Nittnut Reads Her Playlist

My 15 year old son's playlist has become my playlist - no need to explain why, right? Fortunately, his "indie-radness" is very listenable. The (gasp) not Indie stuff is good too...
So, we made a reading list based on the playlist. Sort of.

1. Video Killed the Radio Star - Presidents of the United States - Biographies of Presidents of the United States

2. Buddy Holly by Weezer - 1950's

3.Rock n' Roll Lifestyle - Cake - Economics

4. Berlin - Solander - Books set in Berlin in 4 different decades

5. Bow Down (To No Man) - Hogni - Revolution (not French or American)

6. Introduce the Metric System In Time - The Hives - Science (Non-Fiction)

7. Horchata by Vampire Weekend - Spanish and Latin American Literature

8. Indian Summer - Beat Happening - Nostalgia, Remember When?

9. School Uniforms - Wombats - Coming of Age

10. Australia - The Shins - Australian Authors

11.You Always Make Me Smile by Kyle Andrews Romance (not the dime store kind)

12.Different Names for the Same Thing - Death Cab For Cutie New Zealand Authors

13.Safe and Sound - The Civil Wars and Taylor Swift - Young Adult Literature

14.Inspectors of Inspectors - Driftless Pony Club - Mystery

Haha, love your categories! I especially dig the Cake song. :)

....I am in agreement with you and your son. I like the categories/music choices!

What is on the menu for the NZ authors? (I might be able to poach some ideas)

Great categories, I am interested in both your New Zealand and Australian authors. Looking forward to future book bullets!

I'll be particularly interested in your 1950s category, both for the subject matter and for the song. :) Great setup!

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by. I am still in the process of moving - made it from the US to NZ, now finding a house, so I will sporadically visit all your threads and see your categories. :)

I forgot to save a couple spots, so I will post my reading below.

Hi Christina, Cake is great. The music and the food... I love the video I linked to. Mostly because it looks like they set up their mom's garden furniture and made a vid. LOL

Well Megan, I don't know that I have anyone on the list that will be new to you. I admit that I was hoping for suggestions. :) For sure Eleanor Catton, Janet Frame, Katherine Mansfield, some Margaret Mahy with the kids... I am interested in Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff. I have a short list, any way.

Hi Judy. I figured I should get to know some of the authors from my new home. I haven't read much by Australian or New Zealand authors. Hoping for good recs from people who know. :)

Hi Rabbitprincess. For the 1950's category, I am thinking more non-fiction, but I'm not sure. It's a unique time in history IMO. In the US especially, there is this dichotomy of Post WWII prosperity and the threat of nuclear war, but without the rebelliousness of the 1960s. My parents grew up in the 50s, so I grew up with a sense that in rural America, at least, the 50s were this happy, care-free time.

Video Killed the Radio Star - Presidents of the United States - Biographies of Presidents of the United States
1. Coolidge

Buddy Holly by Weezer - 1950's
1. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
2. Strangers on a Train

Rock n' Roll Lifestyle - Cake - Economics
1. Economics in One Lesson
2. Basic Economics: A common sense guide to the economy by Thomas Sowell YES Rolling over to 2015
3. Planning for Freedom YES Rolling over to 2015

Berlin - Solander - Books set in Berlin in 4 different decades
1. The Innocent - 1950's
2. Funeral in Berlin 1960's
3. Stasiland - 1990's
4. The Berlin Stories - 1920's

Bow Down (To No Man) - Hogni - Revolution (not French or American)
1. The Underdogs - Mexico - NOT rolling over
2. The War of the End of the World - Brazil NOT rolling over
3. Last Train from Cuernavaca - Mexico YES Rolling over to 2015
4. The Kingdom of this World - Haiti YES Rolling over to 2015
5. The House of Special Purpose - Russia

Introduce the Metric System In Time - The Hives - Science (Non-Fiction)
1. Earthquake: Nature and Culture
2. Why Dogs Hump and Bees Get Depressed meh and meh
3. In the Temple of Wolves: A Winter's Immersion in Wild Yellowstone
4. The Elephant Whisperer
5. Thirty Years that Shook Physics NOT Rolling over to 2015
6. Gutbliss: a 10-day plan to ban bloat, flush toxins, and dump your digestive baggage

Horchata by Vampire Weekend - Spanish and Latin American Literature
1. The Shadow of the Wind - Spain
2. Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter - Peru
3. The Last Days of the Incas - Peru
4. Birds in the Mouth - Argentina
5. The Old Gringo - Mexico
6. Like Water for Chocolate - Mexico
7. Ways of Going Home - Chile

