To see books I’ve read in past years please visit my library.
Below is a list of books I’ve read or plan to read for 2009. When completed there will be an {x} next to that entry. I will also try to remember to rate the books using stars.
*****=Excellent Read
****=Great Read
***=Good Read
**=Alright Read
*=I did not particularly like this book
To make the list easier to read, finished books will also be bolded. Books I’m currently reading will be italicized.
Some books will have links to full reviews on my blog.
My goal is to read 100 books this year. Some books I have read before and love enough to read again, but the majority will be new. I never force myself to read something I don’t like, so if that happens with a book on the list it will be noted and I will have to add another one. I may count some juvenile fiction that I read to my kids, but not picture books.
The list does not yet go to 100 because I am intentionally leaving some open for unexpected books that come my way.
***UPDATE*** 6/1/09
Okay, we have a little “problem”. Not only has my list of books I’d like to read reached 100, but it has exceeded 100. I do not know if I’ll be able to read more than 100 this year but for now I am going to just keep adding ones I hope to read. I will either end up reading extras, or will save them for next year’s 100. (Yes, I plan to take this challenge again. This is one of the best things I’ve ever done!)
If you know of a book you think I might like, feel free to comment and I’ll take it into consideration.
1. Lafcadio the Lion by Shel Silverstein {x} *****
2. Houston we have a problema by Gwendolyn Zepeda {x} *****
3. Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck {x} *****
4. Know it All by Susan Aldridge, Elizabeth King Humphrey and Julie Whitaker {x} *****
5. The Border: Exploring the U.S. – Mexican Divide by David J. Danelo {x} ***
6. The Tree is Older Than You Are by Naomi Shihab Nye {x} ****
7. I Love Dirt: 52 Activities to help you and your kids discover the wonders of nature by Jennifer Ward {x} ***
8. Tao te Ching by Lao Tse {x} ***
9. The Recently Deflowered Girl by Hyacinthe Phyppe {x} *
10. Hungry Woman in Paris by Josefina Lopez {x} ***
11. The Makedown by Gitty Daneshvari {x} *****
12. Undress me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman {x} *****
13. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi {x} *****
14. Letters From The Earth by Mark Twain {x} *****
15. Dear Exile by Hilary Liftin and Kate Montgomery {x} *****
16. Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros {x} *****
17. Love Marriage by V.V. Ganeshananthan {x} **
18. Tomorrow They Will Kiss by Eduardo Santiago {x} *****
19. New Penguin Parallel Text: Short Stories in Spanish – Edited by John R. King {x} **
20. Unpublished Manuscript by A.S. {x} *****
21. The Killing Tree by Rachel Keener{x} *****
22. The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle {x} ***
23. Orange County by Gustavo Arellano {x} ****
24. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald {x} ****
25. Handbook for boys (a novel) by Walter Dean Myers {x} *****
26. Shadow of the Red Moon by Walter Dean Myers {x} ***
27. Flight by Sherman Alexie {x} *****
28. Art Against the Odds by Susan Goldman Rubin {x} ***
29. La Sombra del Viento by Carlos Ruiz Zafon {x} *****
30. B as in Beauty by Alberto Ferreras {x} *****
31. The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd {x} *****
32. Swift as Desire by Laura Esquivel{ x} ****
33. Under the Texas Sun by Conrado Espinoza {x} ****
34. Chewing Gum in Holy Water by Mario Valentini and Cheryl Hardacre {x} *****
35. The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz {x} ****
36. On Writing by Stephen King {x} *****
37. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein {x} *****
38. Teenagers Suck by Joanne Kimes and R.J. Colleary {x} **
39. The Islamist by Ed Husain {x} ***
40. Get Off Your “But” by Sean Stephenson{x} ****
41. When you Lie About your Age, The Terrorists Win by Carol Leifer {x} ***
42. The Shack by William P. Young {x} ***
43. Obama’s Blackberry by Kasper Hauser {x} *****
44. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale {x} *****
45. Londonstani by Gautam Malkani {x} *****
46. Translation Nation by Hector Tobar {x} ****
47. The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle {x} *****
48. Life of Pi by Yann Martel {x} *****
49. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney {x} *****
50. The Lie by Fredrica Wagman {x} ***
51. America Libre by Raul Ramos y Sanchez {x} *****
52. Amigoland by Oscar Casares {x} ****
53. Damas, Dramas, and Anna Ruiz by Belinda Acosta {x} *****
54. Italian for Beginners by Kristin Harmel {x} ***
55. Mexican High by Liza Monroy {x} ****
56. I Used to Know That: Stuff you forgot from school by Caroline Taggart {x} ****
57. The Divorce Party by Laura Dave {x} ***
58. My Grammar and I… Or Should That Be Me? by Caroline Taggart, J.A. Wines {x} ****
59. Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea {x} *****
60. Spanish Summer by Jana Hege {x} ***
61. The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis {x} *****
62. The Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee {x} ****
63. The Book of Everything by Guus Kuijer { x} ****
