read 75 books in 2006

I was really close and I think I’m going to go for this goal again this year.

I forgot to write down what I was reading for the past couple of months, so here’s an estimation:
(not in order)

58. Hollywood Divorces by Jackie Collins
59. Lovers & Players by Jackie Collins
60. Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer
61. Gigi and the Cat by Collette
62. The Ex Files by Jane Moore
63. Where Rainbows End by Cecilia Ahern
64. Sophie’s Bakery for the Broken Hearted by Lolly Winston
65. The Family Way by Tony Parsons
66. Further Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes
67. Conversations with the Fat Girl by Liza Palmer
68. Fashionistas by Lynn Messiner
69. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
70. The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan
71. Mummy’s Legs by Kate Bingham
72. From Here to Maternity by Mel Geidroyc
73. The Yummy Mummy’s Survival Guide by Liz Fraser (library book)
74. M is for Malice by Sue Grafton
75. It Could be You by Josie Lloyd

I’ve read lots of library books, including ones on parenting & will try & remember whch ones shortly.

I really like the series.

Book from the list of 1001 Books You must read before you die.

It’s been a long time since my last entry, and I’ve been racking up the reading:

30. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann.
31. Stolen Continents: 500 Years of Conquest and Resistance in the Americas – put this together with book #30 for a really thought-provoking Thanksgiving holiday.
32. The Golden Compass – Philip Pullman
33. The Subtle Knife – Philip Pullman
34. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
35. Guns, Germs and Steel – Jared Diamond. Both Diamond books are highly recommended by your terrierheaded advisor.
36. Three Days to Never – Tim Powers. Like time travel? Give this excellent new novel a shot.
37. On Stranger Tides – Tim Powers. Never have voodoo, piracy and romance coexisted so well as in this book.
38. Last Call – Tim Powers. Part of a lengthy Tim Powers bender.
39. The Stand – Stephen King
40. I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight – Margaret Cho
41. Whitney, My Love – Judith McNaught. Trashy historical romance, rather disturbing when examined from a feminist perspective.
42. My Pleasure – Connie Brockway. Ditto.
43. Hillbilly Gothic: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood – Adrienne Martini. Fascinating account of postnatal depression and psychosis from a woman with a family history of both. Often quite funny (on purpose, I should add)!
44. Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone – JK Rowling
45. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – JK Rowling
46. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – JK Rowling
47. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – JK Rowling
48. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – JK Rowling
49. Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears – like Rashomon, but in Restoration-era England.
50. Nature’s End – Whitley Streiber and James Kunetka. The future ain’t what it used to be. Probably for the best, since everything was supposed to go to hell in a handbasket by now. :-)
51. Cities – John Reader. An exploration of cities from pre-history to the present day. Wonderful for history junkies like me.
52. Catfight: Rivalries Among Women—from Diets to Dating, from the Boardroom to the Delivery Room by Leora Tanenbaum
53. Fat: The Anthropology of an Obsession – Don Kulick and Anne Meneley. Essays on the subject of fat from many perspectives.
54. In Conquest Born – C. S. Friedman. From the cover, this looks like the world’s cheesiest science fiction book. Give it a shot though – it’s fascinating.
55. The Ice Maiden: Inca Mummies, Mountain Gods, and Sacred Sites in the Andes – Johan Reinhard. Would be much better if it weren’t written in the first-person by an expedition member.
56. Uninsured in America: Life and Death in the Land of Opportunity – Susan Sered and Rushika Fernandopulle. If I had the cash, I would send a copy of this book to every Senator and Representative in the US.
57. Jitterbug Perfume – Tom Robbins.
58. Fast Food Nation – Eric Schlosser.
59. The Snow Garden – Christopher Rice. Trashy, trashy, trashy. Yet oddly fun.
60. Running With Scissors – Augusten Burroughs
61. Bloodsucking Fiends – Christopher Moore
62. No Foreign Food: The American Diet in Time and Place (Geographies of the Imagination) by Richard Pillsbury
63. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War – Max Brooks. My husband had to coax me into reading this book. I honestly thought it would be goofy and boring at the same time. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This is the best novel I’ve read in years – engrossing, thought-provoking, sometimes funny and often touching. As soon as it comes out in paperback, I’ll be giving it to several friends. I can’t recommend World War Z highly enough.
64. The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead – Max Brooks. This book came out a few years ago and is mentioned in World War Z. Oddly, it’s classified under humor. It would be a better fit under science fiction, I think.
65. Shanna – Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. More trashy historical romance. The mental equivalent of a Hostess cupcake.
66. I’m Okay, You’re a Brat!: Setting the Priorities Straight and Freeing You From the Guilt and Mad Myths of Parenthood – Susan Jeffers. Read before lending it out to a friend who’s a new mom.
67. The Mommy Myth : The Idealization of Motherhood and How It Has Undermined All Women – Susan Douglas and Meredith Michaels
68. The Other Boleyn Girl – Philippa Gregory. Fun historical fiction about Mary Boleyn, sister to Ann and previous mistress of Henry VIII.
69. The Constant Princess – Philippa Gregory. Not-so-fun historical fiction about Catherine of Aragon.
70. The Virgin’s Lover – Philippa Gregory. Kind of boring historical fiction about Queen Elizabeth I, among many others.
71. The Talisman – Stephen King
72. Prentice Alvin – Orson Scott Card
73. Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card
74. Children of the Mind – Orson Scott Card
75. The Heartless Stone: A Journey Throught the World of Diamonds, Deceit and Desire by Tom Zoellner. Diamonds, it turns out, are worse than I thought.

Started to doubt whether I would do this as my current book was taking a long time to get through and reading time seemed to be getting less and less!

However, very pleased that I have now completed this and hope to manage 100 books in 2007!

74 Making Your Mind Up, Jill Mansell
75. The Island, Victoria Hislop

Will i be able to complete this goal? I hope so. Only 6 books to go. however, I’m going on vacation to see my family in poland, so I will probably not have too much time to read. I will be catching up with my family and friends instead.

It was a quick and easy read.

Only a month to go and I really hope I will complete this goal. We will see…