#41 The Kite Runner

Well this sure wasn't a Harry Potter book, that's for sure. But it was still just as hard to put down once I got going. This book was much better than some of the classics I have read so far like The Great Gatsby and The Lord of the Flies and I could see this being a book that lasts. Now this book was a bit depressing and dark at some points but the writing style kept you wanting more. You were just waiting for things to get better and it seemed every part of the book had a purpose, a purpose that wrapped up the final few chapters for you.

I said the writing style was great. When I first thought of reading the book, I was apprehensive because I was being lazy and didn't want to deal with all these Muslim names and places that would get confusing and such. But I was wrong. Hosseini did a great job of mixing in Arabic words with the English so you are never lost or wondering what a certain words mean. My favorite part of the style was the bits of foreshadowing he tended to end paragraphs with. Things like, "Little did I know it would be the last solid food I would eat in a while" or "Those were the last words I would hear him speak for over a year", just got your mind reeling and wondering what was going to happen to fulfill those prophecies.

Without spoiling anything, the book is about a man who grew up in Afghanistan before the Russians invaded. Things were great, albeit pretty rough and poor compared to American standards, then the fall of the monarchy lead to the Russian invasion which lead to the rise of the Taliban and the rest is a war torn history. Well this boy fled with his father to America and became a successful author until he is brought back to Afghanistan to retrieve the son of his best friend/servant of the past who he greatly wronged and from there the story is just packed with tales of honor, shame, trust and forgiveness.

Like I said this got dark and depressing and there were definitely some horrible things done in this book but I believe it is a great truthful tale of the Afghan people and their culture. Just the name itself, plays off the Afghan sport of kite flying where you cut the strings of your opponents and then kids run after the freed kites, is interesting and something I never knew was done anywhere. If you read it and don't like it, well at least you may be able to walk away with a deeper understanding of the Afghan people and what life is really like over there for the people that we are fighting for. Sorry for getting political but the next book I got is pretty short so look for a new post pretty soon in the new year.

NEXT UP: #21 Animal Farm by George Orwell

#14 Lord of the Flies

Took two weeks off from the list but then made my way through this "classic". Maybe it was because I was spoiled by the Harry Potter series but I just did not like this book at all. I constantly found myself bored with it and drifting in and out of paying attention. There would be a time where I read a whole page but had no idea what it said but the funny thing was I wasn't lost in the whole story.

Now the book is about a group of boys that survived a crash landing on a small jungle island and it is a look at how mob mentality and anarchy can rise as children are left to fend for themselves. Most of the boys slowly become savage which leads to one kid talking to a boar head on a stick (This is The Lord of the Flies) and two kids being killed. Then the book just ends without any real conclusion except for a naval officer seeing it all as cute little kids playing. I don't know I didn't like it.

The writing just seemed to try too hard. There were times where I got lost in the detailed description of a rock or a tree that really didn't progress the story. Not until about chapter 10 of 12 did the story get going and we got away from the ridiculously difficult and complex descriptions. On top of that it seemed liked too many of the boys were alike so it was easy to confuse one for another.

Well this was one of those books that I had to read in high school and I want to go back and check them out. This book may have been the reason I haven't read much since then. Well anyways, on to the next one as Jay-Z says. Merry Christmas all.

NEXT UP: #41 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

How They Rank

Figured I have gone through 10 books, why not rank them so far....

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
4. The Great Gatsby
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
7. Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
8. The Catcher in the Rye
9. Five People You Meet in Heaven
10. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Now just because those books come in at the bottom does not mean I didn't like them, they just weren't as good. I'll bust out another ranking at Book #20.

#10 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Well here we are. I finished. Seven books in 35 days. And they aren't small. I have been so immersed in Harry Potter over the last month that I just needed it to stop. But that said, I loved this series. It just sucks you in and even the slow parts made you want to press through because you needed to see what happened next. No matter how slow it got though, this final book made EVERYTHING worth it. Just a non stop page turner that does not disappoint.

