seekingflight's 100 in 2011

Time to (belatedly) get this show on the road for 2011. I'm very much looking forward to another wonderful year of reading, watching Mt. TBR grow ever heaven-ward, and - if we visualise it as a huge lump of icecream - taking small but deliciously satisfying bites off the top every now and then ...

I'd like to keep more up to date with my posts here this year, but January hasn't got off to a very good start ...

1. Lifestyle migration: Expectations, aspirations and experiences by Michaela Benson and Karen O'Reilly (01/01/2011)

I loved this book - a diverse but well-integrated collection of chapters - about a phenomenon Benson and O’Reilly define as “lifestyle migration”, relatively affluent individuals re-locating to places that have 'meaning' to them, in the sense of offering a potentially better 'quality of life'.

One of the key themes that I saw consistently emerging had to do with the ways in which 'identity' and 'location' are narrated and given meaning in the stories of these migrants, in the sense that as 'artists of life', as suggested by Zygmunt Bauman, we're all continually engaged in the process of making meaning of our lives. They suggest this meaning-making is an ongoing process.

My favourite chapters talked about young Westerners in Varanasi, India; 'down-sized and down-shifting' Americans in rural Michigan; and English-speaking women who married Italian men in Florence, Italy.

But the book was consistently interesting, and thought-provoking throughout.

2. Storm Front by Jim Butcher (08/01/2011)

Harry Dresden is the only wizard in the yellow pages. He gets a lot of crank phone calls, his post man thinks he’s a nut, and he’s having trouble paying his bills. He consults for the police on cases where his expertise is needed, and he’s in trouble with the Wizard’s Council. This particular case is going to make life difficult ...

This is one of those series that I felt I should try. It wasn't a bad start, but I didn't feel like I'd be missing out if I never got around to reading the next book. I've heard some good things about it on LT though, and would welcome any thoughts on whether people feel that the series improves from here.

3. When we were orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro (08/01/2011)

Another book that I loved from someone who's fast becoming one of my favourite authors.

Christopher Banks’ parents disappeared in mysterious circumstances in Shanghai when he was just a boy, and he returned to England, where he completed his education. Now he is a celebrated detective. This story vividly depicts life in Shanghai between the two World Wars. It’s also a really interesting exploration of the dilemma between duty and pleasure ...

It’s interesting reading a story when from very early on you start asking yourself the extent to which the narrator’s perceptions are accurate. We all have possible blind spots in the telling of the events of our lives, and it seems to me that one of Ishiguro’s strengths is the way that he’s able to make these salient in his writing, so we’re conscious as we read along with the narrator that there are things that he isn’t telling us, or doesn’t know to tell us. It’s even more ironic when the story is narrated by a detective ...

It’s also interesting reading Ishiguro's books (where questions about ‘truth’ and the ‘reliability of memory’ are so prominent thematically) as I research for an assignment looking at the critical assessment of documents, and the ‘problems’ of the fallibility of human memory and the ‘biases’ that affect the ways in which we tell our own stories.

4. Transnational lives: Expatriates in Indonesia by Anne-Meike Fechter (15/01/2011)

A fascinating portrait of the lives lived by expatriates in Indonesia. Rather than being marked by ‘global flows’, as transnationalism would suggest, Fechter suggests that in the lives of these expats, ‘boundaries’ are as salient as flows, and argues that the role of boundaries has not been sufficiently explored in the context of privileged migration.

There's a chapter on women (often 'trailing spouses') that I found particularly interesting - some feel 'trapped in gilded cages', living simultaneously lives of privilege and lives of victimhood. They are both 'villains' and 'victims', as has been said in the context of colonialism, perpetuating inequalities in the sense that they rely on the labour of Indonesian domestic staff, yet constrained in their own lives by gender inequalities.

I suppose this book also made me think about the ethical issues and difficulties of conducting this sort of ethnographic research -- it makes for fascinating reading, but I wouldn't like the inconsistency and pettiness and hypocrisy that constitutes my own life laid out on the table so baldly, and I imagine that there's not a single group of people who would come out looking 'shiny' if subjected to the same treatment ...

