Meags' 100 in 2010

So, I was just under 100 for 2009. I really want to make it to 100 in 2010. I got to 97 so I know this isn't an unrealistic goal. I would also like to diminish the tbr pile that I have. I honestly would say I have at least over 200 books on my shelf that I have bought and never read. I am hoping to buy less books this year and try to read the ones I have. Good luck to everyone and I hope everyone enjoyed a great New Year's Eve.

1. Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden
I started this book at the very end of December but finished it this weekend. It is a story about 2 native boys from Northern Canada. The majority of the novel takes place in the trenches during WWI. I had a hard time putting the book down. It is full of vivid depictions of war and at the same it explores the idea of finding ones identity. I give the book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I wanted to put pictures up with my posts but I wasn't sure how I could do that. Can anyone help me out?

Try:

<img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0143037072.01._SX140_SY225_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" />

That should give you:



Obviously, change the image URL as required. :)

I like seeing the covers on these posts, but I was worried that the threads take too long for those of us with less than speedy connections to load up. So I decided not to do it again this year. I wonder if anyone else has the same problem?

2. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I really enjoyed reading this book. There are so many storylines and characters that I was invested in. Essentially it is the story of a young boy who finds a book and while growing up becomes interested in finding out about the author of the book. While investigating the author the boy, Daniel, begins to find himself wrapped up in a great mystery. It took me a while to find time to read this book but today I sat down and finished the last half. I couldn't put it down. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars

The speed of page loading does depend on a number of things. Images won't make a page faster, but they also won't always slow pages down significantly. It depends mostly on the size of the image - not just being 140 pixels wide and 200 pixels high, but the actual btyes of the image. The more bytes, the bigger the load on the server. There are also issues with resizing (or not specifying sizes) in your img tag. Images are also cached in your browser - so once they've been downloaded, they remain in the browser memory for a certain amount of time. Once you've got one particular image, it's fast to retrieve that on subsequent visits as it is cached.

What I'd say is:

* minimal images - grab ones that are small to start off with (don't grab a large image and "shrink" it down - that both gives the browser extra work and you still have to download a large image). Avoid going all glitter-graphics on other people's threads too, keep your images relevant.

* start a new thread every 200 comments or so. I find at home (ADSL connection) a thread with 200 comments starts getting very sluggish to load. It's not necessarily image-heavy threads either, just a *lot* of content.

Sorry to hijack your thread here, Meags!

Yes, meags, please excuse us!

Wookie thanks for clearing that up. I will keep it in mind for the future.

Oh, and meags, I think The Shadow of the WInd will be one of my all time favourites.

3. Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger
This was decent but I found it to be a bit too predictable. It is a mystery about a woman who receives a letter in the mail indicating that she may actually have been kidnapped as a girl after her birth mother was killed. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars

4. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
This is a book about a psych professor who is diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimers. I really enjoyed this boo. I found myself really emotional reading it. The book is told from Alice, the professor's, point of view and it really opened up my eyes to the way this disease reeks havoc on people's lives. I give this book 5 out of 5

5. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
I have to admit I got 3/4 of the way through this book and had to put it down. The book consists of two narratives. One belongs to a woman who describes herself of ugly and who is continually trying to live up to her stereotype while actually being incredibly intelligent. The second is of a 12 year old genius who tries to hide how smart she is as well. They both live in the same condo complex. I have to say I found both characters to be rather hypocritical. They are extremely critical of the pretentiousness of the elite while at the same time acting pretentious about their intellectual level. I give this book 1 out of stars.

6. The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen
This book is about a series of murders where the victims are mummified. The storyline captivated me but I have to say that it was a bit easy to figure out. I will say it was entertaining and I give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

I'm really excited about reading The Shadow of the Wind. I read The Angel's Game last year and just loved it.

enheduanna- Yes it was quite good and the story just sucks you in. I think that I have to put The Angel's Game on my TBR pile.

7. Up in the Air by Walter Kirn
I picked up this book because I was thinking of going to see the movie and usually the book is better than the movie. Well, after reading this I have no idea where they came up with the idea of the movie because solely based on the previews there seems to be too many characters for the movie as compared to the book. I have to say I didn't mind this book but it wasn't the best I've ever read. I found the narrative to be too jumpy and half the time I wasn't quite sure what was going on. I suppose this was supposed to be a reflection of the character's state of mind at the time but I found it difficult to read for this reason. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

8. Still Life by Joy Fielding
I finished this book pretty much in one sitting. It is about a woman who is in a coma after being hit by a car but she can hear and understand everyone around her. I found the concept of the book interesting but at some points I found the same thing was happening but just in a different setting. Other than that I found the book to be quite good. I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5

9. Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay
I enjoy Barclay's writing style but I found this book hard to get through. I don't know if it is because I have been working a lot lately or if it was the fact that I've read a few mysteries lately but I had to force myself to sit down and read with this book. Like I say, I enjoy his writing style and the story was compelling but I found it to be a bit predictable. It is about a murder that takes next door to a family. The Cutter family somehow gets deeply involved with the murder of their neighbours. Overall, I give this book a 3 out of 5

10. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
I have read all the great reviews of this novel and while I can appreciate good literature I have to say I was a bit disappointed by this book. I found that oftentimes there were too many characters and that certains scenes could have been left out. That being said, I do admit that Mantel draws the reader into Cromwell's story. Most pieces about this period focus on King Henry VIII or the Boelyns. It is refreshing to hear this story from a different point of view. I have to admit that I could not get through this massive book. I think that it is because I have read a lot of books on the subject and found that when you know the ending to a book it just makes it a lot more difficult to read. Anyhow I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.

11. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

This is a book about a set of mirror twins who recently inherit a flat in London from their aunt, their mother's twin. It is mostly about their journey to find their own identity but along the way there are many odd occurances. I really enjoyed most of this book but I did find that the ending was rather far fetched and I didn't like the way I felt when I put the book down. I really enjoy the writing style of Niffenegger but again it felt almost like she had written such a wild story that she didn't know how to end it. I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5

12. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
This book was excellent. It won the Booker Prize in 2008 and I can see why. The narrator of the book has murdered his boss in India. I couldn't quite decide if I empathized with the narrator or not. He is a murderer and has no regrets about it but at the same time the book highlights the inequalities of the caste system in India. I felt it was very well written and I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Oh yes, The White Tiger was a great read! I'm glad you liked it too (even though we shall agree to differ over Wolf Hall).

wookie- I didn't think Wolf Hall was horrible; it just wasn't my thing. Plus, I think after taking an undergrad in history I have read enough about King Henry VIII :)

I have both Wolf Hall and Her fearful symmetry on the tower. I'm hoping to get to them both soon.

13. The Given Day by Dennis Lehane
This book is set in Boston in the 20s after the war. It focuses on a few characters including a Boston PD officer, a black man running away murder involving a drug lord, and Babe Ruth. This book would be classified as historical fiction and focuses mainly on racism, unionization, and the Boston PD strike. I really got drawn into this book. The plot is excellent and Lehane's writing is so descriptive I almost felt like I was in Boston in the 1920s. The book is over 700 pgs so it took me a while to read but it was well worth it. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

14. The Heights by Peter Hedges
I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from Penguin Books. The author also wrote What's Eating Gilbert Grape so I was looking forward to it. The book was very well written and I had a hard time putting it down. That being said the plot was a bit strange. Essentially the book is about a married couple with two children. In the beginning the wife is a stay at home mom and the husband is a history teaching working on his dissertation. They live in a nice area of New York and they seem to have a good life. By the end of the novel, the status of their marriage is in question and the wife is working while the husband works on his dissertation. The moment of crisis occurs when a high profile couple move into the neighbourhood and Anna, the high profile wife, becomes friends with both Tim and Kate. I won't say too much else because I don't want to give too much away but I had a hard time deciding who I was cheering for. At times I thought Kate and Tim had a great relationship and at others I thought they were doomed from the beginning. I wasn't sure if Kate really loved Tim but then in the end there was a shift where I wondered does Tim really love Kate. I also couldn't decide if I felt sorry for Anna or if I just thought she was manipulative. Despite my indecision about the characters, overall this a good read and I give the book 3 out of 5 stars.

15. Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Krauss
This is the sequel to The Nanny Diaries which I really enjoyed. I also liked this novel but I have to admit not as much as I like the first one. I found the character of Grayer so hard to like. While I felt sorry for him at times, most of the time I wanted to shake him and tell him to stop being such a jerk. I was equally as frustrated with his parents. This novel breaks the disillusion that all will be well after the first novel ends. Things have clearly not improved and Nan is left to pick up the pieces once again. As I say I enjoyed reading this but it was not my favourite. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

16. The Surrendered by Chang-Rae Lee
I got this book as an ARC from Penguin books. I have to say that I really enjoyed reading this book. It is told from the point of view of 3 people: June, Hector and Sylvie. The book goes back and forth from present time to the past. June is a young girl who lived through the Korean war and ends up at an orphanage and eventually grows up to have a boy and lives in America. In the present part of the book June is actually very sick with cancer. Hector is an American soldier during the war and eventually ends up at the orphanage too as a maintenance person. Eventually he goes back to the US and ends up an alcoholic. Sylvie is the wife of a missionary who grows fond of both June and Hector while they are working/running the orphanage.
I could not put this book down. I was captivated by June's story. I have to admit that I found I had little patience for Hector and Sylvie but this could be because I have little patience for alcohol/drug addiction. The title of the book is so fitting as each character surrenders to something whether it be addiction, love, lust, death or even the truth. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

17. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
I was a little hesitant in reading anymore Nicholas Sparks books because I read True Believer and I found it to be a bit too predictable yet at the same time unbelievable. My two sisters have been reading Sparks non-stop so I decided to give him another try. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This book was much better than the previous book I read. It centers on a young couple who is forced to do long distance because John is in the army after September 11th. The book was still a bit predictable but I still found I could relate to this couple. My fiancee and I did long distance for a year while I was in school and it is difficult to maintain a relationship when there is so much space between you. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.



