Books from Before - Part 3

#46. Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt

Read it! I don’t know why, but for some reason, I have always found witch trials to be fascinating. This book, set in England in 1612 showed me an important lesson about historical fiction – if the subject matter is right, you can lose yourself in any book. I really, really liked this one.

#47. State of Fear by Michael Crichton

Read it! All you climate change freaks out there should read this too. I was impressed by the amount of research Michael Crichton did for this book. Being married to a physicist, who thinks “global warming” and “climate change” are utter bullshit, might be one of the other reasons I liked this book so much.

#48. Debt of Bones by Terry Goodkind

Read it. Good, as always. I really liked this little novella. A must read for any Goodkind fan, just so you can get more of the delightful universe.

#49. Letters from Yellowstone by Diane Smith

Read it. This was kind of interesting, and the format was certainly different. The funniest part about this book was that I read it aloud. There was a character named Rutherford. I have two pet rabbits, one of which is named Rutherford. He kept thinking I was talking to him as I was reading. It was presh. And also the most memorable part of reading this book.

#50. Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix by Charles R Cross

Read it, and absolutely loved it. More evidence that when you are interested in the subject, biographies are fascinating. Even though I knew how it ended, I was still bitterly disappointed at the end – to me, the sign of a good writer. I was depressed for a week or two after reading this – all that talent, wasted.

#51. Casting with a Fragile Thread: A Story of Sisters and Africa by Wendy Kann

Read it. Interesting but sort of meh. Story of growing up in Africa as part of a white, colonial family...need I say more?

#52. Even After All This Time: A Story of Love, Revolution and Leaving Iran by Afschineh Latifi

Read it. This autobiography really, really moved me. I recommended it to a few friends, and read passages aloud to my husband. Not only was the part of the book that focused on Iran a compelling look at what has gone on and is going on in that country, the parts about Afschineh's immigration to America are truly, truly amazing. This woman, and her family, have GUTS - I cannot imagine a single pampered American going through these trials and prevailing. I just can't.

#53. Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey

Read it. Jacqueline Carey is always a good choice, and she doesn’t disappoint. I'm not sure how many more times I can say it - READ THESE BOOKS!!!!

#54. The Witch of Cologne by Tobsha Learner – Read it. This book was very moving to me for some reason. Historical fiction at its finest, and an interesting look at how science and intelligence were viewed in 17th century Cologne. And how that view differed based on your religious upbringing.

#55. Dies the Fire by S M Stirling

Read it. Interesting and not my usual thing, even though it was fantasy. I could see myself getting into the series though, but haven't explored it further yet.

#56. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

Read it. Quirky and delightful. And made me realize that I am a huge nerd. A fact with which I am A-OK. Mostly because no matter how big a nerd I am, my husband is a bigger one. :) This book, and most of the Discworld series (at least the 10 or so I have read so far), are really quite humorous as well, which is a nice little added bonus.

#57. Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume edited by Jennifer O'Connell

Read most of it. This was horrible. I guess I just don’t like Judy Blume as much as I did when I was 10. Perhaps this dud is why I just stopped the book blog all together? I sort of felt like I HAD to finish the book, and honestly, I would have rather scrubbed my shower with a toothbrush than read any more of this drivel.

And there you have it. The 30ish books I read but never blogged about because I was too busy earning money. My conscience is clear, and I can move on with my new plan and new format. Thank you, readers, for your indulgence.

Books from before - Part 2

Since I am home and feeling wretched, I thought I would at least post the second installment of my Books from Before. Enjoy!

#36. The Phoenix Unchained by Mercedes Lackey

Read it (and the rest of the series). Typical fantasy, and rather enjoyable too, but a little young for my taste.

#37. The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist

Read it. Depressing and intriguing at the same time, and kind of reminded me of the movie The Island.

#38. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

Read it. As far as young adult fantasy books go, it was pretty good. I definitely liked it much more than other YA werewolf books…

#39. Daughter of the Flames by Zoe Marriott

Read it. Really enjoyed it. Although it is a fantasy book, and includes a princess, she is an ass-kicking warrior priestess first. So, that has to count for something. This is a touching fantasy novel that any young adult would enjoy.

