Lisa's 2010 Category Challenge Part 2

Discussie1010 Category Challenge

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Lisa's 2010 Category Challenge Part 2

Dit onderwerp is gemarkeerd als "slapend"—het laatste bericht is van meer dan 90 dagen geleden. Je kan het activeren door een een bericht toe te voegen.

1lsh63
Bewerkt: mei 15, 2010, 8:13 am

The old thread was getting on my nerves a bit below is the link:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/70757



2lsh63
Bewerkt: okt 24, 2010, 8:19 pm

Agatha Christie (15/15)

CATEGORY COMPLETE

1.* Remembered Death **** (1/2/10)
2.*A Murder is Announced **** (2/10/10)
3.*Three Blind Mice **** (2/13/10)
4.*Cards on the Table **** (2/18/10)
5.*Endless Night ***1/2 (5/4/10)
6.*The 4:50 from Paddington **** (5/31/10)
7.*Murder on the Orient Express **** (7/24/10)
8.*And Then There Were None **** (7/28/10)
9.The ABC Murders **** (8/22/10)
10.*Halloween Party *** (9/20/10)

Bonus:
1.*Dumb Witness ***1/2 (9/29/10)
2.*The Moving Finger ***1/2 (10/2/10)
3.*Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories **** (10/12/10
4.*A Caribbean Mystery *** (10/21/10)
5.*Funerals are Fatal **** (10/24/10)

3lsh63
Bewerkt: okt 23, 2010, 7:37 am

Now Playing (books which became movies, a category from last year that got scrapped) (14/15)

1.*The Manchurian Candidate ***1/2 (1/16/10)
2.*The Hustler ***1/2 (3/16/10)
3.*Stella Dallas**** (3/31/10)
4.*Mrs. Miniver*** (3/27/10)
5.*Chocolat **** (4/5/10)
6.39 Steps
7.*Notes on a Scandal *** (2/24/10)
8.*Kitty Foyle***1/2 (4/25/10)
9.*The Bad Seed **** (7/6/10)
10.*High Sierra**** (7/30/10)

Bonus:
1.*Anna Karenina**** 1/2 &7/29/10)
2*Blood Work *** (6/15/10)
3.*Anatomy of a Murder**** (10/18/10)
4.Jane Eyre ***** (9/30/10)
5.*Phantom of the Opera ***1/2 (8/30/10)

4lsh63
Bewerkt: okt 11, 2010, 11:30 am

Where in the World? books whose setting is in another country (15/15) CATEGORY COMPLETE

1.*Half a Yellow Sun**** (4/7/10)
2.*Paris Noir ***1/2 (January 5, 2010)
3.*The Reader **** (3/17/10)
4.*The Constant Princess*** (10/1/10)
5.*Exile Mina**** 1/2 (8/25/10)
6*Snow Flower and the Secret Fan***** (4/14/10)
7.*Bad Boy**** (9/15/10)
8.*The Likeness ***** (6/2/10)
9.*The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo**** (4/10/10)
10.*When We Were Orphans **1/2 (3/9/10)

Bonus:
1.*Shanghai Girls****1/2 (6/3/10)
2.*The Girl Who Played With Fire ****1/2 (5/7/10)
3.*Beekeeper's Apprentice **** (5/18/10)
4.*The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest **** (10/9/10)
5.*THe Poisonwood Bible **** (7/16/10)

5lsh63
Bewerkt: aug 16, 2010, 6:01 pm

Noir (13/15)
1.*In a Lonely Place VictoriaPL**** (1/18/10)
2.*Laura**** (4/8/10)
3.*The Ivory Grin **** (2/3/10)
4.*Build my Gallows High ***** (1/7/10)
5.*Serenade VictoriaPL **** (1/4/2010)
6.*Die a Little**** (3/28/10)
7.*Dark Passage **** (1/20/10)
8*The Killer Inside Me **** (2/23/10)
9*The Black Angel *** (3/8/10)
10.*Queenpin **** (3/20/10)

Bonus:
*1. Bury Me Deep **** (4/24/10)
*2.The Song is You **** (4/29/10)
*3.The Wounded and the Slain *** (8/6/10)
*4.Rendezvous in Black **** (8/16/10)

6lsh63
Bewerkt: okt 23, 2010, 7:41 am

From the 1001 List (15/15)
CATEGORY COMPLETE

1.*The Bell Jar *** (1/21/10)
2.*Unless*** (5/27/10)
3.*On Beauty*** (5/9/10)
4.*Passing **** (1/6/10)
5.*The Death of Ivan Ilyich **** (10/8/10)
6.*The Sun Also Rises**** (10/13/10)
7.*Memoirs of a Geisha**** (9/13/10)
8.The Talented Mr. Ripley **** (2/22/10)
9.*The Graduate **1/2 (5/28/10)
10.*Blind Assassin **** (6/24/10)

Bonus:
1.*Nana***1/2 (10/15/10)
*2.The House of Mirth
**** (8/7/10)
3.*The Black Dahlia**** (9/1/10)
4.*Ethan Frome*** 1/2 (8/18/10)
5.*The Charwoman's Daughter ***1/2 (9/12/10)

7lsh63
Bewerkt: okt 23, 2010, 7:40 am

And the Winner Is: (Books which won some type of award) (14/15)

1.*Larry's Party*** (5/10/10) Orange Prize 1997
2.*Remains of the Day wVictoria PL****1/2 (5/17/10) Man Booker 9189
3.*The Grapes of Wrath ***** (1/12/10) Pulitzer 1940
4.*Chatham School Affair**** (8/23/10) Edgar 1997
5.*Every Secret Thing (9/10/10)***
6.A Confederacy of Dunces
7.*In the Woods**** (5/22/10) 2008 Egar
8.*3782972::Olive Kitteridge ***** (4/20/10) 2009 Pulitzer
9.*Lost in the City **** (5/13/10) Pen Hemingway 1993
10.*The Killing Floor **** (5/26/10) Anthony 1997

Bonus:
1.*Blue Heaven ***1/2 (6/19/10) Edgar 2009
2*Live Flesh **** (6/22/10) 1986 Gold Dagger
3.*A Thousand Acres ***1/2 (7/5/10) Pulitzer 1992
4.*What the Dead Know ***

8lsh63
Bewerkt: jul 30, 2010, 8:31 pm

Unread in a Series (15/15)
CATEGORY COMPLETE

1. *I, Alex Cross **** (1/1/2010)
2. *Risk of Darkness**** (3/21/10)
3.*Kisser ** (1/31/10)
4.*Apple Turnover Murder ***1/2 (3/23/10)
5.*Aftermath**** (2/8/10)
6.*Angels Flight**** (3/2/10)
7.*Close to Home**** (2/25/10)
8.*Death of a Valentine **** (1/19/10)
9.*Monster in the Box *** (1/23/10)
10.*A Beautiful Blue Death **** (1/26/10)

Bonus:

1.*A Share in Death ***1/2 (2/10/10)
2*Well Schooled in Murder ***1/2 (2/28/10)
3.*For the Sake of Elena **** (5/12/10)
4.*Maisie Dobbs **** (6/27/10)
5.*Faithful Place ****1/2 (7/28/10)

9lsh63
Bewerkt: aug 30, 2010, 8:40 pm

From my TBR (15/15)
CATEGORY COMPLETE

1.*Sins of the Fathers **** 1/10/10
2.*The Unfinished Clue **** 1/13/10
3.*Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant **** (2/5/10)
4.*Second Confession **** (2/13/10)
5.*Minotaur **** (2/14/10)
6.*A Guilty Thing Suprised *** (2/11/10)
7.*A Suitable Vengeance **** (3/13/10)
8.*Sins of the Fathers ***1/2 (3/30/10)
9.*Never Let Me Go *** (4/1/10)
10.*Alone**** (4/16/10)

Bonus
1.*Faithless **** (5/16/10)
2.*The Quiet Game ***** (8/12/10)
3.*Turning Angel ****1/2 (8/14/10)
4.*Naked in Death **** (8/19/10)
5.*Resolution ****1/2 (8/28/10)