64. For Grace Received by Valeria Parrella { x} ****
65. Shelf Discovery by Lizzie Skurnick {x} **
66. The Writer’s Digest Guide to Manuscript Formats by Dian Dincin Buchman and Seli Groves {x} *
67. A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve {x} ***
68. The Jumping Tree by René Saldaña, Jr. {x} *****
69. The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos by Margaret Mascarenhas {x} ***
70. Lime Tree Can’t Bear Orange by Amanda Smyth {x} *****
71. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell {x} ****
72. ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley {x} ***
73. Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary {x} *****
74. Zumba by Beto Perez {x} ***
75. Love That Dog by Sharon Creech {x} ***
76. The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine {x} *****
77. Dear Professor Einstein by Alice Calaprice {x} ***
78. Evenings at the Argentine Club by Julia Amante {x} ****
79. Dreaming in Hindi by Katherine Russell Rich {x} ***
80. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie {x} *****
81. Ramona and her Mother by Beverly Cleary {x} ****
82. Across the Endless River by Thad Carhart (reading)
83. The Complete Titanic by Stephen J. Spignesi {x} ***
84. Children of Dust by Ali Eteraz {x} ****
85. Abel’s Island by William Steig (reading)
86. Tell Me Something True by Leila Cobo (reading)
87. Look at the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut (reading)
88. Silent Wing by Jose Raul Bernardo (reading)
89. Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (reading)
90. Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
91. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
92. Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid
93. Turbulent Souls by Stephen Dubner
94. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
95. I want to buy a vowel by John Welter
96. Ant Farm by Simon Rich
97. Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez
98. Dress your family in corduroy and denim by David Sedaris
99. Exit Interviews by William D. Hendricks
100. The men who stare at goats by Jon Ronson
101. Secret of the Bulls by Jose Bernardo
102. Three cups of tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
103. Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
104. Out of the Ordinary by Jon Ronson
105. The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
106. What is the What by Dave Eggers
107. Making Friends with Black People by Nick Adams
108. Angry Conversations with God by Susan E. Isaacs
109. 78 reasons your book will never be published and 17 reasons it might by Pat Walsh
110. Straight Man by Richard Russo
111. Leaving Tangiers by Tahar Ben Jelloun
112. Confetti Girl by Diana Lopez
113. Brownsville by Oscar Casares
114. La Mollie and the King of Tears by Arturo Islas
115. Arranged Marriage by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
116. Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea
117. Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji
118. The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez
119. Plain Secrets: An Outsider Among the Amish by Joe Mackall
120. Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
121. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
122. How I Found America: Collected Stories of Anzia Yezierska
123. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
124. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
125. Wanting by Richard Flanagan
126. Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya
127. In Other Words by C.J. Moore
128. Dancing Girls of Lahore by Louise Brown
129. Altar Music by Christin Lore Weber
130. Heart, You Bully, You Punk by Leah Hager Cohen
131. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
132. Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee
133. The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
134. The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin
135. Love for Lydia by H.E. Bates
136. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
137. Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss
138. Postcards from France by Megan McNeill Libby
139. The Spiral Staircase by Karen Armstrong
140. A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valerie Zenatti
141. One Day of Life by Manlio Argueta
142. Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
143. The People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia
144. Under the Feet of Jesus by Helena Maria Viramontes
145. Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanika
146. There is an Urgency by Gregrhi Love
147. Hula by Lisa Shea
148. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
149. May you be the mother of a hundred sons by Bumiller
150. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
151. The Boy Next Door by Irene Sabatini (reading)
152. Guernica by Dave Boling
153. Harbor by Lorraine Adams
154. Yoruba Girl Dancing by Simi Bedford
155. Jewish Homesteader on the Northern Plains by Rachel Calof
156. The Prince of Fenway Park by Juliana Baggott
157. Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih
158. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
159. Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
160.
