applebook1's 75 books challenge for 2012

I think last year was the first that I didn't get to finish 75 books in a year..
I got swamped in other (non-reading related) project and wanted to finish that before this year was over..
oh well, better luck this time!

Welcome back!

I hope you have better reading luck in 2012, Yoona! Happy New Year!

Thanks for the welcome :)
Planning to start the year lightly (?) with Joseph Campbells's biography... (got strongly recommended that I read this..)

Well, good luck to you!

1. Fire in the Mind: The Life of Joseph Campbell by Stephen Larson

I haven't enjoyed reading non-fiction in a long time
One of those books that are filled with nuggets and no mud at all

#6: I am glad to see that you enjoyed reading the book, Yoona. I will have to see if my local library has that one.

#7 I highly recommend this, I am sure you will like it as well :)

currently reading "the history of the western mathematics"

#8: I checked and my local library does indeed have it. With starting school this week though, I am not sure when I will get to it.

#9 That's why I rushed to finish reading it before the semester started..
this kind of book deserves full attention.. (at least in my opinion)

2. The History of Western Mathematics by Sang Sook Ko and Ho Kyoung Ko

I knew quite many of the mathematicians and scientists named in this book, but it was one thing to know what they did and another to see how they did it... (it showed some of the proofs they used)
also, since I knew next to nothing from middle-age mathematics and before, it was quite amusing to read about it..

next book on my list is The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
I always wondered what that book is going to be about ever since seeing the title from Austen's Northanger Abbey..

3. The Mysteries of the Udolpho' by Ann Radcliffe

Besides Austen's Northanger Abbey, I think this was my first gothic read..
overall, it was quite well written..

Welcome back and good reading this year! I would have thought the Joseph Campbell book to be heavy reading but I guess the author was aware of that possibility also? Did you read the book on mathematics because it is your field?

#12 yes I was because I wanted to read something about it before deciding whether to change my major into math or just stay in biochem major..
Joseph Campbell wasn't that much of a heavy reading (surprisingly)

4. The Forest House by Marion Zimmer Bradley (re-read)
I first read this during the summer of my junior year (it was in a summer reading list actually)
I wanted read it again before reading other Avalon series...

just started reading Lady of Avalon..
hope I can finish that before another batch of exams come...

>11 applebook1:..The Mysteries of Udolpho is on my tbr list..glad to see that you enjoyed it..

#14 ohh really?
I hope you will get to read it and enjoy it as well..

5. Lady of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
rating: ****

After reading the Forest House, I was pleasantly surprisded that the story of Calillean and Gawen are continued for a while..
Happy I could finish it before my next exam (this upcoming Wednesday.. >

So did you switch to math? Or still biochem?

I switched to math.. so I need all those lower-division classes before transferring to other university..

Way cool! Math is awesome! Good luck!

Thank you =

6. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
it was interesting to read the Arthurian saga in this way..

7. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchatt
it was humorous from the beginning until the end..
very enjoyable

8. Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
I haven't read Russin lit for a very long time..
guess it was a time to brush up on it again..

9. The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

for a non fiction, it was surprisingly a easy and pleasant read..
I could see why my former tutor would have recommended this to me to read..

10. Goder, Escher, Bach: an eternal golden braid by Douglas Hofstadter

another non-fiction that I tacked this year..
4 this year...wow..
maybe I should read one more non fiction to match my favorite number, 5.

11. The Shack by William P. Young

finally managed to read this

12. The life, the seashell, and the soul by Rudy Rucker
another recommendation from my friend
considering the topic, it was surprisingly quite easy to read..

13. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
I got a chance to tutor a 8th grade ESL student in reading comprehension..and I chose this book as the first book that I will "teach".. just finished going over this on Wedsnesday..
and for someone who confessed to me that she "doesn't like to read" she said it was interesting and funny..
hopefully, I will get the similar response on the next book and that she will come to dislike the books less and less as I help her through..

14. Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett

re-read, reviewing before reading two books from this series..(trilogy? not sure yet)

Yep, as far as I can tell from the last, it's a trilogy. Not that I'd mind more, mind you... :)

#28 Oh really? Thanks for letting me know.. :)
Now, I can look forward to how this story will unfold.. :)

15. House on Durrow Street by Galen Beckett

I really enjoyed this..
stayed up until 3 today to finish it up last night.. (or shall I say, early today?)
Maybe it was doubly hard to put it down since I knew that I had to study for the finals for next week...

