MonkeyCatcher Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 September 49. The Farseekers by Isobelle Carmody August 48. The World According to Garp by John Irving 4/5 47. Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon 3/5 July 46. Why Do Men Have Nipples? by Billy Goldberg and Mark Leyner 3/5 45. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides 4/5 44. The Last Juror by John Grisham 3/5 43. A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian by Marina Lewycka 3/5 Unfinished - Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 42. Out by Natsuo Kirino 4/5 41. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 4/5 40. Magician by Raymond E. Feist 3/5 June 39. The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima 4/5 38. The Waste Lands by Stephen King 4/5 37. Night Train by Martin Amis 3/5 36. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy 5/5 35. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 3/5 34. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd 3/5 May 33. That Was Then, This is Now by S.E Hinton 2/5 32. Lamb by Christopher Moore 3/5 31. The Magician's Guild by Trudi Canavan 4/5 30. Lord of the Flies by William Golding 4/5 29. The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith 4/5 28. Wild Swans by Jung Chang 5/5 April 27. Tara Road by Maeve Binchy 4/5 26. Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody 4/5 25. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant 5/5 24. Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier 4/5 23. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood 5/5 Unfinished - The Sleeping Father by Matthew Sharpe 22. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanne Clarke 4/5 21. Eragon by Christopher Paolini 4/5 20. Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen 2/5 March 19. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 4/5 18. Running With Scissors by Augusteen Burroughs 4/5 17. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piocult 4/5 16. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett 3/5 15. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover 4/5 February 14. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafasi 2/5 13. Weight by Jeanette Winterson 3/5 12. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 5/5 11. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde 5/5 10. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett 4/5 9. Jessica by Bryce Courtenay 3/5 January 8. The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 4/5 7. Lucky by Alice Sebold 1/5 6. The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood 5/5 5. The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon 5/5 4. I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes by Jaclyn Moriarty 4/5 3. Small Island by Andrea Levy 4/5 2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S Lewis 4/5 1. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer 3/5 KEY: 5 - Unbetterable 4 - Loved it 3 - Liked it 2 - Found it lacking 1 - Utter rot red - Unfinished blue - Currently Reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 Ooh, I have a few of those on my own reading list - I may have to bump some of them up the pile! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted June 25, 2006 Author Share Posted June 25, 2006 I'm currently building up a database of all the books I own and want - you can view the list here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 That's an excellent site, MC - I've got a basc Microsoft Access database on my own computer, but I think I rather like this setup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Hi. What did you think of TheGod of Small Things? I read it last year. It seemed rather weird, but incredibly cultured, and informative.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted June 26, 2006 Author Share Posted June 26, 2006 Hi. What did you think of TheGod of Small Things? I read it last year. It seemed rather weird, but incredibly cultured, and informative.. I really enjoyed this book - it was definitely weird though! There were times where I was a bit confused as to what was going on and to what people were referring to, however the beautiful prose more than made up for it. I loved the fact that the Indian culture was a major aspect of the book as I really enjoy reading books that are both entertaining and educational. Definitely one of my favourite reads of this year, and possibly of ever . I can understand why it won the Booker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted June 30, 2006 Author Share Posted June 30, 2006 Finished The Waste Lands yesterday afternoon - another great installment in the Dark Tower series! After much deliberation, I decided upon The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima as my next read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 I have read 4 of the books on your list. All were very good although you rated one of them a 3 / 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted July 1, 2006 Author Share Posted July 1, 2006 I have read 4 of the books on your list. All were very good although you rated one of them a 3 / 5. Which one was that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted July 1, 2006 Author Share Posted July 1, 2006 I finished The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea this morning, and have now started on Magician by Raymond E. Feist. Overall I enjoyed TSWFfGwtS, but had to give it a 4/5 because I just wasn't in the mood for it - I was counting down the pages until it ended, which is never a good thing. The prose was exquisite, the plot compelling and the characters intriguing, but I think that a lot of the brilliance of the book escaped me because of my lack of experience and maturity in the reading of literature, something which I have been trying to work on. I think that I will pick this one up in a few years time when my reading ability has developed, as I'm sure that I would get so much more out of it. A recommended read, but definitely not for the queasy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 These are the books that I have read, although not necessarily this year, that are on your list: The Waste Lands by Stephen King 4/5 The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett 3/5 The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde 5/5 Going Postal by Terry Pratchett 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted July 1, 2006 Author Share Posted