___________________________
List of Abandoned Books:
*Title: Our Lady of the Artichokes and other Portuguese American stories by Katherine Vaz
Abandon Date: Jan. 09
Reason: Despite the cute title and cool cover, I just couldn’t get into this one. I was kind of put off by the graphic description of a wound at the very beginning of the book. The writing is excellent, (as I still can’t shake the visual of that wound) – but just not something I want to read right now.
*Title: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Abandon Date: Jan. 09
Reason: I got my hands on a very old translation and the language is really dated. I’m just not enjoying it due to the way it is worded – although I love the humor of it. I intend to find a more modern translation and pick this up again later.
*Title: The People in Pineapple Place by Anne Lindbergh
Abandon Date: March 09
Reason: I was reading this to my boys because my sister said it’s a great book but it wasn’t keeping their attention. They said they were bored and didn’t want to continue after 4 chapters.
*Title: Literary Essays by Mark Twain
Abandon Date: April 09
Reason: There was one section of this book I really wanted to read. Having now already read that specific section, I just can’t muster the energy or interest for the rest of the book.
*Title: Shoot an Iraqi: Art, Life and Resistance Under the Gun by Wafaa Bilal
Abandon Date: July 09
Reason: I was familiar with Mr. Bilal’s project and so I picked this book up at the library when I saw it. Unsurprisingly, it was kind of depressing and as much as I wanted to continue, it made me too sad.
*Title: Year of the Cock by Alan Wieder
Abandon Date: Aug 09
Reason: This is the memoir of a guy who leaves his wife to live out some mid-life crisis induced bachelor fantasy. While the writing is good, I can’t help but hate this guy. I’ve only read the first chapter and he comes off as a real jerk. Perhaps if I read further I would find he redeems himself or learns some sort of lesson, but I can’t stand to read any further.
*Title: Once on a Moonless Night by Dai Sijie
Abandon Date: Sept. 09
Reason: I just couldn’t get into it. Some of the writing was beautiful but I got bored.
*Title:The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Abandon Date: Oct. 09
Reason: This wasn’t grabbing my attention like the other Ruiz Zafón book I read and I need to return it to the library. I’ll try it again later.
15 Comments
January 6, 2009 at 8:39 pm
I applaud your reading goal! I set mine at “only” 50 and felt like that might be a stretch! I noticed that a lot of the books you’re planning to read are available at my favorite book-swapping site, http://www.bookins.com. I encourage you to take a look if you’re not familiar with the site. It’s uncluttered, easy to navigate and fun to use. You can check it out here: http://www.bookins.com/index.php?p1=1c_0cq0cA
January 6, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Charlotte – Thanks for the comment! I think 50 is pretty impressive since I’ve read statistics that the average person reads ONE book per year. (Makes me sad!)
100 is a challenge, but I have more spare time than others. I’m a stay-at-home-mom and my kids are both in school full time. I am very lucky to have several hours a day to do whatever I like.
Thanks for the link – I will check it out.
January 7, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Wanted to stop in and welcome you to the 100+ Reading Challenge. If you haven’t already, feel free to join us at the Yahoo Groups where others are participating in this challenge as well as others.
URL: http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/2008/11/2009-100-reading-challenge.html
January 8, 2009 at 9:56 pm
When you read a book, I would love it if you could at the least put a (+) or (-) so I know if I should add some of these own books to my queu. I love your book reviews but I know that might be a bit burdensome when 100 books is your goal.
January 8, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Aisha – Great idea. + and – are a little to hard for me (because sometimes I like a book but don’t LOVE it.) So, I’ll be using from 5 to 1 stars as now noted above. Thanks!
February 10, 2009 at 2:07 am
Hey. I found your site through the wp forums. Love it! I’ve read a number of the books on your list for this year. I really like the way you do this. I have a book review site on blogger (www.TanyaDennisBookshelf.blogger.com), but I recently switched to WP and haven’t found a way to incorporate it with my new site yet. Would you mind if I borrowed your format?
February 10, 2009 at 2:16 am
TanyaSue – Thanks for the nice words, of course you can use the same format. I don’t think it’s that unique :) Best of luck.
March 15, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Hey Tee! I just noticed that you read several books at a time. Do you find that you get them mixed up or do you find that you need the change from time to time?
I sometimes read 2 books at the same time, but I try not to because I get too into the books.
March 15, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Mandy – Hey there :) … Yes, I am usually reading at least 3 books at a time – usually more than that.
