50 Book Challenge

One day while surfing around on Crochetville, I noticed several of the members have a "Book Challenge" notation in their signature.  Apparently there is a thingy going on around the web where you read 50 books in a year and then post (somewhere) what you've read and your critique.  I thought it a pretty cool idea to see what other people are reading in addition to motivating myself to read more.  Though I'm an avid reader, I haven't been reading as much this year as I normally do, or would like to.  I had planned to start my running tally this spring/summer; but well, the only thing I wound up reading was administrative forms in the hospital during my little "vacation". 

And after that, I spent a great deal of time----too much time, in retrospect----delving into recommended theraputic reading and research, trying to diagnose myself and all that went wrong in my head as well as finding the cure for a broken heart. 

Like those answers are even in a text anyway!

I picked up my novel reading in October, and have read quite a few books since.  So for me, my challenge will start as of October 1, 2009-October 1, 2010.  Typically I am into historical romance and legal thrillers, latley I have been drawn to the horror/suspense/psychological genre of books.  You will see many of those in my list today.

Here is what I've read thus far: (Each book will be rated anywhere from * (being absolute shit) to *****(being I'd crawl through a desert without water to read it again). 

1.  "His Father's Son" (Bentley Little) 
I've read a few of this author's books and have never been all that impressed.  This book was no exception.  It wasn't suspenseful, and the ending was predictable.  The book aims at getting the reader to understand what goes through the mind of someone who is trying to live up to their parent's expectations post mortem, with deadly consequences. 
Rating:  **

2.  "The Terror" (Dan Simmons) 
This book was on the bestseller list, and for the life of me I don't know why.  It is about an arctic expedition gone horribly wrong, survival against the elements and against an evil force, yada yada yada.  It was long, difficult to keep the pace, and at times confusing as the plot switches from past to present all too often. 
Rating: *

3.  "Urge To Kill" (John Lutz)
Supposedly right up there with Stephen King in matters of horror, I found this book to be so unmemorable I cannot really summarize anything noteworthy. 
Rating:  *

4.  "Sweetheart" (Chelsea Cain)
A surprisingly good read....smooth and easy.  The "bad guy" in this book happens to be a gorgeous woman who kills her lovers in grotesque fashions that you have to read yourself to grasp.  The detective responsible for catching and imprisoning her is also in love with her, in a sick and twisted fashion that only the author does a good job at describing.  The sex is fantastic!
Rating:  ****

5.  "Reality" (Peter Kingsley)
A new-age  philosophical analysis of the "I think, therefore, I am" theory.    The author tries to convince us that if what we think is reality, than EVERYTHING we think is reality.  If everything we think is reality, than there is really no purpose in thinking at all; hence, true reality lies in the nothingness that lies within each of us.  Using ancient shamanic practices as "proof" that the Phoenicians did practice meditation to gain knowledge of the Underworld, the author tries to further convince us that 'reality' lies with the dead.  The only way to hear the dead is to not think. 

Yeah.  I got a headache too. 

Rating:  ** (I give the extra star for the author's effort to convince us of his theory's in Plain English.  At least he tried.)

6.  "Afraid" (Jack Kilborn)
His debut novel, and probably one of the best horror novels I have ever read.  I won't summarize because I urge anyone who likes horror/suspense to pick this one up.  Gore fans won't be disappointed....my stomach turned a few times and that's pretty hard to do!
Rating:  ****

7.  "Enter Evil" (Linda Ladd)
Sucked!
Rating: *

8.  "Wideacre" (Phillipa Gregory)  I picked this up on a whim because I enjoyed the "Other Boelyn Girl" so much I hoped the sex and trash would be just as good in this book.  It was!  The Wideacre story is independant of the Tudor stories by this author; and the heroine in this book is so honest in her dysfunction that I couldn't help but be awestruck at how she is a piece of what we, as women, think and feel at some point in our lives in order to gain what we desire in a world that often seems to favor men.  This book is my recommendation for the entire year....it is an excellent read!  Sex, betrayal, murder, incest, romance, and the ultimate bad boy.....what could be better?   (Lisa if you are reading this blog, I will send you my copy if you want it.  I think you'd love it!)
Rating:  *****

9.  "Toxic Parents" (Dr. Susan Forward) An oldie but goodie in the theraputic self-help genre.  A review of the habits and self defeating behaviors we learn from a variety of dysfunctional "types" of parents ranging from substance abuse, overprotectiveness, abuse and incest.  An eye-opening read for me.  Obviously not for everyone. 
Rating:  ***

10.  "Turning Angel" (Greg Iles)
Why haven't I ever read this author before???  A legal thriller resulting from an affair between a teacher and a high school student who turns up dead in a small town where politics and racial divide dictate (and impede) the justice system.  I will definitley be reading more of this author, and this is my second recommendation. 
Rating:  ****

Currently Reading:
"Paths Of Glory" (Jeffrey Archer)
I am only into the first few chapters.  This is a fictional tale based on a true story of George Mallory's climb up Mt. Everest, and the discovery of his body just 600 feet from the summit in 1999---no one really knows if he ever made it to the top.  So far, the storytelling is beautiful and humerous.  I don't think I'll be disappointed.