bluesalamanders 2015

I'm Blue, and this is my 5th year in the 75 book challenge group. Before that I was in the 50 book challenge group for 4 years, and before that I was in livejournal's 50bookchallenge and 15000pages communities. I started tracking my reading in 2006.

50 book challenges: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
75 book challenges: 2011.1, 2011.2, 2012.1, 2012.2, 2013.1, 2013.2, 2014

I read well over 75 books annually, but the specific number has been varying from year to year, so I decided to set my 2015 goals by averaging final totals from '07-'13. My final totals will definitely not match the goals exactly (I will almost certainly read more audiobooks and less nonfiction) but it's a good starting place, at least:

Total number of books: 146
Pages: 38600
Audiobook time: 4d 16h 12m
New reads: 66
Non-fiction: 4

For those of you who don't know, I generally read science fiction and fantasy, mainly women authors, both adult and YA books. I reread a lot, so you'll see a lot of repeat books popping up from year to year, but I try to keep my reading to about half rereads and half new.

Here are the books off my TBR shelf that I hoped to maybe read last year and didn't (I did read the other 7, though!). I'm using them the start my new TBR-this-year-hopefully list:

1. What you really really want by Jaclyn Friedman
2. Neuromancer by William Gibson
3. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
4. Star Trek: Intellivore by Diane Duane
5. Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr.
6. A Cup of Normal by Devon Monk
7. The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
8. The House in November by Keith Laumer

Other books from my TBR shelf that I hope maybe to read this year:

9. The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy by Sam Maggs
10. Dauntless by Dina Sleiman (assuming I receive it; I had some bad luck with ER books recently received!)

The following added on Jan. 6:

11. Agent of Change by Steve Miller and Sharon Lee
12. Mystery Cats edited by Cynthia Manson
13. Moonsinger's Friends edited by Susan Shwartz
14. Perchance to Dream edited by Denise Little
15. Seeing Further by Bill Bryson
16. The Resurrectionist by EB Hudspeth
17. Ace of Cakes by Duff Goldman and Willie Goldman
18. Alias: Father Figure by Laura Peyton Roberts
19. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
20. The New Space Opera 2 edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan
21. will grayson, will grayson by John Green & David Levithan
22. Dreaming Down Under edited by Jack Dann and Janeen Webb

More ER books, added May 23:

23. Jewish Soul Food by Carol Ungar
24. Headstrong by Rachel Swaby

I will definitely not read all of these books, but I wanted to fill the top shelf of the bookcase in my bedroom, so whenever I don't know what to read, they're right there.

LOVE your thread topper. Violets are my all-time favorite flower!

Thanks! They're one of my favorites as well. I took that picture at this gorgeous botanical gardens I went to last summer.

Welcome back.

If only I could bring myself to make a list of the TBR books on my shelves............although it might put me into heart failure, or a significant anxiety attack. I'll continue to bury my head in the sand instead, and read off my Kindle.

Well done on setting out your goals though! Hopefully you'll get to those listed :)

Welcome back!

>5 xymon81: and >7 drneutron: Thanks!

>6 lunacat: I'd prefer to stick to the shiny new books, too. I don't list ALL the books on my TBR shelves (eeep no). I just find a dozen or so that I think I might feel like reading at some point this year (including, say, any ER books, and the 4 or 5 that I have borrowed from friends and really should return at some point...) and that is the list. And I very specifically say that I hope to read them, not plan or expect or will.

(I also try to cull a few books every time I go through my TBR shelves, because I know there are still a lot of books there that I'm not actually going to read. But that's getting harder.)

But if it will give you an anxiety attack, then stick with the sand! It's not worth it.

Your TBR list looks awesome. I read Neuromancer many years ago and loved it. Interested in what you think about the Star Trek book. I used to love reading the original Star Trek books a long time ago but can't really find the old ones anymore (would like to start over again). I've been looking for some written by more recent authors but can't seem to make up my mind where to start.

>9 craftyfox: Thanks! Neuromancer is one of my sister's favorite books, so I'm not sure how I got this far without ever reading it. It's clearly time to remedy that!

