Challenge: 50 Books discussion

I am new to this group, and I love the idea of challenging myself to read 50 books this year! Here's one to start my list:

1)Spygirl
Amy Gray

2)Call of Duty: My Life Before, During and After the Band of Brothers
Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton

3) A Canticle for Leibowitz
Walter M. Miller Jr.

4)Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse

Victor Gischler

5)The Diplomat's Wife
Pam Jenoff

How did you like "The Diplomats Wife?" It is on my very large list of "books to read" and I am trying to sort out which books should move toward the top.

Stephanie wrote: "How did you like "The Diplomats Wife?" It is on my very large list of "books to read" and I am trying to sort out which books should move toward the top."

I really liked it! You should read The Kommandant's Girl first if you haven't already, without giving anything away, there is some crossover.

Mandie wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "How did you like "The Diplomats Wife?" It is on my very large list of "books to read" and I am trying to sort out which books should move toward the top."

I really liked it! Yo..."

Thanks for the tip- I have not read, the Kommandant's Girl either. I will add that to my list and make sure I read it before The Diplomat's Wife.

6) You Suck: A Love Story
Christopher Moore

7)The Road
Cormac McCarthy

Wow. So amazing, haunting, beautiful, disturbing.

I finally got the book The Road for Christmas and can't wait to read it. There are still so many in front of it though. I am glad to see another person say how good it is.

Mandie wrote: "7)The Road
Cormac McCarthy

Wow. So amazing, haunting, beautiful, disturbing."

Simple and perfect summary of the book....these were the exact thoughts and emotions I was left with as well. In fact, I think I read The Road close to five years ago and I still feel those things when I think about it.

Amber wrote: "I finally got the book The Road for Christmas and can't wait to read it. There are still so many in front of it though. I am glad to see another person say how good it is."

It's so incredible, but be prepared, there are some parts that are tough to read.

Kerri wrote: "Mandie wrote: "7)The Road
Cormac McCarthy

Wow. So amazing, haunting, beautiful, disturbing."

Simple and perfect summary of the book....these were the exact thoughts..."

I'm not suprised to see that this book still brings up emotions even after almost five years! I want to read more of McCarthy's work, but I think I'll give myself some time first.

8)Practical Demonkeeping
Christopher Moore

9)Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
Christopher Moore

Too funny!!!

10)Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
David Simon

11)Brothers In Battle, Best of Friends
William ''Wild Bill'' Guarnere

Mandie wrote: "Kerri wrote: "Mandie wrote: "7)The Road
Cormac McCarthy

Wow. So amazing, haunting, beautiful, disturbing."

Simple and perfect summary of the book....these were the ..."

Mandie,
If you're interested in more McCarthy, I definitely recommend The Border Trilogy (All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain.) While they do have moments of serious violence, it is not nearly so disturbing as The Road, and all the parts in between are beautifully written. And if you can, read them all in one go. It's easier to see the connections and parallels, when you read the books together.

Mandie wrote: "10)Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
David Simon"

How did you like this book? Do you know if there's any connection to the tv series?

Jane wrote: "Mandie wrote: "10)Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
David Simon"

How did you like this book? Do you know if there's any connection to the tv series?"

The show was based on this book, with many of the cases actually becoming story lines in the series. I really enjoy gritty true crime stories, so this was right up my alley. It took me a lot longer to read than I expected because it is so in depth and detailed, but it was worth it!

Jane wrote: "Mandie wrote: "Kerri wrote: "Mandie wrote: "7)The Road
Cormac McCarthy

Wow. So amazing, haunting, beautiful, disturbing."

Simple and perfect summary of the book....these..."

Jane wrote: "Mandie wrote: "Kerri wrote: "Mandie wrote: "7)The Road
Cormac McCarthy

Wow. So amazing, haunting, beautiful, disturbing."

Simple and perfect summary of the book....these..."

Thank you, I am adding these to my to read list!

12)I Am Not a Psychic!: A Novel
Richard Belzer

13) Breathers: A Zombie's Lament
S.G. Browne

14)The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood

Mandie wrote: "14)The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood"


ok...so, how did you like the Handmaid's Tale?

Stephanie wrote: "Mandie wrote: "14)The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood"


ok...so, how did you like the Handmaid's Tale?"

I loved it! It was such a terrifying premise, and Margaret Atwood is an amazing writer. I can't believe I've never read her before.

15)Dark Hollow
Brian Keene

16)Ufos, Jfk, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe
Richard Belzer

Good for a laugh. It's nice finding someone more cynical than I am, but I still don't buy that the moon landings were faked and that UFO's are abducting people to probe them.

17) Alas, Babylon
Pat Frank

Mandie wrote: "17) Alas, Babylon
Pat Frank"

Wow, now there's a blast from the past. I read this in high school many decades ago. How do you feel it holds up fifty years down the line and having recently read "the road"? And giving Frank a break for having written it long before we knew the true effects of nuclear war.

I actually believe it stands up very well by today's standards. It was maybe a little sexist, but it did come out in the late 50's, so I won't complain. The ending was kind of existentialist, but still hopeful, and I enjoyed the idea of a community forming to cope with disaster. It isn't as brutal a read as The Road, but it is still a scary senario. The idea of bands of roving "highway men" reminds me of how precarious our grip on law and order really is. I mean, what would stop people from going "cave man", raiding other households, bonking the women over the head, and stealing the fire that someone else had figured out how to start if there was no one appointed to stop them? It is scary to think that how no matter what the disaster, there are always people who try to use it to screw over their fellow man, both in fiction and in real life. How did you feel after reading it?

Like I said, it was decades ago, but I do remember feeling a little hopeful about community in the major & somewhat indignent about the idea of people being out for themselves in the face of universal disaster. The part I remember most, for whatever reason, was the irradiated wrist watch. How foolish and empty. It started me reading a lot of other apocalyptic novels like "On the Beach" which definitely made me depressed and weepy.

On The Beach was my first apoclyptic novel, and still one of my faves. I think I'm going to take a break from post nuclear type books for a little while, though, and read some lighter books for a change!

18) The Pyrates
George MacDonald Fraser

19) All the Pretty Horses
Cormac McCarthy

20) The Crossing
Cormac McCarthy

21) Cities of the Plain
Cormac McCarthy

22) John Dies at the End
David Wong

23) Sleepless
Charlie Huston

24) The Year of the Flood
Margaret Atwood

25) Patient Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel
Jonathan Maberry

26) The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Michael Chabon

27) Mr. Darcy, Vampyre
Amanda Grange

Mandie wrote: "19) All the Pretty Horses
Cormac McCarthy"

How did this compare to The Road? I read the road and loved it and just picked this book up.

All the Pretty Horses and the other 2 books that make up the Border Trilogy are some of the best books that I have ever read! The subject matter is completely different than the Road, but McCarthy's haunting style is instantly recognizable. There is quite a bit of Spanish dialogue, but I was able to muddle thru it and even picked up a few words and phrases!

Let me know what you think when you read it!

28)The Attack: Novel
Yasmina Khadra

29) Bite Me
Christopher Moore

30) Zombies!: Stories from my life as an Undead Exterminator
James Atkinson

31) My First New York: Early Adventures in the Big City
New York Magazine