5. Out of Harm's Way: The Wartime Evacuation of Children from Britain by Jessica Mann (15/01/2011)

Without living through the lead-up to World War II in the UK ,and knowing first-hand the anxiety experienced by parents anticipating air raids and possible invasion, it’s hard to imagine what would make so many parents contemplate sending their children across hostile waters to live with relatives – and sometimes even strangers – overseas. From today’s vantage point, it seems quite bizarre, and yet this book captures reasonably well the spirit of those times, and the experiences of those caught up in them, recounting a story that even the author, who was herself an evacuee, dubs ‘extraordinary’ and ‘inconceivable’, describing the motivations and experiences of the parents who sent their children overseas, the families who took them in, and the children’s varied reactions.

It’s a scenario so alien to anything I’ve experienced, and I think this is why sometimes I felt I was reading about a very distant past, yet at other times the experiences recounted felt more recent and immediate. This book helped me understand something of the climate in which all of this occurred, and yet raised many more questions about what it would have actually been like to live through this period of history.

Fascinating and disturbing.

6. Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist (20/01/2011)

In reading and reviewing this book, I feel as if I’m coming up against the same difficulties I encountered when reading and reviewing Under the Dome and Passage. And – I’m certain – many others of a similar ilk.

As the story opens in Stockholm, things seem slightly off kilter. Its unseasonably warm, something weird is happening with electrical appliances, and everyone is sharing a monster of a headache. Suddenly, the pressure that’s been building lifts. But life has not gone back to normal, for Stockholm’s dead are waking – in morgues, and in cemeteries – and are returning to their homes and families. Lindqvist skilfully paints a picture of the implications of this bizarre turn of events. How would you deal with the return of someone you loved and lost? Or someone you had complicated ambivalent feelings towards – and lost? To what extent would you see them as the person you’d lost? To what extent would they seem a stranger? How would the authorities try to deal with such a phenomenon?

Lindquivst spins a compelling scenario – as did Willis and King – and skilfully paints the implications of developments for a range of characters that you come to care about. I was drawn into the mystery of what had happened, and fascinated with the way in which events played out. Simultaneously, however, I wondered where on earth this was going. And, perhaps, worried that my reaction to the ending was going to influence the way that I felt about the whole story.

I really enjoyed the first three-quarters of this novel. And for fear of spoilers, I don’t want to say much more than that. I think I’d come to a conclusion in my own head about where I thought it was going – which I loved – and I was disappointed that Lindqvist did something different. But my reaction certainly may not correspond to your own, and I would recommend this as a very different take on the ‘zombie’ genre ...

Hmm. I have Handling the Undead on my shelf right now and I'm very curious to see if I have the same reaction!

As for Butcher, I gave him a shot last fall and was not impressed. After the third book, I gave up. You can read my thoughts about him in my 2010 thread here if you're interested. In particular, I have issues with the women in the books and I found the plotting and world rather flat.

I felt similarly about the first Dresden book by Butcher. I think the subsequent books get better, but honestly, I read them because of the TV series -- which I really liked, so the books are my Harry Dresden 'fix.' I just read them to see what happens. :D

Thanks Aerrin and Cyn for your thoughts. I think it'll be a series that I pick up on occasion if the right book happens to be at the library at the right time - I'd like to see where it goes, but with so many other meaty books to read out there, it won't be a huge priority. I suspect the portrayal of women will start grating with me too.

7. Area 7 by Matthew Reilly (24/01/2011)
I have only myself to blame for this. I wanted to read a fluffy thriller. I think it was because I was tempted by the new Tom Clancy novel Dead or Alive and virtuously refrained. So I raided my local library instead.

But honestly ... Wild animals, crazy serial killers, and a villain whose schemes make for maximum drama but lack any semblance of logic? I'm not even going to bother with a recap of the plot here.

Maybe I'm being overly harsh, but this had relentless action and one too many cliches for me.

8. The Boat by Nam Le (25/01/2011)

I enjoyed this so much that I wanted to wait to write my review until I could do it justice. Bad mistake, which I'm now ready to acknowledge as I try to catch up on these reviews 2 months later!

A collection of short stories, vividly told and compelling, that add up to make something that’s more than the sum of its parts – a commentary on the human condition, the many nuances of our relationships with one another, and the global, multi-cultural world in which we live.