I have pretty much only read Diane Duane's Star Trek books. She's one of my favorite authors and I'm trying to read all of her books (which is quite a task since she's a super-prolific author). I've really liked the ones of hers that I've read so far. The few Trek books I've read by other authors varied in quality from "okay" to "crap", so I'll probably stick with hers from now on.

Welcome back!

Thanks! I'm definitely going to check out her books.

>11 hairballsrus: Thanks! Good to see you, too :)

>12 craftyfox: You're welcome! I hope you like them.

>14 lunacat: Happy New Year, Luna! Happy New Year, everyone!

Happy New Thread!

Hey, foggi, xymon, roni! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year 2015! Blue :)

Happy new thread and New Year, blue!

>20 drachenbraut23:, >21 leahbird:, welcome! Happy new year!

Currently reading (and loving) Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie. I'm halfway through the book and I'm still not sure who the main antagonist is (besides the obvious, if you've read the first book) or what the main conflict is going to be. Which could be annoying or frustrating, but either the point is all the small conflicts or it's leading to something huge, and I'm good either way. Also, it gives room for all sorts of minor sub-plots that I don't remember seeing treated as normal, everyday issues in stories like this (they're usually either mostly ignored or enormous crises), like unhappy AIs and domestic violence and minor clashes between the military and civilians.

Obviously some of these may become less minor plot points as the story continues, but right now I just like how they're being handled in the story.

>22 bluesalamanders: That's on my tbr pile along with Station Eleven, which is another one a lot of 75ers are reading this month.

Hi, Blue. Happy New Year!



I think I heard on the BBC World Service that their Book Club book for this month (?) is Neuromancer, if you want to join in.

And I'm curious as to what Roni's picture is; I keep coming across it in different threads, but it only shows up as a huge blank box for me :0(

;0)

Ehhh, I'm not actually good at book clubs. Feels too much like homework. Which I have enough of right now (or will, once school starts again).

This should take you to roni's pic: http://www.carmelvalleyhomessandiego.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Dollarphotoc...

Finished Book 1: Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
Book 2 of Imperial Radch
New read, Adult, Science fiction, Dead tree: 354p

Wonderful. At least as good as the first book, if not better.

Finished Book 2: No Sooner Met by Seanan McGuire
October Daye (short story)
New read, Adult, Urban fantasy, ebook: 43p

Really liked this story, which is set after Ashes of Honor. Some of the October Daye stories (including this one, currently) are available for free on Seanan’s website.

Finished Book 3: The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity edited by Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray
New read, Adult, Fantasy, Anthology, Dead tree: 302p

This anthology is as hit-or-miss as most, but there are definitely some stories worth reading.

>25 bluesalamanders: Well, Gibson will be on BBC WS on 7th February, if you want to listen in. I'm sure it'd be fascinating to hear what he has to say.

And, oddly, even your link to Roni's picture isn't working for me. I suppose it just doesn't like me :'(

>26 bluesalamanders: bluesalamanders-Glad to hear it about Ancillary Sword. Now I'm off to check out Seanan McGuire's website. Thanks for the tip!

>29 humouress: Oh, interesting! I'll have to let my sister know about that.

That's too bad! Well, here: it's a beach with very blue water at the top, a wave coming in, and sand at the bottom. There are some starfish and shells on the beach and it looks like the words "Welcome to 2015" are drawn in the sand.

>30 hairballsrus: You're welcome! There are a bunch of stories in the October Daye and Incryptid worlds, and also some other stuff I think. Have fun!

>26 bluesalamanders: The Ann Leckie series looks like a good one. I will have to give it a try. Thanks for the recommendation, Blue!

Finished Book 4: Pyramids by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
Book 7 of Discworld (publication order)
New read, Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 9h 16m

Found you. Happy reading :)

Thanks. :) You too!

Finished Book 5: The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy by Sam Maggs
Early Reviewer
New Read, Adult, Non-Fiction, Dead tree: 208p

I really enjoyed this! It was both informative and fun to read, and it struck a good balance between the variety of subjects - from fandom websites and vernacular to con etiquette and cosplay tips to fanfiction how-tos and media recommendations - and amount of information. It's covers a broad range without being overwhelming on any one topic.

Probably not as useful if you’re already deeply involved in fandom, but recommended if you’re just starting out, shyly hanging around the edges, or if you’re on the outside and want to understand fandom a little more. I’ll be lending this to a friend’s teenage daughter next, I think.