10lsh63
Bewerkt: okt 23, 2010, 7:43 am

Biographies and Other Non Fiction (12/15)
1.*Suicide Blonde**** (3/6/10)
2.*In Search of My Father **1/2 (7/2/10)
3.*Haywire ****1/2 (9/26/10)
4.*An Actor's Voice: Claude Rains***1/2 (10/3/10)
5.*Scarlett O'Hara's Younger Sister**** (7/12/2010)
6.*No Bed of Roses ***(4/3/10)
7.*Talking about Detective Fiction**** (4/22/10)
8.*The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks ***** (5/31/10)
9.*Movie Confidential *** (6/17/10)
10.*Up Close: Ella Fitzgerald **** (8/30/10)

Bonus:
1.*Get Happy ***1/2 (10/17/10)
2.*Divided Soul **** (10/21/10)

11lsh63
Bewerkt: mei 27, 2010, 9:45 pm

Miscellaneous (library finds, ARC's etc)
CATEGORY COMPLETE (15/15)
1.*That Old Cape Magic *** (1/24/10)
2.*The Crime Writer ***** (1/28/10)
3.*The Various Haunts of Men **** (2/1/10)
4.*Darkly Dreaming Dexter **** (2/18/10)
5.*The Pure in Heart **** (2/20/10)
6.* Case Histories **** (3/4/10)
7.*All Shall Be Well **** (3/3/10)
8.*Leave the Grave Green *** (3/5/10)
9.*Mourn Not Your Dead *** (3/14/10)
10.*Dreaming of the Bones **** (3/17/10)

Bonus:
1. The Vows of Silence **** (3/24/10)
2.An Advancement of Learning ***1/2 (3/25/10)
3.*Everywhere that Mary Went *** (4/11/10)
4.*One Good Turn ****(4/6/10)
5.*When Will There Be Good News **** 1/2 (4/13/10)

12lsh63
Bewerkt: mei 17, 2010, 5:51 pm

80.Lost in the City

A collection of short stories from the author of The Known World, which I also plan to read.

The stories are set in the nation's capital and feature African American men and women who hold hope in their hearts in the midst of disappointment, loss and the struggle to survive. Most of the stories are quite grim, but beautifully written.

A few that really stood out for me:

The Store- a young man changes his life when he answers an ad for a store helper and learns the meaning of hard work and responsibility after the owner takes an interest in him and his future.

The Sunday Following Mother's Day- a father kills his wife, is sent to prison, and upon his release tries desperately to repair his relationship with his son and daughter.

His Mother's House- a amother remains in denial about her drug dealing son, because he will never stop being her child.

13lsh63
mei 17, 2010, 5:57 pm

81. Faithless my first book (but 5th in the series) by this author which I happened to find at a FOL book sale. It was so hard to put this down!

I guess I need to read the rest of the series in order to get the various character histories straight, but not knowing about certain events did not detract from my reading pleasure.

Sara Linton and her ex-husband Jeffrey, find a young girl buried alive in the Georgia woods. I loved the small town atmosphere along with the family secrets. This was an excellent psychological thriller. Of course I plan to read the rest of the series.

14lsh63
Bewerkt: mei 23, 2010, 6:16 am

82 Remains of the Day

This was a change of pace from my usual fast paced mystery read. This is a book that should be read slowly and carefully to enjoy it. The story is that of the repressed Mr. Stevens. who after many years of devoted service at Darlington Hall, begins to question his life choices.

Mr. Stevens has received a letter from a former co-worker, Miss Kenton. Thinking that she may want to return to service at Darlington Hall, Mr. Stevens embarks on a road trip to visit her. He realizes that there were missed opportunities, and that he may have had a much different life, if only.......

Yes, the overall tone of this book is so very sad. I did laugh out loud at one part though: when Mr. Stevens has a mini breakdown episode, a man he meets says the following: "Oh dear mate. here you want a hankie? Here we are, it's fairly clean, just blew my nose once this morning, that's all. Have a go mate." I can literally picture Mr. Stevens's repulsion.

83Beekeeper's Apprentice This is the first in the Mary Russell series. I was hesitant about the 20th century twist involving Sherlock Holmes, but it works so well! I will be reading the rest of the series.

15lsh63
Bewerkt: mei 26, 2010, 7:32 pm

84.In the Woods Tana French

This was an excellent psychological suspense thriller. Twenty years ago, three children left their Dublin neighborhood to play in the nearby woods. After a frantic search, only one child is found, who has no memory of what happened to him or his friends.

The found boy is now a police detective who is called upon to investigate the murder of a 12 year old girl in the same woods. He asks his partner Cassie to keep his identity a secret, and tries his best to work the case without being haunted by his past.

I loved the "up in the air" ending. Sometimes I like closure, but a good writer will keep you coming back for more, which is the case here.

I am now reading The Likeness and will be looking for the next installment when it comes out later this summer.

16VictoriaPL
mei 24, 2010, 8:39 am

Hey Lisa!
My favorite part in The Remains of the Day was the tale of the tiger in the dining room.

17lsh63
mei 26, 2010, 7:06 pm

Hey Victoria: Oh yeah the tiger part was funny too, I had forgotten about that part.

18lsh63
Bewerkt: mei 26, 2010, 7:24 pm

85.The Killing Floor

I've decided that if I am ever in big trouble I want Jack Reacher to save me. Chances are that I won't be strapped to a chair with a bomb attached to me or held hostage in a cave or anything like that, but still, he would be good to have around. Yes, the fact that he can take out four thugs at one time and not miss is a little far fetched, but I found that it didn't really matter.

Admittedly I really had to make myself get used to the author's choppy writing style, but then I found that this was a really good book, It was highly suspenseful, with brutal violence, just the right amount of plot twists and surprises. I had no idea that I would like it and I am glad that I took a chance on reading it.It was quite the page turner, and now I wonder where Jack will wind up next?

19RidgewayGirl
mei 26, 2010, 8:12 pm

The Reacher books are addictive.

20lsh63
mei 27, 2010, 9:38 pm

86. Unless the sad story of Reta Winters nineteen year old daughter, Norah, who has decided to live on the streets of Toronto instead of staying at school or being with her family.

Reta and her husband Tom have two other daughters at home and try their best to go on with their lives while hoping that whatever is wrong with their daughter will end soon, hopefully without disaster striking.

Reta, an author tries to lose herself in taking care of the rest of her family, working on her latest book, and maintaining her relationships with her friends, but nothing can help ease the pain of not being able to help her child.

Overwhelmingly melancholy, but there were good discussions about the traditonal vs. non traditional roles of women, and what makes one "complete". So far my favorite book by this author is The Stone Diaries.

21cmbohn
mei 28, 2010, 1:31 am

I grew to love Remains of the Day when I read it a few years ago. I wasn't sure at first. I was going to give it just a few more pages before I gave up, thinking this just wasn't for me, when I got to the part about his father's death. That's when I was hooked. I had to finish it. So good.

22RidgewayGirl
mei 28, 2010, 7:52 am

Unless did make me think about it afterward for quite some time. I still like Larry's Party best of her books and am sad that there won't be any more.

What I liked about Unless was the way life went on despite upheavals and distresses.

23lsh63
mei 30, 2010, 10:56 am

87.
The Graduate is a great movie; the book not so much. It was a short, easy read which read more like a script or play than a novel.

Young Benajmin has graduated from college, is not sure what he wants to do and and becomes involved with the wife of his father's business partner, Mrs. Robinson. Benjamin later decides that he is now in love with Elaine Robinson, who he believes will marry him after she finds out that he and her mother had an affair.

I suppose I never really figured out what happened to disillusion Benjamin from going forward with his goals. There is an "anti-establishment" tone, but it is never explored.

There are parts of the book that were funny, but not nearly as hilarious as the looks on Dustin Hoffman's face, Anne Bancroft's portryal of Mrs. Robinson, and maybe the best of all, the Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack. This is one of those cases where the movie surpasses the book.

24lsh63
mei 31, 2010, 11:49 am

88. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

This is a great book about a subject matter where I can appreciate both sides of the issue at hand. The issue being: Do we have rights over our medical tissue material?

For example after a surgery, a biopsy, or other diagnostic test, the discarded material is of no use to the individual, but it can be used for new research, which is being developed constantly. And there is no question that millions of lives have been saved due to constant research and experimentation.

However some individuals maintain that in the billion dollar industry of scientific research, individuals such as the Lacks family, should have a percentage of any profits made, or at the least, health insurance.

This is the fascinating story of Henrietta Lacks, who in 1951, sought treatment for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins and whose cells were used without her knowledge(informed consent) for research purposes. She died months after seeking treatment, leaving behind five children, a husband, and many other relatives who had no idea of what was about to happen. Mrs. Lacks's cells were the first human "immortal" cells grown in culture, and are still still viable today. These cells have been instrumental in studying cancer, the polio vaccine, and other viral and genetic research.

