50 Book Challenge - Rosboy's Readling Log

rosboy

I've just seen this challenge, so I said I'd join in. I haven't read much for the past few years, so am just starting back in now.....so I have a lot of catching up to do:)

I started back reading on Christmas Eve, so am going to cheat and start my log from then!

rosboy

Title: The Road

Author: Cormac McCarthy

Plot: A father and his son walk alone through burned America, heading through the ravaged landscape to the coast. This is the profoundly moving story of their journey. "The Road" boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which two people, 'each the other's world entire', are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.

The Verdict: Not exactly what you'd call an enjoyable book, but a very good one. It's hard going in placed (it's equally bleak, disturbing, depressing, and harrowing), but its brilliantly written and will stay in your memory for a long time to come.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0330447548/thebookdeposi-21/

Progress: Weeks down: 0; Books complete: 1

rosboy

Title: One Bullet Away - The Making Of A Marine Officer

Author: Nathaniel Fick

Plot: Until a winter evening in 1998 Nathaniel was just another history student on a comfortable career trajectory of high school to college to white collar job. Then he went to a lecture by a Wall Street Journal reporter who had just published a book on the US Marines. It brought forth a latent desire to break free of the 'seat belt and safety goggle, safety-first' culture: to be a warrior. He passed the gruelling selection course and joined the Marine Corps on graduation. Posted to a Marine Regiment in the wake of 9/11, he took part in the invasion of Afghanistan, then led a platoon of their elite Recon Battalion during the invasion of Iraq. This is not a book about the Iraq invasion as such: it is an articulate and deeply thoughtful young man's account of what it means to fight in the frontline, to risk not just death or injury, but psychological harm. He reveals some of the awful dilemmas war can bring, horrible problems to which there is no 'right' answer, but a decision had to be made quickly -- by him alone. In combat you are just one bullet away from death -- or promotion.But this doesn't focus the mind: it makes it freeze up -- unless your training is so thorough that you overcome exhaustion and terror. 'Nate' took 65 men to war and came home with all 65. He proved himself an excellent officer and won promotion, but resigned in 2003 to write this book and attend Harvard Business School.

The Verdict: I read "Generation Kill" by Evan Wright earlier in the year (and saw the brilliant HBO mini series of the same name). This book was written by a Rolling Stone reporter who was embedded with a US Marine platoon during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The books tells of his experience with the platoon let by Lt. Nathaniel Fick, and their experience in the invasion of Iraq. It was a great book/TV show, and I wanted to read more on the events covered to picked up the autobiography by Lt Fick. It covers not just his time in Iraq, but his training in the Marines and his time in Afghanistan, and after Iraq. While Generation Kill takes in the experiences of several members of the platoon, Ficks book focus's mainly on his own, and how the events of his career in the Marines shapes him as a person. Fick is extremely grounded, and not at all self agrandising (sp?). Whereas Generation Kill is clearly set out as an anti-war book that focuses on emotional responses to situations, One Bullet Away is told in a very factual way. Fick rarely become judgemental in his telling of his story. It is clearly obvious that many of the decisions made by his superiors (and the armed services as a whole) are seriously flawed, yet he doesn't take a superior attitude and criticise in his telling of the events. He briefly outlines his feelings, then moves on.

If you are interested in reading up the subject of Americas invasion of Iraq from a personal, yet very factual/unemotional point of view, this is a decent read. Ultimately though, I'd recommend Generation Kill as the superior book. This is not a slight on One Bullet Away, it's simply that Generation Kill is one of the best books I've ever read!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0753821877/thebookdeposi-21/

Progress: Weeks down: 0; Books complete: 2

rosboy

Title: The Winter Of Frankie Machine

Author: Don Winslow

Plot: Frank Machianno is the guy, a late-middle-aged ex-surf bum who runs a bait shack on the San Diego waterfront. That's when he's not juggling any of his other three part-time jobs or trying to get a quick set in on his long board. He's a beloved fixture of the community, a stand-up businessman, a devoted father to his daughter. Frank's also a hit man. Well, a retired hit man. Back in the day, when he was one of the most feared members of the West Coast mob, he was known as Frankie Machine. Years ago, Frank consigned his mob ties to the past, which is where he wants them to stay. But a favour called in by the local boss is one Frank simply can't refuse, and before he knows it he's sucked back into the treacherous currents of his former life. Someone from his past wants him dead, and he has to figure out who, and why, and he has to do it fast. The problem is that the list of candidates is about the size of his local phone book and Frank's rapidly running out of time.