5 / 146 books. 3% done.
5 / 66 new reads. 8% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
907 / 38600 pages. 2% done.
0d 9h 16m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 8% done.

Your latest read sounds interesting. I've never really been into the fandom thing.

I'm kind of on the periphery myself - I watch, but I don't really participate a whole lot. But I have met some great friends through fandom even so, and I'm sometimes tempted to delve a little deeper. Cons and cosplay hold a certain allure...

Finished Book 6: Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger
Book 2 of Finishing School
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy (Steampunk), Dead tree: 310p

I wanted to read the first book in this series but apparently I don’t own it. Oops? This book is excellent, though, and I really enjoyed rereading it. Some characters from the Parasol Protectorate show up, and it’s fun to see what they were up to before Alexia was around.

*waving*

Finished Book 7: Sorcery & Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
Sorcery and Cecelia, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Historical Fantasy, Dead tree: 316p

I recommended this series to my sister when she wanted something similar to Carriger’s Finishing School series - and then I felt like reading it again myself.

Finished Book 8: Daja’s Book by Tamora Pierce, read by Mark Oshiro
Circle of Magic, book 3
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 5h20m

Finished Book 9: The Grand Tour, or The Purloined Coronation Regalia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
Sorcery and Cecelia, book 2
Reread, Young Adult, historical fantasy, dead tree: 469p

Finished Book 10: Terrier by Tamora Pierce, read by Susan Denaker
Beka Cooper, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 15h 3m

10 / 146 books. 7% done.
5 / 66 new reads. 8% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
2002 / 38600 pages. 5% done.
1d 5h 39m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 26% done.

Finished Book 11: The Mislaid Magician, or Ten Years After by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
Sorcery and Cecelia, book 3
Reread, Young Adult, historical fantasy, 326p

Finished Book 12: Toad Words by T Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon)
New read, Adult, Fantasy (fairy tales, anthology), ebook: 117p

I follow Ursula Vernon on tumblr and I’ve read a couple of her stories there, but this is the first full book of hers that I’ve read. My friend Carol - who has the most similar reading tastes to me I’ve ever come across, it’s incredible - gave me a copy and I just zoomed through it. They’re wonderful stories, quirky and unusual and unexpected. And I’ve read a lot of fairy tale retellings, so finding something unexpected is a delight.

Finished Book 13: Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce, read by Susan Denaker
Beka Cooper, book 2
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook, 18h7m

Finished Book 14: Half-Off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire
InCryptid, book 3
Reread, Adult, Fantasy: Urban, Dead tree: 346p

Pocket Apocalypse is coming out soon, so a reread was definitely in order!

Yep, I'm waiting for Pocket apocalypse too.

>42 bluesalamanders: Oh, you got me with Toad Words -- I'll have to look for that one.

>43 ronincats: I can't waaaaait! :D

>44 foggidawn: It's worth checking out! Really great stories. She's also a fantastic artist, check out the shop on her website.

Currently Reading:
A Cup of Normal by Devon Monk (From my TBR list in msg 2! Woo!)
Alias: Father Figure by Laura Peyton Roberts (Why do I keep subjecting myself to these books? They're awful! The only up side is they're also very short.)

Finished Book 15: Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, read by Mark Oshiro
Enchanted Forest Chronicles, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 5h

15 / 146 books. 10% done.
6 / 66 new reads. 9% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
2691 / 38600 pages. 7% done.
2d 4h 46m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 47% done.

Finished Book 16: Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, read by Mark Oshiro
Enchanted Forest Chronicles, book 2
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 5h58m

The Enchanted Forest books were very relaxing to listen to when I had a migraine. And Mark gets so excited about them.

Finished Book 17: Alias: Father Figure by Laura Peyton Roberts
Alias tie-in novel, book 7
New read, young adult, fiction, dead tree: 226p

This is off my TBR list up in msg 2. These books are just not very good, but I bought a bunch of them and for whatever reason I decided I’m going to read them all. Maybe they’ll get better…?