I found the book to contain the appropriate combination of the biographical information of Henrietta Lacks, as well as scientific data, at no time did I feel as though I was reading a scientific journal. It's an excellent read.

25lsh63
Bewerkt: mei 31, 2010, 7:20 pm

89. The 4:50 from Paddington

Miss Marple's friend, Mrs. McGillicuddy, witnesses a woman being strangled in a passing train. She can't get anyone to believe her and there doesn't appear to be a body found anywhere until Miss Marple takes charge and helps the police out.

I was wrong about who the muderer was of course.

26lindapanzo
jun 1, 2010, 1:56 pm

#25 I think that one, which was alternately titled What Mrs McGillicudy Saw, was one of my favorite Agatha Christies.

I'm eager to get to the Henrietta Lacks book soon. I've heard such great things about it.

27lsh63
jun 3, 2010, 6:18 pm

Hi Linda:

I think this will be one of my favorite Miss Marple's as well. Also, I don't think you will be sorry when you read the Henrietta Lacks book.

28lsh63
Bewerkt: jun 16, 2010, 8:21 pm

90. The Likeness

Detective Cassie Maddox is back. After the debacle of Operation Vestal which occurred in In the Woods, Cassie has transferred from Homicide to the Domestic Violence Unit.

When she receives a call about a dead body, she is a little confused as to why. It turns out that the deceased is not only the spitting image of Detective Maddox, the deceased was also using the name of Lexie Madison, which is the name that Cassie used while working undercover a few years prior.

Obviously Cassie is the perfect choice to impersonate the deceased as her four roommates are told that Lexie will make a recovery but will have bouts of "amnesia", seemingly the perfect cover story for any slip ups while investigating the murder.

Before our eyes Cassie becomes Lexie and begins to bond with her four housemates, all the while knowing that one of them killed Lexie and may kill her also.

I loved this book even more than the first, and I look forward to the third book by this author which will be available next month, I believe.

29lsh63
jun 3, 2010, 6:44 pm

91. Shanghai Girls I loved The Snow Flower and the Secret Fan so much I decided to read this most recent book by this author.

Shanghai Girls is the story of sisters Pearl and May, who are living in Shanghai in 1937 as "beautiful girls". They wear beautiful clothes, go out to parties and clubs and enjoy themselves to the fullest.

All is changed forever when their father gambles away their money. In order to satisfy his debts, the sisters are sold to men living in America, who are searching for Chinese wives. The girls decide not to join their husbands, but are forced to flee their beloved city when Japan invades China.

This is a wonderful story of the strength of women, and the bond of sisters. They suffer unspeakable horrors, share a life altering secret, and are at times jealous of each other. But even in the midst of betrayal, their sister bond remains strong.

In addition , I also learned quite a bit about Chinese culture, as well as the way that immigrants were treated during this time period.

30lsh63
jun 16, 2010, 8:32 pm

92. Blood Work I picked this book up only because the next Harry Bosch that I want to read references a character from this book.

Even with the big as day picture of Clint Eastwood on the cover, I still couldn't place the movie, then as I read further, I did remember bits and pieces of the movie, which was mediocre.

Terry McCaleb is an ex FBI agent forced into an early retirement due to a heart condition which required a transplant. The sister of the woman who donated her heart shows up on his boat one day asking him to help solve her sister's murder. Too much stress can cause organ rejection, but Terry decides he just has to know the truth, and decides to track the killer. What he finds will affect not only his life but also his conscience.

Not a great book, but I am glad to have the background info necessary to move onward with the Harry Bosch series.

31lsh63
Bewerkt: jun 17, 2010, 6:20 pm

93. Movie Confidential (Stories of Sex, Scandal, Murder and Mayhem in the Film Industry), my May ER book, is a series of little bits about various Hollywood stars and their scandals(think Bob Crane and Fatty Arbuckle), deaths at a young age (think Tyrone Power and Heath Ledger), and volatile relationships (think Bette Davis and Joan Crawford).

Unfortunately, I found this book to have little structure and was not very organized. The information was all over the place and contained a few spelling errors. The overall intent I suppose, was to have a little fun while relaying the information to the reader, but parts of the book came across as insensitive, such as the chapter "We're Gonna Need a Bigger Casket" which pokes fun at overweight stars such as Shelley Winters, Jackie Gleason and Orson Welles.

I would have liked to see more information about the history of the Oscars and perhaps the division of the book into decades, which I think would have made the information flow better.

32lsh63
Bewerkt: jun 24, 2010, 6:23 pm

94.Blue Heaven

This is a very good story about Annie and William Taylor who, while attempting to go fishing, accidentally witness four men commit murder. Annie knows that they were seen by the men and starts looking for a place to hide.

Unfortunately, the killers know that they were seen by the children and set out to stop Annie and William at all costs. When their mother reports them missing, the four men just happen to be retired LA policemen "volunteer" to help look for the children.

Annie and William are temporarily saved by Jess Rawlins, a rancher who is about to have his land foreclosed on. He doubts Annie and William's story at first, but then quickly learns that they are telling the truth. In trying to save them, he also puts his own life at risk.

33lsh63
jun 24, 2010, 6:30 pm

95.Live Flesh

Rapist Victor Jenner shoots unarmed policeman David Fleetwood, in the back permanently crippling him. When he is released from prison ten years later, he fights the urge to rape again and tries to make a new life for himself.

One day Victor gets the bright idea to track down David Fleetwood and finds himself not only being friends with David, but also falling head over heels in love with David's girlfriend Clare. Oddly enough, the friendship works for a while, until Victor's weirdness and obsession with Clare spiral out of control.

The beauty of this book is the unravelling of a disturbed individual who wants to have friends. Great psychological thriller.

34cbl_tn
jun 24, 2010, 9:11 pm

>32 lsh63: I read Blue Heaven recently and thought it was a well written suspense story. It was my first C.J. Box, but it won't be my last.

Looks like you're getting close to finishing your challenge!

35DeltaQueen50
jun 24, 2010, 9:43 pm

It's pretty hard to beat Ruth Rendell writing about the unravelling of a disturbed individual! Have you read Judgement In Stone, I think it is one of her best.

36lsh63
jun 26, 2010, 8:30 am

#34, Blue Heaven was my first C.J. Box also. I will be reading more.

95/150 for my challenge, although as I always do, I have plowed through the mysteries and left myself with quite a bit of Biographies and Non Fiction to finish!

37lsh63
jun 26, 2010, 8:33 am

#35. Hi Judy:

I loved Judgement in Stone! Although I have enjoyed many of her other books, including those written as Barbara Vine, Judgement in Stone is the one I most associate with her, and it's the one that I recommend to others who haven't read her before.

38lsh63
jun 27, 2010, 11:46 am

96. The Blind Assassin

I wasn't sure if I would like this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. Three stories are actually one story about the lives of Iris and Laura Chase.

Iris, now in her eighties is reflecting on her own life and that of her sister Laura, who died at the age of 25, and became a celebrated author posthumously.

The Blind Assassin refers to the title of Laura's book, which is about two lovers who meet in seedly places and write a science fiction tale together.

I have to admit that at times I became confused about where the story was headed, but then everything started to click for me.

I thought this book was an excellent read, and at times I had trouble putting it down.

39lsh63
jun 27, 2010, 11:56 am

97. Maisie Dobbs I enjoyed this first in the series about Maisie Dobbs, Investigator/Psychologist. It was part mystery, part war story, and part romance.

Maisie, began as a maid for a wealthy London family, studied at Cambridge, was a nurse during World War I, and later opened her own detective agency.

Her first case is that of a man suspicious that is his wife is cheating on him. Maisie, who befriends the woman, later finds that she is not having an affair, but is mourning a lost love killed during the war.

This case forces Maisie to relive her own war experiences and her first love. I loved the ending! I also look forward to reading more in this series.

40lsh63
jul 3, 2010, 5:19 pm

98. In Search of My Father

It's difficult to lose a parent, and it must be particularly awful when you're too young to realize exactly what is happening.

Stephen Humphrey Bogart, the son of the infamous Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, had just turned eight years old when his father died of lung cancer in January of 1957. Stephen, plagued by his father's legacy and struggling with his own identity, offers a very candid look into his father's life, complete with stories about John Huston, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy and Frank Sinatra. The epitome of "toughness" Humphrey Bogart was fifty when Stephen was born, and just a little unsure about how a child would fit into his lifestyle.

