, love it, love it. I'll let you know how I really feel at the end of the book. ... This book is brilliant - blends mythology seamlessly into the story and keeps you guessing until the end, in a good way. I really enjoyed it, and will be picking up Anansi Boys, which I think is the sequel.
Ilium by Dan Simmons - 752 pages
Hugo Award winning novel - the Illiad as sci-fi is the short explaination, but it is so much more than that it would be impossible to explain in a short paragraph. Possibly the best sci-fi book I've read.
Olympos by Dan Simmons - 891 pages
The sequel to Ilium, Olympos continues the story well while being a good book in its own right. Ilium stands alone better, but Olympos is a great sequel.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - 468 pages
Handed to me after I exclaimed that Ilium was the best sci-fi novel I'd read to date, with the explaination that this was the best, I ended up a little disappointed. The characters are some of the best I've read, and the texture and style of the novel and the world its set in are fantastic - the plot itself let me down a little as it gets itself bogged down in at least two lengthy explainations of psuedo-historical/religious things. But, at least the lynchpin of the plot was imaginative and unique. I did enjoy the book very much.
Anasai Boys by Neil Gaiman
more coming
Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
This book was fantastic. I don't know what more I can say. Pick it up immediately, you won't be disappointed. Jim Butcher is the author of The Dresden Files, and this is book one of a fantasy series (The Codex Alera). The world he's created is pretty much unlike anything I've read so far, but familiar enough not to be overwhelming in its strangeness. I really, really, really loved this book.

[Dasquian Belargic]

My List:
Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler - 306 pages
One of the assigned texts at university. This is the second in Chandler's series of detective crime-thrillers about private eye Philip Marlowe and was a very easy and entertaining read. I really enjoy the hard-boiled style of narrative, and the fact that Chandler doesn't need to use a hundred and one plot twists to keep the story interesting.
Bleak House by Charles Dickenes - In Progress
This is the first Dickens novel I've ever read and while I was a little apprehensive of getting started on it, mainly because of its size and my own preconceptions about Dickens' style, I can't say that I dislike it. Then again, I can't really say that I'm looking forward to unravelling the various mysteries of the plot, because they have already been explained to me (read: spoiled) in lectures.
Film Noir Reader editted by Alain Silver/James Ursini - 339 pages
A collection of critical essays on film noir. I have to give a presentation on one in particular, which is all about existentialism, but I thought I might as well look through the whole thing since it's all relevant and fairly easy to read.
Moby Dick by Herman Melvlle - In Progress
Tough going. I have restarted this a couple of times now.
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley - In Progress
More hard-boiled detective fiction. Not quite as good as the Chandler novel I read a little while back.

[Blade Bacquin]

woot I'm up for even though you willa l kick my butt cause I read slow.

already read one though this year one down at least.

Earth X - finished a graphic novel abotu a screwed up version of the end of times in the marvel universe.

curently reading (I am currently reading four books depending ont he mood I am in and what I want to read.)

Thud by terry pratchett
promise of the wich king by RA Salvatore
The Bible (neve rhave read the whole thing but started reading it about a week ago)
freemasonry and its ancient mystic rites by c.w leadbeater.

in the works to read
the ecyclopedia of haunted palces
Paradise X - continuation of earth x.

(I know its a weird batch of books but hey I'm weird. Also I doubt I will beat my last record of 20 books. only reason I got 20 down was cause there was nothing else to do while I had a broken leg but read. I did that in a 2 and half month period fast I ever did read. after that I didn't touch another book for the rest of the year.)

[Park Kraken]

Ok, time to start adding to my list.

18) Stephen Coonts' Deep Black, paperback, 374 pages
19) Stephen Coonts' Deep Black: Dark Zone, paperback, 403 pages
20) Stephen Coonts' Deep Black: Payback, paperback, 469 pages
21) Rumiko Takahashi Inuyasha, Ani-Manga Volume 10, paperback, 206 pages
22) Rumiko Takahashi Inuyasha, Ani-Manga Volume 11, paperback, 206 pages
23) Clive Cussler Raise the Titantic, paperback, 435 pages
24) K.W. Jeter Star Wars: Slave Ship, paperback, 324 pages

And more to come.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Also, it's strange how much free time I don't have now that I have a job. :/

Also, I misplaced the book sI was currently reading, and have no idea where it is.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