The first story - Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice - was a delightfully rich and understated picture of a family who fled to Australia from Vietnam as boat-people; about the sacrifices parents make for their children and the pain parents and children cause each other; and about the stories we tell, why we tell them, and how they are received.

This was followed by stories about a young South American assassin; a father hoping to meet his famous daughter, a cello prodigy, after 17 years; a young Australian lad with an ill mother; a Japanese girl in wartime Hiroshima; an American lawyer visiting a friend in Tehran; and a Vietnamese girl on a boat fleeing Vietnam.

I really enjoyed the vivid and distinct narrative voices, and the rich pictures and lingering sadness evoked by each of these stories.

9. Land of Fire by Chris Ryan (28/01/2011)

Just what I was craving this week – an action adventure story that was enjoyable relaxation reading, not particularly memorable, but not as ridiculous as my last attempt.

10. No, I don't want to join a bookclub by Virginia Ironside (08/02/2011)

Marie Sharp claims to be looking forward to turning 60, liking the person she’s become, and no longer feeling compelled to learn a language, bicycle across Mongolia, go paragliding, or join the University of the Third Age. She can finally be comfortable and satisfied with who she is, just as she is now.

She was a witty and likeable narrator, but I was bothered by what was either a deliberately painted lack of self-awareness on her part, or simply inconsistent characterisation. Marie says, for example, that one of the good things about being older is being free of some of the anxiety that plagued her in younger years, but displays consistently high levels of anxiety.

And although the interesting and vividly painted narrator made for a promising start, unfortunately what felt to me like the lack of any real character or plot development detracted from its initial appeal.

11. Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko (11/02/2011)

I really enjoyed the first book in this series (Night Watch), and consequently started this with high hopes. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this nearly as much as the first in the series. Perhaps the novelty value of the first book had worn off, and it was the world building and scene setting and philosophising that I loved so much, and not the plot, which started to seem a bit repetitive and cyclic in the second book. I wasn’t nearly as engaged in the story ...

12. Saving Faith by David Baldacci (13/02/2011)

Another of the action books I was craving – enjoyable relaxation reading, but not particularly memorable. One scene and its aftermath I found quite troubling for the way in which it seemed to condone or excuse behaviour I considered highly problematic ...

13. The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta (17/02/2011)

Another book that I'm unlikely to have discovered without LibraryThing, which I really enjoyed.

Ruth Ramsey is a sexual education teacher, whose frankness lands her in trouble with local right-wing Christians.

Tim Mason is a former addict whose welcome into the local church has helped him turn his life around.

Circumstances bring them into conflict, and this conflict brings to light many of the interesting (and sometimes disconcerting) aspects of American society today. I liked the nuanced portrayals of characters here, and the thought-provoking hints of the shades of grey that can lie beneath the surface of such debates.

#12> I read The Boat a while back, and, yes, it was a great read. I think you nailed it with "add up to make something that’s more than the sum of its parts".

Hi wookie,

I think I might have read about The Boat on your thread as well! I'm not a huge reader of short story collections, but when they hang together as well as this one you realise what potential they have and it makes me look at them in a different way.

14. Uneasy Warriors by Sabine Fruhstuck (27/02/2011)

The Japanese self-defence forces (SDF) are the intriguing subject of this book. What does it feel like to be a soldier in a military that constitutionally shouldn’t exist, in a nation with a problematic military heritage, training for conflict whilst forbidden to engage in it? Frühstuck comments on the ways in which masculinity and femininity are constructed in this context, the ways in which the SDF are represented in popular culture, and the way that the SDF narrates its own history. The publicity for the book focuses a lot on the way in which Frühstuck was the first scholar who ever participated in basic training with the SDF, but this constituted only one week of her research, and actually serves as little more than an introduction to the context and themes she pursues in later chapters. This was a fascinating topic, and very readable, but I wasn’t always convinced by the evidence Frühstuck presented in support of her arguments.

15. Twilight's Dawn by Anne Bishop (03/03/2011)

This collection of short stories was a lovely continuation of one of my favourite ‘comfort reads’, fills in some of the pieces of the story readers of the Black Jewels books might have been wondering about, and continues the story of the SaDiablo family. I love the characters and the way in which they interact with each other, and was entirely satisfied (and moved) by these stories, although the last particularly has apparently received mixed reviews.