The next one's pretty good too!

#31. It was pretty good indeed

16. Master of the Heathcrest Hall by Galen Beckett
Enjoyed this as well..
now that the final is over.. I can read a lot more.. :)

17. The Giver by Lois Lowry
one of my favorite YAs..

18. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

it was quite a page-turner

19. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

20. Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey
somehow, I could just guess that Eric had cast that curse from the beginning..not the details of course
I really liked the personality of Bella

21. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

I quite enjoyed this

22. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

It was a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be..
quite a page-turner

23. The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig

enjoyed this as well.. despite Henrietta's tendency of saying 'Bleargh' whenever she didn't have something to say...

Glad to see you are enjoying Lauren Willig's books. She is one my favorite authors and never fails to amuse me. Love this series. Hope you read them all..

#38 Thank you, her books are indeed amusing..

24. The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig

another enjoyable book fro the pink carnation series

25. The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig

another enjoyable read
surprisingly, I liked Mary Alsworthy's character.. but maybe, I judged her too harshly from the previous book

>40 applebook1:..I did the same thing..It was easy to like her more when she was the main heroine..

#41. Perhaps that's that.. or that I simply know more about her character.
I certainly liked Jane or Charlotte before knowing that much about them..

26. The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig
next book from the pink carnation series..
I knew I liked Charlotte, but after reading a book about her being a main heroine...I liked her more

27. Holes by Louis Sachar - re-read

enjoyed it again.. forgotten about all the little details, but it's been few years since I read it the last time

28. The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig
I didn't know whether to be exasperated or simply marveled at Penelope..
nevertheless, I am quite happy that she got her happy-ending in the end

29. The Mischief of the Mistletoe - by Lauren Willig
is it only me that's seeing Winnie the Pooh from Turnip Fitzhugh?
hope that's not too weird a concept..

30. The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig

31. The Garden Intrigue by Lauren Willig

it's nice to see not-so-young ones (by Napoleonic era standard) getting their romance

32. Dracula by Bram Stocker
finally read this...
I only knew that Count Dracula was the vampire before even starting this.. but nevertheless.. made me shiver from time to time...
don't know how people can read/watch horror books/movies...

33. Wizard Bakery by Byung Mo Ku
it was an interesting story..
bought some Korean books while I was here, and it's one of the three books that I bought few days ago..
but before I can read other two Korean books, need to read two others first.. (one book, Lost Symbol, is for the book club, and the other is the one I was reading before going off to the bookstore..)

34. Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

why am I not surprised by her secrets?
although i was really glad by the character's happy endings at the end (those who deserved it!)

35. Things that can be seen only when you stop by Hyemin

my aunt recommended me to read this book (in Korean)
it was a very nice read..

36. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
page turner, but didn't expect any less from his Langdon series..

37. Stealing a thousand years by Wanson Jo

38. Kidnapping of the Japanese Princess by Jin Myung Kim

I didn't know that translating title would be this hard...
since it has been a while since I have been to Korea, I bought several Korean books from the store.. now one more book left, then back to my TBR list!

39. Good day to sell a soul by Sera kwak

it was an interesting story..
definitely a page-turner!

40. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
it's been such a long time since I read this.. (and first time reading this in English)

Do you know, I do not think I have ever read Black Beauty? Horses were never my thing. One of these days I really must give the book a try!

When I was young, I didn't even know that book was about horses.. I just read it because it was there for me.. :) Horses aren't really my thing, but I enjoyed the book.. who knows? Maybe you will too :)

41. Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho

there was a lot to think about while reading and after reading this..
I could relate to her in some ways..

42. Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
first time reading this in English (read it in Korean before..)
maybe because it's been such a long time since I read this but phantom was much scarier than I remembered him to be.. (maybe I'm just remembering him from the musical...)

43. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

this book was very popular with good ratings..so I had somewhat higher expecations than reading books from the authors that I have not read before..
yet this proved to be quite a page-turner

planning to read War and Peace before this summer is over.. wish me luck guys >

44. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

it was okay book
I personally thought it was better than his Robert Langdon series.. but that is probably just me..