Finished Book 18: Perchance to Dream edited by Denise Little
New read, fantasy, anthology, Dead tree: 320p

Also off my TBR list in msg 2. A mixed bag, some stories I liked and some I didn’t. It took me a long time to read because a lot of the stories have creepy elements that meant I wasn’t comfortable reading it at bedtime, which is when I do a lot of my reading.

Finished Book 19: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
Discworld, book 8 (publication order)
New read, adult, fantasy, audiobook: 10h 14m

Possibly my least favorite Discworld book so far. Not sure why, but it just didn’t hold my interest.

Currently reading:
Dauntless (Valiant Hearts) by Dina Sleiman
Women Destroy Fantasy! edited by Wendy N. Wagner, Cat Rambo, and Terri Windling
A Cup of Normal by Devon Monk

And of course I haven't finished any of them, but instead started and finished three completely different books. Well. So it goes.

Finished Book 20: Pocket Apocalypse by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid, book 4
New Read, Adult, Urban fantasy, Dead tree: 341p

Ahhhh, new Incryptid! It was very good, but also upsetting. I’m not sure this one will go into as heavy rotation as the rest of the series, since it leans a bit more toward the gruesome and scary than the other three. Well, I avoid horror and this was not so gruesome and scary that I couldn’t read it, just a bit more so than the others. And there is that one scene (if you’ve read it, you know what I mean) that made me cry.

Still straight-up good storytelling, good characters, and now an exciting new setting. Also still full of fantastic cryptids, old and new. I particularly liked Basil.

20 / 146 books. 14% done.
10 / 66 new reads. 15% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
3578 / 38600 pages. 9% done.
2d 23h 22m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 63% done.

Finished Book 21: Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid, book 1
Reread, Adult, Urban fantasy, Dead tree: 344p

Finished Book 22: Midnight Blue-Light Special by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid, book 2
Reread, Adult, Urban fantasy, Dead tree: 328p

Ok, after the Aeslin mice, my favorite secondary/cryptid character is definitely Istas, the waheela.

Finished Book 23: White as a Raven’s Wing by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, adult, urban fantasy, ebook: 64p

Finished Book 24: Broken Paper Hearts by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, adult, urban fantasy, ebook: 11p

Finished Book 25: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin
The Inheritance Trilogy, book 1
Reread, adult, epic fantasy, audiobook: 11h50m

25 / 146 books. 17% done.
12 / 66 new reads. 18% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
4325 / 38600 pages. 11% done.
3d 11h 12m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 74% done.

Finished Book 26: Dauntless by Dina Sleiman
Early Reviewer book
I think it’s part of a series, but I really don’t care
New read, young adult, Christian historical fantasy, dead tree: 251p

Merry barely escaped the destruction of her home and family, hiding in the woods with the village children. Now, with a price on her head and dozens of mouths to feed, Merry follows Robin Hood’s example and turns to outlawry. Merry also struggles with her lost faith as those around her continue to believe.

I was not the target audience for this book. Whether by accident or design, the description fails to mention that the book has heavy religious (specifically Christian) themes. I would not have requested this from Early Reviewers if I’d known.

But even putting that aside, Dauntless is at best a mediocre book. The writing is unengaging, the characters are uninteresting, and the plot is predictable. The book seems like it was written more to send a message than to tell a story, which is never a good idea. The most surprising thing was the sudden switch from historical fiction to religious fantasy - and even that wasn’t too surprising, since there was blatant foreshadowing along the way.

Overall, Dauntless was bland and disappointing. Not recommended.

Finished Book 27: The Broken Kingdoms by NK Jemisin
The Inheritance Trilogy, book 2
Reread, adult, epic fantasy, audiobook: 11h28m

Finished Book 28: The Kingdom of Gods by NK Jemisin
The Inheritance Trilogy, book 3
Reread, adult, epic fantasy, audiobook: 13h45m

I love these books every bit as much now as I did when I read them last year. Possibly more, in fact, since reading them through a second time means I can see a lot of the foreshadowing that is peppered throughout all three books. The end of book three is first foreshadowed near the beginning of book one, and you wouldn’t know it because it just seems like a throwaway conversation between two characters. Jemisin is the queen of foreshadowing!

They’re beautifully plotted (well, I mean, obviously, if something like that is going to work) and the settings and characters are amazing. I love everything about these books.