18. 8th Confession by James Patterson
I have read all the Women's Murder Club series and I have to say they are the better of Patterson's books. I find myself immersed in these books and I can not put them down. I read this book in one day. It centers around the murder of a homeless man who at first seems like an everyday hero. It soon becomes obvious that this is not the case. There have also been several high profile murders involving rich upper class people. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

19. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
Again, I was reading Sparks because my sister really want to read these three books of his. I have to admit I really enjoyed this book. It's about Ronnie, an 18 year old, who is angry with life when she and her brother have to move in with her father for the summer. She hasn't spoken to her father for 3 years because she blames him for leaving when her parents got divorced. While there for the summer she rebuilds her relationship with her father and falls in love. I have I enjoyed reading this even though I suspected the "twist" at the end within the first few chapters of the book. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.



20. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
This is a book about an army vet who believes he survived the war because of his "lucky" photograph that he finds in the sand. He sets out to find the mysterious woman in the photo and ends up falling in love with her regardless of her overbearing ex-husband and despite having a son. I enjoyed reading this book but didn't like it was much as The Last Song. Most people I know either love or hate Sparks but I have to say I'm sitting on the fence. I like some books while I dislike others. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.



21. Roadside Crosses by Jeffrey Deaver
This is a book about a murderer who sets up roadside crosses before he kills someone. The book deals with issues such as cyber bullying, being addicted to online games and the degeneration of the English language online. This book was alright but it wasn't the best book I have read. I found the issues raised were interesting but the mystery part of it became a little convaluded. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.



22. While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky
This book is about a family who is emotionally torn apart when one of two daughters has a heart attack at a very young age and is on life support. They have to make the decision to take her off life support or not. I really enjoyed the author's character development but that being said there wasn't really very much plot. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.



23. The BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker
This is about a murderer who kills his victims by breaking every bone in their bodies. The killer takes a army vet's daughter as a victim and the father is blamed. The father takes it upon himself to find his daughter and in the process seems to lose his moral compass. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.



24. The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw
This is a story about an affair and a subsequent murder in Cape Cod. The book weaves in and out between the past and the present. In the past Marcella carries on an affair with Cecil at her summer residence in Cape Cod. The affair continues after the summer but eventually Cecil calls it off. The breakup happens just before Cecil's wife is found murdered in the swimming pool. Not long after this Cecil dies in a car accident. Fast forward to the present and Marcella's daughter Toni is working for Cecil's daughter Callie, as a nanny. During this time Marcella carries on a relationship with Cecil's son Jed and secrets from the past come up and drama ensues. I enjoyed the author's writing style. LeCraw really focuses on character development and you really get a sense of who the character is and how they may react to different situations. This being said, I had a hard time really feeling sympathy for Marcella. She seemed a bit cold to me and I couldn't understand why she would repeat the mistakes of the past. On the other hand, I found the character of Callie to be spilling over with emotion and I couldn't help but get frustrated with the men around her for not noticing something was very off. The book centers on the mother's unsolved murder yet I found that I wasn't completely satisfied with the explanation at the end of the novel. This could be the author's technique to help make point that the characters don't really seem to be satisfied at all. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book but it was not one of my favourites and for this reason I give the book 3 out of 5 stars.

25. The Survivors Club by Lisa Gardner
This is a book about a group of women who survived horrible sexual assault by the same man. The women help nab their rapist and are beginning to rebuild their lives by forming a support group. While this is happening their rapist is killed and it comes out that the man that was in jail for sexual assault may have actually been innocent. I really enjoyed reading this book. I quite enjoy Gardner's writing style and there is always the right amount of suspense. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.



26. House Rules by Jodi Picoult
This is a book about a teen boy with Aspergers (a form of autism in which the individual afflicted is usually higher functioning and quite intelligent however they have trouble socially). Jacob is obsessed with crime scene investigation and can often be found at the site of crime trying to solve the crime. When his social skills worker is found dead Jacob finds himself on trial for the crime and no one is sure whether or not to believe in his innocence. I have a lot of experience working with individuals who have autism so I found myself immersed in this book. Picoult gave a fairly accurate portrayal of what life can be like when a family member has autism. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.



