Stephen's 75 Book Challenge 2009

1. Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You, Sam Gosling. Didn't like it. Ostensibly a book about how to draw inferences about people from looking through their stuff, it's actually more a hodge-podge of psychology studies all lumped together, albeit in a well-written and well-organized fashion.

Welcome to the group, Stephen!

Oh, dear me. It looks as if I'm behind already. Quite a lot going on round here these first few weeks of the year. This title wasn't pleasure reading, but very necessary:

2. The Everything Potty Training Book, Linda Sonna.

LOL Gues we don't need to ask what you've been doing?

Best wishes for a successful conclusion!

3. Ten Second Staircase, Christopher Fowler.

4. Silent in the Grave, Deanna Raybourn.

>6 horacewimsey:: Did you like it? I enjoyed it. The sequel, Silent in the Sanctuary, wasn't quite as good. However, I'll give the third one a try when it comes out.

stephen: I have to ask - was The Everything Potty Training Book good? I'll be needing to read something of that sort soon enough (I have a 4-month-old)!

I really enjoyed Silent in the Grave, I'm just waiting for Silent in the Sanctuary to arrive and I'm quite excited about it.

5. The Successful Practice of Law, John E. Tracy.

There has been too long a gap between this book and the last one I read. Quite inexcusable, but I've been busy. Turns out my partnership taxation course IS as difficult as they said it'd be.

6. Murderers and Other Friends, John Mortimer.

Two books finished in one day! After finishing number 5, I picked up number 6 and, since I was near to the end of it anyway, went ahead and finished it before knocking off for the night.

Sorry about the course! LOL -- sometimes it works out that way. I should of skipped composition (music). Glad you got to read a bit anyway!

From personal experience (both at the J.D. and the LLM level) I can tell you that partnership taxation IS the hardest course--once you get through partnership taxation, it's all downhill from thereon. Good luck.

7. Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance, Gyles Brandreth.

Went ahead and finished this one up, too. It's been lying around half-finished for a bit.

8. Necropolis: London and its Dead, Catharine Arnold.

Quite good. Fact-filled and thoughtful.

9. The Private Patient, P.D. James.

I bought this book the day it was released but put off reading it as long as I could stand. I've read everything else James has written and didn't like to have nothing put by. What shall I do now?

Minette Walters? Elizabeth George? A Place of Execution is absolutely superb.

ETA You also might check out the thread, 'What we are reading: Mysteries' -- http://www.librarything.com/topic/52833

There's a little discussion about PD James et al here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/53718#1033314 (starting around msg 47)

10. Pardonable Lies, Jacqueline Winspear.

At least as good as the first two. I'm going to have to pace myself on these, too.

And thanks for the suggestions!

11. Missionary Position, Christopher Hitchens.

12. Among the Gently Mad, Nicholas A. Basbanes. Good, but must he harp on the evils of the Internets so much?

Looks like I'm running behind. Better pick up the pace.

Basbanes is one of my favorite authors. A Gentle Madness is one of the best books about books around.

13. Return of Moriarty, John Gardner. Excellent. 1890s London underworld: is there a better setting?
--
It's law school finals season again. For your ordinary shark, that means every waking hour in the law library buried in tax codes and case briefs. Not me; I'll be picking up the reading pace here.

#23: Return of Moriarty looks good. I will see if I can locate a copy. And no, there is no better setting than 1890s London underworld.

Congrats on being able to pick up the reading pace!

Edited because I cannot spell :)

14. How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster. Good, as far as it goes. A good place to start, no doubt. But having minored in English as an undergraduate, there wasn't much here I haven't already heard.

15. The Uncommon Reader, Alan Bennett. A fun little book. Not big enough for much else.

16. Messenger of Truth, Jacqueline Winspear. Not quite as good as the earlier ones. I don't like the absence of Maurice Blanche. Oh, I understand the need for Maisie to make it on her own; but I rather liked Maurice and didn't care for his absence from this story.