I only get characters and such confused if the books are similar, so I try to keep a good mix, like the books I’m reading right now are:
A non-fiction book about Orange County and Latinos.
A fiction story about a young American black boy and the lessons he learns while working at a barber shop.
A non-fiction world wide travel memoir of two American college girls.
A juvenile fiction book about a little boy of divorced parents who moves to Washington D.C.
A Mark Twain book which is primarily about religion.
…You get the idea? So these books would be pretty hard to mix up.
I like to have several books going at once that way no matter what mood I’m in, I have something already started that appeals to me… Sometimes I will get really into one book and read it exclusively until I’m done because I just can’t resist, but those are rare gems that capture my attention like that. I live to find those books!
March 24, 2009 at 2:29 am
Ok, I just read a book and I IMMEDIATELY thought of you for it. It is titled ‘Nectar in a Sieve’ and the author is Kamala Markandaya, originally copyrighted in 1954. The copy I had an introduction by Indira Ganesan (new copyright 2002) and I sometimes skip these, but this one really helped explain and place the book a bit for me, since I had picked it up because the cover was interesting, not knowing anything about it. It says on the cover “The acclaimed novel of a woman’s struggle to find happiness in a changing India.”
Anyway, let me know after you read it and what you think, I thought it was pretty interesting.
March 24, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Humincat – Thanks for taking the time to recommend it. You know me well. It does sound like a book I will like. I’ve added it to the list and will be sure to let you know what I thought once I’ve read it!
April 5, 2009 at 9:25 pm
[...] Books [...]
April 15, 2009 at 5:37 am
Hi Tee, Long time, Happy New Year!..Here are some books you maybe interested in.
1) Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden — + (5) Stars
I had the privilege of reading the book before it was made into a movie, so i enjoyed it and appreciated it much more. But this is a lovely story, incase you are not aware of the story, about a girl and her path in life and how she copes with it during a difficult time in her country’s history.
2) Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia By Elizabeth Gilbert — + (5) Stars
This beautiful memoir tells how the author left her life for a year to go on a journey to find herself and reconnect with herself and the Most High.
She traveled to Italy, India and Indonesia where she focuses on different aspects of herself. I simply loved this book, as a woman that was going thru personal grief; this book taught me alot about myself as a person, a woman and an individual. It helped me to re-focus or regain my center if you will. » Life is what you go through. This is a must read.
3) Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe -
I still haven’t read this book yet, but I heard it’s very good as far as African Lit goes. The novel portrays the collision of African and European cultures in an Igbo village in Nigeria.
4) The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella —- + (3.5) Stars
I loved Sophie’s style of writing, very light and quick. It was a funny page turner, dealing with the main character having a melt down and a series of events that follow afterwards, but from a funny point of view. Cute “Chick-Lit” must have. It was a quick read and had a nice surprising ending.
5) The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen — + (4) Stars
This is considered Juvenile Fiction category. This book is about a teen girl and how life’s ups and downs almost get the best of her after her father’s death. I have read most of Sarah’s books and so far they are very good reads, quick and very sweet. They do remind of when i was a teenager, during the awkward phase when you weren’t quite old enough to make your way, and didn’t even know your way in life, but your parents weren’t sure if they could trust you to make the right decisions in life. Nice reads.
I read alot of Juvenile fiction for my research. I am gearing up to write a novel for pre-teens and read alot of the best sellers (except Harry Potter, not a fan!…LOL) for research to see what teens want to read about.
I am not sure if you like reading Sci-Fi thrillers. I love them, if you want a title or two to possible chew on, let me know and i can suggest a few by Nicci French. I Love their books! I am a BIG Brit-Lit fan…
I also have to admit I love spooky and mysterious books about vampires, werewolves, and other hair raisers. Last summer i READ of should i say, devoured the complete Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer… i LOVED each and every book. I even went to see the movie with my daughter. It did not make me want to be a teenager; it just made life very exciting.
Ok, I will STOP now or else, this will end up a Journal Entry…LOL..i’ll end up taking over Tee’s blog!…LOL
Hopefully one of these books will inspire you to read it. Enjoy!!!
April 15, 2009 at 5:40 am
Oh yeah- one more book, i just bought it this weekend and will start it this up coming weekend.
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs –
A charming and moving novel about female friendship and the experiences that knit us
together-even when we least expect it.
April 18, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Desi – Thank you! I hope I’ll have room on my list – I can’t believe it’s almost full, but there’s always a chance that I’ll abandon one or lose interest in even starting one I’ve previously selected.
Thanks again!