27. Missing by Karin Alvtegen
This is a book about a homeless woman who somehow ends up the main suspect in a serial murder investigation. I found this book to be a bit predictable but I did like author's writing style. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars



28. Horns by Joe Hill
This is a book about a man whose girlfriend is raped and killed. About a year later the man wakes up with horns on his head and he discovers that everyone he speaks to tells them their innermost secrets. The books streams between the present and past. I read Hill's Heart Shaped Box and I absolutely loved it. It was one of the scariest books I had read. I thought that this book would be similar to his last work but it wasn't nearly as scary. That being said I really enjoyed it. I love Hill's writing style. He holds nothing back and I really enjoyed reading this book. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.



29. My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
I got this book as an advanced reading copy from Penguin Books. The book focuses on the idea of reincarnation. The main character is Daniel who remembers all of this past lives started in the year 520 AD until the present in 2007. There are very few people who remember all their past lives and Daniel keeps encountering the love of his lives, Sophia. Sophia never remembers Daniel and he keeps trying to get her to remember. The book spans over many lifetimes and it really explores many questions about memory. If you don't remember something was it every really that important. Also, do people alter their memories to conform to what others remember when recounting tales. How accurate can memories really be? I have read all of Brashares' novels and I have to say I think this one is more mature than the others. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.



30. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
This is about a girl who moves into a small town and ends up falling in love with her neighbour. The only problem is that she is dating someone else. The first part of the novel centers around the neighbours meeting and the second part of the book centers on their future. I have to say I have read a few of Sparks' books this year and I didn't really enjoy this one as much. I found it quite predictable. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

well it's been quite some time since I posted anything. I have been quite busy wedding planning and now teaching. I'm just going to list the books I have read and will start posting reviews again.

31. The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley
32. Come Thou, Tortoise by Jessica Grant
33. The Doctor and the Diva by Adrienne McDonnell
34. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
35. A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks
36. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max
37. Undone by Karin Slaughter
38. At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks
39. Helpless by Barbara Gowdy
40. The Help by Kathryn Sprocket
41. Deadlock by Iris Johansen (unfinished)
42. Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
43. The Neighbour by Lisa Gardner
44. Inside Out Girl by Tish Cohen
45. Crashers by Dana Haynes
46. The Passage by Justin Cronin
47. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
48. Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult
49. All I Want is You by Martina Reilly
50. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
51. An Ideal Wife by Gemma Townley
52. The Hopeless Romantic’s Handbook by Gemma Townley
53. Adam by Ted Dekker
54. Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
55. A Faint Cold Fear by Karin Slaughter
56. Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner
57. Scott Pilgrim: Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley
58. Scott Pilgrim vs the World by Bryan Lee O’Malley
59. Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness by Bryan Lee O’Malley
60. Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together by Bryan Lee O’Malley
61. Scott Pilgrim vs the Universe by Bryan Lee O’Malley
62. Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O’Malley
63. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
64. Stuff White People Like by Christian Lander
65. How to be Canadian by the Fergus Brothers
66. Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult
67. The Case Against Owen Williams by Allan Donaldson
68. The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland
69. Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
70. The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
71. The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff
72. Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
73. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
74. The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke

Well, there it is.... Sorry for the hiatus. :)

75. Hope Burned by Brent LaPorte
I could not stop reading this novel and in fact I read in all in one sitting. It is not that long but it is quite intense. It is a letter written by the protagonist to his son and he is writing this letter just after killing his father and his grandfather. The book gives graphic details of the protagonist's abuse at the hands of his father and his grandfather when he is younger. While reading this book a range of emotions took hold of me and at times I found myself actually crying. I do not want to ruin the ending of this book but the one thing I did not like about this novel is how the protagonist seems to make a huge transformation in terms of his personality. I truely believe that had some of his thoughts at the end of the book were real they would have manifested slowly and at a younger age Overall I give this book 4.5 out of 5

76. Chrissy's Shell by Brooke Keith
I don't often review children's books but I do read them quite often as I am an elementary school teacher. I have to say tat I would love to read this book in class. I think that if I teach in the Catholic school board this book would be perfect for a few lessons as well.
Chrissy's Shell is a children's book about a little turtle who is always comparing herself to others. I think this is a beautifully written story with wonderful illustrations and a good message for young children and adults alike. The book really examines the idea of self-worth and also incorporates a Christian aspect to it. It actually focuses on a Psalm that states: I praise you for I am...wonderfully made. This essentially means that we are all made in God's image and that we should not question our importance in this world. It's important for children and teens to know that if you spend all your time comparing yourself to others that you will never be able to fully know and appreciate your own self-value. I loved this book and I give it 4 out of 5 stars.