My updated list:
Idolon by Mark Budz - 448 pages
This book was picked up on a whim, turned out to have an interesting plot and a fairly cool 'future world' with lots of detail only to have it all go to pot in the very last act, which was a shame because it was promising up until the moment it completely lost me.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman - 588 pages
Love it, love it, love it. I'll let you know how I really feel at the end of the book. ... This book is brilliant - blends mythology seamlessly into the story and keeps you guessing until the end, in a good way. I really enjoyed it, and will be picking up Anansi Boys, which I think is the sequel.
Ilium by Dan Simmons - 752 pages
Hugo Award winning novel - the Illiad as sci-fi is the short explaination, but it is so much more than that it would be impossible to explain in a short paragraph. Possibly the best sci-fi book I've read.
Olympos by Dan Simmons - 891 pages
The sequel to Ilium, Olympos continues the story well while being a good book in its own right. Ilium stands alone better, but Olympos is a great sequel.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - 468 pages
Handed to me after I exclaimed that Ilium was the best sci-fi novel I'd read to date, with the explaination that this was the best, I ended up a little disappointed. The characters are some of the best I've read, and the texture and style of the novel and the world its set in are fantastic - the plot itself let me down a little as it gets itself bogged down in at least two lengthy explainations of psuedo-historical/religious things. But, at least the lynchpin of the plot was imaginative and unique. I did enjoy the book very much.
Anasai Boys by Neil Gaiman - 387 pages
more coming
Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
This book was fantastic. I don't know what more I can say. Pick it up immediately, you won't be disappointed. Jim Butcher is the author of The Dresden Files, and this is book one of a fantasy series (The Codex Alera). The world he's created is pretty much unlike anything I've read so far, but familiar enough not to be overwhelming in its strangeness. I really, really, really loved this book.
Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher - 529 pages
Sequel to Furies of Calderon, this book leaves me begging for book three. ^_^;
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
This novel won the Hugo award - I think that's all that needs to be said. It is incredible, and incredibly ends without resolving the story! *tears out hair* Cliffhangers!?
Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher
White Night by Jim Butcher
Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

[Dasquian Belargic]

Books that I have read, from start to beginning, so far this year:

1. raymond chandler - farewell, my lovely
2. richard matheson - i am legend
3. walter mosley - devil in a blue dress
4. haruki murakami - sputnik sweetheart
5. haruki murakami - hard boiled wonderland and the end of the world

I'm so easily distracted. Let me tell you, though - I would highly recommend Haruki Murakami to aaanyone.

[Park Kraken]

25) Clive Cussler /w Jack Du Brul Dark Watch, large paperback; 357 pages
26) Stephen Coonts Fortunes of War, paperback; 436 pages
27) Clive Cussler Dragon, paperback; 602 pages
28) K.W. Jeter Star Wars: Hard Merchandise, paperback; 338 pages

I've got a few more to add as soon as I locate them, I figure I've read about 35 novels so far total, and am working on one more atm.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

13. Endymion by Dan Simmons - 563 pages
14. The Husband by Dean Koontz - 415 pages

I read The Husband in its entirety today. Lots of waiting for loads to arrive at my stores.

[Droo]

I'm so easily distracted. Let me tell you, though - I would highly recommend Haruki Murakami to aaanyone.

Oh, tell me about it. I bought The Elephant Vanishes a couple of months ago and tore through it. I'm going to get more of his stuff - absolutely brilliant.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I bought a lot of books by Japanese authors recently, with the intention of writing my undergraduate thesis on Post-War Japanese Literature, but I've been told that I can't use any texts that weren't originally written in English :( It's left me feeling kind of listless about reading them.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

^_^; finally another book knocked off.

15. Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn - 303 pages
If you're a fan of werewolves, start with Kitty and the Midnight Hour and work your way through Kitty Goes to Washington and end up here. Best depiction of werewolves I think I've ever read (though I admit I haven't read a lot of werewolf fiction!) Really. Pick it up. ;)

Now, just 35 to go. :uhoh

[Hartus Kenobi]

This is absolutely no problem. I've done that plenty of times. I've had years where I've read over 200 novels. But haven't done it recently. I'm probably on pace to come close to 50 this year though.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I'm in the beginning of Rise of Endymion, the conclusion of the Hyperion series by Dan Simmons.