Stephen Bogart just wanted to be a regular guy, as I suppose all children of famous people do, and his quest to understand his father is a painful, poignant, and very realistic perspective.

41lsh63
jul 6, 2010, 6:52 am

99. A Thousand Acres

This 1992 Pulitzer winner is the story of Larry Cook and his daughters, Ginny, Rose, and Caroline. Larry is a successful farmer with a 1000 acre farm that he intends to divide equally among his three daughters and their spouses. When the youngest daughter Caroline, has a problem with her father's plan, she is cut out of his will.

The story is told from Ginny's viewpoint, who at times feels as though all she does is cook, clean, and take care of everyone else. The one thing that she longs for, she can't seem to have, and she shares a very difficult relationship with her father and sisters. There are also some very deep rooted supressed memories that come to light, that make for a very emotional story.

A Thousand Acres is touted as a "reimagining" of King Lear which the reader is able to pick up on immediately.

Overall, this was an ok read for me.

42lsh63
jul 6, 2010, 2:23 pm

100.The Bad Seed

This is one creepy but good book as was the movie.

Little Rhoda Penmark will stop at nothing to get what she wants, including killing an elderly woman and a classmate. Slowly her mother comes to grip with the fact that her sweet little angel daughter is a killer and that her own genetics may have played a part in making her daughter the way she is.

Even though I am very familar with the movie, having seen it many times, reading the books still gave me a few shivers.

43RidgewayGirl
jul 6, 2010, 10:20 pm

That is one of my favorite old movies. I didn't know that it was based on a book.

44lsh63
jul 12, 2010, 8:10 pm

#43. Kay: I didn't know The Bad Seed was a book either, I just happened to catch it when watching the movie for probably the 20th time.

45lsh63
jul 12, 2010, 8:29 pm

101. Scarlett O'Hara's Younger Sister

When I am not reading like there is no tomorrow, I also enjoy watching classic movies, which in turn, makes me want to know a little more about some of the stars who appeared in these great movies.

This book was a scattered but fun read about life of the actress Evelyn Keyes, who played Suellen in Gone With The Wind.

The book jumps back and forth in time a bit, but it's a revealing tell all about her career,her relationship with Mike Todd, who dumped her for Liz Taylor, and her marriages to Charles Vidor, John Huston, and one of my favorite musicians, Artie Shaw. She appeared to never find happiness in a relationship, but became "her own woman" after falling under the spell of the dynamic personalities that she surrounded herself with.

It is also a very candid account of the "casting couch" and just how much control the studio had over the lives of its stars. I can't imagine how that much control would be feasible today.

All in all, this was a good read.

46VictoriaPL
jul 13, 2010, 8:33 am

Ha! You do read like there's no tomorrow. I can't keep up with you!

47lsh63
jul 17, 2010, 12:46 pm

102. The Poisonwood Bible

I had a little trouble getting into this book at first, but I stuck with it and found it to be beautifully written as well as thought provoking. with the clash of religious and cultural values.

In 1959, Baptist preacher Nathan Price takes his wife and four daughters to the Belgian Congo to "save the sinners" and convert them into Christians.

The best and most effective part of the book is the narration by the mother and her four daughters: Rachel, Leah, Adha, and Ruth May, and the way that their experiences shaped their future lives. While a little slow at times, this was a worthwhile read.

48ivyd
jul 17, 2010, 1:33 pm

>47 lsh63: I was sure that I wouldn't like this book when my daughter insisted that I read it. Much to my surprise, I liked it very much, and I thought that the characterizations and clearly delineated voices of the four narrators was beautifully done.

49Porua
jul 17, 2010, 3:59 pm

Finally caught up with your thread. As always you are reading my kind of books. I read and reviewed The Remains of the Day earlier this year. I just loved the book! It is one of my best reads this year and also one of my most thumbed reviews ever. Reviewed 4.50 from Paddington this year too. This one was a re-read. 4.50 from Paddington remains one of my favourite Miss Marple novels (after Sleeping Murder, A Murder Is Announced and A Pocketful of Rye).

50lsh63
jul 25, 2010, 1:19 pm

103. Murder on the Orient Express This was a truly satisfying read for a mystery addict like me. I enjoyed reading about a train stuck due to a snowbank while in the midst of the ridiculous heatwaves we've been experiencing.

This is one of Ms. Christie's best known works which features Mon. Poirot as a passenger on the Orient Express on his way back to Paris. A wealthy American man asks Poirot for his help, and after Poirot refuses, the man is found murdered with multiple stab wounds. Each of the 13 travelers on the train has a secret and one by one, they all become suspects in the crime. This book has a wonderful diverse cast of characters, plenty of red herrings and will keep you guessing until the very end. I don't think I 've seen the movie, so I am glad that I read the book first.

51lsh63
jul 28, 2010, 5:54 pm

104. Faithful Place

Many “series” novels focus on the same characters and give them some type of a new storyline. I find that when an author varies the characters in each book and also makes one character the book’s focus; it makes for especially good reading. What I especially like is that Tana French’s books are not really series oriented in my opinion, because all three can be read independent of each other, for example, only minor details from In The Woods are alluded to in the Likeness.

Admittedly, when I heard that Tana French had a third book coming out, I thought that it would feature Ryan and Cassie and wrap up a few of their loose ends, not so! Faithful Place explores the life of Frank Mackey, the undercover detective who last appeared in The Likeness, as a peripheral character. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Frank after reading The Likeness; he was a bit of a bully. However, the characterization in Faithful Place is so good, that you see Frank in a new light and really feel for him.

When Frank was nineteen, he had plans to elope with his girlfriend Rosie Daly and escape from their dreary lives and not too promising futures in Dublin. They were headed to England to begin their new lives together. Frank waited for Rosie, who never showed, and brokenhearted he assumed that she decided against being with him, mainly because of his highly dysfunctional family. After Frank believes that Rose jilted him, he leaves Faithful Place never to return again.

When Frank’s sister Jackie calls him twenty or so years later and reports that Rosie’s suitcase was found in the abandoned flat where Frank was supposed to meet her, he begins to suspect that something went horribly wrong that night and decides that he has to find out what happened. Faithful Place is not fond of policemen, and especially policeman who haven’t been home for more than twenty years. Needless to say Frank doesn’t receive a warm welcome from his family or the rest of the neighborhood. While he is unofficially investigating, Frank tries his best to make amends with his family which is not easy, and even considers letting his daughter Holly interact with them.

As Frank digs deeper to find out what happened to the love of his life, dark family secrets emerge and he begins to regret ever returning home. I suspected what had happened to Rosie early on, but that didn’t really matter, what drew me into this book and kept me hooked was the characterization of Frank’s family and his dilemma of how to find out what happened to Rosie while wanting to stay far away from his family.

I am looking forward to the next book already.

52DeltaQueen50
jul 28, 2010, 5:55 pm

Good review - I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!

53lsh63
jul 28, 2010, 8:12 pm

#52, Thanks Judy, I think you'll enjoy it!

54lsh63
jul 28, 2010, 8:22 pm

105 And Then There Were None

This Christie goody does not feature any of her usual detectives, and I have to say I could so vividly imagine the setting of this book, that sometimes I got chills in the 90 plus degree heat!

Ten people are mysteriously invited to a private island off the coast of Devon. The host, an eccentric millionaire, who no one seems to know, is nowhere to be found. This is the point in the movie where you would go "don't go, turn back".

Each of the guests has some nasty secret from their past, and one by one they are all killed. After finding the carnage, the question for the police is who is the actual murderer?

Very good read, and I can see why this book is often referred to as her masterpiece.

55cmbohn
jul 28, 2010, 8:36 pm

Those two Christies, along with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, are probably her very best, and definitely the ones you don't want spoiled! I'm glad you got to enjoy them without anyone telling you the ending.

56lsh63
jul 30, 2010, 6:17 pm

#55 Cindy: I agree, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was the first one of hers that I read where the ending was sooo good. Ditto for And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express.

57lsh63
jul 30, 2010, 6:22 pm

106. Anna Karenina

I am so glad to have finally finished this book! I have been trying to read it for a few years now.

Anna Karenina is much more than a story of adultery. The setting is 19th century Russia, at a time when reform took place in so many areas: agriculture, government, the church and the changing role of the lower class and women.