16. The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro (08/03/2011)

Ryder is a concert pianist who arrives in an unnamed Central European city for an important concert. His experiences have a dream-like quality – geography seems distorted, he overhears conversations he shouldn’t be able to hear, and he knows things about characters he’s supposedly just met, who may or may not be experiencing life events that parallel some of the experiences of his own life. Everyone he meets seems to want something from him, and he becomes increasingly anxious about his own concerns, and yet continues trying to fulfil the expectations of everyone around him. I felt like I should have liked this more than I did. It had the same wonderfully understated and ambiguous tone as Ishiguro’s other books, the same concerns about unreliable narrators, and the fallibility of memory. Each dream-like scene on its own was delightfully readable. And yet when put together, I unfortunately just found this novel hard-going, overly long, and difficult to persist with.

17. The Secret Battle: Emotional Survival in the Great War by Michael Roper (09/03/2011)

Based on a rich analysis of the letters and parcels exchanged by soldiers in World War One and their families, this was one of the most evocative accounts I’ve ever read of what it was like to serve as a British soldier during the Great War, and the relationships of these soldiers with ‘family’ (often mothers) and ‘home’. Engagingly written, and fascinating, but often – because of the subject matter – quite distressing reading.

Roper explores the importance of letters to both soldiers and families (and most often mothers) at home, things that soldiers said (and didn’t say) in their letters home, the way their need for comfort and reassurance warred with their desire to protect their mothers, the resentment that sometimes resulted, and the way in which the domestic routines of home were drawn upon and adapted to the trenches. The way in which the grief of fathers was often considered secondary to the grief of mothers is also discussed, and I was intrigued by the suggestion that the Pieta image and surrounding religious symbolism contributes to the elevation of the mother’s grief, to the exclusion of others.

From the Australian/ NZer point of view, it was also interesting thinking about the relative proximity of Britain to the Western Front (with a normal delivery time of 2-3 days from Britain, cf. 50 days from Australia) and the ways in which this difference in what was possible in terms of keeping in touch impacted soldiers and families.

18. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (15/03/2011)

There’s probably not a lot to say about this chilling novel that hasn’t already been said – atmospheric, evocative, melancholy and disturbing. I found it a great and thought-provoking read.

I do like the way in which the novel talks about truths that we both know and don’t know. Kathy and her friends have the knowledge that they need on the tips of their tongues, they don’t know all the details, but they’re not surprised at each new revelation of the truth.

19. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (24/03/2011)

This cleverly framed novel begins when the unnamed narrator finds in her father’s library a mysterious book and letters addressed to ‘My dear and unfortunate successor’. Her father (Paul) gradually reveals to her the quest he and his mentor had embarked upon to explore Dracula’s history, premised upon the notion that Dracula is still alive.

The love of books, price of knowledge, and almost seductive appeal of scholarly research (and perhaps especially research into ‘evil’) are explored in an interesting way. Paul at one point describes the way in which historians “are interested in what is partly a reflection of ourselves we would rather not examine except through the medium of scholarship; it is also true that as we steep ourselves in our interests ... become more and more a part of us”. I’m not sure that I would agree with this, but it’s an interesting and somewhat disconcerting thought.

The interlocking stories of the narrator, her father, and his mentor build in suspense as they progress. For the most part, I found it quite readable, a good and thought-provoking read although not a great one, but a novel which I was keen to continue to get to the bottom of the mystery.

20. Cold Shoulder by Lydia La Plante (24/03/2011)

Lieutenant Lorraine Page is thrown out of the police force, and loses her relationship and her home in a descending spiral of alcoholism and addiction. At rock bottom, she is the only witness with information potentially helpful in the hunt for a serial killer. Can she put this information to good use, and turn her life around? Not bad light reading, although the mystery was a little too convoluted for my tastes.

21. Goodnight, Children Everywhere: Voices of Evacuees by Monica Morris (26/03/2011)

A small number of interviews and personal stories, and a number of very poignant photographs, focusing on children who were evacuated to the countryside in Britain during World War II, including the author’s own story. Morris has a particular interest in the way in which educations were disrupted because of the war and the evacuations.