If I picked shorter books this would take less time. ;)

[Diamond Roa]

50 books in one year? That's pie.

I'll give a list of book off the top of my head that I've read this year, but I don't remember each specific author, especially for the series that have more than one author like the Expanded Universe Star Wars books.

Ravenor (Warhammer 40k)
Betrayal (Star Wars Legacy of the Force) by Aaron Allston
Allegience (Star Wars)
Dark Planet by Charles W. Sasser
The Postman by David Brin
A Game of Thrones by George Martin
The Outlaws of the Marsh Vol. 1
The Outlaws of the Marsh Vol. 2
The Outlaws of the Marsh Vol. 3
(Technically, The Outlaw of the Marsh is one book, but it's divided into four volumes because it's over 2100 pages long and a total of 100 chapters)

That's all I got off the top of my head.

[Dasquian Belargic]

^_^; finally another book knocked off.

15. Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn - 303 pages
If you're a fan of werewolves, start with Kitty and the Midnight Hour and work your way through Kitty Goes to Washington and end up here. Best depiction of werewolves I think I've ever read (though I admit I haven't read a lot of werewolf fiction!) Really. Pick it up. ;)

Now, just 35 to go. :uhoh

I'd say that I would pick this up - what with my love of the werewolves and all - but the stakc of books sitting on my floor waiting to be read is already of ridiculous proportions! ^_^;

[Lilaena De'Ville]

PICK IT UP YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!

Put it at the top of the pile. ;)

[Dasquian Belargic]

Hehe, good idea :)

Oh, pile of un-read books... I hope you never stop growing.

I'm reading Dune at the minute, though thinking of dipping into something a little... lighter.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

16. The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons - 709 pages
Terrific end to the terrific Hyperion series.

17. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - 324? pages
Loved this book! Thanks for the reccomendation Kale, it was well worth the read. A Hugo and a Nebula award winner, Ender's Game was nothing like I imagined it would have been, and everything I could have wanted. I love books with kid protagonists, what can I say. I think that's why I loved A Song of Ice and Fire by G.R.R. Martin so much because of the kids in it (Arya is my fav!) but I digress. Speakers of the Dead will be on my list later I'm sure. :)

And on deck I have The Good Guy by Dean Koontz.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

I picked up Ender's Game a while back. I should have started it before Dracula. Which... I'm like, 3/4ths the way through. This book killed my chances at getting to 50 this year. -_-


Well, that, and work.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Ender's Game is fantastic. One of my favorite books. Also, once you're done reading it, check out Ender's Shadow. It follows Bean during the time and events of Ender's Game.

[Itala Marzullo]

I challenge you to read 50 books this year.

(Idea stolen from http://community.livejournal.com/50bookchallenge/profile)

... Get going, you don't have much time.

You win. :|

[Lilaena De'Ville]

18. The Good Guy - Dean Koontz
19. Dinosaur Cat - somebody ^_^; I already read this one once but I was getting desperate for new material.
20. Ranks of Bronze (http://www.amazon.com/Ranks-Bronze-David-Drake/dp/0671318330/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-2589022-5192619?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183766014&sr=8-1) - David Drake, 300+ pages
This one was amazing! Its about a Roman legion that is sold into slavery to an alien guild who needs them in order to subdue planets that only have the same level of technology as the Romans do. The aliens are not allowed to use their lasers and other tech on planets which don't have the same level of tech available to them. Its a terrific read, Charley I reccommend you pick it up immediately.

[Hartus Kenobi]

Last 5 books I've read over the course of the past month or so:

1. Franklin and Winston by Jon Meacham
2. John Adams by David McCullough
3. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
4. The First American by HW Brands
5. Truman by David McCullough

[Kelly Perris]

Ok....I JUST came across this thread. But I assure you, if fifty books was a sliver of time in high school (averaging ten a week, and I do mean novels of varying lengths..) then fifty books, if not more, should be easy as pie before the year is out.