There are two main stories to this novel; the first is that of Anna, her husband Alexy, who she does not love and her infatuation with the dashing Count Vronsky, who becomes smitten with Anna as well.

The other story is that of Konstantin Levin who loves Anna’s brother’s sister in law, Kitty. Kitty also thinks she is in love with Vronsky, but after realizing that his heart belongs to Anna, she eventually grows to love Levin, who is quite the philosophical agriculturist.

Anna makes the decision to abandon her husband and young son and live with Vronsky after she realizes that she is pregnant with his child. I found myself going back and forth feeling sorry at times for the main characters. We all know the outcome when Anna decided that she Vronsky was bored with her and didn’t love her anymore and realized that maybe she had made a mess of her life.

In addition to all the marital strife there are also thought provoking themes which run rampant throughout the book such as the meaning of life, the power of faith, and the state of the “common man”.

I’m not sure if I consider it a masterpiece, but I did enjoy reading it very much.

58lsh63
jul 30, 2010, 6:40 pm

107. High Sierra This is one of the better noir films starring one of my absolute faves, Humphrey Bogart and perhaps the lesser known actress Ida Lupino, who I feel was underrated just a bit at times.

Aging gangster Big Mac plans a robbery at a California resort and recruits fresh from prison Roy Earle to lead the heist.

Roy drives to a camp where he finds the three men who are to assist him, and also meets a woman named Marie, girlfriend of one of the men. Roy allows Marie to stay, although with reservations. He also befriends a very odd dog named Pard.

Marie falls in love with Roy but he only has eyes for Velma, a young woman with a deformed foot and no money for the operation. After Roy pays for her operation, he asks Velma to marry him, she refuses, saying that she has someone back home. That is exactly when Roy falls in love with Marie.

The heist goes horribly wrong when the men are surprised by a security guard. The men holding the money are killed in a car crash and Roy is left with jewels and no way to fence them.

Desperate for cash, he decides to pull a small time robbery which unfortunately leads to an APB for him, and he is killed by a sharpshooter in the California mountains. Good stuff!

59DeltaQueen50
jul 31, 2010, 3:53 pm

I would be afraid to read High Sierra as I love the movie so much and wouldn't want to be disappointed. I think Humphrey Bogart was fantastic in the part of Roy Earle, and I agree that Ida Lupino didn't get enough recognition, she could really nail those tough girl parts!

You actually make the book sound pretty good though, glad to see even the dog "Pard" is there!

60lsh63
aug 7, 2010, 1:59 pm

108. The Wounded and the Slain

James and Cora Bevan take a vacation to Jamaica in an effort to save their crumbling marriage. Cora has intimacy issues, and James drinks to escape from their problems, in fact, throughout most of the book he indulges in reckless behavior because he thinks he wants to die.

This is not the typical "noir" or "pulp" novel because most of the so called action is played out internally in the recessess of James and Cora's minds. The reader learns why Cora has issues, and why James is trying to drink himself to death.

However, except for a little bad luck in Kingston, nothing spectacular happens. Not a bad read, but I was expecting a little more action.

61mathgirl40
aug 8, 2010, 5:53 am

You're making great progress on your ambitious challenge! I also reread And Then There Were None recently and I agree it's one of Agatha Christie's best. Even second time around, it was suspenseful and chilling.

62lsh63
aug 8, 2010, 10:26 am

Thank for dropping by my thread mathgirl. There are instances where certain authors' books will stand out in my mind, and And Then There Were None is one of them.

63lsh63
aug 8, 2010, 10:40 am

109. House of Mirth

Lily Bart is 29, a society girl, who is expected to make a suitable marriage in the near future. (i.e. rich and high society).

Unfortunately Lily has a bit of a gambling problem, and as she attempts to get rich quickly, events and misunderstandings take place which leaves her shunned by her so called friends.

This was a wonderful story of class conflicts, so-called social standing, pride, and a woman's place in society.

64VictoriaPL
aug 8, 2010, 12:40 pm

I'm sorry you were disappointed with The Wounded and the Slain. I enjoyed it better than I thought I would. Thanks for reading with me!

65lsh63
aug 8, 2010, 2:17 pm

Hi Victoria: I

'm glad that you enjoyed The Wounded and the Slain, I guess I was looking for some dramatic irony or something, I don't know. I have not given up on Mr. Goodis, I will track down some of his other books, it may just take a while.

I enjoy reading with you, especially our Noir faves!

66lindapanzo
aug 8, 2010, 9:40 pm

#63 The House of Mirth is pretty short, isn't it? I was looking for a short-ish "classic" for TIOLI this month and I think this one might fit the bill.

67lindapanzo
aug 8, 2010, 9:40 pm

Dit bericht is door zijn auteur gewist.

68lsh63
aug 9, 2010, 8:18 am

#66 Hi Linda, yes The House of Mirth is a little longer than a novella I suppose. Another short one is Summer and Ethan Frome which you have probably read.

69lindapanzo
Bewerkt: aug 9, 2010, 9:18 am

I was also thinking of her Old New York, which has the added advantage of being a book I already own. On the other hand, some of the books you mention are probably free on the Kindle. I think I read Ethan Frome in high school.

70christina_reads
aug 9, 2010, 1:35 pm

The Wounded and the Slain sounds interesting! I also liked The House of Mirth, although The Age of Innocence is my favorite Wharton.

71lsh63
Bewerkt: aug 15, 2010, 6:38 am

110. The Quiet Game

I loved this book! It's going to go on my faves for this year. Penn Cage, a former Houston prosecutor, returns to his hometown of Natchez Mississippi. He has recently lost his wife and hopes that his daughter will heal by spending more time with her grandparents.

Penn soon finds that his family has a few secrets and also finds himself involved in a thirty year old murder case that brings danger too close to home. Excellent read!

111.Turning Angel Ok, so after The Quiet Game I found myself wanting more and turned to Turning Angel. This book takes place about five years after the first, and finds Penn remaining in his old hometown. He is shocked when the nude body of a student is found near the river and even more so when his best friend, Drew Elliott is involved with the girl much more than he would like. Even worse, his friend could be facing the death penalty. Also a very good read!

72VictoriaPL
Bewerkt: aug 16, 2010, 9:45 am

I knew you'd love The Quiet Game! I wasn't as keen on Turning Angel though. Maybe I need to read them back-to-back...

Have you read The Devil's Punchbowl? It's on my list for this year, I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

73lsh63
aug 16, 2010, 5:57 pm

112. Rendezvous in Black

I am very surprised that Cornell Woolrich’s books are so difficult to obtain. Mr. Woolirch is often included with other noir greats such as: James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, yet his works for the large part, are unavailable.

According to Richard Dooling in the book’s introduction, "Cornell Woolrich had quite a few of his works adapted to film. Classics such as Rear Window, Black Angel, The Bride Wore Black, and Black Curtain which was renamed Street of Chance. The title of most of his books feature dark, death, black, and night, which suggests that he may have been somewhat responsible for the term film noir”.

Rendezvous In Black is the story of Johnny Marr, who in the 1940’s waits for his fiancée Dorothy, at their usual spot against a drugstore wall. It’s May 31st, and June 1st is supposed to be their wedding day. When Dorothy doesn’t show, Johnny realizes that a horrible accident involving a group of drunken men and a low flying charter plane has shattered his dreams and caused him to lose everything that he loved in life.

Johnny exacts a plan of revenge for each of the five men on May 31st of each year. But he's not going to kill them, no, that would be too easy, to make each man really suffer, Johnny will go after a wife, mistress or daughter so that each man will also lose what they love most.

As Johnny sought his revenge against all five men responsible for Dorothy’s death, a clever police detective begins to realize that the May 31 date is significant and begins his quest to stop Johnny before more people die.

This was a very suspenseful edge of the seat read.

74lsh63
aug 16, 2010, 6:00 pm

#72. Hi Victoria: Yes you were so right about The Quiet Game. Do you think maybe you were put off with the subject matter in Turning Angel?

I still have Devil's Punchbowl. I can't make up my mind whether to read it or not.

75RidgewayGirl
aug 16, 2010, 8:55 pm

I say, take them slowly. If you read too many of Iles's books in a row you start to notice that his protagonists are all white and wealthy, despite the books all being set in a relatively poor and African American part of the country. And the love interests are all boringly similar.