Finished Book 29: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
Star Wars: Thrawn Trilogy, book 1
Reread, Adult, Science Fiction, 404p

Finished Book 30: Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn
Star Wars: Thrawn Trilogy, book 2
Reread, Adult, Science Fiction, 439p

A bunch of Star Wars posts have been popping up on my tumblr feed recently, so I got the urge to read these books, which are still fantastic.

30 / 146 books. 21% done.
13 / 66 new reads. 20% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
5419 / 38600 pages. 14% done.
4d 12h 25m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 97% done.

>56 bluesalamanders: That is still my favorite trilogy in all of the EU books. I read them the first time when they were first released, and cant even count how many times since.

>57 xymon81: Right? I've read a few other Star Wars books, but nothing else comes close to Zahn's books.

Finished Book 31: The Last Command by Timothy Zahn
Star Wars: Thrawn Trilogy, book 3
Reread, Adult, Science Fiction, 467p

Finished Book 32: Briar’s Book by Tamora Pierce, read by Mark Oshiro
Circle of magic book 4
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 6h 22m

Finished Book 33: Eric by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
Discworld, book 9 (publication order)
New read, fantasy, audiobook, 3h 36m

Finished Book 34: Specter of the Past by Timothy Zahn
Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn, book 1
Reread, Adult, science fiction, dead tree: 386p

Not as good as the Thrawn trilogy, but still entertaining. However, even though I have at least 2 more Star Wars books and I usually read whole series in one go, I’ve rather had my fill for now.

Currently reading:
Prudence by Gail Carriger
Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
A Cup of Normal by Devon Monk
Women Destroy Fantasy! edited by Wendy N. Wagner, Cat Rambo, and Terri Windling
(I am really very nearly almost done with those last two, but - Prudence!)

Can I ask maybe a dumb question? I've seen references to Mark Oshiro and Mark Reads and never really, really understood.

I've visited the website and do enjoy reading his posts about his thoughts as he's reading but then I see references to payments and sections and video commisions and all that and I get totally confused. So, you can pay to watch him read the book? Does he make comments while reading? Am I missing something obvious?

Nevermind, I think I answered my own question. People pay for him to do the videos but then you can watch them for free. Which I would have known if I'd scrolled ALL THE WAY DOWN...

Hee, it is kind of a weird concept when you get right down to it, but watch a few videos and you'll see why it's really taken off. He's just so enthusiastic about the things he reads! Everything. It's adorable. For me, when the book is new to me, it's exciting even if it's a book I might not care for if I was reading it myself (Guards! Guards!, for instance). When it's not new to me (all of Tamora Pierce, say), his reactions and responses are like reading it for the first time all over again, which is an amazing feat considering some of them are books I've read dozens and dozens of times.

ETA: Also, to be fair, he does the same thing for tv shows and for those you do have to pay a nominal fee for his videos (like 99 cents I think) because you have to download them and bandwidth costs.

I was going to do a drive-by wave, but then I got hit by a BB; a double-barrelled shot, in fact.

>41 bluesalamanders: >42 bluesalamanders: I have The Enchanted Chocolate Pot, and I think I'll have to get The Grand Tour and The Mislaid Magician too, now.

>52 bluesalamanders: It's all Greek to me ...

>49 bluesalamanders: >59 bluesalamanders: I assume you've joined the Terry Pratchet group read? I'm planning to read some of his books.

>62 humouress: Yeaah! Those are great books, it's a lot of fun to revisit Kate and Cecelia.

The next two paragraphs contain very mild spoilers for the Incryptid series (character-related, not plot-related).

So, the Incryptid series is about a family of cryptozoologists - they study (and occasionally hunt) supernatural creatures. A waheela is a shapeshifter, kind of like a were-bear, and Istas is kind of a study in contrasts - she dresses in Gothic Lolita style, all lace and ruffles, and she's very literal and she likes to talk about dead bodies and maiming. Well, she's a predator. Her boyfriend helps her fit in in the city.

Aeslin are sentient, super-religious mice and there's a colony living with the cryptozoologist family. Their religion is centered around the family, so they call the women things like "Arboreal Priestess" and "The Priestess of Unexpected Violence" and the men things like "God of Hard Choices in Dark Places" and "The High Priest of Goddammit Eat Something Already" and hold celebrations like "The Festival of Giving a Mouse a Cookie" and "The Remembrance of the Violent Priestess, Who Never Learned to Be Careful". And they shout HAIL a lot. They're adorable.