Here's my list so far from what I can recall reading:

1. Three Weeks With My Brother - Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks
2. Dear John - Nicholas Sparks
3. The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger
4. Everyone Worth Knowing - Lauren Weisberger
5. Eats, Shoots and Leaves - Lynne Truss
6. Talk to the Hand - Lynne Truss
7. Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
8. I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This! - Bob Newhart
9. Why Do Men Have Nipples? - Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg, M.D.
10. Memoirs Of A Geisha - Arthur Golden

By pure coincidence, I picked up two more Nicholas Sparks books (What can I say? I'm a sucker for his stuff...), not even knowing this thread was here. Gimme probably a day, maybe day and a half, TWO DAYS tops. I'll have 'em read.

I'll tell you, I quite liked Oryx and Crake, but I'm biased. I've been reading Atwood since high school thanks to the influence of my favourite english teacher.

Read on!

-K

P.S. Enders Game WAS a wicked read. Read it quite a while back and I do recall enjoying it.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Just got part of my reading list for the first semester of school, later this year...

Jonathan Swift: Selected poems George Farquhar: The Beaux’ Stratagem
Anne Finch: Selected poems
Daniel Defoe: Moll Flanders
Alexander Pope: The Rape of the Lock, Eloisa to Abelard, Epistle to a Lady
Samuel Richardson: Pamela
Various: Selected poetry by women writers (Roger Lonsdale ed: Eighteenth-Century Women Poets)
Laurence Sterne: A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy
Oliver Goldsmith: She Stoops to Conquer
RB Sheridan: The Rivals


Damn :| that sounds thrilling.

[Kelly Perris]

More:

11. True Believer - Nicholas Sparks
12. At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks
13. A Nurse's Story - Tilda Shalof (in progress)

Haha. My sister's comment on finishing the first two books already.... "She's finished reading those two books she bought on friday already."

That's normal. I eat food with my mouth, I devour books with my eyes.

That's normal...right? Right?

:lol

[Wyl Staedtler]

I definitely won't read 50 books this year, but I'm slowly working my way through:

1. The Land That Time Forgot b. Edgar Rice Burroughs,
2. The Princess Pocahontas b. Virginia Watson,
and various writings by Edward de Vere and William Shakespeare, for comparison's sake. :)


Someone recently recommended 'The Baron in the Trees' which is next on the list. Apparently it's about a year spent living in the treetops (a fantasy I've harboured since youth). :D

[Nathanial K'cansce]

...Slacking...

9.) (Woo!) Scientific Progress Goes "Boink": A Calvin and Hobbes Collection by Bill Watson.

'nough said.

[Park Kraken]

Time to update! :D

29) Clive Cussler Atlantis Found; softback
30) Clive Cussler Valhalla Rising; softback
31) Clive Cussler Sahara; softback (want to see the movie)
32) Clive Cussler Blue Gold; large softback
33) Clive Cussler The Mediterranean Caper; paperback (softback)
34) Clive Cussler Pacific Vortex; paperback
35) Clive Cussler Cyclops; paperback
36) Clive Cussler White Death; paperback
37) Clive Cussler Polar Shift; paperback
38) Clive Cussler Lost City; paperback
39) Clive Cussler Trojan Odyssey; paperback
40) Clive Cussler Deep Six; paperback
41) Clive Cussler Treasure; paperback
42) Clive Cussler The Navigator; paperback
43) Clive Cussler Serpent; paperback
44) Clive Cussler Golden Buddha; paperback
45) Clive Cussler Iceberg; paperback
46) Clive Cussler Shock Wave; paperback
47) Clive Cussler Fire Ice; paperback
48) Clive Cussler Flood Tide; paperback
49) Martin Cruz Smith Stalin's Ghost; hardback
50) Karen Traviss Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Sacrafice; Hardback
51) Stephen Coonts Cuba; hardback
52) Stephen Coonts Final Flight; paperback
53) Stephen Coonts The Red Horsemen; paperback
54) Stephen Coonts America; paperback
55) Eileen Dreyer With a Vengeance; paperback
56) Clive Cussler Night Probe; paperback
57) Winston Groom 1942; paperback
58) Rumiko Takahashi Inuyasha Manga Vol. 6; paperback
59) Rumiko Takahashi Inuyasha Manga Vol. 28; paperback
60) Rumiko Takahashi Inuyasha Manga Vol. 26; paperback
61) Rumiko Takahashi Inuyasha Manga Vol. 20; paperback
62) Rumiko Takahashi Inuyasha Manga Vol. 30; paperback
63) Rumiko Takahashi Inuyasha Manga Vol. 29; paperback
64) Rumiko Takahashi Inuyasha Ani-Manga Vol. 17; paperback
65) Rumiko Takahashi Inuyasha Ani-Manga Vol. 24; paperback
66) Dark Horse Books Star Wars: Legacy Vol. 1; comic book