Indian Summer - Beat Happening - Nostalgia, Remember When?
1. Cheaper By the Dozen
2. Belles on Their Toes
3.Three Men In A Boat
4. Ready Player One
5.The Wizard of Earthsea - nostalgic for me. :) Probably my first YA fantasy other than The Hobbit
6. False Colours
7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Remember when you read it for the first time?
8. the Garden of Evening Mists

School Uniforms - Wombats - Coming of Age
1. Shelter
2. The Outsiders
3. Keeping Safe the Stars
4. The House on Mango Street
5. Great Expectations
6. Dragonsong
7. The Clay Lion
8. Speak
9. Fangirl

Australia - The Shins - Australian Authors
1. Dragon Keeper
2. Garden of the Purple Dragon
3. Dragon Moon
4. Absolution Creek
5. Blood Brothers
6. The Secret River
7. Obernewtyn
8. The Bark Cutters
9. A Changing Land
10. Poppy's Dilemma
11. The Secret River
12. The Lieutenant

You Always Make Me Smile by Kyle Andrews - Romance (not the dime store kind)
1. Love Always
2. The Icecutter's Daughter Meh.
3. Not Without You Meh.
4.Chocolate Cake for Breakfast
5. Heir to Sevenwaters
6. Seer of Sevenwaters
7. The Real Katie Lavender
8. This is Your Song Lola Rose
9. To the Moon and Back
10. A Walk in the Park
11. Don't Want to Miss A Thing

Different Names for the Same Thing - Death Cab For Cutie New Zealand Authors
1. The Luminaries
2. La Rochelle's Road
3. Collected Short Stories of Katherine Mansfield
4. Heart's Blood
5. Wildwood Dancing
6. Daughter of the Forest
7. The Invisible Road
8. Cybele's Secret
9. Son of the Shadows
10. Child of the Prophecy
11. Flame of Sevenwaters
12. The Bone Tiki

Safe and Sound - The Civil Wars and Taylor Swift - Young Adult Literature
1. The Selection
2. The Prince
3. The Elite
4. Wither
5. Fever
6. Sever
7. Cold Magic
8. Cold Fire
9. Cold Steel
10. Gilded
11. The One
12 The Ocean at the End of the Lane
13.Darkhenge

Inspectors of Inspectors - Driftless Pony Club - Mystery
1. What Angels Fear
2. When Gods Die
3. The Indian Bride
4. Why Mermaids Sing
5. Where Serpents Sleep
6. Black Seconds
7. What Remains of Heaven
8. Where Shadows Dance
9. Bad Intentions
10. Eva's Eye
11. Judgement Call
12. Why Kings Confess
13.Dead Water
14.Omens

I can honestly say that I've never heard of those songs until now.

Great setup, Jenn!

Presidents of the United States and Cake? You are so starred. Good luck this year!

I can't say I'm familiar with any of those artists or songs but they sure set up a smashing group of categories. Have a great year!

A fun choice for your "Buddy Holly"/1950s category might be The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson. It's his memoir about growing up in the '50s, and it's a light, funny read.

Clearly you need a teenager LORI T. Without the teenager, I probably wouldn't know many of them either.

Hi LORI! Thanks :)

Hello JENNIFER. I take it you have good taste in music? LOL

Hi MAMZEL. Thanks! I hope to manage at least half of the list, right?

Thanks for the suggestion CHRISTINA. I have seen a couple of reviews of that book and it sounds entertaining.

I have to give one credit to my 9 year old daughter for the Civil Wars/Taylor Swift song. Besides, the teenager wants it known that Taylor Swift is NOT on his playlist, although the Civil Wars might be...

I have great taste in music. And I've had "Lump" going in my head since visiting your thread.

CHRISTINA - So, funny story. You suggested that I read Bill Bryson's Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. I thought it was a good idea and put it on my wish list. Two Saturdays ago, we moved into a beach rental, and there on the bookshelf was The Thunderbolt Kid. You will all appreciate, as my family did not, my declaration that it was fate and my subsequent total immersion in the book. :)

JENNIFER - If you get tired of "lump" there is always Julian Smith to help you out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93LJVlxzE_Q

@ 17 -- Haha, I do appreciate that! Obviously the universe agreed with my recommendation. :) Glad you enjoyed it!

>17 nittnut: ha, that was pretty good! "You're gonna make a great parent someday."

Excellent set-up! I've only heard a few of those songs, but youtube can probably fix that. :)

Hi Jennifer. Glad you enjoyed.

Hi Eva :) Follow the links to hear the songs. It was lots of fun setting it up with my son's help.

Off to a great start - 16 read so far. Of course, now that my internet is hooked up at home I will probably read more threads than books. ;)

79 to go...
Just added a couple less than memorable romances and a pretty good YA fantasy book. I just unpacked Coolidge and the Economics books, so I will have to get down to some more serious reading soon.