This book didn't have Harry acting like a whiny little brat or making dumb childish moves. He has finally matured and realized what the wizarding world is and what he is meant to do and he is starting to just trust that Dumbledore knew what he was doing. A few books ago I complained about the formula getting a bit stale as they went through the school year and here it is, a whole book where they didn't even go to school. Even when Harry had no idea what or where he was going, I was still right there with him waiting with baited breath (I just googled 'bated breath' to see how it is spelled and ironically the website I clicked on quote J.K. Rowling with the Prisoner of Azkaban...wierd). ALong with all the adventures it was also worth some good laughs with the Weasley twins and Ron and Hermione making out during a huge battle.

Two things that I would have changed. I liked the point where we thought Dumbledore was trying to get Harry killed the whole time. It played well with the checkered past we learned about old Albus and would NOT have been seen at all. And I think if it had stayed that way the book still could have finished all the same way. But, that would have been just to shake things up obviously. The other was the epilogue. Didn't need it and it bothered me that the kids were all obvious and named after dead people. Would have preferred just a movie-style blurb on each character and what they did.

Well I am very happy I gave in to the craze and read these books. Cannot wait to see Part 1 this weekend and may have to see Part 2 at midnight this summer. Now I am going to take a break from the fantasy world and hit up a classic and may take a few days off before starting the next book but I am only a fifth of the way through with this crazy journey.

NEXT UP: #14 Lord of the Flies by William Golding

#9 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I actually finished this book a few days ago but due to the holiday it took me a while to get to this. That said, this book was AMAZING. It built up the story in so many ways that you are torn back and forth into believing one thing then another then back to the original thought then another then back again. And the last few chapters were just a flurry of action that allowed you to just fly through the pages. And if you've read the book then you know the crap that hits the fan and if you haven't then just stop reading here because I will spoil it.

This book just had me flip flopping back and forth to thinking which side Snape was really on. One moment Harry would have you sure he was evil, then Dumbledore would say no which you had to trust. Which makes the end with Snape killing Dumbledore bothersome. Was the whole situation all a matter of Harry being right and Dumbledore being wrong? Because that just seems unbelievable. Or is it a matter of finding out soon that it was all part of the plan and Dumbledore told Snape to kill him for the overall good. I don't know, you may but I do not and that is something I am very interested in getting to with this last book.

But other than that I love how there were a LOT of recurring characters and I love the memory flashbacks that start to piece together the whole story and I love the sexual tension that is building between the 3 and Ginny and then I love how the book ends off like Empire Strikes Back did. The plan for the final chapter is set and now it is just time to wrap up all the loose ends and finish this journey.

So here we are. I have really enjoyed these books but I am ready to finish them. It has gotten to the point where I have almost forgotten this whole blog thing isn't just me reading the Harry Potter books. I have more stories to touch upon. I plan on seeing the 7th movie on Wednesday afternoon so hopefully I will have the book done by then.

NEXT UP: #10 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

#8 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This book was the longest of the series and I hate to say that it read that way. It had a purpose and fulfilled that purpose. There wasn't much action until you hit the last four chapters and then the action just takes off. The book moved along the entire story of the series very well and it needed to happen so I'm not too angry. I'm now just more excited to move onto the final chapters of this tale.

The main gripe I had with this book was Harry's attitude sometimes. I know he's 15 so may be going through puberty and maybe a little moody but he was getting annoying with how he acts. He had a short temper with people when he thought he was being left out because he was too young. You think after all the things he has gone through he would have learned some patience and trust for people around him like Dumbledore because they have never steered him wrong before. But he still got angry and it was a bit of an overreaction to me.

Another problem I had is [SPOILER ALERT] how he dealt with Sirius' death and how he dealt with Sirius in general. He has only known of him for 2 1/2 years and probably spent a total of 7 days with him but he seemed to care more about him than people he has known for years. Now I'm not an orphan and never met a long lost godfather but I thought it was odd back in the 3rd book with how quickly he went from HATING Sirius to loving him more than anything. And then he died here and Harry was ready to turn on Dumbledore because of him. Like I said, it may be the situation he's in but it seems odd.