#27: The Maisie Dobbs series is one I need to re-visit. Thanks for the reminder!

>27 horacewimsey: I really hate it when that happens! My most recent Dagliesh mystery was seriously low on Dagliesh... hmph.

28. Some Danger Involved, Will Thomas. There's something encouraging in an American writing about Victorian London. And detective fiction at that. Ah, if only . . .

#30: I will have to look for that one. Anything set in Victorian London is worth checking into!

I enjoyed Will Thomas's whole Barker and Llewelyn series. They're competently done with entertaining plots and great characters. Not classics of Western literature, but well worth the time for me.

alcottacre: I'm with you. I can highly recommend John Gardner's Moriarty novels as fine examples.

#33: I will look for those, too!

29. To Kingdom Come, Will Thomas. The first one was so good I couldn't resist the second. I'm pacing myself on the remaining Barkey-Llewelyn stories, though; I'd hate to run out before summer finals. ;)

Also note that I've read 39% of my 75-book goal. That puts me right on track since 38% of the year has passed.

Good job on the goal! It's a nice feeling :)

30. The Man Who Loved China, Simon Winchester. Excellent; highly recommended. Winchester is known for his exhaustive research and ability to make a very detailed account very readable.

37: I need to bump that one up on the Continent. I saw it at the library tonight and decided against getting it this week, but maybe next . . .

Hi, will have to look out for The Man Who Loved China I quite enjoyed his book on Korea (although it was a bit dated) and also The Professor and the Madman. Thanks.

31. The Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Peter Haining, ed.. Haining puts together twelve more pieces of writing by Doyle and argues they should be part of the Sherlockian canon. But reading these it's clear why they're not in the canon: They're either (1) not about Holmes; (2) not by Doyle; or (3) not any good at all.

#40: Definitely sounds like one I need to pass!

>40 horacewimsey: LOL!!!! Love it (what you wrote)

32. The Art of the Handwritten Note, Margaret Shepherd

33. The Limehouse Text, Will Thomas

Update on the numbers:

Books Read: 33
Days Past: 169
Avg. DPB: 5.12

Balance Due: 42
Days Left: 196
Avg. DPB: 4.67

Must quicken the pace a bit. In a gross overestimation of my scholarly devotion, I registered for too many hours at school for the summer term. I now mightily regret it. No time for reading!

What's that they say? Ambition born in the shade withers quickly in the sun.

Eh.

34. Subcutaneously, My Dear Watson, Jack Tracy. An interesting little book. Recommended for the Sherlockian who already has everything else.

35. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, Lewis Buzbee. I liked it very much. Must call tomorrow and beg my local independent bookseller for a job.

And, yes, I know I'm running behind.

Stupid law school.

Must call tomorrow and beg my local independent bookseller for a job. . . Stupid law school.

Why go to law school when you want to work in a bookstore? lol

You think you're running behind?! Try being a mere 20 books in and no law school to blame! However I did have a whole whammy of exams...

36. White Corridor. Christopher Fowler. Atleast as good as the first four. Maybe even a little better than the fourth. A little more character development in this one, especially of John May. Highly recommended to Bryant and May fans. This one won't disappoint.

Update on the numbers:

Books Read: 36
Days Past: 186
Avg. DPB: 5.16

Balance Due: 39
Days Left: 179
Avg. DPB: 4.58

37. Coventry, Helen Humphreys. I've been looking for a good description of the experience of bombing. It's interesting that Humphreys used eyewitness accounts of the bombing of Baghdad.

Recommended for a quick read.

> 50 Hi horace/Stephen,
Coventry sounds really interesting and I've seen it at my public library. What did you mean about Humphrey using accounts of the bombing of Baghdad?

> 51. In the Acknowledgments at the end of the book, Humphreys writes: "My descriptions of the burning city are based on the accounts of the citizens of Coventry, as well as on eyewitness accounts of the bombing of Baghdad."

