karenika - fifty books in 2004

50 Books in 2004

The Reality Fuel Challenge has been mentioned in a million places. I generally read a lot so I didn't think reading 50 books in a year would be a difficult task for me but considering the fact that we're a quarter way through the year and I've only finished eight, it might not work out. Either way, I am going to keep track of them this year, just to see. Below is the list so far. You can read excerpts from those books and others here. 2005 list is in a different page.

1. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Over the years, I've had many friends recommend this book to me. People, it seemed, either loved it or hated it. I thought it would take too much emotional and mental involvement to read it and so saved it for later and later. A few months ago, a friend of Jake's, whose reading taste I agree with, told me that he had just finished the book and it was the best he ever read. He couldn't stop talking about it, so I decided I had put it off long enough and checked it out from the library.

The first week of the new year, I took one of my last vacation days and read the whole book in one sitting. The first fifty or so pages were confusing and I didn't get into the story very much. But somewhere along the line, I got really attached to the characters, especially Ursula, and even started enjoying the insane story Marquez spun. By the end of the book, I could totally understand why people said they hadn't read anything like this before. The book is difficult to describe. It requires suspension of disbelief. But Marquez is a fine storyteller and I did truly enjoy the book.

I guess this means I'm going to have to read his other favorite as well: Lolita.

2. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
I'm still trying to sort out my feelings about this book. I picked it up assuming it was a true story and felt annoyed at how surreal the story got as it progressed. I didn't enjoy the large quantities of blood which I felt didn't necessarily add to the story. I did enjoy the writer's creativity and thought the story kept me quite interested considering there was one real main character (two if you count the animal) for most of the book. In the end, I did smile and felt the book was clever at making its point but I still can't confidently say I'd recommend it to everyone.

3. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
After months of hype I finally gave up and bought the book. I am a big fan of art history and I'd been told the book had lots of it. I am not quite religious, and definitely not Christian, which was keeping me away from the book but after weeks of hearing about it, I gave in. It was a really quick read and enjoyable for the most part. It was somewhat predictable and pretty badly written. The author kept describing each new character at length instead of giving bits and pieces. The characters were quite flat but the story did keep me interested and it was definitely better writing than some of the writers who spend weeks on the bestsellers list. All in all, entertaining.

4. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Another book that took me a while to get into but then sucked me in completely. The first thirty pages of this Southern story moved slowly. The small book deals with racism and family issues and it's well written. The characters are interesting and enjoyable. I enjoyed it quite a lot.

5. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
I heard so much about this movie that I was dying to go see it. I forced myself to wait until I read the book because I knew I would never read it if I saw the movie first. I am really glad I waited because it was definitely the best mystery novel I read in years.

Most mystery writers spend too much time on the plot and not enough time on characterization. These characters were three dimensional. Likable and not at the same time. The grief in the story was overwhelming and made me identify with each of the characters at different times. The mystery itself was a bit odd since I really had no idea who the murderer was until the author revealed it. The ending, for me, was the worst part of the novel and did disappoint me a lot but over all, I still think it was a worthwhile read.

6. The Inferno by Dante Alighieri
I am not sure this should count since it was my second time and it was mostly for research. But I did reread the entire book and enjoyed it even more the second time around. Dante's creativity and his style are still unparalleled in my opinion. Not to mention the fact that it was one of the first works ever written in the vernacular, as opposed to Latin. I won't write more because I know I am biased when it comes to The Divine Comedy.

7. The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler
As a huge fan of Anne Tyler, I eagerly awaited her new novel for the last six months. This book is quite different from the others I've read (and I've read all but two of hers). First of all, it spans across about sixty years. Secondly, each sections is written from a different character's point of view (though, some characters are repeated). While it's obviously the married couple's story, it isn't very distinctly the wife's or the husband's. All of these aspects are new to her style. The prose, however, isn't. Her characters are just as memorable, quirky, and ordinary as they are in all books. The story has the same 'the extraordinariness of the ordinary' quality I always find in her novels. As a married person, I found the book to be sad and cried several times. But then again, I cry at all movies and books, so don't take my reaction as normal. If you enjoy Anne Tyler, I would certainly recommend this new novel. However, if you've never read her before and want to try, start with Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. It's excellent.

8. Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich
The beginning of this story about a group of MIT students who made a huge amount of money in Las Vegas pulled me right it. The story was interesting, the writing was not distracting and certainly not as dull as many non-fiction books I read. A hundred pages into the story, it stopped moving. My interest waned but I kept reading. In the end, I do think it was an interesting, fun and worthwhile book to read but I think it would have done much better as a long article. (a fact true for most non fiction in my opinion)

9. QED by Richard Feynman
Intelligence turns me on. Varied interest coupled with intelligence turns me on even more. If Richard Feyman were alive today, I am confident I would have easily paid a lot of money to sit in one of these lectures. He is a rare example of an extremely intelligent man who has achieved incredible success in Physics and also loved his wife like crazy, played the drums, obsessed over visiting Tuva, and picked locks for fun. He worked on Quantum Electrodynamics (the topic of this book), was part of the team that created the Atom Bomb, and solved why the Challenger blew up among other amazing achievements.

