bluesalamanders' challenge

Edit: Comments and discussion are welcome! And since I'm reading so much more than I expected, I raised the challenge to 100 total books, including 50 new-to-me books.

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Ok then :) My personal challenge is 85 books, with an included challenge of 25 new-to-me books, and a total of 30,000 pages. An asterisk (*) denotes a new read.

1. *Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny (279)

From the back of the book:
A band of men has gained control of technology, made themselves immortal, and now rule their wodl as the gods of the Hindu pantheon. Only one dares oppose them: he who was once Siddhartha and is now Mahasamatman. Binder of demons. Lord of Light.

It was...a bit confusing and rather odd, but I liked it.

2. Redwall by Brian Jacques (351)

Matthias, a mouse who is a novice at Redwall Abbey, embarks on a quest to find the ancient sword of the Order's founder, Martin the Warrior, when Redwall is attacked by an evil army of rats, weasels, stoats, and other vermin.

This is a childhood favorite. My parents gave it to me for Christmas, wow, over 15 years ago, and I was totally uninterested in it (what? I'd never even heard of it!) until they started reading it to me in the evenings before I went to sleep. Then I became slightly addicted for some time and bought every book in the series until recently. The most recent one I have is Triss, I believe, and all but the last two(ish) are in hardback.

I haven't read Redwall in probably about 8 years. Now that I can look beyond the adventure and pay attention to other aspects of the book, there are many flaws - for instance, are the animals the size of animals, or are they the size of people? It seems to go back and forth, depending on the situation.

Regardless of the flaws, I still enjoyed reading it, both for nostalgia and as a fun and exciting story.

3. Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle (310)

The twins Sandy and Dennys, the middle children and the most "normal" in the Murray family, mess with one of their parents' experiments and are sent back into the time of Noah's ark. They learn to survive in the ancient desert as they meet the good people that god ("El") wants to save and the evil people that he has decided to wipe out, along with mythical beasts and not a few angels of various ilk (I think they're angels...I'm not up on my Christian nomenclature).

Usually I don't like religious-type literature (I don't care for most of the related books, for instance) but for some reason I've always liked this book, bible-story or no.

4. An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L'Engle (343)

A book I haven't read in quite a few years, but one of the few L'Engle books I still like to read.

From Amazon:
When Polly visits her grandparents in Connecticut, she finds herself caught up in the lives of three mysterious strangers who lived 3,000 years ago and travels back in time to play a crucial role in an ancient confrontation...

4 / 85 books (4.7%)

1 / 25 new books (4.0%)

1,283 / 30,000 pages (4.3%)

5. *Conrad's Fate by Diana Wynne Jones (375)

A Chrestomanci book. Really, I couldn't put it down! I went to the bookstore this morning for some other things, had a bagel while I was there and needed something to read, so I picked this up. I read probably a quarter of it at the store, before I had to leave, and the rest of it at home later (before and after class).

6. *The Grand Tour by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (469)

Sequal to Sorcery and Cecelia, which I read in December. I got this from the library on Monday, was distracted by it from the book I was reading (a reread, not a big deal), and then was distracted from it to read Conrad's Fate.

I enjoyed both this and Sorcery and Cecelia, my only problem being keeping track of which girl was writing which part (letters in the first book, journal entries in the second) and which characters are which. Even though the girls were written by two different authors, the styles were not so distinct that I could easily tell them apart, and Thomas and James were such similar characters that I frequently got them confused.

6 / 85 books (7.1%)

3 / 25 new books (12.0%)

2,127 / 30,000 pages (7.1%)

Currently reading:
Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce
Earth by David Brin

7. Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce (403)
8. Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce (444)

Some of the most recent books in the Tortall series. Another strong female character - with magic. Aly is possibly more a Mary Sue than any of the other heroines, but even so, I find these books enjoyable and often hilarious. The spying and intrigue remind me at times of what used to be one of my favorite tv shows, Alias.

However, due to having read these books a number of times and possibly due to reading more, er, better-written books recently, I'm starting to notice a lot more flaws than I used to as I read these - unnecessary text that just bloats it instead of adding substance, the degree to which Aly gets nearly nothing wrong, or what she does get wrong turns out to not be a problem in the end (or is even an asset).

I probably won't read these books again for a long time.

8 / 85 books (9.4%)
3 / 25 new books (12.0%)
2,614 / 30,000 pages (8.7%)

Currently reading:
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
*Earth by David Brin

Sorry for the interuption in your posting, but I just wanted to thank you for the idea for the book/word meter! I'm adding my own.

Enjoy!

No need to apologize - I don't mind at all. I wouldn't mind more "interuption of posting" if people wanted to discuss books, etc, either. What's the point of posting if there's never any discussion? :)

And you're welcome. A lot of people over on Livejournal use them, which is how I found out about them. Neat, aren't they?

Where do you get the meter?

You wrote:
However, due to having read these books a number of times and possibly due to reading more, er, better-written books recently, I'm starting to notice a lot more flaws than I used to as I read these - unnecessary text that just bloats it instead of adding substance, the degree to which Aly gets nearly nothing wrong, or what she does get wrong turns out to not be a problem in the end (or is even an asset).

Nope. Not just you. I read these a couple of months ago and it is not as well-written as it has the potential to be. Adverbs on parade, too many characters, and way too much info dumping. And, yes, Aly is definately a Mary Sue. I've been told that the series about her mother, Alanna, is better at having a main character with flaws. Aly annoyed me a lot. LOL.

Well....Alanna is a Mary Sue too. She has flaws, but they're not...meaningful ones, if you know what I mean. Either she overcomes them (without much effort...) or she never has to face them. The least Mary Sue-like character by Pierce is Kel, of Protector of the Small. She has flaws that cause actual problems, she makes real mistakes, she has actual bad things happen to her, etc. Aly is the quintessential Mary Sue, which I recognized the first time I read it; I just didn't recognize the...well, the purple prose. Three sentences when one would do, two sentences when three words would do. Twenty pages could probably be cut out of the books, with some good solid editing.

I still like Nawat, though, and a few of the other minor characters, a lot. And the story - I like the story, and I like that there were some hints **SPOILER** that it was going to be Dove. Hints that I didn't pick up on until I read it the second time through. That was good.

*spoiler*

I saw the Dove thing coming a mile away, actually. At first, I simply thought that "hey, Dove would make a much better queen" and then I thought that was going to be on of the god's tricks--everyone was expecting it to be the older girl (name escapes me--Sarai?), but what a good joke to have it be the younger one instead. That theory proved wrong, but seeing more and more of Dove's good sense convinced me that she would be queen and her sister was going to be kicked out of the picture somehow.

But yeah, not bad books at all. It's nice to have some goood female heroines in YA-fantasy.

*more spoiler*

Well, yes, I'm not saying I didn't see that Dove would be the better queen - that was fairly obvious, and Aly saying "I think you'd do well with Sarai on the throne" was kind of stupid for an otherwise intelligent (over-intelligent...) girl. What I meant was things like the kundarung (whatever, the winged horses) returning to the Isles the year of Dove's birth, and...well, that's the only one I remember right now, but I think there were a couple of other subtle things (as opposed to bash-you-over-the-head things, like Sarai's unsuitability and Dove's suitability :).

9. Sunshine by Robin McKinley (389)

I am a McKinley fan, so I bought Sunshine as soon as it came out. I wasn't sure about it the first time I read it - it is so totally different from all her other books, I really didn't know what to think - but with each subsequent reading, I love it more and more. I identify in many ways with the main character, because she thinks things that I would think - when faced with a wold that includes far too many of the bump-in-the-night types of supernatural creatures and nowhere near enough of the three-wishes-and-happily-ever-after sort, she thinks "Who invented this system?"

Some people don't like Sunshine because they find it slow, and at times the action is interrupted for explanation, like someone getting sidetracked when telling a story (oh, and that reminds me of this thing I've been meaning to tell you...). McKinley takes great pleasure in giving a huge amount of little details about the universe she has created, little bits of information about different kinds of demons and other Others (non-humans), and for me, things like that can bring a depth to the world that it wouldn't otherwise have. The narration has a conversational tone, as though you're sitting across the table (maybe in Charlie's Cafe, with a plate of muffins or some dessert "with no socially redeeming value") and listening to her tell you the story.