76lsh63
aug 21, 2010, 9:56 am

113. Ethan Frome A good novella about farmer Ethan Frome, his wife Zeenie and her cousin Mattie.

This book was different in that the setting was a wintry New England town, rather than upper class New York.

Ethan is miserable in his marriage to Zeenie, a sickly not so nice woman. When her cousin Mattie Silver comes to town, Ethan finds himself falling in love with her. When Zeenie sees to it that Mattie has to leave their home, Ethan and Mattie make a decision that ends with tragic results.

This books also includes the short stories The Pretext, Afterward, The Legend and Xingu which I have not yet read.

77lsh63
aug 21, 2010, 10:00 am

114. Naked in Death Why oh why did I pick up another book with so many in the series????? I wasn't sure if I would like this or not, but I loved it! A co-worker convinced me to try it and I think I may have finished it in a day and a half.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas becomes involved with murder suspect Roarke and mixes romance with solving a murder case. It sounds cheesy, but I thought the book was very good.

78lindapanzo
aug 23, 2010, 7:30 pm

I discovered the J.D. Robb In Death series about halfway through and went on a Robb book-reading spree. Fortunately, they are all quick reads, though, as you mention, there are a lot of them.

Now, I just make do with her twice-yearly books in this series.

79cmbohn
aug 26, 2010, 2:40 pm

Rendezvous in Black sounds really good. Thanks for the recommendation.

80lsh63
aug 28, 2010, 11:25 am

#78 Linda: are the twice yearly books in the "Death " series kind of like in betweens?

#79 I hope you can get a copy of Rendezvous in Black!

81lsh63
aug 28, 2010, 11:29 am

115. ABC Murders This was a very good Hercule Poirot. Poirot and Hastings work together to try and stop a killer who is murdering individuals in alphabetical order such as A in Andover, B in Bexhill etc.

The killer sends Poirot notes about the crimes that will be committed in order to taunt him. When a suspect is finally found and confesses, Poirot doubts the confession and vows to find out the truth.

82lindapanzo
aug 28, 2010, 11:33 am

#80 Nora Roberts is amazing. I imagine that she's got a fleet of writers helping her churn out so many books.

As JD Robb, she publishes two books a year, usually about Feb and Nov.

83lsh63
aug 28, 2010, 11:38 am

116. The Chatham School Affair

A story about the tragic events which took place in a small academic community in 1927.

Seventy years later, Henry Griswald slowly and I do mean slowly, reveals the events which led up to the tragedy, which began when the lovely Elizabeth Channing, the new art teacher comes to town. Miss Channing begins an affair with another teacher who is married with a child. Events spiral out of control, and tragedy ensues.

When I reached the end of the story which was a complete surprise, I realized why the slow, deliberate character development was necessary in order to properly tell Henry's story. There were no plot twists per se, but a very good read.

84ivyd
aug 28, 2010, 12:25 pm

>82 lindapanzo: I've wondered how she can produce so many books. I thought her oxymoron books were the best as Nora Roberts (they were the first of her mainstream fiction, so she probably did write them herself) and I liked the Chesapeake Blue series. But I burned out on her a long time ago -- except for the J.D. Robb books, which I started reading somewhere around book 5-7 and continue to read twice each year.

85lsh63
aug 28, 2010, 5:28 pm

117 Exile
118Resolution

I just love Denise Mina, and the main character in her Garnethill trilogy, Maureen O' Donnell, is excellent!

I would recommend reading the first book in the series, Garnethill in order to get the full background on Maureen's family history.

Maureen is self destructive, deeply troubled, emotionally raw, and comes from a very dysfunctional family. The characters in this trilogy are so vivid, so flawed and and wonderfully developed, and the setting so descriptive, I really felt as though I was in Glasgow with them the whole time.

Exile the second book in the Garnethill trilogy, finds Maureen working in a battered women's shelter. When the body of one of the residents turns up badly mutilated in the river, all indicators point to the resident's husband who found out that his wife also had a boyfriend and was involved in drug trafficking. Maureen and her best friend Leslie, set out to prove the husband's innocence and almost lose their lives in the process.

Resolution the last book in the trilogy, finds Maureen very anxious because of a series of events that are about to take place.

Her sister Una is due to give birth to a baby any day which causes Maureen great anxiety. Her father Michael, has resurfaced, which is never a good thing.

Her former dcotor who murdered Maureen's boyfriend, is about to go on trial and Maureen must face him and testify, in hopes of putting him away for good.

This was an excellent series and I am sure I will look into obtaining the author's other works soon.

86DeltaQueen50
aug 28, 2010, 6:34 pm

Although I have read a couple of Denise Mina's Patty Meehan books and enjoyed them, I still love her Garnethill Trilogy the best! Maureen O'Donnell, with all her quirks and flaws, was such a real person.

87AHS-Wolfy
aug 28, 2010, 7:14 pm

Denise Mina is an author I've been meaning to read for a while now. I have three of her books on my tbr shelves, including Garnethill, so thanks for the reminder.

88RidgewayGirl
aug 28, 2010, 10:04 pm

I'm so glad you loved them! I really think that the Garnethill trilogy are fabulous noir and they're among my favorite books.

89lsh63
aug 30, 2010, 8:11 pm

#87 and 88, I loved the Garnethill trilogy! As a matter of fact, when I went to the library today to return some long overdue books,Deception was mocking me from the shelf, but I left it there. I need to finish my challenge and to stop getting distracted with library items.

90lsh63
aug 30, 2010, 8:18 pm

119. Phantom of the Opera I have always been curious about the book which inspired several movie versions and plays. The book was excellent!

The author has written the book in such a factual manner that I really felt as though I was reading a true story about the Paris opera house monster Erik, his love for Christine and that pesky Raoul constantly getting in his way.

I have only seen one movie version of this book, starring one my favorite actors of all time, Claude Rains, whose biography I will be reading shortly. This was a very good read.

91lsh63
aug 30, 2010, 8:37 pm

120. Up Close Ella Fitzgerald

Known as the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald emerged to become a superstar from her humble beginnings as a homeless teenager on the streets of New York.

Possessing a three octave range, and the ability to scat like no one else at the time, Ella Fitzgerald seamlessly made the transition from swing to bebop jazz, when others faltered.

She had an almost 60 year career and was adored by all the greats, including Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Mel Torme and Count Basie, just to name a few. She made over 200 albums and won 14 Grammys.

This was a very good background biography, which gave a good overview of the life and career of one of jazz's greatest singers.

92lindapanzo
aug 31, 2010, 12:30 pm

#91 I have to add that Ella Fitzgerald bio to my tbr pile.

Nothing makes me smile more than hearing Ella sing Manhattan.

93lsh63
sep 12, 2010, 8:13 pm

I haven't posted here in a while, about two weeks. Ragweed pollen has been making my life miserable, and not able to read as much as I would have liked.

121. The Black Dahlia This book was a little slow for me at first, but then I became used to the author's writing style and became more interested. Former boxers turned police officers Bucky Bleichart and Lee Blanchard are partners, in love with the same woman, and both very flawed.

Their story is told with a fabulous Los Angeles setting with great character development. I liked how the real life story of the "Black Dahlia" was woven into this story. The Black Dahlia refers to the the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short.

I found this to be a very good read.

94lsh63
sep 12, 2010, 8:19 pm

122. Every Secret Thing I have heard great things about Laura Lippman, not only her on LT, but at the library and various bookstores.

I have been accumulating her Tess Monaghan series, which is kind of out there because I haven't read Baltimore Blues yet, to see if I like it!

Every Secret Thing is one of the author's stand alone novels, which I thought was good but not great.

Alice and Ronnie are two 11 year olds who kidnap what they believe is an abandoned baby. An unfortunate incident takes place, and Alice and Ronnie are sent away for seven years.

Shortly after their release, children begin to disappear, which makes Alice and Ronnie prime suspects. The most interesting character was that of the mother who felt that Alice and Ronnie should have done more time in prison and still seeks some form of revenge in a creepy but understandable kind of way.

95DeltaQueen50
sep 12, 2010, 10:50 pm

Lisa, on another thread I saw you mention that something was missing from Every Secret Thing. Something that you couldn't put your finger on. I felt the same way. It was almost as if something was happening just off the pages that the reader didn't know about and was never going to be told about either. I had a sense of something deeper going on that wasn't being put on the pages, which in turn, made me feel like an outsider- never really a part of the story.