A true sign of understanding a subject, in my opinion, is being able to put it into laymen's term. For someone who has had an exceptionally bad physics education, Feynman's lectures are magical to me. The ones in this book are simple, entertaining, make sense, make few assumptions on my previous knowledge, and most importantly, don't talk down to me. The reading is dense. It takes time. But if you're interested in physics and know as little as I do about QED, it's well worth it.

If physics isn't your cup of tea, I would still recommend two of my favorite Feynman books: What Do You Care What Other People Think? and Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! both of which aren't about physics but will entertain you and show you what a curious and amazing person Feynman was.

10. The Passion by Jeanette Winterson
This book was a Christmas present from my brother in law. It's his girlfriend's favorite book. I am not usually a fan of short stories and prefer not to read stories that take place too long ago in history. This author's style is also a bit too magical for my taste. Despite all that, I am enjoying the stories so far. The style has bothered me and thrilled me on and off throughout the book and it took me until the third story to realize that they were related. In the end, I did enjoy the book quite a lot.

11. Siddharta by Hermann Hesse
Yes, I know it's a classic and no, I haven't read it before. It's always better late than never, right?

12. I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb
Two people who's literary opinions I trust have recommended this book to me. And I really didn't want to read it mostly because Lamb's previous book had made me cry so much and because this book was around 900 pages, promising a lot more tears than the previous. But I did read it and I didn't cry. I absolutely loved it.

13. 11 Minutes by Paolo Coelho
Paulo Coelho is one of my favorite writers. I've enjoyed several of his books and find them to be pithy and thought provoking. Insightful. And Eleven Minutes is no exception. While the subject-matter is more graphic than usual, his depth is still there and the book is magnificent. It's about a prostitute. It's about sex. It's about love. It's about so much more.

14. So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson
I can't remember where I heard about So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson. I bought it on a whim and it sat on my shelves for weeks. Last weekend, I picked it up just to see if I was going to like it. I remembered reading somewhere else that it wasn't so good so I worried I wouldn't like it. It turned out to be quite a fast and enjoyable read and I got some good book ideas out of it as well. I still think it has an exceptionally bad cover.

15. Child of My Heart by Alice McDermott
I've attempted to read other Alice McDermott novels and the ones I've tried have been too sad so I couldn't make it through. Jake's friend, Derek, had Child of My Heart lying around in his apartment and gave it to me so I sat and read it immediately, excited that it wasn't as miserable as the others I'd tried. It is, actually, quite sad but still magnificent and touching.

16. Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot by Al Franken
A friend of mine loaned me this book that she's checked out from her library. This book was written in 1996 and it's amazing to see how different the world was then. As someone who's addicted to Air America, I was looking forward to reading some Al Franken. In the name of honesty, I've never listened to Rush Limbaugh and so don't have much to say about him. The book, however, isn't nearly as good as listening to Al Franken live. I think it has very funny bits but overall it's not as tightly written as I would have liked it to be.

17. Heartburn by Nora Ephron
This book was mentioned as a recommendation in another book called So Many Books, So Little Time. The writer felt it was a classic and I tend to enjoy Nora Ephron's movies so I decided it was worth a look. The book didn't impress me a lot overall but it had really pithy bits and pieces.

18. The Human Stain by Philip Roth
I have been waiting to read this book for a long time and I must say it was well worth the wait. I absolutely loved Human Stain and plan on reading more of Philip Roth, his fantastic writing, and his memorable characters.

19. Jeeves in the Morning by P G Wodehouse
Both Douglas Adams and Sara Nelson mentioned loving Wodehouse so I figured I had to read at least one book. In the end, I didn't think it was all that enjoyable. It was funny but also, for me, a tiresome read. There were too many British terms I couldn't easily understand. It was funny, but not funny enough to make it worthwhile.

20. Floater by Calvin Trillin
Another recommendation from Sara Nelson. This was a quick read and I loved the twist in the end as well as small, funny moments throughout.

21. The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies
I've had several of Robertson Davies' novels for a long time. I picked one of them up a few weeks ago to realize that it was the second in a trilogy and I was missing the first one. So I checked out Rebel Angels from the library, hoping Davies wasn't as hard as I worried he might be. It turns out, he was an extremely enjoyable read. His characters are colorful and enjoyable. His plot is twisted, complicated, and amusing. I loved this book and look forward to the rest of the trilogy.

22. A Box of Matches by Nicholson Baker
This small book by Nicholson Baker was a recommendation by the New York Times Book Review. Amazon reviews were varying but I got into it as soon as I started reading it. It was a very quick read and quite pleasant. I would recommend it.

23. The Effect of Living Backwards by Heidi Julavits
Quite an unusual book. I am still thinking about it so don't feel ready to write about it yet.

24. The Wife by Meg Wolitzer
A NY Times recommendation. So far, not very interesting but not bad enough to abandon. In the end, I found the novel to be mostly uninteresting.

25. Heavenly Days by James Wilcox
I am so disappointed in this book that I don't even know what to say. It's written by a writing teacher but it's pointless and terrible. The characters are flat and unlikeable and that plot goes nowhere. Very sad.

26. Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott
Anne Lammot's Bird by Bird is probably one of the best writing books ever published. I had never read her fiction before this one and I found it to be sweet but not amazing. It was a pleasurable and quick read but not very memorable.

27. The Calligrapher by Edward Docx
Another NYT recommendation. This book by a British novelist was unusual in that many of John Donne's poems are interspersed throughout. It was interesting/entertaining enough but somehow I was able to guess(foresee) both of the twists in the end, so that sort of ruined some of the fun.

28. The Namesake by Jumpa Lahiri
Absolutely beautiful. A quiet, strong book. Well-written and absolutely a joy to read.

29. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
A wonderful, intense and fascinating read about James' recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. For me, it was a fantastic read.

30. My Mentor: A Young Man's Friendship with William Maxwell by Alec Wilkinson
I've read William Maxwell a long time ago and loved him, so when I read about this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. This small book is elegant, interesting and a sweet read. I must spend more time reading the novels of Maxwell.

31. The Photograph by Penelope Lively
Another smallish book about a man who finds a photo that proves his dead wife's infidelity. I liked the writing even though I didn't like the POV jumping around because it meant I didn't care too much for any particular character.

32. Mind Wide Open by Steven Johnson
My first non-fiction in a while. I am absolutely fascinated by the human brain and this particular book is well written and accessible and quite interesting.

33. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
This is a big, thick book that I read about on Amazon and took out on noone's recommendation. I brought it with me on the plane to Turkey, thinking that it would last me the ride if it was good. I didn't start it until halfway through the flight, thinking it wouldn't actually be good. From the moment I turned the first page, I didn't close the book until I was completely finished. I absolutely swallowed it in one piece and loved it.

34. Moral Hazard by Kate Jennings
I picked up this book because it was about a woman working on Wall Street whose husband gets sick. I thought the wrting might be interesting and I might like reading about a female experience on Wall Street. It turns out the book is awful. I could barely finish it. It's obvious the writer doesn't know shit about Wall Street and the only good parts of the book were the parts about the husband which were too few and far between to make the book enjoyable.

35. The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Having lived in New York for seven years, I thought I might find this book amusing. And I did. But nothing more than that. It was occassionally funny, sometimes sad, but mostly neither. The ending was especially flat.

36. Man and Boy: A Novel by Tony Parsons
Another one I read in Turkey. Parts of this book were wonderful and other parts dragged. Overall, I liked the story and thought it was well-written. It just could have used more editing in parts.

37. Fast Women by Jennifer Cruise
This is the first book I read since my pregnancy and the hours of throwing up. I know it was a silly book so I figured it would work with my lack of attention span. I read the book in one day and it was quite enjoyable. I gave myself permission to read books that are not as intellectually stimulating for the next few months since the other option is to not read at all.

38. The Girlfriend's Guid to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine
Recommended by several people. Not really my style since the way I look and what I wear aren't high on my list and not taking medication and breastfeeding are. But it was a fun read and helped me with some of the struggles I am having with this process.

39. Are You Afraid of the Dark? by Sidney Sheldon
Sheldon used to be a guilty pleasure for me for years, until his last book (the one before this). It was so terrible that I couldn't get myself to read him anymore. But this book came out right when I have decided to let meyself read crap for a while so I figured I'd give it a shot. I wanted to see if he's redeemed himself and I am going to have to say that while this book was slightly better then the previous one it still sucks compared to his early work.

40. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott
This is a little book about the first year of the author with her son. It starts right after he's born and ends around when he turns one. I like Anne Lamott's fiction okay but I absolutely adore her non-fiction. For some reason this book took me a long time to read but I loved every minute of it.

41. Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
Another non-fiction by the author of Bird by Bird. This is short stories about her journeys in Faith. I am not a very religious person by any stretch but I like the author and her style so much that I figured the book would be enjoyable anyhow and she didn't disappoint me one bit.

42. Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg
Elizabeth Berg always seems to write about women's issues. Divorce, sickness, friendship, etc. While I do find her novels a bit cheesy, she is quite phenomenal in how she captures the thoughts, feelings and unique emotional patterns of women.

43. The Last Juror by John Grisham
This book looks like a typical Grisham thriller, but it's not. It's deeper and less interesting at the same time. I think Grisham is attempting to be a literary writer and he's not doing a very good job of it. I wish he's stick to the thrillers. I used to enjoy them.

44. What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg
Berg's novels are always a quick and pleasant read. This one was no exception. They also always make me weep. This was no exception.

45. Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynn Truss
I finally managed to check this out of the library and it was worth the wait. For someone who's a complete punctuation-nut like I am, it's a delightful read. I loved it.

Final Thoughts: Considering the fact that I spent 5 months of this year throwing up and not reading a thing, I think 45 is quite close to my original goal of 50. Since the baby will be here in a few weeks, I don't know about getting anywhere near 50 for 2005 but I think I will still keep track of what I read since it's fun to look back and remember.

Recommendations are always welcome by email, comments below, or chat.

Last Updated January 13, 2005 | literature | share[]