22. The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea by Randolph Stow (29/03/2011)

Understated and meditative, and perhaps deceptively simple at first, this account of a young Australian boy’s childhood in and around Geraldtown, Western Australia, and his reactions to his older cousin’s wartime imprisonment by the Japanese, was gut-wrenching to me as much for what it didn’t say as for what it did. It’s not a story in which a lot happens, but I loved the way in which it depicted a rural Australia of yesteryear, and the melancholy atmosphere it evoked. (Thanks to wookiebender.)

#27> Oh, I am glad you liked it! I unfortunately didn't get far into it - got sidetracked by other books - but the comments from my bookgroup members made me wish I had read it! Still, it's on the shelves at home, it's easy to get to when I am in the mood for it.

Interesting comments on The Secret Battle: Emotional Survival in the Great War - I found out recently that my paternal grandfather had been in WW1, and when he was recovering from a wound, got to visit Pontypridd in Wales, where his family came from. (Before they sent him *back* to the front, yeesh, can we say "head wound", people???) I was shocked, it'd never really sunk in how close they were to England (and Wales), I'm so used to the vast distances the war was from Australia! Seems almost unbelievable.

Hi wookie - yes, that's exactly that same kind of jolt that I had when I was reading The Secret Battle. I'd grown up thinking of the 'home front' as being so far away for Aussie and NZ soldiers that it shocked me to realise how common the opposite experience was!

It's always the problem isn't it - so many books, so little time!!

23. Inventing adulthoods: A Biographical Approach to Youth Transitions by Sheila Henderson et al (06/04/2011)

This book draws on three consecutive studies conducted in the UK from 1996-2006, interviewing a number of young adults multiple times over a 10 year period, and following their transitions from school into adulthood. The book talks about domains relevant to policy debates and ‘moral panics’ (e.g., education, employment, drugs and alcohol, crime), as well as domains that emerged as particularly relevant to the young people themselves (e.g., mobility, belonging, home, intimacy and sociality – including new Information and Communication Technologies). This is fascinating subject matter and really interesting reading. I felt at times, however, that the book’s (perhaps necessary) breadth meant sacrificing some of the richness and depth that I had been hoping to find here. And yet I’m not sure what could have been done differently.

24. Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks (08/04/2011)

A British woman is sent as a courier into occupied France during WWII. From the movie trailer, and the blurb on the back, I had expected this to be more of an action adventure story than it actually was, and was pleasantly surprised by what I found instead. This was a nuanced and harrowing depiction of life in occupied France, and perhaps also a coming of age of sorts for Charlotte. Charlotte herself was not the typical protagonist of an action adventure novel, and you could take quite a critical view of her actions at time, but this worked for me in terms of making her character more interesting, and in terms of contributing to her perhaps subtle but significant character development. The book packs some powerful emotional punches, describing many of the tragedies and consequences of war in vivid and haunting detail.

25. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (10/04/2011)

I seem to be having difficulties with the third and final books of trilogies lately – I felt in the minority when Mockingjay left me unimpressed, and I was in some ways similarly disappointed with Monsters of Men, the third book in the Chaos Walking trilogy. I think part of my problem was that what happened with Todd and the Mayor in this book felt somewhat implausible to me, and I found it hard at times to suspend my disbelief about the ways in which they were acting. And then I felt that the book’s ‘message’ was being hammered home at every opportunity – war makes monsters of men, making it personal is dangerous, but not caring enough about people is also dangerous (i.e., terrorism, atrocities). There was still a lot to enjoy in the book – I particularly enjoyed finding out more about the Spackle perspective, and it packed a number of really powerful emotional punches, with a climax that brought out some of the thematic concerns in a poignant, dramatic and powerful way. I’m still glad I read it, and I would still recommend the series, but with these small caveats about the third book.

26. Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay (12/04/2011)

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, as a simple retelling of the plot would possibly have discouraged me from readin g it. But I have enjoyed Kay’s books in the past, and enjoyed this one also, although it’s perhaps difficult to really capture a sense of what it’s about while avoiding spoilers ...