9 / 85 books (10.6%)
3 / 25 new books (12.0%)
3,003 / 30,000 pages (10.0%)

Currently reading:
Earth by David Brin
The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies by John Scalzi

Is An Acceptable Time the book that is supposed to link the original fantasy-based Meg series with the more realistic Polly series? I heard about it...ooh...maybe a year ago, and was quite surprised. But then, I didn't encounter Many Waters until I simply stumbled on it in a bookshop.

The creatures in Many Waters *are* angels, by the way (the cherubim and seraphim, right?). Although, unless my memory is totally failing me (which is possible), this causes some definite problems with A Wind in the Door - since Proginoskes is said to be a cherubim in that book, and none of the angels are anything even remotely like him here.

Also - and this is just a question on my part - when you mention "the related books," are you talking about the earlier books in the Meg series? Because I've never thought about the first two being especially religious at all, except in a very generalized good-sacrifices-itself-to-conquer-evil way. The third, though...pfft. Been so long since I read that I couldn't even begin to comment. All I know is that when I finally found Many Waters, the very obvious and out-there biblical aspects really surprised me.

Many Waters was always my favourite of the Wrinkle in Time books (does that quartet have an actual name?). I don't usually like religious-type books either, but I do love historical fiction, so that more than made up for it.

I didn't notice any religion in the earlier books when I first read them - I think I was about 9 at the time. But when I re-read A Wrinkle in Time in high school, I found that it was a lot more religious than I remembered, and that bothered me because I sort of felt like I had been tricked when I was younger. Subliminal messages and all that. With Many Waters, the religion is so obvious that you can recognize it and then choose how seriously you want to take it, which I thought was much better.

I really like your list of books, bluesalamanders! I've read six of the nine and was planning to read two more :)

15 saroz

Um, I don't know? An Acceptable Time is about Poly going back in time. I don't know if it's supposed to be a link between anything.

It's seraphim and nephilim. The cherbim was only in the other book.

And _Zoe_ basically said it - I reread A Wrinkle in Time in or after high school and found that there was a lot of religion that I hadn't noticed before - the three ladies said a lot of religious quotes, and so on. I don't really remember the others, though, because Many Waters and An Acceptable Time are the only ones I read anymore - it's been years since I've read any of the others.

16 _Zoe_
What is the odd book out? Since that's easier than asking which you've read or are going to. :)

saroz, I've never read the Polly series, but An Acceptable Time is vaguely connected to Meg, so I guess it could be the link.

The odd book out is Lord of Light. I've never read anything by Zelazny, actually. And the ones I'm going to read are The Grand Tour - assuming I like Sorcery and Cecelia, which I may start tonight - and Sunshine. I'm also a McKinley fan and bought it as soon is it came out, but then I somehow never got around to reading it....

I love Sunshine. It is one of my favorite books ever. Not everyone likes it all that much, though...

If you're going to read Zelazny - which I recommend, by the way - I would suggest the Amber series - the first one is Nine Princes in Amber, and the first 5 (I think it's 5) are the best - and A Night in the Lonesome October, which is delightful. Lord of Light is famous, and a good read, but slow going and tough. I probably won't read it again soon.

That's...interesting. Maybe I need to go back and reread A Wrinkle in Time now. I did re-read A Wind in the Door a while back, and that one's quite scientific. At least - so far as I remember... Oh dear.

I have Lord of Light on my shelf. Might need to try it sometime.

Lord of Light is a good book. Confusing, though.

I probably will reread it someday, and will understand it better then.

10. *Earth by David Brin (652)

This book was long, technical, at times confusing, very detailed, and really, really great.

There were characters I liked, there were characters I loved, there were characters I hated from the moment I was introduced to them. There were characters I didn't much care for, but then grew to like. There was at least one character who I totally misunderstood - as I was supposed to - until the end.

It was not an easy book. It's taken me several weeks to read (with some interruptions), when a less complex book of the same length would take me a week or less.

No, I haven't explained the plot...to explain the plot is to give too much away. If you like SF - particularly hard SF - check it out, it's right up your alley.

10 / 85 books (11.8%)
4 / 25 new books (16.0%)
3,655 / 30,000 pages (12.2%)

Currently reading:
*The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies by John Scalzi
(haven't yet touched The Historian or Pure Drivel, both of which I'm partway through from last year)

Up next, probably one of these:
*A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
*Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich
*The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman

11. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce (299)

I had some free time today - long enough that I had to find something to do and not long enough to walk back home and actually do something. So I went to the library and read this.

It's fun enough. It's clearly a YA book, though; I got through the whole thing in a little over two and a half hours (though I've read it before, which of course makes it go faster). Since I tend to go on about how Pierce's heroines are Mary Sues, I'd say that Daine is more a Mary Sue than Kel (and on par with or more than Alanna) but definitely less than Aly.

11 / 85 books (12.9%)
4 / 25 new books (16.0%)
3,954 / 30,000 pages (13.2%)

Currently reading:
*A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
*The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies by John Scalzi

Last book in January:

12. *A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (183)

I'd never read this before, and given how much people talk about these books, I was a little surprised to find them in the YA section.

I liked it. I like Le Guin's writing and worldbuilding. What I found strange, though, was that on every third page, it seemed, there was something that reminded me of some other fantasy book I've read. A whole section at the beginning reminded me of the beginning of Juniper by Monica Furlong, for instance. Which means the opposite, since all the books it reminded me of are much newer: that Earthsea probably inspired parts of them.

12 / 85 books (14.1%)
5 / 25 new books (20.0%)
4,137 / 30,000 pages (13.8%)

Currently reading:
*Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin
*The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies by John Scalzi

Hope it's okay for me to visit as well....

I never realized that there even were religious references in the Wrinkle in Time books, but I read them back in elementary school. My favorite was A Swiftly Tilting Planet. I never finished reading Many Waters, but I think I might own a copy. I haven't totally finished cataloging my books and will have to check.

I've only read Beauty and Sunshine by Robin McKinley and I definately prefered Sunshine. I did find her kind of drifting off course of the story confusing but ultimately the story was very good. I'm just sad that she apparently doesn't do sequels, I would love to see one to Sunshine.

I welcome discussion :)

I definitely didn't notice the religious references until I reread L'Engle's books in high school or later. When I read them in elementary and middle school, I didn't notice either.

I think McKinley's writing has grown or matured or something (Beauty and Sunshine were written something like 20 years apart after all!). I certainly think that if you read her books in the order they were published, there is a definite change over time, from the ephemeral style of her earlier books to the more concrete style of the later ones - if you liked Sunshine, you might try Spindle's End. It's a similar style (though another fairy tale rewrite).

I'm used to her not doing sequals, so it doesn't bother me much. Though I'd like it if she wrote another book in the same world, maybe about Yolande's past or about the grandmother, something like that.

First book of February:

13. *Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin (163)

Next book in Earthsea. Once again, I liked it. I liked that the main character was not the same - although oddly enough, I usually don't like that in a series, but here it seems that each book has a different main character, but some recurring character(s). It also seems like they could be read out of order without much confusion, but also without the lengthy explanation that often accompanies such things (summarizing the first book at the beginning of the second, a practice I hate).

13 / 85 books (15.3%)
6 / 25 new books (24.0%)
4,300 / 30,000 pages (14.3%)

Currently reading:
*The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin
*The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies by John Scalzi

14. *Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson (266)

I am rounding out my collection of Robin McKinley books, and this is one of the few (if not the only) still-in-print book of hers that I didn't have. In fact, I hadn't read it before, although I had heard of if. I think I might have read the exerpts on her website awhile ago and forgot, and so thought I'd read the whole book.

Anyway. Mermaids of various ilk and a variety of other water creatures are main or minor characters in the stories in this book. It's fantastic. I particularly like the last story, which is another tale of Damar (for those of you who like Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword, which won't freaking touchstone at all, wtf).

15. *The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (223)

I'm not sure why, but I think this is my favorite of the three Earthsea books that I've just read. I liked Arren, and his relationship with Sparrowhawk.

