The following are books read in 2008, with ratings and links to reviews. Books are rated as follows:

= Amazing, highly recommended, a must read
= Very good/good, recommended
= Okay, some people might like it
= Didn’t like it, weak writing, not recommended
= Hated it, don’t waste your time

January 2008

I read 8 novels in January - 7 fiction, 1 memoir - AND one short story. The novels had an average rating of 4.25 and a total number of pages of 2863 (average of 358 pages per novel). My least favorite read was Great Expectations. My most favorite read was a tie between So Big AND Ghostwritten. All authors read this month, except for Dickens and Mitchell, were new to me authors.

1. The Giver, by Lois Lowry

Rated:
Number of Pages: 179
Read for: Bookawards Yahoo Group, Bookawards Challenge, Decades Challenge 2008, Mostly Books Yahoo Group Challenge, 888 Challenge, AND A Novel Challenge Yahoo group (mini challenge)
Started: December 31, 2007
Finished: January 1, 2008
Read my review.

2. The Winter Rose, by Jennifer Donnelly

Rated:
Number of Pages: 707
Read for: Chunkster Challenge, The Pub Challenge, AND Library Thing Early Review Program
Started: January 1, 2008
Finished: January 5, 2008
Read my review.

3. The House at Riverton, by Kate Morton

Rated:
Number of Pages: 473
Read for: The Pub Challenge, A Novel Challenge Yahoo group (mini challenge) AND Early review copy for Barnes and Noble First Look Program
Started: January 5, 2008
Finished: January 9, 2008
Read my review.

4. The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid

Rated: Number of Pages: 184
Read for: Reading the World (Asia), 888 Challenge, Notable Books Challenge, 21st Fiction Yahoo Group, AND Man Booker Challenge
Started: January 9, 2008
Finished: January 11, 2008
Read my review.

5. Have You Found Her: A Memoir, by Janice Erlbaum

Rated: Number of Pages: 342
Read for: The Pub Challenge, In Their Shoes Challenge, 888 Challenge, AND Early review for Random House
Started: January 11, 2008
Finished: January 14, 2008
Read my review.

6. So Big, by Edna Ferber

Rated:
Number of Pages: 252
Read for: Pulitzer Project, Bookawards Challenge, 888 Challenge, Decades Challenge 2008, Pulitzer Yahoo Group, 20th Century World Lit Yahoo Group, Thematic Classic Challenge Yahoo Group, AND Every Month is a Holiday Challenge (celebration of life)
Started: January 14, 2008
Finished: January 17, 2007
Read my review.

7. Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens (from the collection: Charles Dickens Complete and Unabridged, Five Novels - Barnes and Nobel Essential Writers)

Rated:
Number of Pages: 300
Read for: My Year of Reading Dangerously Challenge, 888 Challenge, Decades Challenge 2008, AND A Novel Challenge Yahoo group mini challenge
Started: January 17, 2008
Finished: January 25, 2008
Read my review.

8. Ghostwritten, by David Mitchell

Rated:
Number of Pages: 426
Read for: 20th Century World Lit Yahoo Group, AND Celebrate the Author Challenge
Started: January 26, 2008
Finished: January 30, 2008
Read my review.

February 2008

I read 8 novels in February - 7 fiction, and 1 memoir - with an average rating of 4.25. I read a total of 2554 pages (average of 319 pages per novel). My favorite read of the month was the memoir by Daoud Hari. New authors for me this month included Sadie Jones, Edwin Alexander, Sarah Waters, Daoud Hari, Monica Ali, and Toni Morrison. I would read novels by all these authors again.

9. The Outcast, by Sadie Jones

Rated:
Number of Pages: 345
Read for: Harper Collins First Look Program, AND The Pub Challenge
Started: February 1, 2008
Finished: February 3, 2008
Read my review.

10. Theft of the Master, by Edwin Alexander

Rated:
Number of Pages: 288
Read for: Early Review for Garev Publishing International
Started: February 3, 2008
Finished: February 6, 2008
Read my review.

11. The Night Watch, by Sarah Waters

Rated:
Number of Pages: 524
Read for: Unread Authors Challenge, Man Booker Challenge, AND Orange Prize Project
Started: February 6, 2008
Finished: February 12. 2008
Read my review.