That Professor Umbridge was also quite a trip that I was hoping they would have just killed off but I guess it's still classified as a children's book. Cho Chang also has a flare for the dramatic but that's a teenage girl for you. Overall the book was my least favorite of the series so far but being the 5th book of 7 (like being the middle movie in a trilogy) sometimes it's just more important to set up the last legs. I'm excited and hopefully can have them all done by Thanksgiving weekend so I can then check out the new movie.

NEXT UP: #9 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

#7 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Well I will tell you I have never read 734 pages that fast in my life. A combination of how good the book was, the fact I had three days off of work and my determination to finish these books as quick as possible helped me finish it in 3 days. Yay for me.

Of the first four books I will put this one as my second favorite behind Prisoner of Azkaban. This one was really great because(as my friend Sarah Segerson would put it) it was really 'sporty' and they were 'so outdoorsy'. The Triwizard Tournament added a lot of new aspects to the boring formula I commented on in the last post. Hopefully the childish mischief is behind me and the books can really play with the structure.

Now there were two things that really bothered me about this great book. 1) Why are there two major characters in consecutive books named 'Moody'? First, it was the nickname of Professor Lupin, the werewolf, and now in this one 'Mad Eye' Moody. At first made me believe they were the same person or related...I don't know, just seemed odd. [SPOILER ALERT] And then 2) The ending was a bit too 'Scooby Doo' for me. They caught Church's son as he was diguised as Moody and essentially pulled his mask off and then recapped how he did it all. All I was waiting for was him to say, 'And I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you meddling kids and that blasted dog!'

That said, I loved the book and will be starting the fifth book as soon as I can tomorrow. And if you are reading this, you have probably read the books before so you know what is coming but I am really excited [SPOILER ALERT] for the rebirth of Lord Voldemort as I see this central storyline solidifying the next 3 books and will really allow for them to get more unpredictable and suspenseful. Well now I'm more than half way so here's to a strong finish that I am excited to get started.

NEXT UP: #8 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

#6 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

And now the story gets a bit more interesting...I liked this book a lot more than the first two. Gone from it were the simple and silly misjudgments by a young kid repeatedly getting in trouble and finding his way out due to his name. This book (kudos to Stefanie Mills for lending me the book) had a lot less of that and much more suspense. I felt like the story was much better written to build to the climax of the story than the first two.

Like the other books, almost everything that is introduced to you is important in some way or other. The prisoner escaping, Hermione's new cat, Scabbers' odd behavior, the Divination class predictions, the hippogriff, Hermione's insane schedule...and so on. Everything came together as a vital part of the story. It is a very well written series and this one just had me sitting on the edge waiting for the payoff because you just knew it was coming.

Now I usually have something wrong with the books but this one didn't bother me too much. The formula of the whole year being turmoil and then everything is solved in the school year's final week is a little...um, weak, but how else are you going to do it, right? Can't have the climax at Christmas and then have the last four chapters tell you how easy the rest of the year went. So I won't hold that against my girl J.K..

Like I said, I liked this book more than the first two so hopefully that is a good sign for the books to come. Now the books start to get JUMBO sized so I may not have another post until next weekend and it's looking harder and harder to finish these in the next 12 days but I'm going to push forward.

P.S.- Have been watching the movies as I finish the books and grown up Emma Watson is enough reason for me to finish this series to get to the 7th movie.

NEXT UP: #7 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

#5 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Well this one sure doesn't disappoint. This second book (props given to Cali O'Rourke for letting me borrow the book) was just as engaging and hard to put down as the first. I seriously read it whenever I had a chance and when I wasn't I was thinking about getting back to it. I remember when these books came out, people were complaining because they thought their kids would get tainted by reading about "wizards" and 'magic". Hey, the kids were reading and having fun. Unfortunately that is overlooked sometimes in this country.

Anyways, this book welcomed back the same cast of characters plus some new ones like the annoying Gilderoy Lockhart, we got to know a bit more of Lucious Malfoy and Ron's little sister Ginny played a much bigger role. The story was another fun adventure of new spells and potions helping Harry and Co. stay out of trouble as they keep putting themselves in it. The final battle was more detailed than the first book which made it feel more complete.

