More books for the list

Mid-week update. I am realizing more and more that while I might be able to read all books that I haven't read before. There are certain books that I have only read once that I might want to read again. So I have decided that as long as the details of the book are vague in my mind I will count it towards my goal.

13. I read a non-fiction book on Merlin it was an interesting read. It chronicled the various literary appearances of Merlin since his debut in Jeffery of Monmouth's history that I'm currently reading in school. The book gave me not only an insight into this famous wizard but also to Britain in general and the history of that time.

14. Today I was snowed in so after some time outside, I sat down and read The Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card. I read Ender's Game once and it is one of the books I want to read again. But this book is set 3000 years later with the same character. You might ask how its possible but thanks to the wonders of Science Fiction and Einstein's theory of Relativity it is more than possible. I really appreciate Orson Scott Card's ability to tell a good story. I don't agree with some of what he's saying but the way he tells his storys is fun to read.

Books 11 and 12

Book 11 was Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie. I enjoy all Agatha Christie mysteries and this one was no exception. I was able to predict the ending but that was probably due to the number that I've read.

The other book I read was Stardust by Neil Gaiman. This is a fantasy tale of love and adventure. I knocked this one out in a night and it was pretty good. It was witty at times.

I seem to be able to knock out 2 books a week, but I still need to read more.

7, 8, 9, 10 before I forget

This is going to seem a lot like a list and that's because it is.

Book 7 was a Robert Ludlum novel The Icarus Agenda. I really enjoyed it it was thrilling and quite long at around 700 pages.

Book 8 was Beowulf the Anglo Saxon epic poem. Again I enjoyed it. It really is epic in the true sense of the word.

Book 9 was yet another Robert Ludlum book entitled The Ambler Alert. This is a book with an ending that surprised me. It was a page-turner and hard to put down.

Book 10 was the Song of Roland. This is another medieval epic poem. This time it was French. It is one of my favorites that I read this year. It tells of an ambush by the Saracens against Charlemagne. It would make an awesome movie but knowing Hollywood it would now be told from the Saracen perspective.

The Five Fakirs of Faizabad

First of all I finished my 6th book this year and the 6th book in the children's book series The Children of the Lamp. This is a fun little series chronicling the lives of two modern day genii. I have overall enjoyed the series but I have noticed that the farther you get into the series the more pluralistic it gets in regard to religion. Overall though I have enjoyed the series and would recommend it to a discerning reader. The Five Fakirs of Faizabad was a fun read. Ninety four to go

The Scarlatti Inheritance Book #5

The Scarlatti Inheritance By Robert Ludlum is a fun thriller that will engage you with its World War II setting and corporate dark dealings. It deals with the son of a self-made billionaire who joins the Nazi cause in his pursuit for power and his mother who tries to do anything to stop him from ruining everything his father did. I enjoy Robert Ludlum's books and this one was no exception. The Scarlatti Inheritance is an afternoon well spent.

In other news I recently watched the movie The King's Speech with my parents and I enjoyed it immensely. I can not think of a movie I have enjoyed watching as much or that was as well made. I enjoyed it enough that I put a hold on the book that its based on at the library.

Five books down ninety-five to go!

Book #4 under my belt

Recently I finished the fourth novel of the 100 that I plan to read this year that I haven't read before. I am starting to realize how great a task it is but I will press on.

The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II   is a historical fiction novel by Jeff Shaara. I greatly enjoyed this book. He set it during the campaign in Africa. He tells it from the perspectives of leaders on both sides and men on the ground on the Ally side. It's interesting how he paints the General Rommel in such a way that you like the man while realizing how horrible the Nazi's themselves were. We see Rommel in an almost complimentary light.
The book in general was an enjoyable if a bit long read that informed and entertained. I finished it knowing more about that campaign and WWII in general than I had ever known before. A must read for a History buff or anyone who enjoys historical fiction. 

Challenge Books 2 & 3 and other miscellaneous matters

Since I last updated this blog I have finished 2 books that I had previously never read. One of them was For Whom the Bell Tolls By Ernest Hemingway and the other was The Sorcerers' Plague by David Coe. For Whom the Bell Tolls was quite good. Hemingway painted a very good picture of the Spanish Civil War. His characters are excellent and the way he tells his story is quite interesting. His worldview is never blatantly disturbing but certain elements make you wonder. The other  book was an epic fantasy novel I quite enjoyed. It didn't have a central character per say but it did have a wide and excellent cast that have separate stories that get woven together in the fabric of this story. I definitely want to get the next book in the series.

Today I saw the movie True Grit, the modern remake. I liked it however it was a quite gritty film at points. It also had a few funny parts. I haven't been reading quite enough to get 100 books done so I'll have to make it up this week.