The Verdict: Very dissappointing. It started off relatively slowly, and I thought I was in for a good read. I was wrong though. The plot was decent enough, but there was almost no character development. I came to the end of the book and I found myself not really caring what happened the hero of the novel. I've read a lot of James Ellroy and Mario Puzo, and I judge all gangster/mafia novels on these two (two of my favourite writers). The Winter Of Frankie The Machine simply does not compare to anything from either of Ellroy or Puzo.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0099509458/thebookdeposi-21/

Progress: Weeks down: 1; Books complete: 3

rosboy

Title: A Farewell To Arms

Author: Ernest Hemmingway

Plot: In 1918 Ernest Hemingway went to war, to the 'war to end all wars'. He volunteered for ambulance service in Italy, was wounded and twice decorated. Out of his experience came A Farewell to Arms. Hemingway's description of war is unforgettable. He recreates the fear, the comradeship, the courage of his young American volunteer, and the men and women he meets in Italy, with total conviction. But A Farewell to Arms is not only a novel of war. In it Hemingway has also created a love story of immense drama and uncompromising passion.

The Verdict: Brilliant! This is now one of my favourite books ever. Hemmingway paint a very bleak portrait of the first world war, and the hardship of the times. The love story aspect of the book is also brilliantly told. Very down to earth, yet touching. I can't go into too much details for fear of running the plot for people, but is is really an excellent read and highly recommended.

Rating: 5/5

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0099273977/thebookdeposi-21/

Progress: Weeks down: 1; Books complete: 4

mickedm

thats some fast readin:eek:

rosboy

mickedm wrote: »

thats some fast readin:eek:

It's about to slow down very quickly! I was on xmas holidays for two weeks, and was house bound because I was sick.......I'm just happy I've built up a buffer that will allow me to slip up later in the year:)

mickedm

just starting number 2 for the year myself so Ive a bit of catching up to do. all christmas pressies.

1. Murakami- Kafka on the Shore

2. Enduring love- Ian Mc Ewan

more pressies to read

A Fine balance- Rohinton Mistry

Watchmen (graphic novel)- sort of looking forward to that. X men was a joy of my childhood so Im hoping for a sophisticated adult update of sorts

rosboy

mickedm wrote: »

just starting number 2 for the year myself so Ive a bit of catching up to do. all christmas pressies.

1. Murakami- Kafka on the Shore

2. Enduring love- Ian Mc Ewan

more pressies to read

A Fine balance- Rohinton Mistry

Watchmen (graphic novel)- sort of looking forward to that. X men was a joy of my childhood so Im hoping for a sophisticated adult update of sorts

Most of mine were xmas presents too...Gld bless the festive season!

rosboy

mickedm wrote: »

just starting number 2 for the year myself so Ive a bit of catching up to do. all christmas pressies.

1. Murakami- Kafka on the Shore

2. Enduring love- Ian Mc Ewan

more pressies to read

A Fine balance- Rohinton Mistry

Watchmen (graphic novel)- sort of looking forward to that. X men was a joy of my childhood so Im hoping for a sophisticated adult update of sorts

You should try the 50 book challenge too....you already have your first four titles:)

Details here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055419642

mickedm

50 is pretty ambitious for me but I might do. could be good laugh

líreacán

I like the idea of progress reports, may incorporate them into my next review!!!!

Also, in reply to your comment in my log, I did consider putting them as 3 books, but as it came in one volume and I read it over two days (also having been ill over the holidays), I decided to leave it as one, for a bit more of a 'challenge'! I may change my mind in week 48 if I'm way behind though;)

rosboy

líreacán wrote: »

I like the idea of progress reports, may incorporate them into my next review!!!!