/End spoilers.

Re: Terry Pratchett - I haven't joined the group read, actually. I'm not much for book clubs of any kind - I try, every few years, but it never quite works. Mark of Mark Reads started reading Pratchett's books last year, so this is just a continuation of that.

Thanks for the Incryptid translation :0)

Sounds like fun.

The group read is very unstructured--encouraging people who haven't tried any Pratchett to do so, and those of us who are reading some Pratchett just recording what we have read in tribute to his memory. I'm rereading the DEATH sequence, and doing the books in order for the first time, which is something I've long wanted to do and this just motivated me to get it going.

Finished Book 35: Prudence by Gail Carriger
Custard Protocol, book 1
New read, young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 357p

35 / 146 books. 24% done.
15 / 66 new reads. 23% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
5419 / 38600 pages. 14% done.
4d 22h 23m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 100+% done.

Finished Book 36: A Cup of Normal by Devon Monk
New read, adult, fantasy (anthology), dead tree: 274p

Finished Book 37: Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, book 1
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 11h 20m

Finished Book 38: A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, book 2
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 11h 52m

Finished Book 39: An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, Book 3
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 12h 32m

Finished Book 40: Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, Book 4
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 11h 51m

40 / 146 books. 27% done.
16 / 66 new reads. 24% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
5693 / 38600 pages. 15% done.
6d 21h 58m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 100+% done.

Finished Book 41: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
Old Man's War series, Book 1
Reread, Adult, Science Fiction, dead tree: 313p

Finished Book 42: Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace
New read, young adult, science fiction, 268p

In a post-apocalyptic world, Wasp is the Archivist, whose responsibility is to capture and destroy ghosts. Then one day, one of the ghosts talks back.

I like stories that dump the reader in the middle of a new world and explain things in bits and pieces as the story progresses, which is exactly what happens here. The story starts in the middle of a duel and we learn slowly who Wasp is fighting and why, who Wasp even is, and what her role as Archivist means.

There is a grand sense of worldbuilding and time despite the short length of the novel, bold characters, and a plot that seems to be constantly twisting and changing as Wasp learns new things about her world, her companion, and herself.

A quick read but a satisfying one. Recommended.

Finished Book 43: One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, Book 5
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 12h 42m

Finished Book 44: Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, Book 6
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 12h 26m

Finished Book 45: Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, Book 7
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 12h 15m

45 / 146 books. 31% done.
17 / 66 new reads. 26% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
6274 / 38600 pages. 16% done.
8d 11h 21m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 100+% done.

Wow, you powered right through the Toby Daye reread--such good books!

I've got Archivist Wasp on hold from the library--I'm third in line, with 3 books in the system, one of which is still on order.

I'm actually behind in posting, I'm up to 59 books :) I did totally power through the Toby Daye reread, though. I just felt like it, I guess. I should've put it off, though - the next book is coming out in a couple of months, I should have waited until then.

I hope you like Archivist Wasp as much as I did!

Finished Book 46: The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, Book 8
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 11h 57m

Finished Book 47: Magic Steps by Tamora Pierce, read by Mark Oshiro
The Circle Opens, book 1
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 7h 26m

Finished Book 48: Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
Discworld, book 10
New read, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 10h 9m

Finished Book 49: The Last Colony by John Scalzi
Old Man's War series, Book 3
Reread, Adult, Science Fiction, 316p

Finished Book 50: My Real Children by Jo Walton
New read, Adult, science fiction (alternate history), dead tree: 317p

Patricia is in a nursing home and she is confused. Very confused today, the nurses write in their notes. Well, she would be confused: she can remember two different pasts, two different histories, and the world around her keeps changing between them. When was the moment that her life split in two directions?

I absolutely loved most of this book. Nearly all of it, anyway. The end - like, the very end, the last paragraph or so - I wasn’t wild about, but the rest? Fantastic and highly recommended.

50 / 146 books. 34% done.
19 / 66 new reads. 29% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
6907/ 38600 pages. 18% done.
9d 16h 53m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 200+% done.

