Book List Challenge- Part 1

Found this list on the 100 greatest books blog. Of course, I had to come up with my own list of books (that I read in 2014).

1. A book with more than 500 pages: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

One of the greatest books of all time, a must-read if you can.

2. A classic romance: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

A classic romance that is ageless..

3. A book that became a movie: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

A moving book about friendship and repentance; the movie is equally touching.

4. A book published this year (I am using 2014 as the year): The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

Sweeping from West Bengal during the Naxalite movement in the 70s, it traces the journey of an unlikely couple to Northeast US. I think this was not as good as her other books.

5. A book with a number in the title: A thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini

A very touching story of the bond between two women under the oppressive Taliban rule in Afghanistan. A rare book that brought tears to my eyes.

6. A book written by someone under 30: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

She wrote this bone-chilling classic at the age of 17.

7. A book with nonhuman characters: The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

The classic tale of Mowgli, the “man-cub” raised by wolves.

8. A funny book: If life is a bowl of cherries, what am I doing in the pits? by Erma Bombeck

Humor in the insipid things of daily life.

9. A book by a female author:  The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Rai Divakaruni

Too many to count, but this one is an interesting, somewhat magical story of an Indian widow selling spices in San Francisco.

10. A Mystery Book: Six years- by Harlan Coben

My first encounter with this prolific mystery writer whose stories are set in almost my backyard..after this, I read almost all his books.

11. A book with a one-word title: Darshan– by Amrit Chima

The title is the name of the protagonist. This story recounts the adventures of a Sikh family through India, Hong-Kong, Fiji and Northern California.

12. A book of short stories: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

A fabulous collection of stories set in India and the US- my favorite was “The Third and Final Continent”. This book describes the Indian immigrant experience in the US, so it is very close to my heart.

13. A book set in a different country: Francesca’s Party by Patricia Scanlan

A universal book about the pangs of divorce, this book is set in Ireland.

14. A nonfiction book: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Inspiring autobiography of one of the greatest world leaders.

15. A popular author’s first book: In Evil Hour by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I love the cruel satire of this author’s books.

16. A book from an author you love that you have not read yet: Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

Archer’s books are simply delightful- clever plots, easy style, really interesting cast of characters; I have loved each one that I’ve read.

17. A book a friend recommended– One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

One of my Latino friends said I should read it to gain more insight into the world of South Americans. I was literally eaten up by the chronicles of the Buendia family, written in long winding seemingly endless sentences…

That’s all for now, I’ll finish the list later!