The only things that bothered me was basically the first chapter where they had to basically keep recapping the first book for new readers. Why would anybody read the second book before the first book? I know they have to do the recap but let's just assume people read them in order. That and while the final battle was more complete, it seemed very convenient that the Phoenix showed up with the Sorting Hat when there wasn't ever really given a reason why it showed up or why he got a sword from the hat when we never once knew that ability was possible. Now I know it is all magic but it should have some back story to avoid just sounding lazy I guess.

Well, the book was still fantastic and anybody that really makes fun if this series or mocks its fans just haven't given it a chance. It may surprise them. Anyways, the 7th movie comes out in 16 days and I have five more books to read so I gotta get on them and they aren't getting any shorter. Hopefully I will have the next blog post up by the end of the week.

NEXT UP: #6 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

#4 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

There is a reason these books are so damn popular. I hated putting this down. When I did I just kept thinking about getting back to it. I even finished the book by reading the last chapter during commercial breaks in the Michigan game. There's a reason J.K. Rowling is worth more than The Queen nowadays.

The great thing about this book is that you are introduced to so many different characters that it is easy to get people confused or forget the details about them but you just don't with this book. Now it may change a bit as the books get longer and more characters are introduced but I doubt it.

Last time I read this book was well before the movies came out. I remember thinking Hermione was pronounced 'herm-eh-win'. But now that the movies are out I not only know how to say names but I have a legit face to place with the person.

Now not everything is perfect. The one major thing I would address with this book was the ending. It seemed a bit rushed. The fight at the end could have gone longer but instead it turns into a 'wake up in the hospital and tell you what happened when you were blacked out' situation. But no worries because if this book does anything, it makes you want to read the next one. That's how you sell books and that's how you make money as an author. Bravo.

Did I have to walk under the little gateway at the library to enter the Children's Books section of the library to check it out? Yes. Was it a bit embarrassing? Yeah. but I am happy I read this book and will easily recommend it to anyone.

NEXT UP: #5 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

#12 The Catcher in the Rye

I really liked this book. This is one of those books that it seemed like I should have read in high school but I don't think I ever was assigned it. I could have been and just skipped over it but I really liked it.

It is all about the life of this kid, Holden Caulfield as he spends a few days in New York City after leaving his boarding school a few days before break and he didn't want his parents to find out so he spent his days wandering around town.

It was told as a narrative by Holden as he retells the story to us. Holden was a very odd kid that was really battling some demons it seemed like but was easily annoyed by people and also had some annoying tendencies himself. He was always repeating himself for emphasis and it seemed his favorite word was 'Chrissakes'. It got a bit tedious and bothersome but didn't take away from the book itself.

For a literary classic that it is regarded, the book had some good laughs. Holden is only 16 I believe but is able to drink at bars a few times and there is a scene where he is plastered and calls a girl he likes in the middle of the night (Who hasn't done that right? Didn't know drunk dialing dates back to the 50s.) and the conversation they have is pretty damn funny.

Overall it is a very good read that is entertaining as you follow the troubled teen as he finds his way through the big city but it all wraps up into a touching end that helps him realize what is really important in life. I would pu this as the best of the 3 books read so far.

For my next book, I break into the Harry Potter series as I want to get through all seven while the 7th movie is still in theaters.

NEXT UP: #4 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

#42 The Five People You Meet in Heaven

I had to put this and Tuesdays with Morrie on the list. Mitch Albom is a Detroit treasure, need to support the hood. But I actually liked this book a whole lot more than I thought. It wasn't so much about religion and Heaven as it was about finding purpose and meaning in your life when it seems there is little. It was definitely a book I didn't like to put down and wanted to find time to read some more.

the story was about a guy named Eddie that has worked as the maintenance man at an amusement park on a boardwalk his whole life. During a freak accident, Eddie was killed and was sent to heaven where he discovers every person has five people from his or her life that they meet to learn five important lessons.

There were parts I found bothersome...in the middle I felt it dragged a bit when Eddie refused to understand what was going on. He was on his third of the five people and still seemed to have no clue what was going on. Seems to me that once your mind is blown with the first guy and he explains it that you just sit by and go along for the ride because it is all going to be hard to believe until it's done.But he was a stubborn old man when he died so why would he change in heaven.