#40. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

Read it. Haven’t seen the movie yet (I doubt I could make Corey watch it). This was a pretty good book – I must say it is the first time I considered that Charlotte Lucas might have been a lesbian, and that actually holds up after additional thought. This book definitely gets kudos for making me think of favorite classics in a new way.

#41. The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society by Beth Pattillo

Read it. It was OK. And made me realize that I can live the rest of my life without ever reading another ‘romance’. These books are just so bland, as a general rule. There isn’t really a plot, there is just…melodrama. This genre is like the soap opera of the book world, and I am just fine without that.

#42. On the Edge by Ilona Andrews

Read it (and Bayou Moon)! This is the kind of romance I can really enjoy. Not the soap opera kind, rather the action packed, “I’m a kick ass woman, so you better send me a REAL man” kind. I have read several of the Kate Daniels Books by Ilona Andrews, and this was a little different, but I really liked it. The setting kind of reminded me of the swampy, gothic decay of Charlaine Harris’ Bon Temps, but the writing style and plot lines sure do blow Sookie out of the water.

#43. The Dark Lantern by Gerri Brightwell

Read it! This was like Matchstick Men meets Oliver Twist, only darker. It was kind of intriguing, although I could see how some people may not have enjoyed it - it does take some time for all the plot points to fully unwind.

#44. The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker

Read it! Mystery, set in French countryside? Yes please! This was an excellent mystery novel, and reminded me of just how much I love all things French. You should read it. Really.

#45. Three Wishes: A True Story of Good Friends, Crushing Heartbreak and Astonishing Luck on Our Way to Love and Motherhood by Casey Goldberg, Beth Jones and Pamela Ferdinand

Read it! Although the title is a huge mouthful, this book is amazing. As a 30 something woman who feels the ever more insistent ticking of her biological clock, this book was truly heart rending. It touched me in a very meaningful way, and I recommend it to any woman struggling with fertility or any other type of personal adversity.

Books from Before - Part 1

So, are you wondering what happened to those 30 odd books that used to be on my sidebar? Well, I read them. Plus many others. But back to those books (the others are kind of irrelevant at this point). To make the new start nice and fresh, I wanted to give a quick run down on those 30ish books. Just in case you were curious.

#24. First Rider's Call by Kristen Britain

Read it! After The Green Rider, I was really into this fantasy world. I liked the further exploration of Karrigan's powers in this book, and looked forward to finishing up the series with the next book. Except the series didn't end there, but more on that later.

#25. The Cello Suites: JS Bach, Pablo Casals and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece by Eric Siblin

Read it, and totally loved it. As a cellist, I found this book fascinating, and I think that any history lover or musician would enjoy it too. Pablo Casals had such an amazing life, and I really enjoyed how the book itself joined Bach, Casals and the actual piece as well.

#26. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Read it! Maybe the Classics aren’t so bad? This really stoked my interest in politics again, and Corey and I had many debates about it.

#27. The High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain

Read it! First thoughts? “I wish that Kristen Britain would resolve this plot already”. But, I did enjoy it, and will be reading the next book in the series soon.

#28. Cakes and Ale by W Somerset Maugham

Read it, and wish I could get those moments of my life back. This is everything I hate about Classic literature. If you are even tempted to read this book...don't.

#29. Inside Out by Maria V Snyder

Read it! I love Maria V Snyder, and this was just a great read. If you have a young adult reader in your house, buy this for them. They will really enjoy it. The sequel, Outside In, was good too! I can't wait to read her next book (not part of this series), A Touch of Power.

#30. The Other Boelyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Read it! Not so sure it is really historically accurate, but fairly enjoyable all the same. Also, I did quite enjoy the movie, but that could just be because my bestie & I watched it together at a "sleepover" (can you still have those past 28 years old? We made pitas fried in bacon fat and pumpkin cake, so I guess that kind of counts).

#31. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Read it! I.Loved. This. Book. And now I understand why everyone thinks Neil Gaiman is the shit. If you haven’t read it, remedy immediately.

#32. Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Read it! Nice little diversion, as always. Patricia Briggs is such a good author for a quick urban fantasy read, and you can depend on her books to draw you in. Plus, I really like her heroine - she isn't really a girly girl, and I dig that.

#33. Green by Jay Lake

Read it, and thought it was so-so. I felt like an entirely new plot started halfway through, which was odd because the original plot was so good.