Essentially, 15-year old Ned is with his famous photographer father in Provence, France, and stumbles upon a mysterious stranger with a knife while exploring a historic cathedral. The stranger tells Ned and Kate, the exchange student he encounters in the cathedral, that they have “stumbled into the corner of a very old story”, and should back away now, and the story sort of evolves from here ...

Part of what I liked, I think, were Ned’s musings on time and history and narrative, and their resonances through the ages ...

And it is very nice to meet some old friends again, yes?

Hi Ronincats.

I actually haven't read the Fionavar Tapestry yet - but my appetite has definitely been whetted. I'll have to see what else by Guy Gavriel Kay I can find at my library. Hopefully reading them backwards won't be too much of a problem - at least Ysabel worked well for me as a standalone!

And all this talk of A Game of Thrones elsewhere is making me very keen to do a re-read, at least in time for the new book in July.

More hours in the day would come in very handy at this point in time ...

27. Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult (18/04/2011)

Had a cold and wanted something easy to read – this fit the bill nicely.

Cassie wakes, injured and experiencing amnesia, in a graveyard. She’s later identified by her husband Alex, a famous movie star. She returns to what seems an idyllic life, but there’s something disturbing lurking under the surface. Both characters are portrayed sympathetically, but it’s still a horrifying story. Bits of this felt disturbingly realistic, while others didn't work quite so well for me. Just an aside, I really liked Cassie’s imaginings of a different world where an anthropologist returning with a new discovery could draw crowds at an airport (cf. a movie star).

28. Churchill's Children by John Welshman (20/04/2011)

Not as vividly written and engaging as Out of Harms Way, to my mind, but still a fascinating tale. This book focuses on the in depth stories of thirteen children and adults, and talks about the evacuations of schoolchildren within Britain. I was particularly interested in the way in which these stories were positioned in the context of the academic and policy debates that were going on within Britain at the time, and the way in which the mixing of the population in this way (rural and urban; upper and lower classes) highlighted poverty and ill health. The studies that described the impact of evacuation as worse on children than actual bombings were sobering. And I was particularly moved by the story of the Jewish schoolchildren that were evacuated with their teachers to Shefford.

29. Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey (22/04/2011)
30. Kushiel's Avatar by Jacquieline Carey (26/04/2011)

I devoured both of these, the second and third books in the trilogy beginning with Kushiel's Dart. I'm hesitant to recommend them too strongly - there are some disturbingly dark parts to these books, and the third particularly, and they certainly wouldn't be to everyone's taste. Yes, they were perhaps over-dramatic and overly drawn out at times. But I enjoyed the characters and their relationships (especially Phedre and Joscelin). The world building and mythology - while sometimes a bit too much for me - was also intriguing and thought-provoking.

The series takes a deceptively simple sounding motif ('Love as thou wilt') - in the same way that The Black Jewels Trilogy takes the simple phrase 'Everything has a price' - and explores the way that this plays out in different contexts and settings, a symphony of themes and variations, in turn triumphal, mournful, frightening and inspiring. And, for me, compelling ...

#37> Some of the children were also shipped out to Australia (well, we didn't get bombed as much as London did, but what a huge journey!!). That's back in the news again now, because of the upcoming "Oranges and Sunshine" movie. Which reminds me, I really must find a copy of The Forgotten Children: Fairbridge Farm School and its betrayal of Australia's Child Migrants which is written by David Hill who was one of the children brought out to Australia. (And as a grown up ended up running the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, amongst other things.)

NOTE: I do have a memory like a leaky sieve, so I might have gotten some things slightly muddled. But Googling around, I do think I've got the basic facts right.

I don't know where the year has gone. But I'm hoping to update this list by year end, so I can make a better attempt at keeping up in 2012!

31. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (02/05/11)
32. A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin (05/05/11)
33. A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin (10/05/11)
34. A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow by George R R Martin (13/05/11)

35. Breaking Point by Jess Bowen (14/05/11)

My first Early Reviewers book, which I was very excited to receive.