>57 applebook1:..I'm not a big fan of his Robert Langdon series either. Started out okay and then just fizzled at the end. Terrible last book.

#57. I know, don't know what happened to it..

45. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
after three weeks, I finally managed to finish this!

I wasn't too sure what was the purpose about the second part of the epilogue..

>60 applebook1:...congrats..how was it? It's on my tbr mountain pile and just curious about what you thought about it.

It was pretty nice.. although it took me a while to get every characters straight

46. The Witch of Portobello - Paulo Coelho
it was an okay book.. :)

47. just finished reading Gregory Maguire's Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
started reading in a plane yesterday and finished it tonight after some unpacking my suitcases..
don't know why I enjoy fairy tale retolds so much.. will have to read his other books if I get a chance..!

>63 applebook1:..just cursious if you have read the Wicked series of his. I love his book Wicked and the broadway show is just to die for. I highly recommend you read Wicked if you haven't done so already. There are three or four books in the series, but the first one was the best.

#64. I haven't read Wicked yet although I have seen the musical..
I am planning to read it if I see it.. :)
Glad to hear that his Wicked series is good :)

48. I finished reading Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
If I didn't have to do other things (like cleaning up dorm room, buying textbooks, attending mandatory student meetings.. I would have finished reading this a lot sooner.. the story was very captivating..
I was so glad that I found out about this author now.. will have to find her other books if I can!

grabbed The Dante Club just now..and the classes are going to start this coming monday.. excited and nervous!

Good luck with the classes and I'm glad to see that you have discovered one of my favorite authors Michelle Moran. Let me know how you like The Dante Club is on my tbr pile and I'm curious to see what you think about it.

49. I finished reading The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
At first, I was just curious how author used Dante's work and mystery, but it worked so well!
I loved both the characters and the plot!

I planned to start the sisters Grimm series, but I will have to read a book assigned in my theology class first before I can turn back to my pleasure reading..
Oh well, at least I'm quite familiar with that book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis

#67. could you recommend me some of her books that you enjoyed? I would be happy to add her works to my tbr pile!

50. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis *re-read
I didn't have to finish the book by Wednesday, but I did anyways..
I wonder how the Professor will lecture using this text..

Good luck with your class

#69..I think I have enjoyed everything written by her. For some reason the Madame Tussaud book she wrote stands out in my mind. I really enjoyed the Egypt series she did too and because I am not a fan of Egyptian history it says a lot that she made me very interested in it. She just released a new on The Second Empress which was good too, but I still think her others were a lot better than this one. I highly recommend everything she writes as she spins a wonderful tale.

#71. Thank you :)
#72. I don't know much about Egyptian history as well.. I'll see what I can find around libraries here first than, thanks for the recommendations!

51. The Fairy-tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
grabbed this yesterday and finished reading this in between classes few hours ago..
it was a page turner and I wanted to start reading the next one and had a hard time refraining myself.. (didn't want to keep on reading and be late at a first day of the lecture!)

studying John Locke's philosophy for the first part of my philosophy lecture..
hope I can read and understand okay...

#68: I am a big fan of Lewis. I am currently reading through his Space Trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength.

I hope all goes well with your classes, Yoona! What kind of degree are you pursuing?

#74. First of all, I want to get BS in statistics, then go into graduate school..
I still am not sure what kind of job I would want after I graduate..
Although I enjoy his Narnia series, I'm ashamed to say that I haven't even heard about his Space Trilogy.. how do you like it so far?
We are planning to read the last battle and mere christianity by Lewis as well, so I'm definitely looking forward to that.. :)

52. The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley
It might be just me.. but Sabrina's character is giving me a headache..
I hope she'll learn to listen to others more..

53. The Problem Child by Michael Buckley

It seems the character wasn't giving me a headache.. but my tmj and migraine are..
can't believe my two companions decided to join me at this time of the year.. but at least I don't have to work on any papers or study for an exam just yet.. hope they decide to go away soon..

#75: I really enjoy the Space Trilogy, but the Christian thought underlying Lewis' prose is not hidden at all, unlike in his children's books. It has been a long time since I read Mere Christianity. I really need to give it a re-read.

#76: I hope your two companions go away soon too!

