Ronny's 2007 book list

[Ronny]

currently reading :

December
100.Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquival 5/10
99.The Beach by Alex Garland 7/10
98.Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens by Jane Dunn 8/10
97.Dreams of My Russian Summers by Andrei Makine 5/10
96.A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton 6/10
95.The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig 4/10
94.The Last Promise by Richard Paul Evans 4/10
93.Danger Zone by Shirley Palmer 4/10
92.The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, a novel of war and survival by Louise Murphy 8/10

November
91.Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen 9/10
90.Small Island by Andrea Levy 9/10
89.The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll 7/10
88.Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani 7/10
87.Quarantine by Jim Crace 6/10
86.Ahab's Wife or, The Star-Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund ( Unfinished, very slow going)
85.A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon 6/10
84.Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin 8/10
83.Girls by Frederick Busch 5/10
82.The Abortionist's Daughter by Elisabeth Hyde 6/10

October
81.Here On Earth by Alice Hoffman 7/10
80. Under The Black Flag, The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates by David Cordingly 8/10
79.The Sweetheart Season by Karen Joy Fowler 6/10
78.The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter 7/10
77.The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson 6/10
76.The Prestige by Christopher Priest 8/10
75.The Collection by Gioia Diliberto 7/10
74.Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats by Steve Ettlinger 7/10

September
73.The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 8/10
72.A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving 8/10
71.The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney 6/10
70.The Cider House Rules by John Irving 9/10
69.Helen of Troy by Margaret George 6/10
68.Man Or Mango? a Lament by Lucy Ellmann 8/10
67.Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan 7/10
66.Mariette In Ecstasy by Ron Hansen 6/10
65.Unless by Carol Shields 6/10

August
64.The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman 8/10
63.Dying Light by Stuart Macbride 7/10
62.Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner 7/10
61.Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart 6/10
60.Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney 6/10
59.The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson 5/10
58.The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer 7/10
57.Rain by Kirsty Gunn 6/10
56.Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton 7/10
55.Ease by Patrick Gale 5/10
54.Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire 6/10
53.The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard 8/10
52.The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett 6/10

July
51.Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks 6/10
50. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg 5/10
49.The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason 6/10
48.The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield 9/10
47.The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls 7/10
46.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling 8/10
45.The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher 6/10
44.Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris 9/10

June
43.Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach 6/10
42.Einstein, His Life And Universe by Walter Isaacson 8/10
41.The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making Of America's First Superhero by William Kalush & Larry Sloman 6/10
40.Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks 6/10
39.Sacred Time by Ursula Hegi 6/10
38.Sula by Toni Morrison 6/10
37.Monkey King by Patricia Chao 6/10
36.The History of Love by Nicole Krauss 7/10
35.The Society of Others by William Nicholson 5/10

May
34.The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist 6/10
33.The Conjurer's Bird by Martin Davies 6/10
32.Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway 1/10
31.Gangsters by Evan Zimroth 4/10
30.The Lying Tongue by Andrew Wilson 7/10
29.A Yellow Raft In Blue Water by Michael Dorris 5/10
28.The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein 7/10

April
27.East of Eden by John Steinbeck 9/10
26.The Liars' Club by Mary Karr 6/10
25.Magic Time by Doug Marlette 7/10
24.If On a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino (unfinished)
23.The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant 7/10
22.The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue 7/10

March
21.Where Or When by Anita Shreve 4/10
20.Cane River by Lalita Tademy 9/10
19.The Reader by Bernhard Schlink 7/10
18.Choke by Chuck Palahniuk 5/10
17.The Lovely Bones by Alice sebold 7/10
16.A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle 6/10

February
15.When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro 6/10
14.A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka 7/10
13.England's Mistress, The infamous Life of Emma Hamilton by Kate Williams 6/10
12.Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf ( I gave up about 1/2 way on this one)
11.Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman 6/10
10.The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellenga (unfinished, didn't care for it at all)

January
9.Stones From the River by Ursula Hegi 10/10
8.Life And Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson 8/10
7.Salem's Lot by Stephen King 6/10
6.Lucky, a memoir by Alice Sebold 9/10
5.The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards 7/10
4.The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen7/10
3.The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean 5/10
2.The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly 8/10
1.Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami 6/10

[Ronny]

Stones From the River by Ursula Hegi

This book was full of wonderfully drawn characters, the best of which was Trudi, the main character and narrator of the story. Set in a small town in Germany, spanning both world wars and giving a very intricate account of how the Nazi party seeped in and infected the town. Trudi, who helps run the pay library with her father, lost her mentally ill mother at a very young age, runs the town's rumor mill and is also a dwarf, introduces us to everyone in town and their family stories, she also gives detailed accounts of their lives as the Nazis steadily take over the town.