15 / 85 books (17.6%)
8 / 25 new books (32.0%)
4,799 / 30,000 pages (16.0%)

Currently reading:
*The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies by John Scalzi
*Fifty Degrees Below by Kim Stanley Robinson

16. *The Sagan Diary by John Scalzi (1hr 20min)

Well, this was a first - an audiobook. I haven't listened to an audiobook in probably 10 years. It's a novellla or novelette or some other shorter-than-a-regular-book term. It is an in-between book, written in the Old Man's War universe but from the perspective of Jane Sagan (as opposed to John Perry). Timeline wise, it is between The Ghost Brigades and The Last Colony (not out yet).

It is fabulous. If you are a OMW fan, The Sagan Diary audiobook is available free here. I don't suggest listening to it if you haven't read the first two books, though - one, it contains spoilers and two, it really wouldn't make a whole lot of sense.

16 / 85 books (18.8%)
9 / 25 new books (36.0%)
4,799 / 30,000 pages (16.0%)
Audiobooks: 1

Currently reading:
*The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies by John Scalzi
*Fifty Degrees Below by Kim Stanley Robinson

17. *Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin (226)
18. *The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin (246)
19. *Tales From Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (296)

The rest (as far as I know) of the Earthsea books. This is a good series; I liked all of the books.

19 / 85 books (22.4%)
12 / 25 *new books (48.0%)
5,567 / 30,000 pages (18.6%)
Audiobooks: 1

Currently reading:
*The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies by John Scalzi
*Fifty Degrees Below by Kim Stanley Robinson

Note to self:

Authors
Tom Edwards

Books
House of Leaves (with the Poe cd)

20. *Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi (286)

Hilarious, absolutely hilarious. One of the funniest things I've ever read. This was Scalzi's first novel, apparently written to see if he could. It's very accessible, even if you're not a science fiction reader (as with all of his novels, but maybe even more so). I read it online free here (I took the page count from Amazon). It's not available in print anymore, sadly. Someday, I may be able to afford the $90+ that used book websites are asking for copies of it, since I love me my print books and sort of want a complete Scalzi collection (or at least complete early Scalzi, since he's fairly prolific).

21. Spindle's End by Robin McKinley (422)

A re-telling of the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. I really like this book, and more each time I read it I think. There is just so much worldbuilding detail packed in there, it's fascinating how much depth McKinley can put into a world without falling into either cliches or inconsistancies.

22.*Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich (164)

I love Stephanie, her family, her boyfriend(s), even her goofy coworkers and some of her weird friends (if you can call them friends). There was a weird little supernatural-ish element to this book that I wasn't so sure about. Much as I love fantasy books, that doesn't really jive well with this series and I found it kind of awkward. At least nothing really unnatural happened, but... Well, whatever. That thread aside, I thought this book was laugh-out-loud funny, like the others. The nice thing about it (as opposed to some other books I've read) is that there was no extra fluff. Well, the whole book is fluff, of course, but it's not overdone; I mean, look at the page count - I read this book in one evening.

22 / 85 books (25.88%)
14 / 25 *new books (56.00%)
6439 / 30000 pages (21.46%)
Audiobooks: 1
(New meter here. Click "Add Meter".)

Currently reading:
*Fifty Degrees Below by Kim Stanley Robinson

23. *Fifty Degrees Below by Kim Stanley Robinson (603)

Sequal to Forty Signs of Rain, which I read last December. The focus seems to have shifted a little to a different character, which I thought was interesting - he didn't seem like the main-character sort in the first book.

The really funny thing is that I read Earth by David Brin recently, which has similar themes of global warming and politics and a similar style of skipping from one character's story to another, so I kept expecting Brin's characters and plotlines to show up in this book. It was a bit confusing, but my fault, nothing to do with the book. I like these books a lot.

24. *Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich (296)

I finally read it. My neighbor lent me this and Chocolat months ago; I read Chocolat immediately but didn't get around to reading Metro Girl until last night.

It was funny - I find most of Evanovich's books laugh-out-loud funny. Definitely light reading. Barney, the main character, reminded me of a less ditzy version of Stephanie Plum, and Hooker was very like Morelli. Except for the way he kept talking about himself in the third person, which I found vaguely creepy, possibly because the only character in the Plum books who did that was a psychotic killer who also had a dorky nickname for himself.

25. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov (192)

I haven't read this for some years - since long before the movie came out. I'm glad I didn't reread it soon before the movie came out, or I may have been annoyed about it, like many other Asimov fans. As it is, I liked the movie well enough, even though it has almost nothing to do with the book. I like the book a lot, too - the stories are creative and unusual, even (or perhaps especially) in today's world of science fiction.

25 / 85 books (29.41%)
16 / 50 *new books (32.00%)
7430 / 30000 pages (24.77%)

I decided to raise my new reads challenge from 25 to 50, since obviously I'm going to read more than 25 of them this year. Last year, it was a challenge to read 35 new books; this year, it's become easy. Interesting.

Currently reading:
The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies by John Scalzi

First book of March (I can't believe it's March):

26. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (248)

A book I've loved for years, and unlike some other books that I've reread since high school (those that I have recently or will probably soon stop rereading), McKinley's books hold up. They're still well-written and interesting, whether I read them at 15 or 25. And she has a new book coming out this year! How exciting!

26 / 85 books (30.59%)
16 / 50 *new books (32.00%)
7678 / 30000 pages (25.59%)
Audiobooks: 1
Meter

Currently Reading:
*Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman (361)

27. *Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (498)

It was pretty good. I enjoyed it. I expected the writing to be a little better, given how much I've heard about it - not that it's bad; it just could be better. Falls victim to a few pretty common fiction-writing flaws.

I admit I also expected a little higher reading level, given how big a book it was. I read it all (500 pages!) in one evening. I average 100 pages a day; 500 is pushing it, even for a high day.

All that aside, I did like it. It was entertaining, it was sexy, I felt for the characters.

Interestingly enough, I once started writing a story along rather similar lines (though not identical, by any means). I wasn't that good a writer, so I never finished it, but the similarities were surprising at times.

27 / 85 books (31.76%)
17 / 50 *new books (34.00%)
8176 / 30000 pages (27.25%)
Audiobooks: 1
Meter

Currently reading:
Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman

28. *The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman (361)
29. *The Tiger in the Well by Philip Pullman (407)
30. *The Tin Princess by Philip Pullman (290)

I enjoyed all of these books. I think the first two in the series (The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North) are the strongest, and The Tin Princess is by far the weakest, though. Sally is a great character and without her, it just wasn't as interesting.

31. The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley (216)

These are light stories, ephemeral like much of her earlier writings. I wanted something lighter to read after the nasty villains of Pullman's books.

31 / 85 books (36.47%)
20 / 50 *new books (40.00%)
9450 / 30000 pages (31.50%)

Currently reading:
A Knot in the Grain by Robin McKinley

32. *Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause (264)

I read this last Friday at the library in two and a half or three hours. Like Twilight, I was expecting a higher level of writing. This is not even as well-written as Twilight, though. And the title has almost nothing to do with the story - evidently it is from a quote at the beginning of the book, but it would be a better title for a book like Sunshine (which actually involves lots of chocolate and lots of blood).

Still, it was an enjoyable enough YA creature fantasy. The werewolves were interesting, the pack structure and so on.

33. A Knot in the Grain and other stories by Robin McKinley (192)

I'm rereading all of Robin McKinley's anthologies that I own. I like this better than Door in the Hedge - the stories are more concrete, the characters are more realistic and easier to relate to.

33 / 85 books (38.82%)
21 / 50 *new books (42.00%)
9906 / 30000 pages (33.02%)

Currently reading:
Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson

34. *New Moon by Stephanie Meyer (564)

I read this at the bookstore yesterday afternoon. The writing was better than in Twilight; the diaologue is quite good. I did think the friendship between Jacob and Bella worked well but then went far too quickly from a renewed friendship to best friends and it was uncomfortable every time she referred to him as that, but other than that, I thought the story progressed nicely.

Overall, and unusually, I thought this second book, New Moon, was better than first.

34 / 85 books (40.00%)
22 / 50 *new books (44.00%)
10470 / 30000 pages (34.90%)

Currently reading:
Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson

35. Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson (266)

I recently reread The Door in the Hedge and A Knot in the Grain, so I decided to reread McKinley's third anthology as well.

This one is rather hit-and-miss. There are some stories that I liked a lot (Mermaid Song, The Sea-King's Son, A Pool in the Desert) and some that I didn't like as much (Sea Serpent, Water Horse, Kraken).

