LShelby Continues into the Second Semester

Finally got around to restarting my thread after the name change made it so I couldn't update the first message in my first thread.

Would you believe that I no longer remember how to get my own fancy progress bar graphic to work, and that the instructions I posted to someone else no longer show up, and that I can't edit any of the previous posts that had it so that I can get the code from there? *head-desk*

Anyway, as with the first thread I'm not going to try do mini reviews or anything, BUT if you are curious about the book or my reaction to it, please feel free to ask. I hate trying to come up with something to say out of the blue, but I love answering questions. :rueful grin:

178 Books Read in 2010
(106 not counting the Manga/Graphic Novels)

Fantasy: 41
Regency Romance: 26
Mystery: 18
Science Fiction: 16
Humor: 1
Western: 1

Manga/Graphic Novel: 72
Non-fiction: 11

YA: 9
Juvenile: 1

Rereads: 49
Authors New to Me: 47
Books by me: 2

These are the last set of books I posted on the former thread. I'm posting them again, because I never got a chance to add them to my stats on the last thread.

90: A Pair of Rogues by Patricia Wynn (regency, reread)
91: An Early Engagement by Barbara Metzger (regency, reread)
92: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (science fiction)
93: Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key (YA, reread)
94: Class Dis-Mythed by Robert Asprin and Jody Lynn Nye (fantasy)
95: Refining Felicity by Marion Chesney (regency)
96: A Most Unsuitable Duchess by Gail Mallin (regency)
97: A Heavenly Houseguest by Emily Dalton (regency)
98: Wolf Tower by Tanith Lee (Fantasy, YA)

And the first post of new books for this thread...

99: Wolf Star by Tanith Lee (fantasy, YA)
100: The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (fantasy, reread)
101: The Red Wyvern, by Katharine Kerr(fantasy)
102: Fruits Basket, Vol. 1 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
103: The Truth by Terry Pratchett (fantasy, reread)
104: Fruits Basket, Vol. 2 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
105: Fruits Basket, Vol. 3 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
106: Fruits Basket, Vol. 4 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
107: Fruits Basket, Vol. 5 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
108: Fruits Basket, Vol. 6 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
109: Fruits Basket, Vol. 7 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
110: Return to Camerein by Rick Shelley (sf, reread)

Congratulations on passing 100!

Thanks!

I know nobody kicks us out and sends us off to the 100 group at this point, but I've always wondered how having 100+ers over here makes 100 Group feel.

It's a LOT smaller... do they think we don't like them, or something?

(I didn't even get to 75 last year, so it never occurred to me to sign up for 100 this year.)

I have no idea how the 100ers feel - or if they even care. My home is here in the 75ers group, no matter how many over 75 I get.

I think people chose the group for the atmosphere at least as much as for the number of books: it comes down to whether prefer a big, noisy, chattery group or a smaller, cosier one - and I guess also to which one(s) you have friends in.

ETA - and congrats on passing 100!

I can understand being here for the atmosphere, because the group has a *wonderful* atmosphere -- but I chose 75 based on the number of books sounding reasonable. I never actually hung out in the 50 or the 100 group to see if I liked them better. :/

Ah, well -- come for the challenge, stay for the people. Right?

Definitely!

111: Fruits Basket, Vol. 8 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
112: Fruits Basket, Vol. 9 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
113: Fruits Basket, Vol. 10 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
114: Fruits Basket, Vol. 11 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
115: Fruits Basket, Vol. 12 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
116: Fruits Basket, Vol. 13 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
117: Fruits Basket, Vol. 14 by Natsuki Takaya (manga)
118: Maid for Murder by Barbara Colley (mystery)
119: The Case of the Demure Defendant by Erle Stanley Gardner (mystery)
120: The Janissary Tree: A Novel by Jason Goodwin (mystery)
121: The Alchemist's Apprentice by Dave Duncan (fantasy/mystery)
122: The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop (fantasy)

Well I guess Takaya was good? I just loaned my friend the Bishop Trilogy and she is in Raptures :) I haven't read The Shadow Queen. One of the books after the trilogy I found so-so and the other less so. LOL How was this one?

Sorry I didn't get back to your comment sooner, Suslyn, somehow I missed seeing that it was here.

I'm not a huge fan of the Fruits Basket series. It was hitting the emotional notes I wanted, but it frequently would hit them too hard, and my eyes would roll. You know what I mean? But they were right there in the house because my daughter was reading them, and although I have a long list of things about them that irked me, I did keep right on reading them. :)

The Shadow Queen is my first Bishop book ever, believe it or not. I liked it, but I have no idea how it compares with anything else she's written.

