100 Books

100 Books

UPDATE Since I've gotten criticism from multiple people about this goal, I would like to address this criticism.  I am striving to read 100 books for several reasons.
No. 1- I WANT to
No. 2- I needed to balance the research articles that have dominated my time and attention in the last 1.5 years
No. 3- My Amazon.com wishlist has about 900 books on it.  I'm tired of waiting to read.  I want to learn.
No. 4- It is cheaper than taking university classes.
No. 5- Reading is FUNdamental.  Nuff said.

Don't send me your hate.  it just makes you look petty. I may not make it to 100, but I will sincerely try.  I don't appreciate being told "You'll NEVER make it" "That will NEVER happen" "You should just read ONE book".

This year I have a goal to read 100 books. 33 down, 67 more to go!

Click on the names to see the book on Amazon.com.

1.  Little Princes by Conor Grennan (highly recommend- about Nepal)

2.  Passage to Istanbul by Joseph Kanon (meh- slow spy novel, not very much culture, do not recommend)

3.  Desert Queen by Janet Wallach (you have to be in the mood- about British inventing modern Iraq)

4.  Tales from the Expat Harem by Anastasia Ashman (highly recommend)

5.  Apples are from Kazakhstan by Christopher Robins (recommend- great explanations of Soviet transitions)

6.  Rebel Land by Christopher de Bellaigue (recommend- historical background via stories of different kinds of people in Turkey including Kurds and Armenians)

7.  Crescent & Star by Stephen Kinzer (not a narrative- just historic information- dry)

8.  SOLD by Zana Muhsen (highly recommend- about Yemen)

9.  My Forbidden Face by Latifa (highly recommend- about Afghanistan)

10.  Princess by Jean Sasson (highly recommend- about Saudi Arabia)

11.  Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls are not for Sale by Rachel Loyd (recommend- about child enslavement in New York)

12.  Leap of Faith by Queen Noor (highly recommend- captures the recent history of the Palestinian peace process and of course Jordan).
13.  Murder in the Name of Honor by Rana Husseini (highly recommend, about Jordan & the world)

14.  A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park (highly recommend, fast and compelling read about South Sudan)

15.  The Woman Who Fell From The Sky by Jennifer Steil (recommend- about Yemen, expats, journalism)

16.  Survivors by Allan Zullo  (recommend- about Polish Children who survived Jewish camps in WWII).
17.  Friendly Fire by Alaa al Aswany (recommend- fiction collect of short stories about Egypt)

18.  Last Night Another Soldier by Andy McNab (fiction- about British troops in Afghanistan)
19.  Red Dust Road by Jackie Kay

21.   The Founding Foodies: How Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin Revolutionized America Cuisine by Dave Dewitt
22.  Finding Fish by Antwone Fisher (Highly recommend)
24.  Knickers in a Twist by Jonathan Bernstein
25.  Britannia in Brief by Banker & Mullins
26.  A Woman in Jerusalem: A Passion in Three Parts by A.B. Yehoshua (Fiction)

27.  Princess Sultana's Circle by Jean Sasson (part 3 of the trilogy- see no. 10, highly recommend about Saudi royalty).
29.  The Quran (in English) 
30.  Building Moral Intelligence by Michelle Borba (highly recommend for ALL parents)  

31.  Culture Shock: London by Orin Hargraves
32. Religions by Philip Wilkinson (great photos but really disappointing overgeneralizations of beliefs)
33. Mormons & Muslims by Spencer J Palmer (highly recommend)
34. The Art Journal Workshop by Traci Bunker (highly recommend- she describes purposes, processes, materials, methods, etc, VERY useful and inspiring)

35.  Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (crass, full of laughs, highly recommend- but not for everyone)
36.  Culture Smart!  Britain by Paul Norbury (recommend- a little dry compared to the others of similar purpose and scope)

Currently underway:

20.  A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kasghar by   Suzanne Joinson (Fiction)

28.  The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization by Thomas Friedman (recommend, but like World is Flat better). 

38. Sorry!  The English and Their Manners by Henry Hitchings
40.  Netherlands: Culture Smart!  by Sheryl Buckland

Up next:

23.  Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed The Art of War by Robert Coram

37.  Brit Cult: A-Z of British Pop Culture by Andrew Calcutt
39.  Watching the English by Kate Fox
41.  The UnDutchables by Colin White & Laurie Boucke
42.  Anne Frank's Tales from the Secret Annex by Anne Frank (her short stories, some true some fiction)
43. Vincent van Gogh and his letters by Leo Jansen (no link)