Phoebe, the protagonist of this young adult fantasy novel, has had a pretty much normal life, although she seems to have something of a talent for sensing the emotions of those around her. A revelation on her 19th birthday changes everything, and along with Ethan, she’s catapulted into another realm. Here she makes friends, trains to develop her talents, and becomes involved in the fight between good and evil.

This is a first novel, and it’s perhaps fair to say that to an extent this shows. The initial exposition is a little clunky, the dialogue at first feels a little stilted, the world-building draws upon a lot of elements from a variety of sources, our heroine is maybe a bit too capable, and the villains seem to exist and to do horrible things simply because our characters need someone to fight against and a reason to fight them.

However, it was a first novel with potential. I found myself enjoying it more as I got further into the story. I was drawn, to an extent, into the world. In particular, I enjoyed the exploration of what it might mean to have a talent that allowed you to read other people’s emotions and what that might do to your own emotions. I liked the flaws exhibited by some of the characters at times. And I liked the way the events and themes of the novel tied together at the end in a resolution that worked quite well for me. I’m not sure what I think about the threads that have been touched upon in this book, and await follow up in the next book. I would like to read the second book in the series and see where it goes from here.

36. Psychology and the Human Dilemma by Rollo May (16/05/11)

37. Strangers by Taichi Yamada (17/05/11)

38. A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold by George R R Martin (20/05/11)

39. A Feast for Crows by George R R Martin (26/05/11)

40. Bio-Strike by Jerome Preisler (30/05/11)

41. Kushiel’s Scion by Jacqueline Carey (06/06/11)

42. Gone by Michael Grant (09/06/11)

43. Hunger by Michael Grant (11/06/11)

44. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (16/06/11)

45. Kushiel’s Justice by Jacqueline Carey (20/06/11)

46. Kushiel’s Mercy by Jacqueline Carey (26/06/11)

47. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (02/07/11)

48. Black Swan Green by David Mitchell (07/07/11)

49. Flyboys by James Bradley (19/07/11)

50. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel (23/07/11)

51. The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss (05/08/11)

52. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (12/08/11)

53. The Final Empire (Mistborn, Book One) by Brandon Sanderson (15/08/11)

54. The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, Book Two) by Brandon Sanderson (18/08/11)

55. The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, Book Three) by Brandon Sanderson (02/09/2011)

56. For A Dancer by Emma J Stephens (05/09/2011)

57. Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy (09/09/11)

58. A Dance with Dragons by George R R Martin (15/09/11)

59. Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay (30/09/11)

60. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson (14/10/11)

61. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (16/10/11)

62. Annexed by Sharon Dogar (20/10/11)

63. Hell Hath No Fury by David Weber (29/10/11)

64. Touching Distance by Rebecca Abrams (4/11/11)

65. Cape Storm by Rachel Caine (4/11/11)

66. Hell’s Gate by David Weber (16/11/11)

67. Lies by Michael Grant (20/11/11)

68. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (29/11/11)

69. Far Edge of Darkness by Linda Evans (05/12/11)

70. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova (12/12/11)

71. Emma by Jane Austen (20/12/11)

Almost there! You could make 75 by the end of the year!


Merry Christmas!

Thanks for the Christmas greetings and encouragement, Ronincats!

I'm going to continue this into 2012 so that I at least make the 75 mark, and resolve to concentrate more on reading and reviewing (two things that I love to do) in the New Year.

72. Before I Die by Jenny Downham (27/12/11)
The story of a teenager with cancer (Tess) given a terminal prognosis, who is trying to work her way through a list of things she wants to do before she dies. This is not the cliched heart-warming story of a brave family coming together to meet tragedy, and the anger and rage at injustice palpable on every page of this story - and the seemingly relentless nature of her decline - made this a very difficult (although arguably also very worthwhile) read.

73. Spinning Out by Christine Darcas (29/12/11)
Light reading about a mother and daughter relationship, when Ginny (once an aspiring ballet dancer) is made redundant from her job in corporate America, and a short visit to Australia ends up becoming something potentially more permanent.

74. Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner (2/1/12)
Young adult story purporting to narrate the early life of Helen of Troy. I had expected more from this, and was thus a little disappointed.

75. Goodnight, Beautiful by Dorothy Koonsom (4/1/12)

Happy New Year and happy reading in 2012 to all!!