For me this was the only book I have read that really showed how that would of been possible, how so many would have let the holocaust happen and even been percipients, Hegi shows the transformation of the decent, close knit community, to the hate filled, war torn town, in awful but very plausible detail. She also paints the picture of the everyday workings of their lives as the war progresses and how some do heroic deeds for strangers, while others turn their backs on close friends and relatives to try to save themselves.

[Purple Poppy]

This sounds really interesting.A slightly different perspective than usual.

PP

[madcow]

It certainly does.

[Ronny]

It was and I really enjoyed it :)

[Ronny]

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

Bryson gives a quick, funny, nostalgic glimpse into his 1950s childhood. I saw a review comparing this book to Jean Sheperd's, A Christmas Story, and would agree that the two are very similiar in style. Full of familiar (even to those that came along later like me) items and events from the 50s.

[Ronny]

Salem's Lot by Stephen King

Okay vampire book, nothing too bad or too good about it. I had never read it but heard it mentioned a bit and gave it a go.

[Ronny]

Lucky by Alice Sebold

This book deals very bluntly, vividly and honestly with the tough topic of the author's rape during her freshman year of college. Sexual assault has touched the lives of so many and yet so few will talk about it or truely listen to those that do share their experiences. I think Sebold did a remarkable job of sharing hers and it will resonate with many.

[everydayxangels]

I'm glad you liked Lucky so much! it truly was a good read, even though horribly pressing.

The Memory Keepers Daughter is on my list. I'm far from reading it. Maybe after my 8 library books, and then some pre-pubs. Anywho, it's far off.

[Gyre]

I have read 'Lucky' and I prefer it to 'The Lovely Bones' and 'Salem's Lot' is one of my favourite Stephen King's...

:readingtwo:

[mrstrecool]

I've got Lucky on my TBR pile. It gets more positive reviews on here than The Lovely Bones, which I really didn't like.

[Ronny]

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

I liked the concept of this book very much, twins are born one is perfect and one is not, what do you do? How does your decison effect your life? your family's? The story was good, although to me, there were places where it seemed to stretch the bounds of normal human reactions. It was a fast read, I finished it in 2 sittings.

[Ronny]

The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen

Another, quick, easy book. It was a good story, if typical of this genre. It was my first time reading a Tess Gerritsen book and I liked it, she set a spooky tone, it was not far fetched and it was very easy to get into.

[Ronny]

The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean

I really wanted to like this book, being a plant person with some interest in orchids and a small knowledge of their history. The book did have some interesting information, too bad it was buried in all the filler or repeated so many times you wondered if the book had an editor and if that editor bothered to read it or just skimmed through. I would think 1/3-1/2 could have been trimmed off and not taken any of the story away. It was as if whole paragraphs were copied & pasted again and again throughout the book.

[Michelle]

The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen

I've been looking forward to this, but will wait for the paperback.. or after I've gotten through my backlog at the library!

[Janet]

Nicky - did you read all of those three books in one day? That's amazing, if you did! :icon_eek:

[Ronny]

I wish I could read that fast, I imagine I could catch up on my TBR pile then.:D

No, it was spread out over 6 days but today was the first day I had a chance to sit at the computer and enter them in.

[Janet]

Ah - I don't feel so bad now! :D

[Ronny]

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

It is a dark, sometimes gory adventure through many familiar fairy tales with new twists. Although it was somewhat predictable I enjoyed it and it was a quick, easy read.