123: Jhereg by Steven Brust (fantasy, reread)
124: Yendi by Steven Brust (fantasy)
125: Teckla by Steven Brust (fantasy)
126: D.N.Angel, Vol. 1 by Yukiru Sugisaki (manga)
127: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon #1 by Wang Du Lu (manga)
128: Grand Central Arena by Ryk E. Spoor (sf)
129: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson (non-fiction)
130: Millennium Snow, Vol. 2 by Bisco Hatori (manga)
131: Calamity Jack by Shannon Hale (graphic novel)
132: Blameless by Gail Carriger (fantasy)

I hope you enjoyed the Jhereg books as much as I do. I see the first was a re-read. Have you read Taltos yet? That's the other early book that is one of my favorites.

Well I'll keep an eye out for the Shadow Queen then. THx. I only have one Brust and it didn't take. Roni tells me it's the wrong one to start with. That, I can believe :)

I read a couple of the Jhereg series way back when, but afterward just couldn't remember which ones based on titles. So I know I've read something else, it could be Taltos.

My favorite Brust book to date is Pheonix Guards, which is sort of a prequel to the Jhereg books, and based on the Three Musketeers. But I seem to recall that there were some Brust books I didn't much enjoy even NOT coming to them first.

...
I wish more people were interested in Grand Central Arena. I know I'm liable to be prejudiced because the author is a friend of mine, but I thought it was a very fun read, and that neither the blurb nor the cover did it justice.

I just picked up Grand Central Arena yesterday! It's going to have to wait a while--this weekend is dedicated to Catching Fire and Mockingjay. I don't know Ryk, but I do read his contributions on rec.arts.sf.written.

Phoenix Guards and its sequel Five Hundred Years After are delightful take-offs of Dumas' Three Musketeers series--Paarfi's voice is lots of fun. Taltos is the one where they go through the Paths of the Dead to the Hall of Judgment to retrieve Aliera.

roni

Oh! Is that the one Taltos is? Then no, I haven't read it, and I want to. :)

About Paarfi -- I was at a writing workshop, and the author running the workshop was telling us all about how a tight third person viewpoint was the only viewpoint that should ever be used and how proud she was of us all for having chosen it.

And, I was less than happy to be praised in such a way, because although the project of mine she had seen was in tight third, many of my other projects weren't. I began describing Paarfi's viewpoint, "a sort of third person viewpoint but filtered through a first person narrator" because I was working on something somewhat similar, and she said "Oh, no, that would *never* work, it's far too distancing."

So that whole Paarfi thing doesn't work. And nobody could possibly enjoy that series. A real live author told me so. ;)

I hope you enjoy Grand Central Arena. :crosses fingers:

I actually have been reading, although mostly manga, but I've gotten really sloppy about recording what I've read. So, as best as I can remember...

133-145: High School Debut by Kazune Kawahara (manga) --very cute and fluffy.
146-160: From Far Away by Kyoko Hikawa (manga) --I think my favorite manga series so far.
161: Sugarplum Surprises by Elisabeth Fairchild (regency)
162: Myth-told Tales by Robert Asprin and Jody Lynn Nye (fantasy)

I'm sure I've read more things. Erg! :(
Oh, wait! I remember two!
163: Conrad's Fate by Diana Wynne Jones (fantasy, YA, reread)
164: The Ogre Downstairs by Diana Wynne Jones (fantasy, YA, reread)

I wonder how many more I've forgotten?
Oh, yeah...
165-167: D.N.Angel, Vol 2-4 by Yukiru Sugisaki (manga)
168: Good Witch of the West Volume 1, by Noriko Ogiwara (manga)

I'll probably remember a few more as soon as I leave LT. :rueful:

Oh, and I also went to World Fantasy Convention last weekend and got an ARC (advance reading copy) of Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, Book 1) in my goody bag along with a bunch of other books.

This is way cool, even if I end up not liking it, because I've never owned an ARC before. :)

Congrats on getting the ARC!

So glad you got to go to the convention -- sounds like you had a blast -- hope you love your ARC! :)

Thanks suslyn and alcottacre!

I did have fun at World Fantasy. I hope I find an excuse to go to another one some day. (Selling a book would be a particularly good excuse.) :crosses fingers:

If not, I guess I'll have to make do with the usual local conventions. They don't hand away a big bag full of books as part of their freebies, but I do get a lifetime's supply worth of promotional bookmarks out of them. :D

#22: Selling a book would be a particularly good excuse

Selling a book would be a wonderful excuse! Good luck with that! I hope it works out for you.

I didn't get any more "real" books read last year, but I did read some more manga...

I think I won't bother counting them as numbers anymore. But I'm going to keep writing them down.
Gentleman's Alliance Vol 1 (manga)
Captive Hearts, Vol. 1-3, by Hino, Matsuri (manga)
Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 1-2, by Yumi, Kiiro (manga)
Kitchen Princess 1-5, Ando, Natsumi (manga)