One Hundred Books Later

He says:

Two years ago I became increasingly more horrified by the amount of books that I owned, but never read. This spurred me on to make a New Year's Resolution to read 52 books, a monumental goal considering that in previous years I would read maybe 10 books a year. Since I was able to meet that goal without too much exertion (see 'Shoot For The Moon' blogpost), I decided to up the count to 100 books.

Completing this goal really gave me a sense of accomplishment plus I made some great headway on my "to-read" lists.

I figured I would share some of the books that stood out the most for the second half of the year:

Best Book: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
My first experience with a novel by Bradbury instead of his short stories did not disappoint. Set against the backdrop of a traveling carnival that has sinister effects on the townspeople, the story revolves around a young boy, his best friend, and his father. This book dealt with true evil, innocence, the love between a father and his son, and friendship but was never overbearing. Plus Bradbury's imagery was outstanding.

Best Feel Good Book: White Fang by Jack London
Who doesn't like a good dog book? The last third of this book is where it really shines. White Fang is saved from a dog fighting ring from a man. This man is the only one who has ever shown compassion to the wolf-dog and their interactions as White Fang learns how to accept and eventually love this man are heartwarming.

Most Surprising: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
I had been hearing about Hemingway's style for years before I actually picked up this book. It was extremely refreshing. Clever dialogue peppers the book which is on one of the best examples of actual conversation I've come across.