Horror Book # 28 - Books of Blood (Volume 6) by Clive Barker

 

As a bit of an experiment I mostly read this book on my phone whenever I was stuck somewhere and had to wait around and kill some time. So my conclusion is that isn't really a good way to enjoy a good book. Still I did enjoy this final volume and found it to live up to the scariness that I expect from Clive Barker. B+

Book # 45 - Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

 

Thoughts on Madame Bovary.... yeah it was pretty good though I feel like maybe I'm missing something. The main character really isn't likable, right? Her whole downfall is sad but she isn't the kind of character that generates a lot of sympathy. I know that she encounters a few bad actors that help her towards her fate but still... A-

Book # 111 - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

 
After five years away from the 101-200 list I finally cross one of of this list. I think the last one I read was Infinite Jest sometime before my daughter was born, and now finally she's old enough to appreciate me reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory aloud to her. Really we both enjoyed it, it is the perfect type of book to read to a five year old that loves candy. A

Book # 95 Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

Part of my point of reading books off of a list is to discover books that I normally wouldn't read... but should. And Birdsong is one of those.  I had never heard of it before and really, even if I did I probably wouldn't have picked it up. But, wow, I quite enjoyed it. And since I doubt anyone actually reads these posts I can admit that, maybe, some passages brought a tear or two to my eyes. The bulk of the story is about a guy named Stephen and his experiences in WW1. Just so good. Highly recommended - A

Sci-Fi Book # 44 - Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov

 The problem with the Sci-Fi list I'm using is that it is ever changing. When I read the Foundation trilogy some years ago the fourth book wasn't on the list. But now it is. Sigh.... So Foundation's Edge continues the storyline from the original trilogy. I forgot that Asimov books can be kind of boring at times - especially when the thin story is spread out over 400 pages. Just a whole lot of talking about space politics and somehow the entirety of millions of planets is influenced by just a handful of people that are all being controlled by an even smaller group of people.  I know there is a tv series coming out soon and I can't imagine that this series is a good idea for a show. I'm not sure if it is even a good idea for a book series. C+

Book # 84 - The Stranger by Albert Camus

Just now as I was about to enter on Goodreads that I'd read The Stranger it showed that I already read it. I have no memory of that.... and never once while reading it did I think "this seems familiar".  Sure it is a very short book but still... I'm pretty sure I already owned the book way before we started this project, so it makes sense that I would have read it before. Anyway, I enjoyed it. A

Progress Report

 A little over six years ago I tracked my progress on these various readings as such:

My progress on each of the lists:
Best Novels 1-100: 50 read
Best Novels 101-200: 4 read
Best Mysteries 1-101: 18 read
Best Science Fiction 1-50: 16 read
Best Horror 1-50: 14 read

The updated numbers are:

Best Novels 1-100: 94 read
Best Novels 101-200: 8 read
Best Mysteries 1-101: 37 read
Best Science Fiction 1-50: 30 read
Best Horror 1-50: 27 read