Finished Book 51: The Human Division by John Scalzi
Old Man's War, book 5
Reread, Adult, Science Fiction: Anthology, Dead Tree: 431p

Finished Book 52: How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier
Reread, young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 307p

Finished Book 53: Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, read by Mark Oshiro
Enchanted Forest Chronicles, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 5h

Finished Book 54: Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, read by Mark Oshiro
Enchanted Forest Chronicles, book 2
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 5h58m

Finished Book 55: Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, read by Mark Oshiro
Enchanted Forest Chronicles, book 3
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 6h 12m

55 / 146 books. 38% done.
19 / 66 new reads. 29% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
7645 / 38600 pages. 20% done.
10d 10h 3m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 200+% done.

Finished Book 56: Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Enchanted Forest Chronicles, book 4
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 6h 38m

Finished Book 57: I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
New read, young adult, fiction (mystery? cyberthriller?), dead tree: 227p

May and Libby created Princess X when they were kids. They wrote stories, drew comics, and created a whole history and life for her. Then Libby died and all their Princess X stuff was thrown away. So why - and how - has May started seeing stickers, patches, graffiti of Princess X all over?

I was surprised to find this a straight-up fiction book. Priest is known for her adult fantasy-verging-on-horror novels, so I assumed her YA book would also be fantasy. The story was captivating, though, and I found it hard to put down.

Finished Book 58: First Test by Tamora Pierce
Protector of the Small, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 5h46m

Finished Book 59: Page by Tamora Pierce
Protector of the Small, book 2
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 6h28m

Finished Book 60: Squire by Tamora Pierce
Protector of the Small, book 3
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy: Medieval, Audiobook: 10h48m

60 / 146 books. 41% done.
20 / 66 new reads. 29% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
7645 / 38600 pages. 20% done.
11d 15h 43m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 200+% done.

Finished Book 61: Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce
Protector of the Small, book 4
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 11h 13m

Finished Book 62: Charmed: The Queen’s Curse by Emma Harrison
Charmed (tv tie-in), book 30
New read, young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 206p

Paige runs into a charming stranger while on one of her temp jobs and within three dates, they’re engaged. Unfortunately, since Paige is one of the Charmed ones, “happily ever after” just isn’t that easy.

I was honestly surprised by this book. Not by the story - unfortunately the description on the back gives away about three-quarters of the plot and the rest was pretty easy to guess - but that it was actually reasonably well-written and entertaining (sadly, many of the tv tie-ins I’ve read were neither). The characters are recognizable, the story fits easily into the show’s storyline, and it was a fun, quick read. Obviously it wouldn’t make much sense if you haven’t seen the show, but if you’re a fan, this book is an enjoyable way to spend time with the sisters.

****

And hey, look at that, I'm finally caught up posting! That is actually the most recent book I finished.

Cool! Glad you got caught up!

Well, that didn't last long. I've been spending a lot of time on other websites and not nearly as much time on LT as I used to, so I keep getting behind in both reading and posting.

Finished Book 63: Demon Doppelgangers by Greg Elliot
Charmed (tv tie-in), book 32
New read, young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 240p

A demon is released and starts wreaking havoc. He's not your standard demon, though: every time he dies, he's doubled, and then immune to that form of death.

Another entertaining Charmed tie-in novel. I'm not saying these are great literature or anything - in fact I probably won't read them again, or even keep them - but they're significantly better than many other tie-ins I've read. It's surprising.

Finished Book 64: Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton
Reread, Science fiction, Audiobook: 8h 49m

"We have seen The Blob, and it is us."

A race of friendly aliens want to introduce themselves to Earth. They're wary of our political figures, and besides, political figures only represent countries; American movies go out to the world. So, they decide to get an agent.

Agent to the Stars is a hilarious book with great characters (including, or maybe especially, the aliens) and a fun story. It's also unexpectedly moving at times.

This was Scalzi's first novel, written to see if he could do it, and he posted it on his website for people to read for free (where it's still available).

Finished Book 65: Bloodshot by Cherie Priest, read by Natalie Ross
Cheshire Red Reports, book 1
Reread, Fantasy (urban), Audiobook: 11h 16m

Raylene is a thief who happens to be a vampire, and that's just the beginning of the unusual cast that peoples Bloodshot. Add in two runaways who live in her building (one obnoxious, one adorable), one blind vampire client, and one ex-Marine drag queen, and there's most of them.

