75) The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz

Subtitled "Why More is Less", I think this book managed to provide an evidenced explanation for why I get so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of books out there that I still want to read. Which 25 will I pick for the remainder of this year? At this point, it's definitely about satsifying the goal and not maximizing the options -- thanks for the lesson in distinguishing, Barry!

5 Things to Be Thankful For

70) Just Like Heaven, Patrick McDonnell
Companion book to my first book of the year. Short and sweet, emphasis on both adjectives.

71) Words Fails Me, Teresa Monachino
Fun anomalies and abnormalities of English words. Right up my alley, although unique in its focus on visuals and graphics to bring out linguistic oddities.

72) Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, T.S. Eliot
Nothing beats a collection of good old nonsense poetry -- should be read aloud for maximum enjoyment and maximum stares from other Barnes & Noble customers.

73) Four Quartets, T.S. Eliot
A staple of any Eliot diet -- I come back to this piece, along with "The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock", countless times every year and enjoy them both more and more.

74) The Artemis Fowl Files, Eoin Colfer
A copule of short stories and "interviews" with the Artemis Fowl characters. Not sure what I think about the growing trend to put out "accessory" books -- probably just another way to exploit the money coming in off of popular authors, making a further franchise out of fantasy and filling the shelves with literary fluff -- but if they publish it and I read it, it goes on the list, dangit!

Here's to catching up with quick reads on long weekends!

In preparation for my upcoming trip . . .

. . I decided to read a couple books set in Afghanistan:

68) The Bookseller of Kabul, Asne Seierstad
69) The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseni

Two fascinating glimpses, in very different ways, into a culture that is so completely foreign to me -- I can't wait to experience Central Asia firsthand in a few weeks (altough I'm very glad that the country I'll be visiting is somewhat less severe)! Seierstad portrayed a complexity that I wanted both to judge and to embrace. Hosseni bordered on contrivance and predictability but was a phenomenal read nonetheless, not just for the cultural exposure but also for the rapture of a good story. Definite thumbs up to both.

67) The Final Solution, Michael Chabon

Subtitled "A Story of Detection" but I didn't find all that much mystery in it. That NPR spot ages ago revealed too much, I guess. As always, reveled in Chabon's language.

Many are the accomplishments of the lonely

So after a week and a half of forlorn roommatelessness, here are my most current additions:

58. The Grim Grotto, Lemony Snicket
59. The Penultimate Peril, Lemony Snicket
60. The End, Lemony Snicket

As promised, some thoughts on the ending of A Series of Unfortunate Events: not worth all the hype, but since he said to expect a miserable ending can I really complain that it wasn't miserable in exactly the way I would have liked? I was ready for unsatisfying but not unsatisfyingly unsatisfying, which I guess means he was successful after all . . . it starts to get all meta the more I think about it. Kids books are so not for kids.

61. The Arctic Incident, Eoin Colfer
62. The Eternity Code, Eoin Colfer
63. The Opal Deception, Eoin Colfer

Yes, those would be #2-4 of the Artemis Fowl Series. The first was by far the best (re-read it earlier this year; #44 on the list), but my OCD won't let me stop til I've gotten to them all.

64. The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, Gideon Defoe

Got this as the 3rd in a 3-for-2 'deal' (read: scam) at Borders -- I am such a sucker for those! Clueless Pirate Captain teams up with even more clueless Charles Darwin and a Chimp-man-zee. Sarcasm at its best.

65. Ein Mann Zuviel, Felix & Theo [tr: One Man Too Many]

This one was Rebecca's, leftover from a college German class -- a sorely contrived story about Herr Hoffinger, who unwittingly takes a photograph of a heroin deal going down, and a PrivatDetektiv and his Sekretarin who help bring everyone to justice. Not exactly hoch Literatur, but hey, it was in German and it totally counts!

66. The Pirates! In an Adventure with Ahab

Hats off to anyone who can make fun of Moby Dick (one of the world's most odious tomes) and make reference to both Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" as well as The Breakfast Club (ah, Molly Ringwald), not to mention write a sequel of undeclining quality, all in one book.