No problem.....cos I'm going to steal your rating system and apply it to my reviews:)

líreacán wrote: »

Also, in reply to your comment in my log, I did consider putting them as 3 books, but as it came in one volume and I read it over two days (also having been ill over the holidays), I decided to leave it as one, for a bit more of a 'challenge'! I may change my mind in week 48 if I'm way behind though;)

Too honest. If I read a trilogy, it's going in as three books straight away:)

rosboy

Just a note to explain my ratings:

5/5 - Brilliant. Everyone should read.
4/5 - Very good. Well worth checking out
3/5 - A good read. Might be worth checking out if you're into this genre/author/subject.
2/5 - Disappointing. A flawed book, but it passes the time.
1/5 - Avoid like the plague. Terrible.

Unfortunately I couldn't edit my first 3 books with ratings, so here they are:

#1 - The Road - Cormac McCarthy - 4/5
#2 - One Bullet Away - Nathaniel Fick - 3/5
#3 - The Winter of Frankie The Machine - Don Wonslow - 2/5

rosboy

Title: Compendium

Author: Paul Tomkins

Plot: A collection of articles from Paul Tomkins on Liverpool FC, as well as extracts from his previous books on historic days in Liverpool's recent history (Istanbul, Cardiff, Athens).

The Verdict: If you're not a fan of Liverpool FC, this book isn't for you. If you are, this book is well worth a read. Tomkins is a life long Liverpool fan, and he is not one of those who gets carried away by a string of bad results. Some fans accuse him of being overly optimistic, but others (like myself) find him very level headed and objective. His love for the club is there for all to see, and is reflected in his writing. I dare any Liverpool fan to read this book and not come away feeling a lot better about their club.

Rating: 3/5

http://www.paultomkins.com/Compendium.html

Progress: Weeks down: 2; Books complete: 5
__________________

rosboy

Title: Catch 22

Author: Joseph Heller

Plot: At the heart of Joseph Heller's bestselling novel, first published in 1961, is a satirical indicement of military madness and stupidity, and the desire of the ordinary man to survive it. It is a tale of the dangerously sane Captain Yossarian, who spends his time in Italy plotting to survive.

The Verdict: Absolutely brilliant. One of the top 5 books I've ever read. At time I laughed out loud, while other times I was shocked/disturbed by events. It really is one of the most intelligent, well written books I've ever read.

Rating: 5/5

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0099477319/thebookdeposi-21/

Progress: Weeks down: 4; Books complete: 6

rosboy

Title: Shankly

Author: Bill Shankly

Plot: The Autobiography of Bill Shankly, the legendary Liverpool manager who brought the club from the second division to the most successful English team of the time, and laid the foundation for the successful decades to come.

The Verdict: This book isn't for everyone. If you're not a Liverpool fan I'd say don't even consider reading it. Shankly isn't an author, and it shows. the book loses focus at times, and often jumps from subject to subject when you feel that the previous topic hasn't even been developed. If you are a Liverpool fan however, you will likely overlook the shortcomings and enjoy the insight into Shanks thinking and the reasoning behind his decisions.

Rating: 2/5 (3/5 if you're a Liverpool fan)

Progress: Weeks down: 4; Books complete: 7

rosboy

Title: The Old Man And The Sea

Author: Ernest Hemingway

Plot: Set in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Havana, Hemingway's magnificent fable is the story of an old man, a young boy and a giant fish. It was The Old Man and the Sea that won for Hemingway the Nobel Prize for Literature.

The Verdict: This is the second book from Hemingway that I've read (the other being A Farewell To Arms), and I will definitely be reading his entire catalogue of work. This is only a short story (about 100 pages), and it has a very narrow story. An old fisherman goes out to sea to fish, and ends up in a battle with a marlin of mammoth proportions. And that's the plot of the book. There's a few pages of dialogue at the start, and a handful at the end, but that's it. The beauty of the book comes from the writers vivid yet simple descriptions of the battle, and of the old mans determination to fight and succeed. I was totally consumed by the book (for the few hours it took to read anyways;)), and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Rating: 5/5

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0099908409/thebookdeposi-21/

Progress: Weeks down: 6; Books complete: 8
__________________

rosboy

Title: Catch 22

Author: Giles Milton

Plot: The little told story of the one million white Christian Europeans abducted into slavery in North Africa during the 17th and 18th centuries. The Book focus on the story of Thomas Pellow, a 12 year old by from Cornwall who ends up in Morocco and is trapped as a slave for 23 years.