35 / 85 books (41.18%)
22 / 50 *new books (44.00%)
10736 / 30000 (35.79%)

36. Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn (404)
37. Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn (439)
38. The Last Command by Timothy Zahn (467)

I really like these books. I recently re-watched the original Star Wars trilogy (sans additions) and I generally feel like reading these books after I watch those. I think Zahn really captures the feel of the universe and the characters. I need to look into some of his non-SW science fiction, which I've heard is as good or better.

39. *Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (534)

I liked this book a lot. It was a little slow to start and, as I recall, the last quarter or so was the most interesting and exciting part, but the rest of it was good as well. I'm trying to get the sequal, Inkspell, from the library, but it hasn't been available whenever I've tried.

I partially read a book that I'm not counting - I borrowed Melusine by Sarah Monette from the library the other day because nothing I was looking for was available (in transit, processing, checked out, damaged: Thursday was not a good library day for me...), I saw it, and recognized it from some people on LT talking about how much they liked it. I, on the other hand, hated it. I disliked it from the very first page and by page 19, I absolutely hated it. I tried, I swear, I tried to give it a decent go before giving up, I tried at least to get to page 50, but I got stuck somewhere around page 37 and I haven't been able to bring myself to open it again. It went back to the library today, when I got the books listed below.

39 / 85 books (45.88%)
23 / 50 *new books (46.00%)
12580 / 30000 pages (41.93%)

Currently reading:
Helm by Steven Gould

Up next (because they're library books that will have to be returned):
The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint
Ecstasia by Francesca Lia Block
Expanded Universe by Robert Heinlein

40. *Helm by Steven Gould (468)

This book was a gift from a friend (thanks, dressagegrrrl :) and I liked it a lot. It is technically science fiction - space travel, colonizing another planet, some advanced technology - but after the prologue, about the first 10 pages, it reads like a fantasy. I thought the quirk of the Helm was done pretty well, and I liked that several seemingly-unimportant events that happened at various points in the story had much farther reaching, and occasionally much more dramatic, consequences than were obvious at the time.

41. *Ecstasia by Francesca Lia Block (183)

This was...a strange book. It switched perspective often, which didn't bother me as much as it usually does. The plot reminded me somewhat of The Giver, but without the explanantions to back up why Elysia is the way it is or even how it works. The book feels incomplete.

42. *The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg (163)

Though this book was shelved in Juvenile lit, it was a well-written and enthralling story even to me. It is the story of how four middle school kids meet, in and out of school, and realize that they are connected to each other, through their parents, their grandparents, etc. and become extremely close friends. It is another book that switches perspective, but it is absolutely appropriate to the story and works beautifully.

Yeah, the whole "reading less this year" thing isn't happening. So, I'm raising my goal back to what it was last year.
42 / 100 books (42.00%)
26 / 50 *new books (52.00%)
13394 / 30000 pages (44.65%)
Meter

Up next:
The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint
Expanded Universe by Robert Heinlein

43. *The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint (368)

I liked it.

44. *The Stone Fey by Robin McKinley (52)

It is a short story printed in its own book, with lovely illustrations. Definitely one of McKinley's earlier works - well, because it's out of print, but also because of the story itself. It is a gentle story, not much conflict, quiet resolution. Not terribly exciting, but sweet.

44 / 100 books (44.00%)
28 / 50 *new books (56.00%)
13814 / 30000 pages (46.05%)
Meter

Currently reading:
Immortal Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (ed)
Expanded Universe by Robert Heinlein

45. *Rowan by Robin McKinley (21)

A cute kids' book about whippets, Robin McKinley's favorite dog.

46. *Tales from the Jungle Book by Robin McKinley (61)
47. *The Light Princess by Robin McKinley (43)

These are stories written by other people and adapted by McKinley into kids' books.

I'm collecting all of Robin McKinley's books that I don't have, buying these off of half.com and abebooks and the like since they're out of print.

47 / 100 books (47.00%)
31 / 50 *new books (62.00%)
13939 / 30000 (46.46%)
Meter

Currently reading:
Immortal Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (ed)
Expanded Universe by Robert Heinlein

48. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (468)

Really like this book. I wanted to reread it, but my library's copy is damaged so I decided to just buy my own.

My only complaint is that the end wraps up a little too quickly.

49. First Test by Tamora Pierce (206)

The first book in the Protector of the Small series, my favorite of the Tortall series. I've been reading a lot of new books (and I barely remembered anything about Snow Crash) so I felt like reading an old favorite.

Also, that thing I kept talking about earlier that was going to take up more of my time has suddenly happened - I have a job starting this Tuesday (yay!). It may or may not effect the amount I read.

49 / 100 books (49.00%)
31 / 50 *new books (62.00%)
14613 / 30000 pages (48.71%)

Currently reading:
Page by Tamora Pierce
Immortal Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (ed)
Expanded Universe by Robert Heinlein

Hope you don't mind a couple suggestions :-)

Have you ever read Tithe byHolly Black? After seeing the kind of books you like, I think you might like that one too. Also, City of Bones by Cassandra Claire was pretty good. Both of these suggestions are urban fantasies kind of along the lines of The Blue Girl.

I love suggestions! I haven't read either of those, though they do sound vaguely familiar, like I may have heard people talk about them before.

I'll put them on my TBR list. Thank you :)

50. Page by Tamora Pierce (288)
51. Squire by Tamora Pierce (380)
52. Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce (409)

The past few weeks have been very stressful, so I've been sticking to the old favorites.

52 / 100 books (52.00%)
31 / 50 *new books (62.00%)
15690 / 30000 pages (52.30%)

Stress, stress, stress. Mostly I'm sticking to books I've read a dozen times before. Once school is out I will be able to concentrate on new books again.

53. Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones (218)

I really wanted to read The Lives of Christopher Chant, but I must have left that at my parents' house. I like this one better (which is why I wanted to read Lives first).

54. *The Last Colony by John Scalzi (316)

This is a new book. It is, in fact, brand new - or rather, it was on the 17th, when I bought and read it - and the first new book I read this month. Yes, it's been a stressful month. Anyway, I was waiting for my Amazon pre-order to come, but when Amazon still said it was coming out on the 27th and I knew there were copies available in the store, I said screw it, cancelled my order, and bought a copy at B&N. It's a very good book. Every bit as good as the previous books in the series (Old Man's War and The Ghost Brigades).

55. The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley (278)

Possibly my favorite Robin Hood story. Though I should someday read a few more to compare it with.

55 / 100 books (55.00%)
32 / 50 *new books (64.00%)
16502 / 30000 pages (55.01%)

Up Next:
More rereads, probably, at least until the week after next.

blue, The Outlaws of Sherwood is also my favorite Robin Hood story, although like you and haven't read many (I think 'any' in my case) others to compare with. This is one I've reread a a couple of times myself. Have you read any other Robin Hood stories that you would recommend?

Sandragon - Hah, that was me trying to not sound like a complete dolt. The only other versions I know are movies: the cartoon, Prince of Thieves, and (heh) Men in Tights. Oh, and wasn't there an old black and white version with a famous guy? I've seen that, too.

Every time I read Outlaws, I read the afterward and think about how I should read the other versions she mentions (at least, the ones she mentions by name). Haven't gotten around to it yet, though, and I've read Outlaws half a dozen to a dozen times over the years.

Hahah! I've seen all those as well, except for the black and white version. They can't hold a flame to Robin McKinley's version :o)

I'd forgotten there was an afterward. I should probably have a look-see. Thanks for the reminder.

Yes, I definitely prefer Outlaws over all of those. I like the explanations for things, the motivations, the characters...and, as she says in the afterward, how she makes it "historically unembarrassing" - to make things that otherwise wouldn't historically fit together, but belonged in her vision of the story, work.

I love the Disney Robin Hood! In books, I really liked The Forestwife by Theresa Tomlinson, and I liked Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Roberson.

I actually can't remember whether I've even read The Outlaws of Sherwood, although I own it....

Hood by Stephen Lawhead is a very good Robin Hood book. There's a discussion of all things Robin at this thread.

I just realized Outlaws is the only McKinley book I've ever read. I've been reading others comments on LT about how great McKinley is and I've been thinking "somday I'll give her a try", forgetting I already had and really enjoyed the experience. Sunshine is one I keep hearing about. I may have to give that a try sooner rather than later. Or else read Outlaws again :o)

PS. _Zoe_, Lady of the Forest looks like a romance novel. Or is that just the cover? Some romance with a big dose of adventure and intrigue I think I might try.