And... 54 to go. I know nobody has been dropping by - because there isn't much to see. I have a hard time keeping up more than one thread.

My favorite reads so far have been the Sevenwaters series by Juliet Marillier. Good fantasy with a lot of Celtic lore and history.

Does anyone have a good recommendation for my Nostalgia or Coming of Age sections??

Humm.... well, for Nostalgia, have you read any of Sue Grafton's Alphabet Mysteries with private investigator Kinsey Millhone? They are not retro so much as the earlier books were written in the 1980's the stories are set in but I find them a perfect 'slide back in time' read today. Grafton provides such great details from clothes to cost of living in California etc in the stories. I just finished listening to G is for Gumshoe, book 7 in the series.

>23 nittnut: Aww, I really like the Sevenwaters books so far (I've only read the first 2, but I do plan to continue)! For your nostalgia category, I'd recommend Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, which is a delightful story set in 1920s England. For coming of age, I really loved Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

>23 nittnut: I read a great book called Countdown by Deborah Wiles a couple of years ago. Set during the 1962 Cuban Missle crisis and with an eleven year-old main character, this would fit either Coming-Of-Age or Nostalgia. On the more quirky side, I quite enjoyed I Am Not A Serial Killer and I believe it would be considered a Coming-of-Age tale.

>24 lkernagh: Thanks for all the suggestions! I have read some of the Alphabet Mysteries, Lori. Thanks for the reminder. :)

>25 christina_reads: Totally adding Fangirl, Christina. I have read Miss Pettigrew - loved it.

>26 DeltaQueen50: Judith, those are both intriguing. They'll go in the TBR pile regardless...

Two categories finished! Woot! Fangirl just arrived in the library for me, and I am nearly finished with The Collected Short Stories of Katherine Mansfield. They are fabulous and heartbreaking.

Two coming of age recommendations are The Fault in Our Stars and Eleanor and Park.

Hi Stacy, thanks for the recommendations. I've read The Fault in Our Stars, and I just read Fangirl by Rowell, and I am definitely interested in Eleanor and Park.

Is it possible that I only have 33 books left to read in this challenge? Crazy. Some of them are real chunksters though, so I should probably get going on them soonish.

Currently reading:
Coolidge
The Clay Lion

and listening to:
Return of the Native
How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse

Isn't it a great feeling when you know your challenge is more than half way finished at this time of year? ;-)

^Yes Lori!

5 categories finished! I've got to get out there and find copies of some of my more obscure titles, LOL and I've got to discipline myself and get started on that big, fat economics book that I've wanted to read for a couple of years. So some big books to go, but 4 of the biggest categories completed.

Have you started that econo book yet? I don't envy you that!

Finished Coolidge! Woot! My rather scattered review is over at my other thread - http://www.librarything.com/topic/172818

>34 mamzel: I have not. I am taking a deep breath and getting ready though. Truly, I am looking forward to it. I've had those econ books on my list for a couple of years.

I just got a hold of a copy of The Elephant Whisperer and The Old Gringo so I can get those read as well.

Has anyone read a good nostalgia book lately? I may finish that category up with Georgette Heyer. I'll need the light reading after the dose of Economics I'm about to take.

Ack! My Kindle broke. Waiting for my new one. I have 24 books left to read. Not all of it light reading.

Looking for a good book set in Berlin. Need something not WWII...

>34 mamzel: I have started that econo book. It's pretty interesting and not terrible reading. lol

Sorry to read that your Kindle is broke. A book set in Berlin and not WWII is a bit of a challenge. Will come back if anything comes to mind.

>37 lkernagh: I know - what was I thinking when I started that category anyway? LOL.

>36 nittnut: What about 1930's Berlin? There's two novellas, Mr Norris Changes Trains and Goodbye to Berlin, by Christopher Isherwood that are often published together as The Berlin Stories.

>39 ELiz_M: An excellent suggestion. Thank you!

glad to be of service :)

Just finished The Garden of Evening Mists. I really liked it. I will definitely pick up The Gift of Rain one of these days. Next up from my list (and just arrived at the library for me): Stasiland, Strangers on A Train and Ways of Going Home.

Another 5-star read from my challenge list - Ways of Going Home. It was really good. If you're looking for something new in Latin American fiction, this is a good one. It's also fairly short.

Next up - in my pile of requested library books - Strangers on a Train and The Lieutenant.

Finally finished Strangers on a Train. I must say, I seem to have visited the light and the dark side of the 1950's. Lol. What a creepy book, and it should be said, creepier by far than the Hitchcock film.

>44 nittnut:
I'm not sure if I ever saw the movie, but I'll take a BB for the book.