12. The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur, by Daoud Hari

Rated:
Number of Pages: 189
Read for: Library Thing’s Early Review Program, The Pub Challenge, Africa Reading Challenge, 888 Challenge, AND Reading the World (Africa)
Started: February 13, 2008
Finished: February 15, 2008
Read my review.

13. Life and Times of Michael K, by J.M. Coetzee

Rated:
Number of Pages: 184
Read for: Complete Booker, Reading the Nobels, 888 Challenge, Africa Reading Challenge, Man Booker Challenge, Bookawards Challenge, Booker Prize Yahoo Group, Bookawards Yahoo Group, Reading the World (Africa), Celebrate the Author Challenge, AND A Novel Challenge Yahoo group (mini challenge)
Started: February 15, 2008
Finished: February 17, 2008
Read my review.

14. Alentejo Blue, by Monica Ali

Rated:
Number of pages: 226
Read for: Unread Authors Challenge, 888 Challenge AND Reading the World (Europe)
Started: February 18, 2008
Finished: February 22, 2008
Read my review.

15. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison

Rated:
Number of pages: 337
Read for: Banned Books Yahoo group, Reading the Nobels, Every Month is a Holiday Challenge (Black History Month), My Year of Reading Dangerously Challenge, A Novel Challenge Yahoo group (mini challenge), Thematic Classic Challenge Yahoo Group AND 888 Challenge
Started: February 22, 2008
Finished February 25, 2008
Read my review.

16. Cat’s Eye, by Margaret Atwood

Rated:
Number of pages: 461
Read for: My Year of Reading Dangerously Challenge, Winter Reading Challenge, Decades Challenge 2008, AND Man Booker Challenge
Started: February 25, 2008
Finished: February 29, 2008
Read my review.

March 2008

I read 8 novels in March - all fiction - with an average rating of 4.1. I read a total of 2426 pages (average of 303 pages per novel). My favorite read of the month was Belong To Me. All of the books read this month were by authors new to me.

17. Resistance, by Owen Sheers

Rated:
Number of Pages: 256
Read for: The Pub Challenge, AND early review for Doubleday
Started: March 1, 2008
Finished: March 6, 2008
Read my review.

18. The Gathering, by Anne Enright

Rated:
Number of Pages: 261
Read for: Thematic Classics Challenges Yahoo Group, Bookies Too Yahoo Group, Bookawards Yahoo Group, Bookawards Challenge, Booker Prize Yahoo Group, Every Month is a Holiday Challenge (Irish-American Month), Man Booker Challenge, Complete Booker, Notable Books Challenge, AND 888 Challenge
Started: March 7, 2008
Finished: March 9, 2008
Read my review.

19. The Story of Forgetting, by Stefan Merrill Block

Rated:
Number of Pages: 311
Read for: The Pub Challenge, AND early review for Random House
Started: March 10, 2008
Finished: March 14, 2008
Read my review.

20. The Secret Scroll, by Ronald Cutler

Rated:
Number of Pages: 330
Read for: Suspense-Thriller Challenge, AND Early review for Beaufort Books
Started: March 15, 2008
Finished: March 16 , 2008
Read my review.

21. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Rated:
Number of Pages: 446
Read for: Banned Books Yahoo group
Started: March 16, 2008
Finished: March 21 , 2008
Read my review.

22. Belong to Me, by Marisa de los Santos

Rated:
Number of Pages: 388
Read for: Harper Collins Early Review
Started: March 22, 2008
Finished: March 26, 2008
Read my review.

23. Jackfish The Vanishing Village, by Sarah Felix Burns

Rated:
Number of Pages: 221
Read for: Review for Inanna Publications, AND Piker Press.
Started: March 26, 2008
Finished: March 29, 2008
Read my review.

24. Embers, by Sandor Marai

Rated:
Number of Pages: 213
Read for: Books in Translation Yahoo Group, Reading the World (Europe), TBR 2008 Challenge, AND Decades Challenge 2008.
Started: March 29, 2008
Finished: March 30, 2008
Read my review.