Good thing I decided to buy a discount card for Barnes and Nobles. It's probably paid itself off

[Fiona Devlin]

No way I'm gonna get fifty books read, but here's my current reading list anyway. :)

<b>Blood & Chocolate</b> by Annette Curtis Klause
<b>Go Ask Malice</b> by Robert Joseph Levy
<b>The Kill Bill Diary: The Making of a Tarantino Classic as Seen Through the Eyes of a Screen Legend</b> by David Carradine

[Dasquian Belargic]

Update:
1. raymond chandler - farewell, my lovely
2. richard matheson - i am legend
3. walter mosley - devil in a blue dress
4. haruki murakami - sputnik sweetheart
5. haruki murakami - hard boiled wonderland and the end of the world
6. j k rowling - harry potter and the deathly hallows
7. haruki murakami - the wind-up bird chronicle

I am reading Northern Lights (the first book in the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy) at the moment... about half-way through.

[Itala Marzullo]

I just started reading "Eaters of The Dead" by Michael Crichton.

[Jedieb]

Any speed readers? I'm certainly not one. I'd say I average around 20 a year. Don't know how many I've done so far this year. I'll have to see if i can find time to put together a list this month.

[Itala Marzullo]

I'm gonna try and do at least one a month, I like to take my time with books and not speed through them just for the sake of speeding.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Any speed readers? I'm certainly not one. I'd say I average around 20 a year. Don't know how many I've done so far this year. I'll have to see if i can find time to put together a list this month.

I can speed read when I need to, but I don't like to... as you can tell by my short list :lol

[Ilias Nytrau]

1. Three Weeks With My Brother - Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks
2. Dear John - Nicholas Sparks
3. The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger
4. Everyone Worth Knowing - Lauren Weisberger
5. Eats, Shoots and Leaves - Lynne Truss
6. Talk to the Hand - Lynne Truss
7. Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
8. I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This! - Bob Newhart
9. Why Do Men Have Nipples? - Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg, M.D.
10. Memoirs Of A Geisha - Arthur Golden
11. True Believer - Nicholas Sparks
12. At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks
13. A Nurse's Story - Tilda Shalof


14. Battle Royale - Koushun Takami
15. Swastika - Michael Slade (in progress)


So....35 books to go. Hm. Shouldn't be too hard.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

21. Murder on the Caronia by Conrad Allen
Fun murder mystery on a cruise ship in the early 1900s.
22. Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
This book is excellent - cannot reccomend it enough!

[Sanis Prent]

I forgot, I've been reading books:

1. World War Z: Max Brooks
2. How to be Invisible: J.J. Luna
3. Ruby Ridge: Jess Walter
4. U.S. Army Survival Guide
5. America the Book: Jon Stewart
6. My Tank is Fight: Zack Parsons
7. Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security: Christopher Cooper & Robert Block
8. Starship Troopers: Robert A. Heinlein
9. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: Edward Gibbon (in progress)

[Itala Marzullo]

Finished Eaters of The Dead, good stuff.

[Crystal]

Just started reading this month. I mean, I could read before. I didn't just now learn to read or anything.

Not a very big list so far, but I'm working on it.

Finished:

1. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
2. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, Eoin Colfer
3. Survivor, Chuck Palahniuk
4. Jennifer Government, Max Barry

Reading right now:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J. K. Rowling
1984, George Orwell

Future Reading:

Haunted, Chuck Palahniuk
Wizard's First Rule, Terry Goodkind
Amercian Gods, Neil Gaiman
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code, Eoin Colfer

No way I'm reading 50 books this year especially starting so late. So I'm shooting for 20 as a personal goal.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Artemis Fowl :D I have only read the first book in that series, but really enjoyed it. Definitely going to pick up the others sometime.

I'm actually also listening to American Gods on audio-book at the moment too, which is pretty :cool.

[Park Kraken]

67) Tom Clancy Power Plays: Politika; paperback

So, what prize do I get for being the first member on the board to read 50 books?

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The satisfaction of a job well done?

[Park Kraken]

If I read 100 books this year, will you make me a board admin?