>45 -Eva-: I hope you enjoy it. It's one of those "why done it" books rather than a "who done it" type. Very creepy psychological stuff. :)

Finished another one in the Australian authors category and reviewed it here - https://www.librarything.com/topic/181141#4883258

Giggle. Apparently I can't count. For some reason I have 12 books in the Australian authors category and I only needed 10... oh well. What's a couple extra?

Books remaining in challenge: 16

Books read this year so far: 151

Next up: finishing The Old Gringo which I'm fairly lukewarm about at the moment, reading a bit more in the big fat Econ book and The Book of Life just came in at the library and it's not on the list, but will be my weekend indulgence.

Here's my review of The Old Gringo. For what it's worth. You may get the impression I didn't like it.

Written in stream of consciousness - and not just one person's stream of consciousness either - The Old Gringo is a unique and provocative book. For me, not really provocative in a good way. I really hated it. Full disclosure: I really hate stream of consciousness. I prefer not to know that much about what other people, even imaginary people, are thinking. I like filters. In terms of historical value, I think it's marginal. There are better books for getting a real historical perspective. In terms of defining the political relationship of America and Mexico at the time, or the attitude of Americans to Mexicans in the early 1900's, maybe. Of course, that has never been a simple and straightforward relationship, so it may be a simplistic point of view. Also, I have to say that my sampling of Spanish and Latin American literature this year has given me the impression that, at the very least, male Spanish and Latin American authors, have a tendency to misogynistic, tortured, Gothic fantasies about women and sex. I think I'll stick with the females for a while.

Just finished Funeral in Berlin. Great read. Very smart spy novel. If you understand chess, you will really enjoy it.

>49 nittnut: - I'm intrigued by your chess reference. Will have to check this out.

Woot! finished another category. Berlin is done. 12 books to go.

Looks like I have 10 books left, two of which I am currently reading, and one of which is currently packed in a box somewhere in my garage. I won't be getting to that one, I don't think. So 9 books left? May or may not happen, but I'm feeling pretty good about what did get read so far. I am currently reading Economics in One Lesson and Last Days of the Incas, both are good reads. A little distracted at the moment by the Shadowfell series, but I'm on to the last book.

I also find myself thinking about my 2015 challenge just a little. One thing I know for sure, there will be zero male authors of Latin American or Spanish descent. Nope.

To sort of wrap things up for the 2014 Challenge:

I am working on three books - Economics in One Lesson, Last Days of the Incas and Great Expectations. Mental note about not saving chunksters for December? Duh. I may or may not read Like Water for Chocolate. I hope to, but not if it's stressing me out to get to it.

I will probably need a rollover category for books I didn't finish this year - at least the ones I want to finish.

My revolution category was not a success. I just never got too excited about it. I will revisit the selections for my rollover category for next year.

I think I will embrace a fantasy category because I am finally going to try and work my way through the Robert Jordan series.

Just thinking a little about categories for the 2015 challenge...

Rollover - books from 2014 challenge that I still want to finish
Off The Shelf
Fantasy
New Zealand
Animal Sciences
TIOLI - it's been awhile since I participated here
Book Bullets
Reading Aloud With the Family
Award Winners
American Author Challenge
US History
YA - always
Mystery
Memoir
Next in a Series

Just some ideas. Any suggestions? What are some of your categories for next year?

I'm going to have a Book Bullet Category next year because I got hit with so many this year.

Good ideas! I'd love to see what you read for a New Zealand category.

>54 MissWatson: I hear you. That's why I'll have one as well. It's been quite a year for BB's.

>55 rabbitprincess: I think there will be a mix of fiction and non-fiction. At the top of my list is Once Were Warriors and The Trial of the Cannibal Dog. I am sure I will read more Juliet Marillier as well.

One more finished!

Economics in One Lesson

It is important to note that this is not a definitive economics text, rather a primer on the principles of free markets. It is clearly written and easy to read. Hazlitt points out many fallacies in "common knowledge" and public policy regarding economics. Even though it was written in the 1940's and updated in the 1970's, it is still completely relevant today. In fact, it may cause the reader to feel some despair over the current trends in public policy. In particular, I found the chapters on inflation to be very informative and interesting. Highly recommended, especially for a clear understanding of basic economic principles.

Looks like there will be 7 books I won't finish this year. Not bad. I read more of the list than I expected.

I would say that my Latin American Lit category sort of spoiled my Revolution category. I find I have a low tolerance for the male Spanish/Latin American authors and since I had several books about revolution in Latin America, I was not super excited to read them. On the other hand, Sandra Cisneros was a winner and I will definitely read more of her.

Kind of interesting to reflect on what I enjoyed and did not enjoy of my categories and see where I picked up some new authors to enjoy.

You've intrigued me with Sandra Cisneros. I'll check if her books are available at my local library.