[Ronny]

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

It came close but didn't quite to it for me. I can't put my finger on exactly what put me off, there was much about the book I did like but somehow I did finish not caring much for the book. Maybe I should have started with a different Murakami book, I've heard so much about him and was very curious about his books. I did not have any issue with the writing itself, I think mostly I didn't care for the main character Kafka Tamura, although I really enjoyed many of the other characters, Oshima & Nakata were really the ones that captured my attention and pulled me through the story. I will definitely try more Murakami books but was less than thrilled with this one.

[Freewheeling Andy]

I've heard mixed reviews of Kafka on the Shore. I love Murukami, but perhaps he's not for everyone. The people who've loved stuff like A Wild Sheep Chase or Norwegian Wood weren't completely excited by Kafka, though, so it may be worth trying something else.

[Ronny]

I've heard mixed reviews of Kafka on the Shore. I love Murukami, but perhaps he's not for everyone. The people who've loved stuff like A Wild Sheep Chase or Norwegian Wood weren't completely excited by Kafka, though, so it may be worth trying something else.

I will definitely give him another try, as I did like the style of the writing.

I was thinking of the Wind Up Bird Chronicles or Norwegian Wood, do you have a favorite of his?

[Ronny]

When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

I did not like this book as much as I liked the Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, I did not feel interested in the story until I was nearing the end, I don't think I would have continued on had I not enjoyed his previous books I'd read.

I really didn't care for the main character, Christopher. at all (I don't think you were supposed to) seemed he wasn't as well liked by the other characters either but they more or less humored/tolerated him and he did not see it this way (there were hints at his mistaken perception of himself and his relatiionships with others) and so while I do think Ishiguro intended for the characters and story not to be liked in the traditional sense, I don't think that it worked for me and the whole thing dragged and slightly annoyed me.

[JudyB]

currently reading : A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

Hope you're enjoying this - I read it last year and found it really funny. I lent it to one of the ladies I visit and she enjoyed it as well.

Happy reading

[Amanda1]

I will definitely give him another try, as I did like the style of the writing.

I was thinking of the Wind Up Bird Chronicles or Norwegian Wood, do you have a favorite of his?

I would highly recommend Wind Up Bird Chronicle, I found Norwegian Wood a bit amateurish, I think he was still trying to find his style

[Janet]

I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle a few years ago. I felt like I might have understood it better had I read it under the influence! It was just so weird.

[Freewheeling Andy]

I loved Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. The key problem is that it's so long, and sometimes the plot seems to get lost under the other stuff. Although that's sort of inevitable with Murukami. The reason I may pick A Wild Sheep Chase ahead is that it's shorter, although possibly even more weird.

Norwegian Wood is a great book, I think, but is in many ways quite un-Murukami like. It's a "proper" novel, rather than one with all the bizarre and weird stuff going on. It still has some classic Murukami stuff, including the amazingly dispassionate, maybe also unpassionate, descriptions of sex. But I'd go for something else first, probably.

[Amanda1]

Andy, are you reading my thoughts?:D

[Freewheeling Andy]

If I am, I'm unaware of it. I am sitting at the bottom of a well somewhere in South London, with a baseball bat and a cat for company, though.

[Amanda1]

That just made me shiver

[Ronny]

A Short History of Tractors in the Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

I was a bit late getting around to this one, I just finished it last night, I enjoyed it. Like others have mentioned I thought it was an amusing, quick, easy read. I enjoyed the characters and snickered at several of the scenes of family drama. I don't know if I'd read it again or consider it a favorite but I was not disappointed by it at all, it was just as I had expected it to be.

[Ronny]

England's Mistress, the Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton by Kate Williams

I really enjoyed the first part of this book but somewhere about midway I started to lose interest. I found myself skimming through paragraphs and by the end through some whole pages. I think the book had some very interesting parts and I did enjoy the glimpses of everyday London for the rich & the poor of the time but wish that the middle had been trimmed up a bit.

[Ronny]

Wow, I've been slacking on this, I guess it's been a busy few weeks :)

Liars' Club, was ok, it was very much like Bastard Out of Carolina and Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, it was a memoir of a horrible childhood survived with some humor intact. I may have just read a few too many of these but it was not bad just too much like the others.

[Ronny]

If On a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino (unfinished)

This started out well, the first few paragraphs were quite amusing but at some point it lost me and I just couldn't push my way though. I was disappointed because I know a few folks really liked this book and I wanted to but couldn't.