Anna Begins

Blank, posts #3 and 7 are TBR.

Total pages for 2015= 22,618 77 books Total pages for 2014= 26,347 87 books January Read a Thon: Nine and a Half Weeks by Elizabeth McNeill (118 pages) 1/1 Cornbread by Sean Hammer (23 pages) 1/1 On Two Feet and Wings by Abbas Kazerooni (258 pages) 1/1-1/2 The Lemon Tree by Sand Tolan (307 pages) 1/2- 1/5 The Pact by Jodi Picoult (481 pages) 1/6-1/9 Hunger (Book 2 of Gone) by Michael Grant (600 pages) 1/10- 1/13 The Time Traveler's Wife by Andre Neffengger (416 pages) 1/17- 1/22 More Now Again by Elizabeth Wurtzel (319 pages) 1/23- 1/31 Total= 2,522 pages February When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation (1940- 1944) by Ronald C. Rosbottom (449 pages) 2/1- 2/3 Read a Thon: Eye in the Sky by Phillip K. Dick (244 pages) 2/4- 2/6 Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer (432 pages, audiobook) finished 2/16 Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp (304 pages) Total: 1,429 March The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (288 pages) The Walls Around Us- Nora Ren Suma (337 pages Total: 625 April Read a thon: The Girl From Krakow by Alex Rosenburg (457 pages) A Face in the Crowd (Kindle Single) by Stephen King and Strewart O'nan (16 pages) The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin (148 pages) Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin (257 pages) We the Living by Ayn Rand (470 pages) Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Phillip K Dick (259 pages) The Hanging Stranger by Phillip K Dick (30 pages) Minority Report by Phillip K Dick (40 pages) Positivity or Electricity by Janet Novitski (130 pages) Will I Ever Be the Same Again? By Carol Kivler (70 pages) Shock by Kitty Dukakis (196 pages) Total: 2,073 pages May Selected Stories of Philip K Dick (125 pages) Collected Stories by Tennessee Williams (49 pages) Common Nonsense by Andy Rooney (37 pages) Total: 211 pages June The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison (288 pages) The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (449 pages) Clive Barker's A to Z of Horror (256 pages) Fall of Giants (Century Trilogy book 1) by Ken Follett (865 pages) Winter of the World (Century Trilogy book 2) by Ken Follett (832 pages) Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (238 pages) Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (335 pages) Total- 3,263 pages July Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder (372 pages) On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder (339 pages) On the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder (291 pages) The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder (335 pages) Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (307 pages) These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder (289 pages) The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder (135 pages) Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (458 pages) Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K Massie (656 pages) The Long Walk by Stephen King (388 pages) Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick deWitt (341 pages) Total= 3,911 pages August She- Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth by Helen Castor (457 pages) The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory (464 pages) The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins (326 pages) Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory (576 pages) Killing Floor by Lee Child (562 pages), Total= 2,385 pages October Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (322 pages) Pyongyang by Guy Delisle (176 pages) (Graphic novel) Total= 498 pages November December Game of Queens: The Women Who Made Sixteenth Century Europe by Sara Gristwood (392 pages) Millennium: From Religion to Revolution: How Civilization Has Changed in a Thousand Years by Ian Mortimer (403 pages) Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle (263 pages) Total= 1,058 Yearly totals: Books read: 53 Pages: 17, 764

Sooo, what did you chose to end the year with? And will you be done by the stroke of midnight?? I will! Of Mice and Men will be my last novel of 2015. Happy new Year!

The Pearl- John Steinbeck (100 pages) Kino, his wife Juana and son Coytito are a poor family living in a village in La Paz. One day, a scorpion stings Coytito. Refused to be seen by the local doctor because of their poverty, the family returns to the village. Then, pearl hunter Kino finds "The Pearl of the World" and verges on the precipice of richness. Kino can see the future reflected in The Pearl- new clothes, schooling for his son and a proper marriage to Juana. Hunted by villagers, pearl traders and a headhunting party, Kino fights off the world for his Pearl. But is there bad luck in owning The Pearl? Recommended, like all Steinbeck.

A Scanner Darkly- Phillip K Dick Plain Truth- Jodi Picoult Burial Rites- Hannah Kent Champion (Legend novel 3)- Marie Lu The Girl With All the Gifts- MR Carey

It was either The 100 Year Old Man... or The Humans by Matt Haig that were my favorite book of last year. I hope you enjoy it! I finished Essays Of Daily Life in North Korea: North of the DMZ. I didn't really like it... review in my thread. Now starting on Steinbeck's The Pearl. Hope to read Of Mice and Men tomorrow to make 77 books this year.

Essays on Daily Life in North Korea: North of the DMZ by Andrei Lankov (346 pages) This technical book on the workings of North Korea is largely disappointing. Lankov, a Russian, lived in North Korea for a year, in 1984 to attend Kin Il Sung University. You would think he would spend more time on the humanistic aspect of the “Daily Life in North Korea" as the title suggests, but that is not the case. Focusing on the USSR’s fall and communism in general, Lankov focuses a lot on the history of the fall, plus China and South Korean comparisons. Indeed, he blames the famine of the 90’s on the lack of economic support being withdrawn from North Korea. While this undoubtedly was a cause, the lack of planning and the selling of rice by the government did further the escalation. The 90’s famine is about 1/4 th of the book and is played down with statistics and explanations. Lankov asks questions about the fall of North Korea, this book was updated to 2005, but lacks current events and major changes like the rise of Kim Jong Un. The author focuses mostly on the military structure, currency, and social structure of society, but lacks details of the lives of North Koreans that I was looking for. The most interesting parts of the book deal with the self- criticism and indoctrinating meetings all North Koreans are required to attend, and also the immergence of a “free market” with a black market. The gulag camps are also played down, with Lankov calling them re- education camps or forced labor camps. What goes on in the camps, Lankov fails to mention. Lots of pictures of daily life are shown in the book and that was a nice touch to the boring, uninspiring, and technical book.

