50 Book Challenge Update

I forgot to update this in forever, so I’m going to rattle off all the books I remember reading in somewhat chronological order and let’s see where I am

Book #12: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Book #13: The Cider House Rules by John Irving

Book #14: Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

Book #15: The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

Book #16: Fences by August Wilson

Book #17: Bus Stop by William Inge

Book #18: Our Town by Thornton Wilder

Book #19: Death of A Salesman by Arthur Miller

Book #20: The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

Book #21: Alphas by Lisi Harrison (I owed it to 7th grade me)

Book #22: Audrey Wait by Robin Benway (same)

Book #23: Don Quixote by Kathy Acker

Book #24: Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis

Book #25: Blood and Guts in High School by Kathy Acker

Book #26: Social Studies by Fran Lebowitz

Book #27: American History: A Survey by Alan Brinkley (I’m counting my APUSH textbook because I had to read that shit cover to cover).

Book #28: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

Book #29: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Book #30: Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Book #31: In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

Book #32: The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

Book #33: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke

Book #34: 50 Shades of Grey by E. L. James (I wanted to see what all this tomfoolery was about)

Book #35: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon

Book #36: Sin and Syntax by Constance Hall

Book #37: Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar

Books left: 13

Due Date: September 1st, 2012

I might be able to make it if I power through some books and/or remember the ones I’m forgetting. Yay!

Saturday, August 11th & 4 notes

#50 book challenge #Judge my taste #I dare you

50 Book Challenge: Book #11

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

One of the most underdeveloped, unsatisfying endings to a book series I have ever read. And things were going so well until the second half, too. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the book, but the ending left a lot to be desired. Like, an ending, for instance.

Books left: 39

Due Date: September 1, 2012

Friday, December 16th

#The Hunger Games #Mockingjay #the hunger games trilogy #Suzanne Collins #books #literature #50 book challenge

50 Book Challenge: Book #10

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I read this one in less time than the first, which had to have been a good thin, but I feel like the first one was better. To me, the sequel regurgitated too many plot elements of the first book. I wanted to read a sequel to The Hunger Games, not The Hunger Games op. 2, you know? Some more development of Peeta Mellark (who I call “Princess Peach.”), which was nice.

Books left: 40

Due Date: September 1, 2012

1 year ago

#Cathing Fire #The Hunger Games #the hunger games trilogy #Suzanne Collins #books #literature #50 book challenge

50 Book Challenge: Book #9

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Mildly entertaining. Not as cool as Battle Royale, but it has its merits. My one qualm is that the characters are rather thinly imagined. Katniss Everdeen is so thoroughly committed to being the kickass heroine that she sounds almost robotic at times. People as nice as Peeta Mellark do not exist. Also,he gets a little too Edward Cullen for my taste sometimes. Gale is brooding and rebellious, though fiercely loyal to his family, which whoopdefuckingdo is not much of a character. And Prim, who’s the entire reason why Katniss goes into the arena, never becomes anything more than a symbol of purity. I did like the book, though. It might sound like I didn’t, but I actually did. Dystopian fiction always appeals to me. I would recommend it to people who aren’t as anal-retentive about character development as I am.

Books left: 41

Due Date: September 1, 2012

1 year ago

#The Hunger Games #the hunger games trilogy #Suzanne Collins #books #literature #50 book challenge

50 Book Challenge: Book #8

Joker by Brian Azzarello

I swear I didn’t read a shitton of Joker-centric comics. I swear. But I did read two, and this was the second. It’s definitely not as good as The Killing Joke, and it’s a bit longer, but I still think it’s worth a read. I thought the portrayal of Dent was kind of weird, but it’s set in an alternate universe, so Azzarello can pretty much do whatever the fuck he wants. Also, Harley Quinn is in this one, which is always a plus.

Books left: 42

Due Date: September 1, 2012

1 year ago

#Joker #Brian Azzarello #DC Comics #The Joker #literature #books #50 book challenge

50 Book Challenge: Book #7

The Killing Joke by Alan Moore

I decided that since I’m a lazy turd, comic books are going to count as books. Except not trade comic books. I’m only counting longer stories complied into, you know, a book. And The Killing Joke is a book. So there. Basically, if you like Batman, you should have read this book a million times by now. If you haven’t, it sucks to be you. It’s an interesting take on the Joker as a villain. And I have like 5 more of these to do tonight, so this is a shitty description. Shoot me an ask if you want more information.

