The Book List

Needless to say, I have a lot of free time on my hands. When I joined Peace Corps I had a rough goal of reading 100 books over two years - that's about a book a week. I'm in my 19th month here and last week finished book number 50, so I don't think I'll make the 100 mark. Without further blabbering, here is the list with my completely objective rating system (5 is the highest):

1. Swahili for the Broken Hearted, P. Moore 3 p. 341

2. Demian H. Hesse 3 p. 116

3. The Poe Shadow M. Pearle 1 p. 400

4. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius D. Eggers 4 p. 485

5. Jitterbug Perfume T. Robbins 5 p. 342

6. The Big Sleep R. Chandler 4 p. 139

7. The Rum Diary H. S. Thompson 3 p. 204

8. It S. King 3 ½ p. 1066

9. The Devil in the White City E. Larson 3 ½ p. 390

10. Guns, Germs, and Steel J. Diamond 4 p. 440

11. Motorcycle Diaries C. Guevara 2 ½ p. 165

12. Shadow of Kilimanjaro R. Ridgeway 2 p. 263

13. A Brave New World A. Huxley 4 p. 227

14. A Confederacy of Dunces J. K. Toole 4 p. 394

15. The Shock Doctrine N. Klein 3 ½ p. 589

16. State of Fear M. Crichton 3 p. 714

17. The Lost Continent B. Bryson 3 ½ p. 299

18. White Man’s Burden W. Easterly 3 ½ p. 382

19. Duma Key S. King 3 ½ p. 687

20. Life Expectancy D. Koonz 2 ½ p. 531

21. Three Cups of Tea G. Mortensen 3 ½ p. 331

22. The Men Who Stare at Goats J. Ronson 2 ½ p. 273

23. The Sicilian M. Puzo 2 ½ p. 408

24. Dead Aid D. Moyo 3 ½ p. 154

25. Perfume P. Susskind 3 ½ p. 263

26. White Noise D. DeLillo 4 p. 310

27. The Mission Song J. LeCarre 3 p. 390

28. King Leopold’s Ghost A. Hochschild 4 p. 318

29. The Trouble with Africa R. Calderisi 3 ½ p. 256

30. Catcher in the Rye J. D. Salinger 4 p. 214

31. I’m A Stranger Here Myself B. Bryson 3 p. 288

32. A Thousands Hills S. Kinzer 2 ½ p. 338

33. Democracy Kills H. Dempsey 2 ½ p. 356

34. Connected N. Christakis, et al. 3 p. 305

35. Outliers M. Gladwell 2 ½ p. 285

36. Middlesex J. Eugenides 2 ½ p. 523

37. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind W. Kamkwamba 2 p. 273

38. The Zanzibar Chest A. Hartley 3 ½ p. 446

39. 1984 G. Orwell 4 p. 310

40. The Colorado Kid S. King 1 ½ p. 184

41. Pirate Latitudes M. Crichton 3 p. 387

42. Sex Lives of Cannibals J. M. Troost 3 p. 272

43. Cosmopolis D. DeLillo 2 ½ p. 207

44. Skinny Legs and All T. Robbins 4 p. 422

45. The Holcroft Covenant R. Ludlum 2 p. 492

46. The Lady in the Lake R. Chandler 3 p. 212

47. The End of Mr. Y S. Thomas 4 p. 502

48. Banished Children of Eve P. Quinn 3 ½ p. 598

49. A Good Man in Africa W. Boyd 4 p. 312

50. From Those Wonderful Folks who Brought you Pearl Harbor, J. D. Femina 2 p. 270