Hood sounds interesting too.

Sunshine is a great book; well, I think so anyway. Outlaws is about her only non-fantasy novel, just so you know. The historical fiction angle was unusual for her.

The cover that shows up on the works page is pretty terrible. Mine doesn't look like that! It was in the fantasy section of the bookstore (and was tagged fantasy 21 times but romance only once). But it's been so long since I read it that I can't actually remember any details.

The cover there doesn't bother me much - it's what I'm used to, anyway. It's kind of silly, I agree, but I started taking off the dust covers anyway, so I don't see it.

56. The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner (246)

This is an SF book that I really love - in part, I think, because it is in so many ways so unabashedly idealistic. It was written, I want to say, in the '70s, so much of the terms and technology are wrong, but...I wish some of it weren't, you know? I wish the internet ("data net") really was mostly full of real information, electric cars were everywhere, and there was some little utopia town somewhere that could change the world for the better.

Of course, there are things that I'm glad don't exist, too. We have enough evil without some of the awful things that Brunner thought up. But given the way our society is going, some of them aren't all that unbelieveable, either.

56 / 100 books (56.00%)
32 / 50 *new books (64.00%)
16748 / 30000 pages (55.83%)

Up next:
I have an overdue library book (Expanded Universe by Robert Heinlein) - I probably ought to finish that and return it.

Last book of April:

57. *Wicked by Gregory Maguire (407)

Umm.

It was okay.

**review may contain spoilers**

The writing was decent - I didn't really notice the writing, which is a good thing. The overall story would have been stronger if it had not been about the Wicked Witch.

I disliked the beginning. There wasn't much point to the very beginning, the bit with Dorothy et al, except to say "Look! It's the Wizard of Oz story! See??" And her birth and youth was basically recapped later in the story, so there wasn't much point to detailing the whole thing - particularly since nothing was ever explained. Why was she green? Why were her baby teeth like that? Why was plain (and salt) water deadly for her? There are possibilities given, but nothing certain.

I found the middle - the part about how she dealt with being what she was out in the world - a fairly compelling fantasy version of a minority or otherwise different from "normal" person dealing with prejudice. Interesting to see how someone like Galinda, with such pretensions, could come to be friends with such an outsider. And so on.

But all the parts with lots of Oz stuff in them, especially the end, just seemed tacked on. It didn't have much to do with the rest of the story, didn't really fit, just didn't work.

I'm glad I read it, to know what people are talking about, but it's not a book I plan to read again.

57 / 100 books (57.00%)
33 / 50 *new books (66.00%)
17155 / 30000 pages (57.18%)

I completely agree with you. I though Wicked was just ok too. If it wasn't the Wizard of Oz it wouldn't have gotten the hype that it did.

On the other hand...listen to the musical, the music is quite good.

I agree with you about the parts with Dorothy, though I really did enjoy the book. I recently saw the musical, and if you get a chance check it out. It focuses on the friendship between Galinda and Elphie, and they cut out all the Dorothy stuff, except for the death scene.

61: bluesalamanders, I completely agree with your review of Wicked. I was really disappointed in this book based on the hype, and felt that much of it just didn't hang together. At the time I thought I was missing something b/c this book is so popular.

Yeah, I almost feel like I read a different book from everyone else, the way other people love it so much and I thought thought it was...sort of blah.

I agree w/ the above on Wicked. Our book club read this one about 2 years ago and out of the 5 of us only 1 finished it and she actually liked it. The rest of us did not like it at all. However, having said that, the play Wicked was very good!

I'm not really interested in the musical. I like musicals, in general - at least, I like some of them - but I've heard some of the music and I was...unimpressed. I thought the lyrics were incredibly, for lack of a better word, lame.

58. *Inkspell by Cornelia Funke (635)

Sequel to Inkheart. I bought this book because I was tired of waiting for it to be available in the library.

I liked it. I thought this was better than the Inkheart - particularly since, as I reread my review, I liked the last quarter of Inkheart best. I look forward to the release of the final book.

58 / 100 books (58.00%)
34 / 50 *new books (68.00%)
17790 / 30000 pages (59.30%)

Currently reading:
Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

I haven't read Wicked, but I absolutely love the musical.

Edited to fix touchstone.

59. Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede (242)
60. Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede (244)
61. Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede (255)

The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th books in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. The 1st book, which I guess I left at my parents' house, is Dealing with Dragons. The 2nd involves searching for a missing dragon, the 3rd involves searching for a missing sword, and the 4th...the 4th is a quest in which the objective isn't known until it's found. But oddly enough, it works. There are lots of fairy tale references - quirky fairy tale references. All in all, they're fun books.

62. Quest for a Maid by Frances Mary Hendry (270)

Another YA book that I still enjoy greatly, this one historical fantasy. Meg's father is a shipwright and her eldest sister is a witch. The plot shifts between things of major importants - the death of the king and who's to succeed him - and things of local importance, like Meg's betrothal and adventures with her friends; but they're also all mixed together.

Meg reminds me a little of Lyra from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, though Meg is a nicer girl from the beginning.

63. *Elantris by Brandon Sanderson (615)

I finally finished Elantris, a bit late for The Green Dragon discussion, but that's ok. I really enjoyed this book; once I got started with it, I could barely put it down, and it two me only a day, day and a half to read it. I thought the characters had depth, the plots entertwined convincingly, and I really liked the resolutions.

I will probably reread this book some day, unlike many of the new books I've read recently.

63 / 100 books (63.00%)
35 / 50 *new books (70.00%)
19416 / 30000 pages (64.72%)
Meter

Currently Reading:
So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane

Up Next:
Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane
High Wizardry by Diane Duane

64. Teklords by William Shatner (293)
65. Teklab by William Shatner (308)

I left the book I was reading - Deep Wizardry - at home when I went to visit my parents, and I saw these books on the shelf when I was looking for something to read. They are fairly mindless entertainment and it's been at least 10 or 12 years since I read them. I actually remember the movies better than the books (as I recall, they were about the same quality - mindless entertainment).

66. *The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (525)

This, on the other hand, was actually pretty good. It's a YA book that also includes drawings and pictures, and it's an intruiging story as well as compelling pictures.

I did think that the end came too quickly, though - everything was figured out and tied up all at once, and then suddenly it was over.

66 / 100 books (66.0%)
36 / 50 *new books (72.0%)
20,542 / 30,000 pages(68.5%)

Currently reading:
Tek secret by William Shatner (292)

Last books of May:

67. The Ogre Downstairs by Diana Wynne Jones (182)

A fun YA book about a magic chemistry set.

68. Tek secret by William Shatner (292)

The third of the three Tek books that my parents have. I think there are two others that they don't. Again, mindless fun.

69. So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane (226)

First books of June:
70. Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane (272)
71. High Wizardry by Diane Duane (269)

This series includes some of my favorite books and I reread them probably once a year at least.

I may have forgotten one or two books, since this is a lot longer than I usually take between updates, but, well, whatever. Not a big deal.

71 / 100 books (71.0%)
36 / 50 *new books (72.0%)
21,783 / 30,000 pages (72.6%)

Currently Reading:
A Wizard Abroad by Diane Duane

71. A Wizard Abroad by Diane Duane (332)
72. The Wizard's Dilemma by Diane Duane (403)

The 4th and 5th books in the Young Wizards series. In the former, Nita is sent to visit family in Ireland and is put on call there. In the latter, she faces a terrible choice.

73. *Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (448)

I was surprised by this book. I'd heard a lot about it, but nothing really specific, and I hadn't really heard how good it is. If this one book is anything to base my opinion on, that Scott Westerfeld really knows how to write. I'm impressed and I look forward to reading the other books in the trilogy.

74. A Wizard Alone by Diane Duane (320)

The 6th book in the YW series. This, along with the first three, is one of my favorites. It deals with the aftermath of Wizard's Dilemma, along with new problems, and very realistic tension between Nita and Kit.

74 / 100 books (74.0%)
37 / 50 *new books (74.0%)
23,286 / 30,000 pages (77.6%)

Up next:
Probably A Wizard's Holiday by Diane Duane, the next YW book.