April 2008

I read 8 novels in April - all fiction - with an average rating of 4.4, and a total of 2642 pages (average of 330 pages per novel). My favorite read of the month was a tie between The Cellist of Sarajevo and Angle of Repose. All of the books read this month were by authors new to me, EXCEPT for Sue Miller. In addition to my novel reading, I also completed a short story by Haruki Murakumi.

25. Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout

Rated:
Number of Pages: 270
Read for: Early review for Random House
Started: March 31, 2008
Finished: April 2, 2008
Read my review.

26. The Tenderness of Wolves, by Stef Penney

Rated:
Number of Pages: 371
Read for: 21st Fiction Yahoo Group, The Costa Book Award Project, Bookawards Challenge, AND Suspense-Thriller Challenge
Started: April 2, 2008
Finished: April 5, 2008
Read my review.

27. The Sister, by Poppy Adams

Rated:
Number of Pages: 275
Read for: Barnes and Noble First Look Program, AND Science in Fiction Challenge
Started: April 6, 2008
Finished: April 7, 2008
Read my review.

28. The Cellist of Sarajevo, by Steven Galloway

Rated:
Number of Pages: 231
Read For: Reading the World (Europe), Early Review for Riverhead Books, AND Every Month is a Holiday Challenge
Started: April 8, 2008
Finished: April 10, 2008
Read my review.

29. Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner

Rated:
Number of Pages: 557
Read for: Bookawards Yahoo Group, Bookawards Challenge, Decades Challenge 2008, Pulitzer Project, Pulitzer Yahoo Group, My Year of Reading Dangerously Challenge, AND 888 Challenge
Started: April 11, 2008
Finished: April 17, 2008
Read my review.

30. The Lace Reader, by Brunonia Barry

Rated:
Number of Pages: 385
Read for: Early Review for William Morrow (Harper Collins)
Started: April 18, 2008
Finished: April 20, 2008
Read my review.

31. Lost & Found, by Jacqueline Sheehan

Rated:
Number of Pages: 278
Read for: Themed Challenge, AND 888 Challenge
Started: April 20, 2008
Finished: April 21, 2008
Read my review.

32. The World Below, by Sue Miller

Rated:
Number of Pages: 275
Read for: Themed Challenge, 888 Challenge, AND TBR 2008 Challenge
Started: April 21, 2008
Finished: April 26, 2008
Read my review.

May 2008

I read 8 books in May with an average rating of 4.1. I read 2668 pages (average of 334 pages per novel). My favorite read was Songs for the Missing. I also read 2 short stories. New to me authors this month were Halldor Laxness, Diane Ackerman, Katherine Center, Firoozeh Dumas, and Stewart O’Nan.

33. Independent People, by Halldor Laxness

Rated:
Number of Pages: 482
Read for: Books in Translation Yahoo Group, Reading the World (Europe), Read the Nobels Challenge, 888 Challenge, Decades Challenge 2008, AND 1% Well-Read Challenge
Started: April 26, 2008
Finished: May 5, 2008
Read my review.

34. The Zookeeper’s Wife, by Diane Ackerman

Rated:
Number of Pages: 323
Read for: Bookies Too Yahoo Group, In Their Shoes Challenge, AND Reading The World (Europe)
Started: May 6, 2008
Finished: May 12, 2008
Read my review.

35. The Bright Side Of Disaster, by Katherine Center

Rated:
Number of Pages: 245
Read for: Review for Random House Publishing Group, AND Thinking Of Nat Challenge
Started: May 13, 2008
Finished: May 14, 2008
Read my review.

36. Laughing Without An Accent, by Firoozeh Dumas

Rated:
Number of Pages: 223
Read For: Early Review (Villard Books), Reading The World (Asia), 888 Challenge, AND In Their Shoes Challenge
Started: May 15, 2008
Finished: May 17, 2008
Read my review.

37. Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult

Rated:
Number of Pages: 455
Read for: Themed Reading Challenge, Every Month Is a Holiday Challenge, AND Celebrate the Author Challenge
Started: May 17, 2008
Finished: May 21, 2008
Read my review.

38. Other Voices Other Rooms, by Truman Capote

Rated:
Number of Pages: 231
Read for: Year of Reading Dangerously Challenge
Started: May 22, 2008
Finished: May 25, 2008
Read my review.