Books left: 43

Due Date: September 1, 2012

1 year ago & 1 note

#The Killing Joke #Alan Moore #The Joker #Batman #DC Comics #books #literature #50 book challenge

50 Book Challenge: Book #6

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

This series (well, technically, this one is the spinoff) was, and continues to be, my childhood. Judge me all you want. I will read children’s books if I so please. I got it at midnight on my nook the day it came out. I ate that shit up. In other news, I need more book recommendations. I’m looking to read some classic sci-fi (Verne-Wells era or Golden Age, either is fine), but I’ve actually read a lot of it. So I guess I’ll take any recommendations you’ve got. Help me out?

Books left: 44

Due Date: September 1, 2012

Tuesday, October 25th & 25 notes

#50 book challenge #challenges #books #literature #The Son of Neptune #Percy Jackson

50 Book Challenge: Book #5

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

This is maybe my third time reading it, but it was assigned reading this time. I actually really liked it. Haterz gon’ hate. If you want a summary, consult Amazon or Sparknotes. It’s not like nobody has ever read this book. Come on, now. It’s The Scarlet Letter.

Also, Easy A was not that good.

Books Left: 45

Due Date: September 1, 2012

Tuesday, October 11th & 20 notes

#Book Recommendations #books #literature #Nathaniel Hawthorne #Hawthorne #The Scarlet Letter #50 book challenge #Easy A

50 Book Challenge: Book #4

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

This was assigned reading. I would not have read it otherwise. Here is a brief summary of what happens: Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley totally want in each others pants but that doesn’t work out because Jake is left impotent by some war injury that is never entirely explained. So they and their friends go out drinking. A lot. In more than one country. Major dramz happens and everyone ends up unhappy. In other words, all of the characters are Hemingway.

Books Left: 46

Due Date: September 1, 2012

1 year ago & 15 notes

#Book Recommendations #literature #50 book challenge #Ernest Hemingway #Hemingway #The Sun Also Rises #Books I did not like

50 Book Challenge: Book #3

Men, Women, & Children by Chad Kultgen

In theory, I should really dislike this book. Its misogynistic, with crude prose, sometimes painful dialogue, and descriptions that border on pornography. Basically, after reading this book, I think Chad Kultgen is an asshole. But I also think he’s a genius. He relentless seeks to convey the total truth of growing up and parenting in a society dominated by the internet. He manages to not only touch on the taboo, but focus on it as a key element of the story. I’d like to think he’s writing the anti-romance novel. Instead of being vague ideals a person can insert themselves into, he makes her characters with very distinct and unusual quirks that makes them simultaneously unlikable and relatable. Most of his characters end up worse off than when the novel started. Not to mention there’s no real “courting” kind of romance. Just lots of sex. It’s not a book I would recommend to others for the sole reason that it’s just too weird for most people. But personally, I like it, for reasons I don’t quite understand myself.

Books left: 47

Due Date: September 1, 2012

Thursday, September 29th & 26 notes

#Book Recommendations #literature #Chad Kultgen #50 book challenge #Men Women & Children #Men Women and Children

50 Book Challenge: Book #2

The Painted Veil by William Somerset Maugham

I don’t really know what to say about this book other than I really liked it. Maugham has this interesting way of forcing you to like characters you thought you wouldn’t. It looks like a romance novel, but it’s really more about the strength of human will than love or marriage. The novel is short and fairly easy to read, so if you find yourself with some extra time and an interest in the British colonies, I recommend it.

Books left: 48

Due Date: September 1, 2012

1 year ago & 17 notes

#Book Recommendations #The Painted Veil #William Somerset Maugham #literature #50 book challenge

50 Book Challenge: Book #1

Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God by Jonathan Edwards

We read an excerpt of this in English class. As I normally do, I got way too involved in my schoolwork and read the entire thing. And I have no regrets; it was really interesting. Technically, this isn’t a “book,” but rules are made to be broken.

Books left: 49

Due Date: September 1, 2012

Edit: I figure out might want some details about the book. Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God is basically this overzealous white guy preaching to his congregation. In an effort to get their converts, the Puritans relaxed their policies a little bit. The problem was, he ended up with a bunch of “unsaved” people in his church, so he tried to get them to become full members through these sermons with really strong imagery about Hell. It reads like a greek tragedy or a horror novel, but infinitely less gory and much more well-written.

Friday, September 9th

#50 book challenge #Jonathan Edwards #Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God

50 books, twelve months

invisiblink:

I’ve decided to partake in the 50 Books Challenge (link above). ~~But rather than a generalization of fifty books, I’m going to limit myself to books I have yet to read. If I’m re-reading something, I won’t count it.~~ I’m counting everything I read.

So, are there any recommendations out there? Based on personal preferences and favorites? Please feel free to leave a reply with two or three, and maybe a synopsis. :)

I have twelve months, the gift of literacy, and 50 books to read. Let’s rock this bitch.

Monday, August 29th & 3 notes

#50 Book Challenge #start