96lsh63
sep 19, 2010, 3:07 pm

#95, Judy, yes, that's exactly the problem with Every Secret Thing, I frequently felt as though I was missing something in the detail by reading too fast, but I'm glad it's not just me.

No sneezing or itchy eyes today, so maybe I can post my books:

123 The Charwoman's Daughter This book can best be described as an "ode" to Dublin's working class. The first page was so powerful for me:

"Mary Makebelieve lived with her mother in a small room at the very top of a big, dingy house in a Dublin back street for as long as she could remember she had lived in that top back room. She knew every crack in the ceiling and they were numerous and of strange shapes."

Mary's mother works as a cleaning woman and desires a better life for her daughter. When Mary's mother becomes ill and lacking money, Mary is forced to take on the same work as her mother.

What I took away from this book is how the working poor are perceived in society, and that sometimes life does not work out the way we would like, but there is always hope.

97lsh63
sep 19, 2010, 3:17 pm

124. Invisible Man A powerful story which addresses social issues and the African American's place in society.

The book is narrated in first person by an unnamed protagonist who considers himself to be "invisible" to everyone. His story begins at a Southern college ( seems like it's Tuskeegee), where he is doing well in school and is in his junior year, with a bright future ahead of him.

When asked to show a visiting white trustee around town, he makes the mistake of showing him one of the more "seamier" individuals in town, a man who has impregnated his own daughter. After hearing what happened, the college president secretly intends to expel him from school, but pretends that he will help him find a job to make money so that he can one day return to school.

The protagonist winds up in Harlem and finds himself the victim of shock treatments, paranoia, and a stint in an African American nationalist movement, known as the Brotherhood. When he finds himself let down by the Brotherhood, and realizing that his life has come full circle, he realizes that he is no better off than when he started, but perhaps a bit wiser about the ways of the world and his race.

98lsh63
sep 19, 2010, 7:20 pm

125. Memoirs of a Geisha This book took me a while to read. It wasn't because it's not good, it is, but I kept getting distracted by other books.

This is a very good read about a retired geisha reflecting on her life. I found the explanations of Japanese traditions and culture very interesing, and I liked that the protagonist found a little joy in her life at the end.

126. Bad Boy I was happy to receive this book as my ER win for July. This book is number 19 in the Alan Banks series.

I was a little leery, not having read books number 16-18, but Bad Boy is fine to read as a stand alone. In the beginning chapters, I kept looking for Alan Banks, who was not in England, but rather in America on vacation.

While he is on vacation, a former neighbor of his comes by the police station looking for him as her daughter is in trouble, having got herself mixed up with a "bad" boy. Since Alan is away, Annie decides to handle the matter, then learns that Alan's daughter is somehow connected to what is going on.

Events spiral out of control, and when Alan returns he finds that his daughter Tracy needs his help more than ever. The question though, is whether he will follow the "rules" or bend them to help Tracy.

Very good read, now I have to go back and read the books that I missed.

99lsh63
sep 20, 2010, 4:37 pm

127 Halloween Party An average Hercule Poirot with no big reveal of the murderer at the end. In all fairness, this book was written fairly late in Ms. Christie's career so maybe she was tired!

Ariadne Oliver is in attendance at a children's Halloween party. One of the guests claimed to have witness a murder at some point. When the little girl if later found dead, Ms. Oliver calls in Monsieur Poirot to assist. It won't be easy because just about every person in town thinks that the poor deceased child was a pathological liar. Later when the little girl's brother is also found dead, Poirot races to stop the murderer before any other children meet a similar fate.

I know it's fiction, but there were just way too many "suspicious deaths" in such a small town!

100lsh63
sep 26, 2010, 8:26 pm

128.Haywire

A very good memoir by Brooke Hayward, daughter of actress Margaret Sullavan and theatrical producer and agent, Leyland Hayward.

By the time Brooke Hayward was 23, her mother and sister had both committed suicide, and her brother had been in a mental institution (many years later, he would also kill himself).

Brooke, her sister Bridget, and her brother Bill, were supposed to live the charmed lives as the children of of Hollywood and Broadway parents, but as the title of her book so aptly suggests everything went "haywire".

Brooke Hayward tells a magically compelling and tragic story of how it all went wrong. Her sister Bridget was diagnosed as epileptic, but was ashamed of her condition and did not want anyone to know. Fearful of her quality of life, she killed herself at age 21.

Margaret Sullavan, who it appears may have been suffering from intense mood swings, had killed herself nine months before.

Her brother Bill was institutionalized at 16, mainly because he was troublesome, and oddly enough it was quite fashionable it seems as the time, for wealthy parents to send their children "away" to straighten them out.

This is a painfully honest memoir that I did not want to put down.

101lsh63
sep 30, 2010, 6:12 pm

129. Dumb Witness aka Poirot Loses a Client.

Hercule Poirot is intrigued when he receives a letter which was written two months ago requesting his assistance from Emily Arundell, an elderly woman with plenty of greedy relatives anxious for their so-called inheritance.

Poirot decides to get to the bottom of things, even when all indications do not point to a murder.

102lsh63
sep 30, 2010, 6:20 pm

130. Jane Eyre There's not much to say about this timeless classic which I had planned to read last year for my 999 and of course became sidetracked with other books.

I am glad to have finally read it, I found it to be a wonderfully written story of Jane's early life, the cruel manner in which she was treated, and her strength as a woman. Last but not least, finally finding happiness, but not in the typical happily ever after way.

103Porua
okt 1, 2010, 4:25 pm

How did you like Dumb Witness? I thought that the bit about the mirror was rather clever. The overall story was good too. And don’t you think Bob is the most adorable thing ever? Even a cat person like me liked him!

104lsh63
okt 2, 2010, 8:10 pm

Hi Porua:

I liked Dumb Witness and oh yes, how could I forget about cute little Bob the dog, that was an interesting touch.

105lsh63
okt 2, 2010, 8:16 pm

131. The Constant Princess is the story of Katherine of Aragon, aka Princess Catalina of Spain, daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, who is destined to become Queen of England one day.

Before reading this book, all I knew about Katherine of Aragon was that she was eventually pushed off of her throne by Anne Boleyn. I did not know that Henry VIII was not originally destined to become king, and that there was an older brother Arthur, who died while married to Katherine, who was supposed to rule instead.

I thought that this book was a good but not great read. However, after reading it, I do want to read more about the Tudor history.

106lsh63
okt 2, 2010, 8:24 pm

132. The Moving Finger

In the The Moving Finger Miss Marple did not appear until the last 1/4 of the book, although she was most effective as usual.

It was a good read overall, narrated by Jerry Burton, who is recuperating from an injury and being cared for by his sister Joanna in the sleepy village of Lymstock, where they are renting a house.

Poison pen letters pop up all over the place, resulting in both a suicide and a murder. There was a nice wrap up at the end and two happily ever after moments.

107Porua
okt 3, 2010, 2:04 pm

I really liked The Moving Finger. The extremely late entry of Miss Marple is the one big grouse I have with it. I very much prefer Lymstock with her as opposed to without her. I thought the whole dream sequence with the narrator Jerry Barton is one of the more intriguing scenes of the book.

One thing that makes this book a good read for me is the appearance of Mrs. Dane Calthrop. She’s a unique Christie creation. She appears in only one other Christie book, The Pale Horse.

108lsh63
okt 4, 2010, 8:19 pm

When I am not reading, I do enjoy checking out classic movies One of my favorite actors is Claude Rains, and I happily anticipated reading his biography An Actor's Voice: Claude Rains.

Although he never reached leading man status, his four nominations for Best Supporting Actor were outstanding performances: Captain Renault in Casablanca, Mr. Skeffington, Notorious and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

My particular favorites of his are: Deception where he engages in a delightful cat and mouse game with Bette Davis and Paul Henreid, and Now Voyageur, ironically another movie with Bette Davis and Paul Henreid.

The son of a stage actor, Claude Rains did not take the movie business seriously until he was well into middle age. He was a WWI vet who fought along with Basil Rathbone, Ronald Coleman and Herbert Marshall.

I was very surprised to learn that he had married no less than six times!

109VictoriaPL
okt 5, 2010, 10:09 am

Six times! Well, his buddy Bogart was married four times himself. Do you think it was part of that era?

110lsh63
okt 5, 2010, 8:07 pm

Hey Victoria: you know I had forgotten that Bogey was married four times. I think you're right, it was definitely the era, better to be married than be caught fooling around by Louella Parsons or Hedda Hopper lol!