#77. Now I'll definitely have to look at his Space Trilogy, you piqued my curiousity.. but I like reading his works, so maybe I'm just trying to find a reason to buy/borrow more books :P

Sadly, another one -panic disorder, I only found this out few days ago that I even had this- joined my two companions and now I'm having trouble telling them apart..
I have a bad feeling they will hinder my studying and reading.. :(

54. Once Upon a Crime by Michael Buckley

It was pretty nice, definitely easier than John Locke..
I wonder how John Stuart Mill will sound like now....

started reading the fifth book of the sisters Grimm series-

Michael Buckley is easier that John Locke?! Say it isn't so! lol

#80. Well.. not sure about his other works, but his sisters Grimm series - definitely easier! lol
I think this being my first-ever philosophy class makes it even more difficult :(

55. Magic and Other Misdemeanors by Michael Buckley

Should have been studying, but I had a to read a book for pleasure!

56. The Sisters Grimm: Tales from the Hood by Michael Buckley
enjoyable and quite fast-paced!
but now, time for some more school work before I start the next book of the series..

Congratulations on reading 56 books.

#84. Thank you so much :)
I still have a while to go, but I think I'll manage to read 75 books this time

57. The Sisters Grimm: The Everafter War by Michael Buckley
#7 of the series
two more to go

also started reading Mere Christianity for my theology class and Buckley's Inside the Story (#8 of the series)

58. The Sisters Grimm: The Inside Story by Michael Buckley
#8 of the series

since my professor told me to rest well (and don't study) during the weekend so that I'll feel better, I might as well finish this series this weekend :)

59. The Sisters Grimm: The Council of Mirrors by Michael Buckley
#9 of the series

finally finished the series!

upcoming exam on Tues though.. :(

Good luck on your exam..it looks like you're going to make the 75 goal for the year..happy reading.

#89 I hope so as well, thank you :)
I think my exam went okay.. let's just hope I didn't make any stupid mistakes..

currently reading: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller -for pleasure
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis -for theology class *will finish this book in class*
Philosophy of Mind by Georg W.F. Hegel -for philosophy class *not sure how much prof will make us read*

Glad your exam went okay.....Take it easy and don't judge yourself. I found that when I made stupid mistakes, I learned from them....and learning is a part of life.

Hugs!

#91 Actually, I did make one stupid mistake at least.
I definitely won't be making them next time! Will have to be more careful....
Thanks for your warm words

*hugs back*

60. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
I knew he was a good writer and a good speaker, but wow..
Although I am an agnostist (if that makes any sense) I could understand where his arguments are coming from..
I should probably thank my professor for lecturing this book in class..
(I may regret it on my upcoming exam though...)

61. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Oh wow, this book was so hilarious!
I enjoyed it very much :)

62. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
this was definitely not the easiest book that I have read, but it made me think about a lot of things..
some things that I learned at school (aka my theology lecture) popped into my head while I was reading some parts..

You are reading some heavy duty books. C.S. Lewis was quite an interesting man.

#96 I try to mix in some heavy duty books with lighter ones..
I don't think I have ever read a non-heavy duty book year ever since I was old enough to buy/borrow books from the library, (B&N and Amazon), etc.
I agree, he was quite an interesting man.

63. Moon and Sixpence by W.Somerset Maugham
To be honest, when I only looked at the title, I thought this would be something romantic..(but that was more than ten years ago to be honest)
Now that I know more about Paul Gauguin's art style and his life in general.. (thanks to my art history class) it was interesting to read this..
I'll never be a fan of him, but I have to appreciate his dedication to what he loves...

64. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
I'm so glad that my teacher mentioned/recommended this book to me.
He was surprised that I haven't read it before..
I had high expectations, and I enjoyed it very much despite it..and that's saying something, isn't it?
4.5 stars!

65. Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut
I can't believe I've never heard of this book until my former tutor told me to read it..
and I still can't believe it that it took me about a week to finish this short book...
(darn my classes..and midterms..)

66. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
When my teacher found that I haven't read this, he told me that I absolutely needed to read this
(he said this is his favorite among works of Vonnegut)
It was enjoyable, funny at times, and still had something to think about while I was reading it :)

Have you seen the movie Ordinary People? Mary Tyler Moore plays the role of the cold hearted mother and Donald Sutherland is great as the caring father.