The books in this post and the next one are not in order, because I remember what books I've read but not what order I read them in.

75. Wizard's Holiday by Diane Duane (416)
76. Wizards at War by Diane Duane (551)

Currently the final two books in the Young Wizards series (although there is a 9th book in the works). Wizard's Holiday is a fun book. Because of all the stress and issues in the previous couple of books, Dairine decides to sign herself and her sister up for a sort of wizardly student exchange program during spring break. She gets in trouble for signing them up without asking anyone first, so instead of her and Nita going, Nita and Kit go, while Dairine stays home to help her dad deal with the exchange wizards that come to stay at her house. Hijinks ensue...and some saving the world, too.

Wizards at War is a lot more serious, although there are less-serious bits to lighten the mood. This is only the second time I read this book, and I liked it better this time, but part of it still reminds me too much of another book related to the series, and that bothers me.

77. *Pretties by Scott Westerfeld (384)
78. *Specials by Scott Westerfeld (384)

Sequels to Uglies, which I read not too long ago. I was at first turned off by the titles, and even the plot, of these stories, but it turns out that they are extremely well-written YA science fiction books, with interesting characters, engaging plots, and a credible world. I was impressed by the writing in the first book and am still impressed; I plan to read more of this author's work.

79. The Android's Dream by John Scalzi (394)

This is a very funny humorous science fiction novel that is actually has nothing to do with Philip K. Dick or has any references other than the title (in fact, it is becoming a trilogy, each of which will have a Dick-ian title). It's about...well, saving the world. And the girl, too. Through unconventional means.

79 / 100 books (79.0%)
39 / 50 *new books (78.0%)
25,415 / 30,000 pages (84.7%)

Like the previous post, this isn't in order, because I lost track of what order I read all these books.

80. Do-It-Yourself Magic by Ruth Chew (128)
81. The Magic Coin by Ruth Chew (128)
82. Earthstar Magic by Ruth Chew (128)

These are some old YA books that I loved as a kid. They're still fun little books.

83. The Morning Star by Nick Bantock (56)

Book 5, I think, in the Griffin and Sabine series. The first three books are the best, but the others appear to be growing on me a little. These books are actual postcards and letters - envelopes and all - with beautiful drawings and paintings on them.

84. Old Man's War by John Scalzi (313)

The first book in a trilogy. It's set in a future time, and all elderly people on Earth are given the option of joining the CDF (Colonial Defense Forces) when they turn 75. If you do it, you are taken off Earth and - on Earth, at least - declared legally dead. Nobody on Earth knows exactly what happens next...except that they somehow make you young again, to fight in the war.

84 / 100 books (84.0%)
39 / 50 *new books (78.0%)
26,168 / 30,000 pages (87.2%)

I accidentally bought book three in the series that starts with Old Man's War (Science Fiction Book Club didn't mention it was book 3...). How did you like it? The one I got looks interesting, but I wouldn't mind hearing your take on this one before I go out and buy the first two books. Thanks!

sussabmax - I didn't say, did I? I love the whole series. I have all three - Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, and The Last Colony (as well as other books by him), and they're all great.

And if you like them, there is also a novelette that goes between the second and third books called The Sagan Diary. I don't think you can buy it - pretty sure it was limited edition - but an audio version is available free here. It's spoilery, so don't listen to it before reading the first two books, though.

I think I will get them, then. It sounds like an intriguing premise, and I hate to have the 3rd one and not read it--which I don't want to do without reading the first two. Thanks for the feedback!

Susan

I hope you enjoy them!

If I may be so bold, For otherScott Westerfeld suggestions I would either suggest Peeps (my personal fave of all his books I've read so far) or the Midnighters Trilogy.

80 DL -

I will need a book or two this weekend for the trip I'm going on, so I will probably grab one of those. Thanks!

I've been busy getting read to move and then moving over the past month. I was going to wait until I had time to write something about all of these to post it, but I'm just getting further and further behind, so I won't bother. Suffice to say I like all these books. Scott Westerfeld is a new favorite author.

85. The Fuzzy Papers by H. Beam Piper (407)
86. *Midnighters 1: The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld (383)
87. *Midnighters 2: Touching Darkness by Scott Westerfeld (439)
88. *Midnighters 3: Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld (505)

89. *Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (312)
90. *The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld (304)
91. *His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik (353)
92. *The Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik (398)

93. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce (231)
94. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (249)
95. The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi (317)
96. Sunshine by Robin McKinley (389)

96 / 100 books (96.0%)
46 / 50 *new books (92.0%)
30,455 / 30,000 pages (101.5%)

97. Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley (292)

Well...I didn't like this much better than the last time I read it. This has got to be my least favorite of all of Robin McKinley's books. It just doesn't quite fit together; it seems like either there are a lot of unrelated ideas sort of smushed together to make this book or there was some overzealous editing.

98. Crystal Line by Anne McCaffrey (313)

Brain candy. I'm not a huge fan of Anne McCaffrey's style but somehow these bother me less than the Pern books.

99. *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowlings (784)

Hm. This one gets a resounding 'eh'. The writing is improved over the previous book, there were a few laugh-out-loud moments, but overall it was mediocre and predictable.

100. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (248)

An old favorite.

100 / 100 books (100.0%)
47 / 50 *new books (94.0%)
32,092 / 30,000 pages (107.0%)

100 !!!

Congrats !!!

judylou - Thank you! I don't know quite how I've managed to read so many already this year, including quite a few longer books...well, it's been a stressful year, maybe that was it ;)

I was just browsing the site & was impressed at how many books you read! Great job with that.

HighPointBookClub -

Thank you :) It's been good reading so far (well, mostly, anyway).

Last two books from August:

101. *Evolution's Darling by Scott Westerfeld (290)

I got this book from the library because I love Westerfeld's YA science fiction and fantasy books. This, I didn't like so much. I couldn't really connect with the characters, I didn't really care about them. It didn't have anything to do with the fact that one of them is an artificial intelligence - I've read numerous other books with AI characters that I liked or loved. This seemed more like an exercise in how many weird things could be packed in one short novel. And there was a lot of sex. Really strange sex.

I did very much like the end of the book, but it didn't make up for the rest of the weirdness.

102. *Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (643)

I read really liked this book. I enjoyed the unusual kind of magic in this fantasy world, the dynamics between the characters, and the mystery in the plot - they're fighting against something they don't really understand and don't know how to fight. It's also very well-written.

102 / 100 books (102.0%)
49 / 50 *new books (98.0%)
33,025 / 30,000 pages (110.1%)

103. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (312)

Great book. The writing is excellent, the story is intriguing, and the characters are believeable. It's fun to read a different take on the vampire myths.

Midnighters Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld
104. The Secret Hour (383)
105. Touching Darkness (439)
106. Blue Noon (505)

I like these books - I just love Westerfeld's writing style and ability to create distinct, believeable characters in unique settings. Well, ok, the high school setting isn't exactly unique, but the secret hour certainly is.

107. *The Riddle of the Wren by Charles de Lint (289)

This book was disappointing. I read de Lint's urban fantasy The Blue Girl earlier this year and thought it was wonderful, so when I was at the library, I picked up another of his books. This one is high fantasy, though, not urban, and it is...just...blah. Everything is Standard Fantasy; Standard Fantasy main character, Standard Fantasy plot devices, Standard Fantasy help along the way. It's just boring.

107 / 100 books (107.0%)
50 / 50 *new books (100.0%)
34,953 / 30,000 pages (116.5%)

108. Old Man's War by John Scalzi (313)
109. The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi (317)

I very much like these books. I would like to reread The Last Colony, the third book in the trilogy, which I've only read once, but I lent it to my sister some months ago and she hasn't returned it yet (hint hint).

110. *Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko (455)

I have seen the movies Night Watch (dubbed) and Day Watch (with subtitles) and I really liked both of them - even the dubbing in the first one didn't bother me after I got used to it, though the subtitles are astonishingly well integrated into the movie, in a way I've never seen before. So, my sister lent me this book, which I believe both movies are based on.

I will have to reread it - I kept comparing it to the movies, not in quality because both the movies and the book are very good, but in plot and even somewhat characters, which are different. I understand why the changes were made for the movies, and I think they did a wonderful job, but it makes what is already a dense and somewhat confusing story even more so.