What was really odd about reading this book is how much more I understood the final episode of LOST. I had difficulty wrapping my head around some of the themes and meanings of the end of that show but this book gave me some supplemental information that helped connect the dots.

Overall the book is definitely worth a read. It's not too long and reads really quick. It is written with a chopped up style that is entertaining and keeps you engaged.I'm excited to get to Tuesdays with Morrie since that is supposed to be Albom's best work. I'm starting to enjoy this challenge, who knew reading could be fun? Does Pizza Hut still have their reading for pizza program?

Next up on the list will be #12 The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger.

#1 The Great Gatsby

This is book was unanimously listed as a top ten book of all time. A perfect masterpiece if you go by the reviews on the back. And I have to say that I enjoyed it. Was it a good read? Yeah. Did it change my life? No.

It's been a long time since I read seriously so maybe this is as good as it gets. I will have a better idea in a few weeks.

The thing I kept thinking as I read the book is what genre does this fall under? It's not a mystery or a thriller or a drama. Do books even have genres like that? Anyways, it was just a nice twisted tale of hidden, long lost love and mistaken identities. It has a mysterious wealthy character (who is NOT a magician after all) who throws lavish parties just for the small chance his lost love stumbles in.

The main character Nick Carraway just sees to be an innocent soul who is okay with his struggle through life that just gets entangled in the problems of the wealthy. He ends up seeing and learning things he never thought he would and probably having one of the most unpredictable summers anybody has ever endured.

The book was good. It kept my attention and I kept having the little deja vu moments as I read that took me back to 9th grade as I skimmed through the pages hoping to buzz by some of the quiz questions.

Instantly made me happy I started this challenge. Good start.

Next on the List: 5 People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom.

The 50 Books

Again, I will not be reading them in order....

The 50 Books

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
9. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by J.K. Rowling
11. 1984 by George Orwell
12. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
13. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
14. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
15. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
16. Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
17. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
18. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
19. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
20. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
21. Animal Farm by George Orwell
22. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
23. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
24. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
25. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
26. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
27. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
28. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
29. 9 Stories by JD Salinger
30. Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
31. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
32. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
33. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
34. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
35. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
36. Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
37. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
38. The Shining by Stephen King
39. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
40. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
41. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
42. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
43. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
44. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
45. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
46. Night by Elie Wiesel
47. Dune by Frank Herbert
48. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
49. Wicked by Gregory Maguire
50. The Giver by Lois Lowry

First up is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald because it inspired the whole idea.

And so it begins....

I was watching the HBO series 'Boardwalk Empire' last week and realized I loved the era. The 1920s seemed so interesting. That lead me to remember reading The Great Gatsby in 9th grade. I wanted to read it again. That lead to me thinking I need to read more. Which then lead me to the idea to make a list of 50 books and I will not stop until I have read them all. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

To compile the list I googled 'best books of all time', 'american classics', 'best books of the decade', books I must read'...things like that. I took some of the common answers between them and added books I wanted to read again (The Great Gatsby, Lord of the Flies), books I have always wanted to read (Catcher in the Rye, Catch-22) and books that are popular nowadays (Twilight, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

Did any of you have the Accelerated Reader program in your school? We did in elementary and middle school. You read books and then afterward took a quiz and you got points for how many you got right. The books were ranked by how difficult they were to read with the points. Most books were 8-10 points, Jane Eyre was like 65. Ahhh, 6th grade. THAT was the last time I read seriously.

So I figured with this blog I will read the book and then write what I thought about it. I have them in numbered order but won't read them that way but will probably read series' together. If you keep coming back and reading my posts, great! If not, I don't mind. I just think having something like this will help me focus on the book and stay committed to the list.

I don't promise being very thorough with my reviews because I'm just not smart enough to read into the themes and such...I will just post what I liked and what I didn't and maybe if I recommend it.

The next post will be the book list. If you have any books I should add or maybe one on the list that I should avoid....let me know. I won't get mad.