You are so welcome and I am happy you liked my favorite books of all time Which did you like best? You read the last two pretty quick! I did see that picture, wow- she must have been amazing. And such a life!

Woohoo for finishing The Age of Five! And I'm so glad you found the Ranger's Apprentice book!

Oooh- you will LOVE the Sneeches! It's a great story, great moral. I will be reading Nine and a Half Weeks by Elizabeth McNeill and Cornbread by Sean Hammer.

I'm reading a series of essay's called North of the DMZ. It's book 75 for the year and is just ok. I'm 50% through, I hope to finish it tonight.

I simply can not wait for a new series by Alison Weir, 6 Tudor Wives, the first is about Katherine of Aragon and comes out May 31st. In the meantime she will be out with The Lost Tudor Princess: The Life of Margret Douglas January 12th.

The Boleyn Inheritance (The Tudor Court Series book 3)- Philippa Gregory (515 pages) Did Anne of Cleves really smell so bad Henry VIII couldn’t consummate their marriage? Was Katherine Howard really the court slut, as Henry VIII accused her? And whatever happened to Jane Boleyn, the last surviving Boleyn at court? Told through a series of monologues by each woman, The Boleyn Inheritance is the story of the marriages of Anne of Cleves and Anne Howard, both served by Jane Boleyn, Anne Boleyn’s sister in law. The book is a departure from Gregory’s other books in the way of switching off between the three women. Very entertaining and a quick read, despite its 515 pages. Highly recommended and stands alone, but helps if you’ve read book 2, The Other Boleyn Girl. Book 3 of 6

Mmmm- yes, its very good. Well worth the read if you are interested in N. Korea.

Your favourite read of the year? It's a tie between Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult, Burial Rights by Hannah Kent Your favourite author of the year? Philippa Gregory Your most read author of the year? Philippa Gregory (9) Your favourite book cover of the year? Hands down- The Sisters Brothers By Patrick deWitt http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CFA91Y?keywords=the%20sisters%20brothers&qid=1451329466&ref_=sr_1_1&s=digital-text&sr=1-1 The book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)? Coldest Girl in Coldtown By Holly Black, I found it ridiculous! I abandoned 9 books this year! I don't believe in torture The book that most disappointed you? Skeletons at the Feast By Chris Bohjalian, I love this author, but this one wasn't for me. Also Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (sorry BB! And that's ok, Alexi ) The funniest book of the year? I'm not really into funny. Your favourite literary character this year? Day from Marie Lu's Legend trilogy Your favourite children's book this year? Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies by Carolyn Crimi Your favourite classic of the year? The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck Your favourite non-fiction book this year? Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan or A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park Your favourite biography this year? Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie Your favourite collection of short stories this year? Will You Please Be Quite, Please? or What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver Your favourite poetry collection this year? None this year, not too into poetry. Your favourite illustrated book of the year? Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak Your favourite publisher of the year? Random House, for FINALLY releasing Raymond Carver's material on Kindle Your favourite audiobook of the year? None this year! Your favourite re-read of the year? Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (4th time)

It's so much fun to spend when its not your money Looking forward to The Pact, I liked Plain Truth, the first of hers that I read this year.

Me too! It's the one I will probably read first. Have you read Nothing to Envy? (not a graphic novel, off topic )

The Tudor Court series by Philippa Gregory Gone Saga by Michael Grant Matched trilogy by Ally Condie The Selection trilogy Kiera Cass Six Tudor Queens series by Alison Weir That's what's scheduled for this year, at least OH! And I will complete Brandon Sanderson's The Reckoners trilogy this year as well, with Calamity.

I went on a reading binge in The Boleyn Inheritance last night/ this morning and read 200 pages. 144 pages to go! (This is book 74!)

I've bought Joe Sacco's Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992- 1995 and Guy Delisle's Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea. A little different from what you all are reading, but I can't wait! I haven't had a paper book in ages.

In the US Amazon sales, The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt is on sale for two dollars, as is Cold Mountain by Charles Frasier.

ha ha Good Luck! I'm not even looking at sales (except maybe The Bookseller). I've had Ove on my list for awhile, if you like It, you might like Catherine Ryan Hyde. I've stalled in my reading, I gave myself the day off yesterday, but just don't feel like reading today. I guess I will see what the rest of the day brings. I am in the middle of A Christmas Carol and 100 pages into The Thorn Birds.

The Other Boleyn Girl (The Tudor Court Series Book 2)- Philippa Gregory (672 pages) The controversy that surrounds the court of one of England’s most notorious and scandalous Queens, Anne Boleyn’s story is told through unusual eyes- her younger sister. Mary Boleyn, mistress to the King herself for four years, gave him both a daughter and a son before Anne swept him away. Beginning as a flirtation to divert the King while Mary was in confinement, Anne swiftly enchants Henry VIII. They embark on a tumultuous relationship, Anne guided by ambition, the King guided by desire. Mary describes in vivid detail the knowledge we have and don't have about Anne Boleyn. Several miscarriages, a perhaps improper relationship with their brother, Anne’s unending exhaustion at the strain of her position and her death. Gregory writes The Other Boleyn Girl as she does her other books- through the eyes of a little known woman in history and weaves a wonderful, delightful tale. And at the heart is the passionate story of Mary falling in love for the last time. It contrasts well with Anne’s desire to rule England and Henry VIII. Book 2 of 6.