So, I really liked the book, but I don't think I can really judge it properly without reading it again.

111. *The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (573)

I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. I stayed up late reading and so on and so forth. It was a good sequel to Mistborn, a complex plot with characters I cared about and a world I believed. Also, I really like Brandon's writing style.

But I really didn't like the end.

*possible spoiler alert*

I believe this is book two of a trilogy, so the end of this book is clearly a setup for the next book, and I get that, but...there was this big huge build-up throughout the entire book and at the end, we discover it's all a lie. And something else big happened right at the end, too, and there was also this weird character throughout the book, who was involved in the stuff at the end...so there are at least three important things in this book that really weren't explained at all. Presumably they'll be explained in the next book, but I don't like that much just left hanging. I didn't have this feeling of being left hanging after the first book, and there was a big setup in that for this one. So, as much as I liked the rest of the book, the end left me dissatisfied.

111 / 100 books (111.0%)
52 / 50 *new books (104.0%)
36,611 / 30,000 pages (122.0%)

112. *Dragonhaven by Robin Mckinley (342)

I was very disappointed with this book.

***This review contains spoilers***

Ok. What I liked. Obviously this book is about dragons, and I thought the dragons, both as characters and as a species, were fairly well done, as was all of the zoological stuff. I liked the telepathy-ish communication – it is an interesting take on telepathy, unlike anything I’ve read. I even liked the plot.

However, and this is something that bothered me throughout the whole book, the writing just seemed - off. I realize the narrator is supposed to be a teenage boy, but McKinley's writing is usually beautiful and almost poetic and this book leaned more towards boring and almost crass. The voice was fairly consistent through the book, I'll give it that, but it was not an interesting voice - and the times that it was interesting were when it veered away from that tone and sounded more like her previous book, Sunshine.

When it didn't feel like it was trying to be Sunshine, it did, like I said, sound more or less like a teenage boy's voice, to the point where you'd think (if it had really been a teenage boy's book) an editor would have, well, edited it. Not for content, since that issue was addressed, but for, you know like bad word usage and like grammar. And the 'like's weren't even particularly believably placed.

There were things that seemed to be lifted directly from McKinley's other books. Here are three things I noticed specifically as being pulled directly from another book (I'm sorry for not having exact quotes, but I don't feel like revisiting the text right now):

- In the style of Sunshine, there were some (more so later in the book) phrases capitalized for emphasis. There was a headline-like phrase that could have been words Sunshine said - it was along the lines of the something-or-other "That Ate Schenectady. Pictures on page six."

- Jake mentioned something about being a part of two worlds and fitting into neither, which is nearly word-for-word what Harry said in The Blue Sword

- the healing/learning dreams-that-weren't-dreams were very like Lissar's in Deerskin

Now, I don't mind this so much in and of itself - her books, now that I think about it, nearly all have basic plots along a similar line, and who doesn't sample from themselves from time to time? But this was just very blatant and - clumsy.

Sunshine is a tough act to follow, I get that. She has such a distinct voice, and there it was, trying to come through in Jake - and those times when it managed to to some degree were the better, more interesting, more intense portions of the book, too. McKinley also went from something that was beautiful and sexy and delicious - even when it wasn't - to something completely different. That was bound to be tough. But even so...

If this book had been written by another author, I would probably have been more forgiving about some of these issues. But I don't think I would have liked it any better. Sadly, this just bumped Rose Daughter out of the 'least favorite McKinley' spot on my list. For all its flaws, Rose Daughter is still beautifully written. Dragonhaven feels more like a first draft.

112 / 100 books (112.0%)
53 / 50 *new books (106.0%)
36,953 / 30,000 pages (123.2%)

Last books of September:

113. *You're Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop: Scalzi on Writing by John Scalzi (319)

This is a book on writing - mostly the business of writing, as opposed to the act or art of writing (though there's some of that, too). Actually, a lot of the business aspects and ideas aren't field-specific. Some of them are, but there are also lots of good general home-business, self-employed kinds of advice. Also, it's just plain good, entertaining reading.

114. *Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (629)

Book three in the Twilight series. These books are getting better as they go along - the writing, the character interaction, and so on. I still don't think they're particularly good, but Eclipse is definitely better than the previous two. As with those, however, I have read it once and have no interest in ever reading it again.

(neither Eclipse or Twilight will touchstone properly)

115. *Blood Price by Tanya Huff (272)

Book one in the Blood series, a supernatural crime novel. I was not expecting a whole lot from this book, so I got just what I wanted: it was fun, a little sexy, and an enjoyable fluff read.

116. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede (212)

Cimorene hates being a 'proper' princess, so she runs away and volunteers to be princess for a dragon. This is an old favorite, a sort of fantasy/fairy tale parody or whatever you want to call it. It's a wonderful little book, a quick read with great characters and a fun story.

116 / 100 books (116.0%)
56 / 50 *new books (112.0%)
38,385 / 30,000 pages (128.0%)

Currently reading:
*Accelerando by Charles Stross

Wow it's been a while since I've updated. This is since the beginning of October.

117. *Blood Trail by Tanya Huff (304)

This was another book with interesting werewolf pack dynamics, with, of course, the Henry/Vicki/Mike dynamics mixed in. I enjoyed this book - this whole series is nice sexy fluff reading without being over-the-top and I like it a lot.

118. *Blood Lines by Tanya Huff (271)

Creepier than the previous books, but still an enjoyable read.

119. Book of Enchantments by Patricia C. Wrede (234)

A book of fantasy short stories, two of which are related to the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. More fun, light reading. I particularly like Roses and The Lorelei.

120. Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede (242)

The only book from the Enchanted Forest Chronicles that I could find at the moment. These books have always been some of my favorites, fairy tale parodies with great main characters and fun stories.

121. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley (247)

Rereading one of my (many) favorite McKinley books after the disappointment of Dragonhaven.

122. *Extras by Scott Westerfeld (417)

And he does it again! I just love Westerfeld's YA books. Extras was fantastic, a wonderfully detailed society, great characters, a part in the middle that actually made me gasp out loud with surprise. The twist at the end caught me totally by surprise, but was totally appropriate to the characters and the world. Just perfect!

123. *Blood Pact by Tanya Huff (332)
124. *Blood Debt by Tanya Huff (330)

I can't really say much about these without lots of spoilers. The twist at the end of Pact surprised me, though maybe it shouldn't have. But I like how it played out in Debt.

125. The Woman Who Rides Like A Man by Tamora Pierce (253)

I was adding info to the Common Knowledge thing on LibraryThing and it made me want to read these books again.

I decided to raise my challenge rates after all, mostly for aesthetic reasons. The over-100% meters were starting to look pretty ugly.
125 / 150 books (83.3%)
61 / 70 *new books (87.1%)
41,015 / 50,000 pages (82.0%)

Currently Reading:
Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce

126. *A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (403)

It was ok. I think I missed something, though, because I don't know what the title has to do with the story. It seemed like a story of what might have happened to Sara Crewe or Mary Lennox if magic had been real in their worlds, but their stories are far more magical. Maybe my expectations are too high - most of the YA books I have read recently have either been old favorites (which means all sorts of authorial sins can be forgiven) or new favorites with an inspiring level of writing ability (such as Scott Westerfeld). I expected the writing to be more lyrical; it was too flat for the times and places and events that were being portrayed.

Also, while many things were left unexplained at the end of the book, the events within it were tied up neatly. This left me with a vague curiosity about some things (what was the Order? why was that boy chasing Gemma? what are the Realms and what will happen to that girl now?) but no desire or need to read further in the series.

This is a classic case of 'don't judge a book by its cover'. The cover art is beautiful, and the title brings great expectations, and neither quite lives up to its promise.

126 / 150 books (84.0%)
62 / 70 *new books (88.6%)
41,418 / 50,000 pages (82.8%)

That Scalzi on Writing book sounds so good! I will have to start looking in used bookstores for it, I guess. I love the title, and the book itself sounds very interesting.

It is a wonderful book. I'd be surprised if you found it, actually, because I expect the people who bought it will want to keep it, but with luck it might get published again sometime.

On the other hand, you can always read his blog which is where most of the information came from in the first place :)

Edit: I take it back - there are two copies on abebooks right now - but due to the fact that they are both limited edition and signed copies, they are very expensive.