The Verdict: This is a fascinating book, and one that is very well written. I knew nothing of the topic before picking up this book, but that was no hinderrance. The authors manner of story telling is simple, yet comprehensive. While the book is factual, it reads like a great novel. He has done immense research into the book, and this shows quite clearly. He paints a picture of the horrid ordeal of the slave, the relative apathy of their governments, and their courage and strength in teh face of adversity.

Rating: 5/5

http://www.amazon.co.uk/White-Gold-Giles-Milton/dp/0340794704/ref=sr_1_6/276-0987819-0286066?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234731572&sr=8-6

Progress: Weeks down: 7; Books complete: 9

rosboy

rosboy wrote: »

Title: Catch 22

Author: Giles Milton

Plot: The little told story of the one million white Christian Europeans abducted into slavery in North Africa during the 17th and 18th centuries. The Book focus on the story of Thomas Pellow, a 12 year old by from Cornwall who ends up in Morocco and is trapped as a slave for 23 years.

The Verdict: This is a fascinating book, and one that is very well written. I knew nothing of the topic before picking up this book, but that was no hinderrance. The authors manner of story telling is simple, yet comprehensive. While the book is factual, it reads like a great novel. He has done immense research into the book, and this shows quite clearly. He paints a picture of the horrid ordeal of the slave, the relative apathy of their governments, and their courage and strength in teh face of adversity.

Rating: 5/5

http://www.amazon.co.uk/White-Gold-Giles-Milton/dp/0340794704/ref=sr_1_6/276-0987819-0286066?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234731572&sr=8-6

Progress: Weeks down: 7; Books complete: 9

Sorry, the title of this should have been "White Gold" instead of "Catch 22". I copied and pasted the format from a previous post, and forgot to change the book title.

rosboy

Unfortunately, due to circumstance beyond my control I've read very little in the past couple of months. So I'm just going to abandon the 50 book challenge and use this as a reading log. I may end up getting to the 50 mark, but I'm not going to unnecessarily rush through books to try and get there. I want to enjoy the books.

rosboy

Title: The Billionaire Who Wasn't

Author: Conor O'Clery

Plot: The story of Chuck Feeney, the American-Irish self made multi-billionaire who is giving his entire fortune away to various charities worldwide. He has so far given over 1 billion dollars to Ireland alone. His donations have practically built the University Of Limerick.

The Verdict: This book really is inspirational, and that’s not a claim I’ve ever used before. Chuck Feeney is a person we should all aspire to be. Coming from a relatively under privileged family, he established an world spanning empire through hard work and his own natural abilities. At the height of his success, he started to anonymously give away his fortune. He never wanted any credit for his generosity, and in fact any recipients of donations had to sign contracts that would never disclose the origins of the donations.
The quality of the writing itself is sufficient, but rarely much more than that. The authors style is very clinical, and it feels like he is only skimming the surface. You are left wishing the author had had gone a little deeper under Feeneys skin. However having seen an interview with Feeney on RTE a few months back, and from the stories in the book, you sense that Feeney isn’t really one to disclose a lot of personal details.

All in all though, it’s a great book and highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9781586486426/The-Billionaire-Who-Wasnt

rosboy

Title: The Bang Bang Club

Author: Greg Marinovich

Plot: The story of four South African photojournalists during apartheid during the early 90s as well as throughout the elections that spelled an end to that period of history in South Africa.

The Verdict: This isn’t a feel good book. The author (who was one of the photographers) paints images of mankind at its most primal, vicious, violent and senseless. Some of the scenes witnessed were almost inconceivable. People were beaten, mutilated and/or set on fire. The effect that this had on the journalist who covered this was life changing, and the they paid a steep price for risking their lives to show the world what was unraveling in the country.
It is a good book, and worth a read if you are aren’t too sensitive or too easily disturbed.