#34. The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R King

Read it, loved it. I thought the whole Sherlock Holmes spin-off was brilliant, and it made me want to read more Sherlock Holmes books. It was like classic literature fan fiction.

#35. Psion by Joan D Vinge

Read it! Really, really liked it. This is what sci-fi should be, in my mind. I have notions of reading the rest of this series in the near future, once I finish what is currently on my plate, so to speak.

I fail at blogging

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I totally suck at this whole blogging thing. It is just so rough for me to make time to log on and post. So, I am switching it up - bi-monthly. And I will just do a mass blog about all the books I have read in those two weeks, along with any news. I think it will be much easier.

So - news first.

1) I obviously did not read 100, or even 50 books, totally missing my goal. This is what happens when you have a job that sucks up hours and hours of your life in overtime. For which I don't get paid since I am a manager. But, c'est la vie. All I can do is move on.

2) I got myself a Kindle. I adore it. It isn't fancy or touch screen or anything. But I still adore it. Also, my husband adored my Kindle and kept "borrowing" it. Guess what he got for Christmas? :)

3) Although I adore my Kindle, I still adore "analog" books. I will post about both e-books and regular books on here, because I love them both.

4) I realized from my experiment in reading and blogging that there are just some genres that I HATE. I can't help it. Classic literature is not my friend - I have read everything I want to read in that genre, and, truthfully, it mostly consisted of Jane Austen. So sue me. Might I try Steinbeck (at Corey's insistence)? Perhaps. Is Vonnegut a brilliant, life altering author? Maybe. I will never know. I am not going to push myself here - maybe I will try one or two classics, but honestly, I read for fun. Some classics are just drudgery for me, and that's that.

5) However, I did learn from my experiment that I enjoy mysteries, biographies, sci-fi, graphic novels, some non-fiction (if I find the subject interesting enough) and well written fiction. So, at least in that the experiment was not a total failure.

6) I have some new rules for this blog's new year:

• I will NOT be limiting myself to genres this time. It sucked. I will just read what I want to read, and post about that. Trust me. It will suck much, much less.
• Since I work ALL THE TIME, I will include audio books as well. A book lover's gotta get her fix somehow, right?
• Finally, I WILL be posting about re-reads. If I like it enough to read it twice (or more), you should read it too. Trust me, I know good books.

Now for the books. Reading highlights for 2011 included some truly delightful reads. Note that every last one is fantasy. I can't help it, I like what I like.

1) Game of Thrones by George RR Martin.

I will admit that the first time I tried to read this book, I failed utterly. It just had SOOOOOO many characters. Enter the HBO series. After watching the first episode, I was totally hooked. I must say, the series has to be one of the best adaptations of a book I have ever seen. I feel like I was the lucky winner at a BOGO sale. Once I got into it, the book was excellent, and I highly recommend it.

2) Codex Alera by Jim Butcher

At the recommendation of one of Corey's friends, I read this entire series over the summer. It is just the kind of epic fantasy that I totally love - magic, magical creatures, a righteous quest. There are 6 books in the series, and you will not want to stop in the middle, so I recommend getting them all at once so you don't have to. Book one, Furies of Calderon is pictured.:)

3) The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind

I seriously bought this book the day it came out. And read it that night. How could I resist another Richard & Kahlan book? I don't know if I expected too much from this book since I was so wrapped up in the characters from the previous 11 books, but it didn't draw me in quite as much as the others did. I still really enjoyed it, and might go back and read the other books then give it another try (this is what my hubby is doing - he hasn't read The Omen Machine yet. I think this is the best course of action).

4) The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

At the recommendation of that same friend of Corey's I decided to give these a try too (there is also one season of a t.v. show, which was pretty good). I am not quite finished (halfway through the last one), but I am still sticking it in this section. These are kind of different - I guess you could call them urban fantasy, but they also have a mystery element to them. Each is a great quick read, and I have read this one almost entirely on my Kindle. Storm Front, pictured, is the only one I actually bought in "analog" format.

5) Naamah's Blessing by Jacqueline Carey

I. Love. This. Author. Seriously. Naamah's Blessing was a fabulous end to the trilogy of books about Moirin. Having recently read another of Ms. Carey's books, I can definitely say that she will never be typecast. Each of her protagonists has their own unique voice. Moirin was definitely not Phedre or Immriel. But she was compelling in her own way, with her own magic and adventures. If you haven't read anything by Jacqueline Carey, and have liked my other recommendations, remedy that immediately. I think you should start with the first book in this trilogy, unless your tastes run a little darker, then you should start with Kushiel's Dart.