Great idea, thanks! It looks great--I can tell I have yet another blog to ignore for periods and then make herculean efforts to get up to date on.

Oh, you snuck on while I was over checking out the blog. I think I will stick to the blog for now--I already spent a bunch of money on books this weekend, so I probably don't need to get an expensive one. Thanks for checking, though.

Heh I wouldn't try to 'get up to date' on Scalzi's blog - he's been at it for 10 years! And he posts nearly every day. I'm sure he'll talk more about writing and so on in the future, and until then, his day-to-day posts are entertaining too.

I check abebooks because there are a couple of his books there that I wish I could get - Agent to the Stars and Questions for a Soldier are I believe the only two of his fiction books that I don't have copies of, but they're just as expensive as his On Writing one. I think Agent is possibly going to be reprinted, but oh to have a first edition...usually I don't care about that sort of thing, but sometimes...

Edit: I just realized I misread your comment. Um. Hi, I'm a little distracted today!

It is easy to get distracted here! I don't think I will try to go back ten years, but I never seem to stay up to date with the recent stuff for long--it's a week to 10 days between readings. Still, this one looks like it is worth it.

Yeah, there are a lot of blogs, especially the more prolific ones, that I don't check daily. But I enjoy his enough that I have the RSS feed syndicated to my livejournal instead of google reader - I read livejournal every day and google reader once or twice a week at most.

Last books of October:

127. Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce (320)
128. Page by Tamora Pierce (288)
129. Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce (409)

Rereads. Inputting data into Common Knowledge made me want to read these again.

First books of November:

130. *So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld (225)

I think this was Westerfeld's only YA book that I hadn't read (because I couldn't find it before). It is an excellent book, as usual. It reminded me of William Gibson's Pattern Recognition (both are about advertising and people who see advertising in ways that the rest of us don't).

131. Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce (403)

Also a reread, ditto above. However, I should put the Trickster books away for a while - a very long while - because lately Aly's Mary Sue-ness is so irritating that I can barely enjoy all the things I do like about these books.

132. *It's the Little Things: 300 Simple Ways to Indulge Yourself by Amy Collins (300)

I picked this up randomly at a library book sale earlier this year or last year. I put off reading it because (once I got it home) I was afraid it would be stupid or annoying. To my surprise, there are a lot of good suggestions and it is calming to just sit down and read a few pages from it.

132 / 150 books (88.0%)
63 / 70 *new books (90.0%)
42,960 / 50,000 pages (85.9%)

Currently reading:
Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce (444)

Up next:
Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

133. Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce (444)

Yeah, I skimmed quite a bit while rereading this. Aly really started to irritate me.

134. *Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith (310)

In a world where vampires and werewolves (and so on) are real (if not accepted), Quincie's uncle is starting a vampire-themed restaurant. Then bad things start happening to the people connected with it.

The first half of this book is fairly blah. It's all setup for what happens in the second half of the book. The second half is much more interesting, and the more I think about it, the more I like it. There are twists that aren't normally found in the vampire books (at least, not the ones I've read).

**SPOILERS**

I recognized that Quincie had been turned when she thought the olives were off. I was fascinated by the book being told from the perspective of Quincie-as-vampire after that point, though it took me a while to get into it after how blah the first half had been. I mean, how often are there female vampires in these kinds of books? And how often is a vampire story told from the perspective of the vampire? And then to combine those two - really, it was very interesting.

I was surprised at who all were what kinds of non-humans. I hadn't figured it all out, although I suspected Brad and her uncle alternately (but not both of them! and not Ruby, I just thought she was a b*tch...though I think I liked her at the end.

**END SPOILERS**

135. *Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles de Lint (271)

Another YA urban fantasy by Charles de Lint. This is an updated version of the Littles or the Borrowers -type of story, it's really a cute story with as much urban as fantasy. I didn't love it like I loved the Blue Girl, but I liked it.

136. The Android's Dream by John Scalzi (394)

Reread. Hilarious book. I can't wait for the sequel.

137. *Smoke and Shadows by Tanya Huff (396)

First book in the Smoke Trilogy, sequel to the Blood books. More vampire Henry Fitzroy. So far (I'm halfway through book two) they're just as much fun as the first series, although I miss Vicki and Mike.

137 / 150 books (91.3%)
66 / 70 *new books (94.3%)
44,775 / 50,000 pages (89.5%)

Currently reading:
Smoke and Mirrors by Tanya Huff

Up Next:
Smoke and Ashes by Tanya Huff

138. *Smoke and Mirrors by Tanya Huff (404)

Second book in the Smoke Trilogy, sequel to the Blood books. I liked this, although it was definitely one of the creepiest books I've ever read. I don't usually read horror (at all) and while this probably isn't as scary as as "real" horror books, it was scary enough in the middle that I had to put it down and read something else before I went to bed.

Tony, Henry, and the various other characters were strong enough in themselves that I didn't find myself missing Vicki and Mike much as I read it.

139. *Smoke and Ashes by Tanya Huff (407)

Third and final book in the Smoke Trilogy. This book was actually...hilarious. There were so many pop-culture references - and Tony was dealing two old-beyond-measure people who didn't pay attention to that sort of thing - that it made me laugh out loud about every third page. I also enjoyed the story, and the characters. Leah was a well-written character and Tony really came into his own.

140. *The Sagan Diary by John Scalzi (100)

I'm counting this as a new read because listening to the audio version and reading the actual book are two very different experiences. I love the audio version, but there are things I got out of the book that I didn't catch or understand in the audio. It's a wonderful novelette.

141. Squire by Tamora Pierce (380)

I'd misplaced this before when I really wanted to read it, and when I found it I used it as my "I must read something else now" book while I was reading Smoke and Mirrors. This is possibly my favorite Tamora Pierce book - Kel is my favorite, the most realistic, the least Mary Sue, of her heroines, and Squire is my favorite of the PotS books.

My favorite progress meter is down, so here are the bare numbers:
141 / 150 books (94%)
69 / 70 *new books (98%)
46066 / 50000 pages (92%)

I read more than one book at once, and my reading speed drops dramatically:

142. *The Pinhoe Egg by Diana Wynne Jones (480)

Loved it, absolutely loved it. I love the old Chrestomanci books like Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant but the latest ones are, if possible, even better. This one starts out just a little bit slow with some necessary build-up, but once it gets going, it gets going and is a cracking good story the rest of the way through.

143. Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich (352)

I forgot I'd already read this until I was halfway through, but these books don't take long to read. And I couldn't remember what happened, so I finished it anyway. They're brain candy, light, (mostly) fluffy, fun books. Hilarious, too, I kept laughing out loud at things that happened or bits of dialog (and I was sitting in the bookstore cafe, so I was trying to be quiet).

144. Sunshine by Robin McKinley (416)

Still up there as my current favorite book.

144 / 150 books (96.0%)
70 / 70 *new books (100.0%)
47,314 / 50,000 pages (94.6%)

Currently reading:
*Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones

145. The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern by Lillian Jackson Braun (192)

Instead of his beloved crime beat, Qwill is given an assignment about interior design from the newspaper. But (as usual) it all goes awry when something goes wrong at every home that is photographed. Also, the introduction of Yum Yum.

These are light, pretty sweet books, even with the murder and occasional mayhem.

Argh, Zotouku isn't working right. Ah, well, here's the numbers:
145 / 150 books (97%)
70 / 70 *new books (100.0%)
47506 / 50000 pages (95%)

Currently reading:
I am 9/10 done with The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson by (xmas gift for my sister, which I read on the way to Ohio and then had to actually give to her - I'll have to finish it at the bookstore, I guess) and So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld and I seem to have misplaced Tough Guide to Fantasyland. Hm.

146. So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld (225)
147. Extras by Scott Westerfeld (417)

I really like these books - I need to buy some more Westerfeld next year.

148. *Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones (256)

I remembered where it was - I lent it to my sister. I must've finished it, but the end must not have been particularly memorable. All in all it was a hilarious book, though.

149. Looking for the Mahdi by N. Lee Wood (293)
150. *The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson (499)

At the time I'm posting this, I haven't quite finished either of these, but I am nearly done with both and will finish them today.

Final stats:

(I have two books numbered 71)
151 / 150 books (101%)
72 / 70 *new books (102%)
49196 / 50000 pages (98%)