111lsh63
okt 5, 2010, 8:15 pm

134 What the Dead Know I have been staring at this book by Laura Lippman for a while an I decided to work it into my challenge at the eleventh hour!

Unlike Every Secret Thing which was just mediocre, What the Dead Know had me hooked all the way through.

It's the story to two sisters Heather and Sunny, who disappeared from a Baltimore shopping mall thirty years ago. They never returned and their bodies were never recovered.

Flash forward to thirty years later when after a hit and run accident, the driver claims to be the younger sister, Heather.

As the police try to solve this now very cold case, they face one dead end after another and are convinced that this person is not Heather, but she knows more than she should about Heather's life, things that the public wouldn't know. The question becomes just who is this woman and what happened to her sister?

A great read!

112RidgewayGirl
okt 6, 2010, 12:18 pm

That was the first book by Laura Lippman, and definitely hooked me.

In regards to the multiple marriages of old time Hollywood stars--I'm not sure that much has changed. Hollywood marriages don't seem that much more stable!

113lsh63
okt 11, 2010, 11:22 am

135. The Death of Ivan Ilych A very short story of Ivan Ilych's relfections on his life as he is dying. His loveless marriage, the now unimportant material posessions and his thoughts on the meaning of life as he faces imminent death. A great read, and an important lesson also. Those sayings "Money can't buy happiness and You can't take it with you" are so true!

114lsh63
okt 11, 2010, 11:29 am

136. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Boy have I struggled to finish this one! Overall the trilogy is fantastic, but admittedly I did not devour the third book as I did the first and second.

It was very slow starting for me, then I found that it was very good in parts, then it dragged for me, then got good again etc.

In the last of the trilogy, Lisbeth is in big trouble and Mikael is determined to help her, whether she likes it or not.I don't want to say any more for those tho haven't read the series yet. There were a few loose ends that were tied up, but also some new loose ends as well, which after all makes for a good mystery/thriller series.

I saw a piece on television yesterday morning that the author's long time girlfriend is in possession of a manuscript for a fourth book and that there is a battle over the author's estate between the girlfriend and his family. Sad all around.

115AHS-Wolfy
okt 11, 2010, 11:45 am

It's a sad state of affairs where Stieg Larsson's long-time partner and his father can't sort out their differences over who controls the legacy. You can read a little more about it here

116lsh63
okt 13, 2010, 8:10 pm

Thanks for the link Wolfy. I have to admit, I am very curious to see if the fourth book gets published one day.

117lsh63
okt 13, 2010, 8:17 pm

137 Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories

This book includes short stories fromThe Thirteen Problems, Miss Marple's Final Cases and one story from The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding.

Do you sometimes get the feeling that you are reading something that is really familiar, but you can't quite figure out why?

Well big duh for me. A few stories from Miss Marple's Final Cases I had already read earlier in the year when I read Three Blind Mice and Other Stories. It was pretty funny when it finally dawned on me!

All of the stories in this collection were good, I especially enjoyed Tuesday Night Club,The Companion, Blue Geranium, and The Case of the Caretaker.

118lsh63
okt 13, 2010, 8:36 pm

138 The Sun Also Rises

Hemingway's novel of the lovely Lady Brett Ashley (I couldn't stop picturing Ava Gardner in the movie role while reading this) and the men who are captivated by her:

Ex-fiance Robert Cohn who can't seem to understand that she is finished with him, and the narrator of the story, Jake Barnes, who loves Brett, but is unable to have a relationship with her due to his war injury.

They all travel from Paris to Spain, drink a lot, and enjoy bullfighting while wondering about their "lost" lives and what could have been.

I just love the last line spoken by Jake after Brett says " Jake we could have had such a damned good time together." His reply:

"Yes, isn't it pretty to think so?"

119Porua
okt 14, 2010, 12:12 pm

I absolutely love Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories. I have re-read this book so many times that I've lost count.

My favourite stories from The Thirteen Problems are The Tuesday Night Club, The Idol House of Astarte, The Blood-Stained Pavement, The Blue Geranium, The Companion, The Four Suspects, A Christmas Tragedy and The Herb of Death. Something about The Idol House of Astarte and The Blue Geranium creeps me out. I think that The Blood-Stained Pavement is a predecessor to Evil Under the Sun. The whole language of flowers thing in The Four Suspects was very interesting.

From Miss Marples Final Cases I love The Case of the Caretaker. I liked The Case of the Perfect Maid and Tape-measure Murder. Miss Marple Tells a Story I thought was very realistically told.

Greenshaw's Folly was very good too. Interestingly, this story has led me to one of my favourite reads this year, J.M. Barrie’s A Kiss for Cinderella.

120lsh63
okt 16, 2010, 1:14 pm

139 Nana Zola's tale of the actress turned courtesan, a destrutctive force who rises from the slums of France to being admired and accepted into high class society.

There were many minor characters to keep track of: not to mention the many men who fell under Nana's spell and found themselves ruined financially or wanting to die for her affection.

As horrible as Nana is, the reader can't help but just a little sorry for her. The author implies that she is not setting out to hurt people, but rather she is using her survival instincts to her own advantage, whether right or wrong.

I found this book to be a pretty good, but not overwhelmingly great read.

121lsh63
Bewerkt: okt 19, 2010, 8:22 pm

140. Get Happy

The heartbreaking story of Judy Garland's life. Given pills at an early age to lose weight, she was also given pills to stay awake, to go to sleep and to give her increased energy to perform. If that wasn't bad enough, she suffered the coldness of her mother's love as well as the sexual scandals of her father and her husbands. Her undeniable talent was always overshadowed by heartbreak, money problems and the controlling forces of her mother and MGM. To quote a line from one of her songs: she was never able to "forget her troubles and get happy."

141Anatomy of a Murder
This book was made into a fantastic movie by Otto Preminger which starred Jimmy Stewart, Ben Gazzara, Lee Remick and George C. Scott. It's a tale of a murder and the ensuing salacious trial which ensued.

Lt. Frederic Manion is on trial for allegedly killing the bar owner who raped his pretty young wife Laura. Paul Biegler, small town country lawyer agrees to represent them on contingency.

The question is: are the Manions really what they seem or are they playing their lawyer for a sap? Good stuff.

122lsh63
Bewerkt: okt 23, 2010, 7:34 am

142.A Caribbean Mystery
It was fun to see Miss Marple in a different setting which made this story a bit more interesting. after suffering from pneumonia, Miss Marple take a vacation to enjoy the sunshine and recuperate.

She is half paying attention to the very talkative Major Palgrave who is telling one of his long winded stories. When he mentions the word murder of course she becomes more attentive. Before she can put down her knitting Major Palgrave is dead, just after he mentioned that he was going to show Miss Marple a picture of a murderer.

This was a fun read, although I was able to figure out the murderer pretty quickly.

143Divided Soul

This was a fascinating read of one of my favorite singers, Marvin Gaye, shot to death the day before his 45th birthday by his own father.

It's truly mind boggling to think that a parent could kill their own child, but while reading about Marvin's childhood struggles with his father, you have a sense that their tumultuous relationship was destined to end in tragedy.

His life was that of an extremely talented singer who wanted nothing more than to be a Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, or Perry Como, who struggled with drugs, paranoia, and unhappiness.

123lsh63
dec 30, 2010, 8:22 pm

Well I haven't posted here since October, which tells me a lot. I decided to extra-challenge myself and go for 150 books, with a bonus amount in each category. Not a good idea.

Today is December 30th, and I will not be finishing my challenge, which I am good with. I'm pretty sure the same thing happened last year also.

I have two books left that I haven't finished, one of which is The Innocent Man which I keep putting down. The other is Brothers and Keepers which is a little more interesting and I may finish before Saturday. The most important thing is that I enjoy my reading, which I have!

I have to be honest with myself and realize that non-fiction should never be a category for me, my non-fiction reading is more or less whim based.

Anyway, I will see everyone in the 2011 where I will once again try to read just about every mystery that I can get my hands on while also whittling down my TBR. We'll see how that goes.

Happy New Year everyone!

124lkernagh
dec 30, 2010, 9:14 pm

Lisa, I think 143 book completed in 2010 is an amazing achievement - great diversity and it looks like you had fun in the progress. I look forward to you joining the fun of the challenge once again in 2011!

125AHS-Wolfy
dec 31, 2010, 5:50 am

It's been fun following your thread. Looking forward to your future reading endeavours. Have a good New Year!