>52 horacewimsey: Thanks. Sounds like Humphreys did her homework. I look forward to reading it.

38. The Inimitable Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse. I'm a sucker for these stories.

39. The Devil's Company, David Liss. Ostensibly an 18th-century English spy mystery, but really a morality tale decrying the greed and corruption of the corporation. Being of the money-grubbing, pro-business persuasion, I was naturally disgusted.

Update on the numbers:

Books Read: 39
Days Past: 220
Avg. DPB: 5.6

Balance Due: 36
Days Left: 145
Avg. DPB:4.0

Out of school for a week or so. I really need to use the time to catch. I overloaded myself on summer courses and had to put the more important things off for a bit.

summer school... you have my sympathy! I'm glad it's over :)

40. Around the World in Eighty Days, Jules Verne. Started this in grade school, but never finished. Finished it today.

>40 horacewimsey:. Meant to say this above: Around the World in Eight Days = worst book I've ever read. It's a classic, I know. But I hated it. Can't put my finger on why, though.

#59 Possibly the translation. I hated a version I tried to read years ago and loved the one I read earlier this year. Same book, same author, different translators.

41. Newton and the Counterfeitor. Thomas Levenson. Well-researched and well-written. An interesting look at how even Isaac Newton was given to human impulses.

#61: That one looks good! Thanks for the recommendation.

42. Their Noble Lordships, Simon Winchester. A interesting look at the peerage. Wholly irrelevant today (my copy was published in 1982), but still very interesting.

43. My Love Affair with England, Susan Allen Toth. WARNING: Do not pick up this book unless you're ready to book a flight. My wife has promised me a trip in the Spring as a graduation present. But after getting into this book, I realize I can't wait that long. I pushing for a December trip.

#65: I better stay away from that one!

44. The Hellfire Conspiracy, Will Thomas. Excellent, of course. There is no better setting than the 19th century London underworld.

#67: Looks right up my alley!

Still lurking :) Graduation ... what are you working toward?

#69: Finishing up law school (graduating in December) and applying to pharmacy school (to start next August).

45. Homework for Grown-ups, E. Foley & B. Coates. Good initiative. Bad execution. Factual inaccuracies abound. The boiling point of water is not 110 degrees Celsius, for example.

#71: Maybe that's where the homework comes in? The reader has to correct all the mistakes the writers wrote :)

>72 alcottacre: LOL. Wow -- a lawyer pharmacist? Are you shooting for something in particular? My dad was a director of research for Glaxo SmithKline til his recent retirement. You made me think of patent law :)

>73 suslyn:: I'm interested in community pharmacies as small businesses. I'd like to own my own pharmacy and help others start their own by helping them with things like business planning, taxation issues, &c.

Patent law is an option, too, of course. And a lucrative one, I'm told. There's lots of biomedical research going on near my area and therefore also a lot of patent law. That's not really where I'm headed, but I've been known to change my mind before.

46. Hercule Poirot's Christmas, Agatha Christie. Good, like the rest, but not great. Not because of the book itself, but rather because of the number of its brethren. One begins to feel that, having read one Agatha Christie novel, he has read them all.

Yet I still read them. They're especially hand in times like these (see post #70, supra).

WARNING: The next several books posted here will be study guides for standardized tests. PCAT, MPRE, MBE, &c.

Ugh.

I am 'ugh-ing' right along with you, and I do not even know what all those acronyms stand for!

47. Cliffs Quick Review: Biology, Alcama et al. A good quick and dirty review. Don't expect to ace your semester exams with it, but if it's been a few years since your last science class and you've got to take the PCAT in a week or so--ahem--not bad at all.

48. Sherlock Holmes Handbook, Ransom Riggs. Nothing in here any self-respecting Sherlockian didn't already know. I got the impression the author just got up one morning and thought he'd try his hand at writing a book. Not recommended.