39. Songs For The Missing, by Stewart O’Nan

Rated:
Number of Pages: 287
Read For: Early Review B&N First Look Book Club
Started: May 25, 2008
Finished: May 27, 2008
Read my review.

40. Before You Know Kindness, by Chris Bohjalian

Rated:
Number of Pages: 422
Read for: Themed Reading Challenge AND 888 Challenge
Started: May 28, 2008
Finished: May 31, 2008
Read my review.

June 2008

June was a terrific month for me. I read 11 books (with an average rating of 3.9/5 ) and one individual short story. I read 3548 pages (average of 323 pages per book). My favorite read was The Wednesday Sisters; my least favorite was Comfort Food. All were new to me authors except for Khaled Hosseini. I participated in two Read-A-Thons this month which really helped boost my numbers.

41. Bridge of Sighs, by Richard Russo

Rated:
Number of Pages: 528
Read for: Bookies Too Yahoo Group, Chunkster Challenge, Notable Books Challenge, 888 Challenge, AND Every Month is a Holiday (Father’s Day)
Started: June 1, 2008
Finished: June 7, 2008
Read my review.

42. Takeover, by Lisa Black

Rated:
Number of Pages: 337
Read for: Harper Collins First Look Program, Suspense-Thriller Challenge, and Summer Reading Challenge
Started: June 7, 2008
Finished: June 8, 2008
Read my review.

43. The Wednesday Sisters, by Meg Waite Clayton

Rated:
Number of pages: 284
Read for: Early Review (Ballantine Books), Chick Lit Challenge, AND Summer Reading Challenge
Started: June 8, 2008
Finished: June 10, 2008
Read my review.

44. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

Rated:
Number of pages: 371
Read for: Banned Books Yahoo Group, Reading the World (Asia), AND 888 Challenge
Started: June 10, 2008
Finished: June 13. 2008
Read my review.

45. Atonement, by Ian McEwan

Rated:
Number of Pages: 351
Read for: Man Booker Challenge, 888 Challenge, Celebrate the Author Challenge, 1% Well Read Challenge, and 10 out of 100 Challenge
Started: June 14, 2008
Finished: June 17, 2008
Read my review.

46. Home of the Gentry, by Ivan Turgenev

Rated:
Number of Pages: 203
Read for: Russian Reading Challenge, The Year of Reading Dangerously Challenge, 888 Challenge, AND Decades Challenge
Started: June 17, 2008
Finished: June June 19, 2008
Read my review.

47. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel

Rated:
Number of Pages: 319
Read for: Bookawards Yahoo Group, Complete Booker Challenge, 888 Challenge, 10 out of 100 Challenge, AND 1% Well Read Challenge
Started: June 20, 2008
Finished: June 23, 2008
Read my review.

48. Comfort Food, by Kate Jacobs

Rated:
Number of Pages: 333
Read for: Early Review (Penguin), ARC Challenge, AND Summer Reading Challenge
Started: June 24, 2008
Finished: June 25, 2008
Read my review.

49. The House at Midnight, by Lucie Whitehouse

Rated:
Number of Page: 320
Read for: Early Review (Ballantine Books), ARC Challenge, and Summer Reading Challenge
Started: June 26, 2008
Finished: June 28, 2008
Read my review.

50. Springtime on Mars, by Susan Woodring

Rated:
Number of Pages: 177
Read for: Short Story Challenge
Started: June 28, 2008
Finished: June 28, 2008
Read my review.

51. Down River, by John Hart

Rated:
Number of Pages: 325
Read for: Suspense-Thriller Challenge
Started: June 29, 2008
Finished: June 29, 2008
Read my review.

July 2008

52. People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks

Rated:
Number of Pages: 368
Read for: Bookies Too Yahoo Group, Science in Fiction Project, 888 Challenge, Reading the World (Europe), July Book Blowout, AND Well-Rounded Challenge
Started: July 1, 2008
Finished: July 4, 2008
Read my review.

53. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver

Rated:
Number of Pages: 543
Read for: Reading the World (Africa), TBR 2008 Challenge, 2008 Decades Challenge, Orange Prize Project, 1% Well Read Challenge, 10 out of 100 Challenge, July Book Blowout,  Well-Rounded Challenge, AND Chunkster Challenge
Started: July 5, 2008
Finished: July
Read my review.

54.