[Dasquian Belargic]

Read 100 books and then I'll tell you what the prize is ;)

[Crystal]

Artemis Fowl :D I have only read the first book in that series, but really enjoyed it. Definitely going to pick up the others sometime.

I didn't think the second was as good as the first, but I still liked it alot. I hear the thrid is better, so I have my hopes up. I hope if I ever have a kid he's as smart/evil as Artemis. >D

[Ilias Nytrau]

I have to say I enjoyed the Artemis Fowl books when I did read them. I think now i'l have to read Colleen McCullough's First Man In Rome again and then finally read the other books in the series. My mother used to have a copy of that book, but I think she may have disposed of it when we moved, for whatever reason.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Currently I'm reading Orphanage, which is a war novel along the lines of Starship Troopers by Robert Buettner. I started it while eating lunch today and gobbled up the first six chapters. I am loving it so far. :D

The title is based from this anonymous letter fragment recovered on Omaha Beach, Normandy, June 1944:

We crabbed shoulder to shoulder down cargo nets to our landing craft bucking in the Channel, each GI's bilge-and-sea-soaked boots drenching his buddy below. In that moment I realized that we fight not for flags or against tyrants but for each other. For whatever remains of my life, those barely met strangers who dangled around me will be my only family. Strip away politics, and, wherever or whenever, war is an orphanage.
Pretty damn poetic.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I have a pretty limited experience with war novels, though a book I just recently finished - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - had a fairly significant amount of war stories interspersed into the plot. There were some pretty poignant quotes in there too, though I can't for the life of me remember the page numbers. I usually highlight stuff that I like so I can just flick back through and re-read, but I lost my highlighter pen during the house-move :(

Anyhoo, I just finished Philip Pullman's Northern Lights (or The Golden Compass, for those of you reading the US editions). I got this book years and yeeears ago as a Christmas gift from a friend of the family. I tried reading it then, but didn't get beyond the first few pages. Recently, I saw the trailer for the movie they're going to be making out of the book and so, in mourning for the end of the Harry Potter series, decided to try reading some more acclaimed childrens literature.

Northern Lights is the first of a trilogy of books which I seem to remember being compared a lot to the Narnia series, mostly because Narnia was so pro-Christianity and the Dark Materials series is pretty anti-organized religion. Aside from that, the story is quite interesting so far. Under 400 pages and with a pretty simple prose style, it's an easy read and I'm happy to say that I think it's going to quite a fun movie - although I am curious as to whether or not they will condense more than one book into the movie, as Northern Lights does end on kind of a cliffhanger.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I finished that book, so that means I'm working on #24, the sequel to Orphanage, Orphan's Destiny. It continues the story of Jason Wander, who was orphaned like millions of people in the first book by aliens attacking Earth from afar, and if its as good as the first book I should probably finish it up within two days. :D

Since its compared to Starship Troopers, it sort of makes me want to watch that movie, although I know that ST is full of unbearable cheese. The young soldiers (all war orphans) in Orphanage have none of the untarnished optimism that I remember from Starship Troopers.

[Jecht Tar]

I am no where close to reading enough books. I might have ten read. Never really found the time to sit down and eat books, at least not for long. Kind of ran out of books for awhile.

Right now I'm reading Making Money by Mr. Pratchett, and Seeing Redd, the second book in the "Looking Glass Wars" trilogy written by Frank Beddor. I strongly recommend the Looking Glass Wars.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Making Money was great. I got it for my birthday. :D

I've read a bunch since I last updated, but probably not enough to reach 50. Lets see how good I do from memory:

#25 Otherland: City of Golden Shadow, Tad Williams
#26 Otherland: Mountain of Black Glass, Tad Williams
#27 Otherland: River of Blue Fire, Tad Williams
#28 The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy
#29 The Darkest Evening of the Year, Dean Koontz
#30 Making Money, Terry Pratchett


.... hmm I think that's as far as I've gotten. The last two I read in the past week and a half.

[Karl Valten]

42) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
43) Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut
44) Idoru by William Gibson
45) Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man by Marshall McLuhan

Don't think I'll hit the mark once break starts. I'm just gonna vege. :p

[Nathanial K'cansce]

I don't think I broke the double digit mark. I just... couldn't sit and focus long enough to read much of anything.