#79: Skipping that one! (unless I roll out of bed one morning and decide to write a book - then I can get instructions on how NOT to do it)

49. The Screwtape Letters. C.S. Lewis. Quite good. Interesting ideas about common concepts from an interesting point of view. Well worth the read. Highly recommended.

#81: I love C.S. Lewis' writings. Glad to see you enjoyed The Screwtape Letters.

50. A Rumpole Christmas. John Mortimer. Great stories, like all the Rumpole stories. A bit predictable maybe, now that I've read most of them, but still quite good.

And, I'm sorry to report that I won't be achieving my goal this year. Maybe next. I took on too much this year, and now I'm feeling the weight of it.

Even if you do not make your goal this year, you have still gotten 50 books read and that is quite an accomplishment. Congratulations!

51. Re: Gedney Main Howe, Jr., Belle Howe Stoddard, ed. A collection of stories about Gedney Main Howe, Jr., noted attorney and politician from Charleston, South Carolina.

52. How to Build and Manage a Family Law Practice, Mark A. Chinn. I don't really think family law practice is for me, but when I hang out my shingle I'm bound to get the odd divorce. Best to bone up now before I have a crying defendant in my office.

BTW, I finished my last law school final today. All done. Graduation this Saturday.

Congratulations on finishing law school! That is a terrific achievement!!

53. How to Start & Build a Law Practice, Jay G. Foonberg. It does what it says on the tin. Pretty comprehensive. This edition is poorly edited, though. Really hits home this advice from page 132:

"One of the advantages of working with a secretary as part of your team is that you will be reviewing his or her work and vice versa. When you do it yourself, no one is reviewing what you do and you are not likely to catch your own mistakes."

I am guessing the author did not have a secretary pouring over every word of the book :)

54. Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, David Eagleman. A neat and thought-provoking read. Each tale causes you to step back and take a closer look at some aspect of your life. Highly recommended.

Stephen, I hope you will be joining the 2010 group. It is up and running!

Oh, I'll definitely be joining. Heading over there now.

Good!

55. Talking About Detective Fiction, P.D. James. A good, but not great, brief look at detective fiction (mostly British) from Sherlock Holmes, through the Golden Age, up to now. The bibliographies at the back look pretty good. (Like I need another list of books to buy and read.)

I better not touch that one! I would be adding to the BlackHole by leaps and bounds.

56. The Recently Deflowered Girl, Edward Gorey. Most likely the weirdest book I've ever read. (Like all the Edward Gorey I've ever read.)

ARGH!!!!

Because the year is nearing its end, I thought I'd go back and look over what I read this year. Well . . .

Turns out I haven't read as much as I thought this year. My numbering got off back up around book 17 or so. Seems I skipped 12 or so in my numbering so that I've only actually read 44 books this year.

So, not only did I not meet my 75-book goal, but I fell short of last year's 50 books.

Looking back, it appears that I read 61 books last year. In my mind, I'm going to carry forward the excess (over 50) to this year so that I don't feel like such a failure.

I just looked back over what you read and don't think you should feel like a failure either way. Happy New Year and see you on the 2010 list.

45. The Fleet Street Murders, Charles Finch. Another excellent story in the Charles Lenox series. This one is the third. The plot is a little more involved in this one--more lines, I think, than in the last two.

Followers of the series will remember that at the end of the second installment--The September Society--Lenox proposed marriage to Lady Jane Grey and was asked to stand for a seat in Parliament. Here, despite the pressures of campaigning in a rural area, he is trying to keep abreast of the developments in two seemingly linked murders back in London and maintain his relationship with Lady Jane.

I can highly recommend this book. I certainly hope Mr. Finch continues to favour us with the Lenox series.

#97: I agree with Nancy - you have no reason to feel like a failure!

#99: I have the first two books in the series and was not aware that there was a third. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

I've started my list for 2010: http://www.librarything.com/topic/81160&newpost=1#lastmsg