July 1, 2006 These are the books that I have read, although not necessarily this year, that are on your list: The Waste Lands by Stephen King 4/5 The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett 3/5 The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde 5/5 Going Postal by Terry Pratchett 4/5 Ah, right. I put The Colour of Magic as a 3/5 because although I enjoyed it, I don't think that the book was of a quality as high as Going Postal - I didn't find it as interesting, nor as humerous, and I found that the beginning lagged a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted July 5, 2006 Author Share Posted July 5, 2006 I just finished Magician by Raymond E Feist, and to be honest I'm not as enraptured with either this book or the author as most other people seem to be. While I liked the book overall, I thought that the writing was a bit flat at times, and the constant descriptions of landscape and battles bored me - I didn't really care for the overly-long battle scenes. I found that Feist repeated facts several times and that he repeatedly used a single word numerous times while describing or explaining something, both of which detracted from the flow of the novel. The characters could have used a bit more work also, with some of the minor characters, and even a few of the major, still feeling a bit like strangers at the end of the novel. I didn't find the characters nor their actions believable either, as I found myself puzzling constantly over the sudden change of opinion in a character, or the immediate acceptance of something that would have usually have taken days to believe, let alone accept. Overall an ok book, but I don't think that I will be picking up the other books in the Riftwar saga, especially as this book has been heralded as Feist's crowning "glory". 3/5 I have now started Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 The only Feist I've read is Faerie Tale and because I enjoyed that so much, I've always meant to try Magician. I'm not in so much of a rush to do so now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Monkeycatcher - enjoy Pride and Prejudice. I've read this one so many times and is a very firm favourite of mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted July 7, 2006 Author Share Posted July 7, 2006 Monkeycatcher - enjoy Pride and Prejudice. I've read this one so many times and is a very firm favourite of mine I can see why! A very humerous and engaging book, I really enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and was almost sad that it was over - I rate it 4/5. I have now started on Out by Natsuo Kirino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Yes, I read Pride and Prejudice recently. The language is engaging, and there are some thought provoking lines. The plot also takes someinteresting turns. Not normally one for all this girly lovey dovey stuff but this is an excellant book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted July 10, 2006 Author Share Posted July 10, 2006 I finished Out this afternoon and really enjoyed it. I was a bit hesitant to read this as I usually dislike crime novels, but I decided to give it a go and am extremely glad I did! Highly recommended, but not for the squemish! 4/5 I have now started Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. I have given up on this book previously (at the 100 page mark), but decided to give it another go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted July 12, 2006 Author Share Posted July 12, 2006 Again, I gave up on Catch-22. I did find it humerous, and saw some potential in it, but I just wasn't up to giving it the focus it needed (especially because of the "unique" writing style). I have now started A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian by Marina Lewycka, which will count as my Germany book for the Olympic Challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted July 14, 2006 Author Share Posted July 14, 2006 I finished A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian this morning - while I liked it overall, I found it a tad light for my taste and lacking in character development. I gave it a rating of 3/5. I have now started The Last Juror by John Grisham. I just had to find out if Grisham is as good as people suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 I think one of the nice things about Short History... is that it is light, and incredibly easy, whilst still working with some larger themes and not ducking them, and not being shallow or trite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted July 21, 2006 Author Share Posted July 21, 2006 Finished The Last Juror this afternoon - I enjoyed it, but crime/thrillers aren't really my type of book. I found it lagged a bit, and the most of the events described in the blurb didn't occur until about 100 pages to go (it was a 500 page book). The title doesn't really make sense to me either :? 3/5 I have now started on Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 I finished Middlesex last night after reading it for what seems like forever. Overall a great book, although I thought that the ending was a bit rushed. Naming one of the characters Chapter Eleven was also something that bugged me a bit - it made it less believeable. 4/5 Have now started on Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon - I felt like something short and light after my previous read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyCatcher Posted August 15, 2006 Author Share Posted August 15, 2006 I finished Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon a few days, and while enjoyable, I don't think that it was quite up to the standard of the Outlander books - the writing style didn't seem quite so polished, and the storyline not so intriguing. I also missed Jamie, of course! So while I will be picking up the next book in the Lord John series, my expectations will not be quite so high as that of the next Outlander installment. 3/5 I have now begun The World According to Garp by John Irving. I'm only a little way in, but am enjoying it so far. The unique writing style, while a bit wierd, is highly entertaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 Looks like there are a couple of folks reading this just now. I remember watching the film & finding it slightly bizarre but really enjoying it (this was years ago now!). I might have to pick up the book too at some point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.