Rating: 4/5

rosboy

Title: The Call Of The Weird

Author: Louis Theroux

Plot: Louis Theroux makes programmes about off-beat characters on the fringes of US society. Here, he revisits America and the people who have most fascinated him to try to discover what motivates them, why they believe the things they believe, and to find out what has happened to them since he last saw them.

The Verdict: I was a big fan of Louis Theroux's documentaries having only discovered them recently and binged on them all over a two week period. I really liked his style. I picked up his book, which is a "where are they now" book for some of the people from his "Weird Weekend" series.

Unfortunately his book didn't live up to the show. I found a lot of it was just repeating what had happened in his shows. It was of course entertaining, but I just felt very let down by the whole experience of the book

Rating: 3/5

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780330435703/The-Call-of-the-Weird

rosboy

Title: The Diary Of A Young Girl

Author: Anne Frank

Plot: In Amsterdam, in the summer of 1942, the Nazis forced teenager Anne Frank and her family into hiding. For over two years, they, another family and a German dentist lived in a 'secret annexe'. All that time, Anne kept a diary. This dairy is the record of tension and struggle, adolescence and confinement, anger and heartbreak.

The Verdict: A truly life changing book. Should be compulsive reading. We are so comfortable in our modern life styles that the thought of having to endure what Anne and her family endured is nearly impossible. Here descriptions are so vivid however that she makes you feel like you are there. It really puts into perspective how comfortable and privileged our lives are.

Rating: 5/5

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780141032009/The-Diary-of-a-Young-Girl

rosboy

Title: The Lovely Bones

Author: Anne Sebold

Plot: A novel about life and death, forgiveness and vengeance, memory and forgetting - but, above all, about finding light in the darkest of places. The story of a young girl who is raped and murdered by a neighbour, and watches from heaven the impact the tragedy has on here family left to cope with in the years after her passing.

The Verdict: A beautifully written book. Very addictive. Once you start reading you find it very hard to stop. Its by no means a cliched book, and you feel very drawn into the characters lives. Highly recommended.

Rating: 5/5

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780330485388/The-Lovely-Bones

rosboy

Title: The Catcher In The Rye

Author: J.D. Sallinger
Plot: Tells the story of a seventeen-year-old dropout who has been kicked out of his fourth school. This novel dissects the 'phony' aspects of society, and the 'phonies' themselves: the headmaster whose affability depends on the wealth of the parents, his roommate who scores with girls using sickly-sweet affection.

The Verdict: I wish I hadn't read this book. That would mean that I could read it again and get the same level of enjoyment from it! It truly is a great novel. I'm a slow reader, but I read the book in about two sittings. The depth of his writing and descriptions really draw you in, and you feel a great empathy for the main character.

Rating: 5/5

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780140237504/The-Catcher-in-the-Rye

rosboy

Title: Red Race - A New Bastion

Author: Paul Tomkins

Plot: The new book from Paul Tomkins, the Liverpool fan who is solely an author of LFC related books and articles. This new book has a review of last season, a statistical analysis of last season, a look at Liverpools youth system, and an indepth look at the Benitez vs Ferguson battle of last year.

The Verdict: If you're not a Liverpool fan, you can stop reading now. This is strictly a book for us reds, as it is fairly strongly biased to Liverpool. The writing style is pretty easy to read, but the content is sometimes a little too blinkered. It almost feels sometimes that the author is trying to prove that Liverpool were much better than the rivals last year (particularly Man United), and had we had all our players available for the whole season we would have definitely won. I understand that this is not what he was trying to say. He was trying to say that IF we had all our players fit we COULD have won.

Outside of this book, Paul is a very prominent and high profile reds supporter & blogger, and as such he spends much of his time defending Liverpool from Irrational/incorrect media reports and negative fans. This sense of defense seems to have permeated into his mentality in writing this book, and it really feels like he is trying to prove to the naysayers that Liverpool are in fact a great team at the moment, rather that talking to the run of the mill fan who just wants a totally unbiased approach

Rating: 3/5 (2/5 if you're not a Liverpool fan)

http://www.paultomkins.com/redrace.html