6) The Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara

I read all the books (so far) in the Chronicles of Elantra series over Thanksgiving this year. This is another series with magic and fantastic creatures. Sagara also does a delightful job of blending a police drama with amazing fantasy, and I highly recommend this series as well. It was delightful, and I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series, Cast in Peril. Cast in Shadow, pictured, is the first book in the series.

So, there you have it. I didn't make my goal, but I did read a ton. And I am back to blogging about books. Post about the first half of January next week.

The Dangers of Working Too Much

I went back through the list of books I added to my list on Goodreads and realized that somewhere along the line (about when I was shifted to a different position at work), I started spending more time at work than at home. The result was that I no longer had time to read for fun. Clearly, this hiatus from reading didn't bode well for my chances of completing the 100 book challenge by the end of next month. Since I took a break from roughly May to August (4 months of not reading!!), I am going to give myself an extension until Christmas (3 months from today).

Now, I know that I made the rules for this challenge, and the only person I am letting down is myself etc etc etc. But, I deserve this reprieve, and need the excuse to make time for myself since work isn't slowing down any time soon.

So, more books will be read and more posts will be made this weekend.

Thanks for hanging in there readers!

#23. In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker

320 pages, Science Fiction

In the Garden of Iden is set almost entirely in 16th century Spain and England. The story opens with the Spanish Inquisition - expected for something set in this time period. 5 year old Mendoza is arrested and questioned on suspicion of being a Jew. Terrified, she is held in a dungeon thinking that she is going to die, when an unlikely savior comes along. A representative of The Company - a 24th century bureaucracy more secretive than the CIA - asks Mendoza if she would like to join their ranks.

The Company, as it turns out, has discovered how to travel back in time, but not forward. They select certain people to join their ranks - turning them into immortal cyborgs so they can live through the many centuries to see the fruition of their efforts on behalf of their benefactor. These employees are charged with collecting samples of flora and fauna from a certain era that have become extinct in the future, securing what will become 'lost' artifacts and works of literature and never, ever having their cover blown - blending in with the 'mortals' as best as possible.

I thought that this was an extremely inventive idea for a science fiction novel. It was like historical science fiction, if anything like that exists. Mendoza was a compelling character, and the fast pace of the novel made it a quick read. Although the events in this first novel seem inevitable to some degree, I really enjoyed how Baker let them unfold. I am also glad that there are a few other 'Company' novels to tempt me at the end of this project. I would definitely recommend this book, and will certainly read more of Baker's work. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

#22 - The Conjurer by Cordelia Frances Biddle

320 pages, Mystery

The Conjurer is set in Philadelphia in 1842 and is the story of how the sheltered life of Martha Beale changes after her father, a wealthy financier, disappears while hunting. Rather than making her own choices, her father's sinister secretary, Owen Simms, manipulates her until he has exerted complete control over her life and her decisions. In spite of the preponderance of evidence to the contrary, Martha believes her father might still be alive, and Thomas Kelman, a skilled investigator who is also assistant to the mayor of Philadelphia, investigates Lemuel Beale's disappearance, along with the ritual murders of several young prostitutes. Concurrently, a conjurer, Eusapio Paladino, enters the picture - complicating matters with his visions of the murders and his affair with a wealthy society woman.

I, surprisingly, really enjoyed this book. It was almost more historical fiction than mystery, but the sinister elements and unknowns made it fit handily into the 'mystery' genre. Martha was a likable enough character - a bit naive for the age she was given in the book, but I suppose that is to be expected in a woman of that time period. I found Emily Durand, the wealthy socialite, to be actually be a more interesting character than Martha - she at least does more than sit around feeling sad about her situation. Additionally, the subtitle 'A Martha Beale Mystery' is really quite misleading. I kept waiting for Martha to do something to solve the mystery, then at least to have a hand in someone else solving the mystery, then to acknowledge that there was actually a mystery occurring. I was disappointed in this regard.

That being said, it was an interesting story with (perhaps more than) its share of compelling characters. I would certainly recommend it as a good introduction to this author, and will probably read other books by her. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.