#101. I did see the movie. I was dissecting that movie to my friend like "it's not supposed to be like that" while we were watching together..
Oh, the price for watching a movie after reading the book.. :p

67. The Maid of the Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
It was nice to see how Margaret matured as the story progressed.

68. Catholicism by Robert Barron
Read it for the class.
I didn't have to finish reading the entire book, but I just liked reading it.. :)

69. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
I loved how all the characters played some roles in this story.
I don't know exactly why, but there is something that attracts me to this fairy tale (in general)..

70. Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
This story was so touching, yet so horrifying..
I am a bit ashamed to admit, but I cried a lot as i read this book.. (which is why I took some time reading it..)

One of the few movies that followed the book is To Kill A Mockingbird, which happens to be my favorite movie and book!

Congratulations on reading 70 books thus far. Would you recommend Winter Garden

#106. I would definitely recommend Winter Garden :)
and thank you for congratulating me.. ^^

71. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
it seems as though it has been ages since I read a book that was set in late 1930s in NY..

72. The Crow-Girl by Bodil Bredsdorff

Found this book from Linda's thread, found it from the library and just had to grab it..
As she said, this was beautifully written.. and made me shed some tears and smile from time to time..
Thank you so much Linda!

73. Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown
I have a feeling my mermaid-related tale loving friend might love this.. :)

74. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
I saw from the syllabus that my professor is going to talk about this book for the upcoming two weeks and decided to refresh my memory..
What a difference it makes now that I know a little bit about Christian theology!

75. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
As I read this book, I fell in love with Francie.
I don't know why I haven't read this book 7 years ago when I had the chance, but I am glad that I eventually got to it. I'm sure I can appreciate it better now :)
rate: **** 1/2

>74 alcottacre:. I read yesterday that Lewis is going to be included in poet's corner in Westminster Abbey. Surprised to find he was writing poetry from the battlefield in World War 1 - I'd never have thought of him as a war poet.

#112 I would never have guessed either. Thank you for the info!

76. Capitalism: A Very Short Introduction by James Fulcher
rate: ***1/2

read for my philosophy class
just studied Marxism and now there is a group project regarding capitalism?
four more weeks of school then the winter break awaits!

77. The Bedlam Detective by Stephen Gallagher
it was a bit dark, but enjoyable at any rate
if I didn't have papers to write and miscellaneous other assignments, I would have finished reading this a lot sooner

Congrats on making it past 75!

#116. Thank you :)

-currently reading A Room with a View

78. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
rate: ****

If I have ever loved somebody (besides family, but that goes without saying, right?), maybe I would have understood it better.
I rather liked many of the expressions that Forster used though.. :)

79. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Why did she have to die? :(

80. Austenland by Shannon Hale
I'm not sure whether I had too much expectation for this book, mainly because of my love of Austen's works and partly because I do know that Hale is a good writer
It was an enjoyable, stress-free read though, so I guess it served it's purpose

81. The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
I have to admit, I could sympathize with Lucille.. not that I'm applauding her actions or anything..

82. Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Too stressed out about the finals and couldn't focus, so I read a book instead.
I'm half-way through my philosophy paper (which is a take-home final) so I guess I did do something..

83. The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry
Amazon recommended this book to me, and I borrowed it from the library few days ago.
I rather liked it.. :)
I guess this just tells me that I am fond of fantasy and fairy tale retolds..

84. The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson
I have a feeling the author is either a Christian or she is well-versed in the Bible.
Not because she cites it, but there is something that she wrote.. when she said love is greater than (or more important?) justice
I may just be being bit weird but I couldn't help but think about The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, when I saw that part because I know that deep magic representing justice, and deeper magic, love in Lewis's book (thanks to my theology professor)

85. StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Finished reading just in time before my flight to home today.
Now, do I have enough time to return these to the library (that I don't know) before my friend comes to my dorm and gives me a ride to the airport?

86. The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
I'm glad I finally read this. What a shift from the YA's that I've been reading..

87. Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal
enjoyable
there is something about an intelligent heroine that I love..

88. Liar's Moon by Elizabeth C. Bunce
sequal to the StarCrossed that I have read earlier this month