This is one of my favorite urban fantasy series, up there with Seanan McGuire and Tanya Huff. Priest is a great author and weaves a thoroughly enjoyable story around this odd cast.

65 / 146 books. 45% done.
22 / 66 new reads. 33% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
8091 / 38600 pages. 21% done.
12d 23h 1m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 200+% done.

Finished Book 66: Fantasy Magazine, October 2014: Women Destroy Fantasy! edited by Wendy N. Wagner, Cat Rambo, and Terri Windling
New read, Adult, Fantasy, ebook: 246p

Finished Book 67: Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher
New read, Adult, Fantasy (fairy tale retelling), ebook: 192p

Finished Book 68: Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery, read by Karen Savage
Reread, Young Adult, Fiction, Audiobook, 8h 24m
(Free on youtube from ccprose)

Finished Book 69: Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery, read by Karen Savage
Reread, Young Adult, Fiction, Audiobook: 7h 13m
(Free on youtube from ccprose)

Oddly enough, I didn't particularly care for this one. Mostly I don't like the children. The girl is a paragon and the boy is constantly obnoxious and both extremes are boring.

Finished Book 70: Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
New read, adult, fantasy, audiobook: 8h 40m

70 / 146 books. 48% done.
25 / 66 new reads. 38% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
8529 / 38600 pages. 22% done.
13d 23h 18m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 300+% done.

Reaper Man is one of my favorite Discworld stories--did you enjoy it? And how does Bryony and Roses compare with all the other fairy tale retellings out there?

Yes, I liked Reaper Man. Death is one of my favorite Discworld characters.

I liked Bryony and Roses a lot! It was a take on Beauty and the Beast that I've never seen before (and I've read a lot of Beauty retellings). Kingfisher kept the essence of the fairy tale while changing enough about the plot to end up with an exciting and unusual story.

Finished Book 71: Terrier by Tamora Pierce, read by Susan Denaker
Beka Cooper, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 15h 3m

Finished Book 72: The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton
Reread, adult, science fiction, Audiobook: 10h 34m

Finished Book 73: Cold Fire by Tamora Pierce, read by Mark Oshiro
Circle Opens, book 3
Reread, young adult, fantasy, Audiobook: 8h

Finished Book 74: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
The Raven Cycle, book 3
New read, young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 391p

I read this even though I didn’t remember much from the previous books, and it still drew me in immediately and was thoroughly enjoyable. I’m really looking forward to the next book.

Finished Book 75: Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce, read by Nancy Wu
Circle Reforged, book 1
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 14h 11m

Set between the Circle Opens quartet and The Will of the Empress, Battle Magic tells the story of Rosethorn, Briar, and Evvy's travels, how they got involved with war between Yanjing and Gyongxe, and how Evvy met Luvo.

I really liked the book, although to say I "enjoyed" it is difficult because while it isn't really a dark and unhappy book, there is a lot of unpleasant stuff like war and torture and death and at least one section made me cry. However, I particularly liked how it filled in the details of that time. One of my consistent complaints about the Emelan books is how much is left out in between each series, and this deals with that perfectly.

75 / 146 books. 51% done.
26 / 66 new reads. 39% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
8920 / 38600 pages. 23% done.
15d 23h 6m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 300+% done.

CONGRATS ON 75!! I know this is no big deal for you, with your 146 book goal, but it's awesome all the same!

Congrats!

>83 leahbird: Thanks! I actually wasn't that sure I was going to make it this far, regardless of my goal; I got off to a really slow start this year. Probably 'cause I'm out of practice being in school, so things will probably slow down again next month.

>84 drneutron: Thank :)

You know, I am really extremely tired of rape as a plot point in SFF books. If it just happened occasionally, it wouldn't be such a big deal, but in the past month I've read three books that have had rape or attempted rape plot points - four, if you count the one where the characters have intercourse out of duty even though they don't want to. (None of these books are listed here yet.)

Of the four of them, one totally makes sense as part of the story, though it is still disturbing (the duty one); one is really icky but still basically makes sense because of the characters involved (a powerful, evil guy with the ability to control people might do that); and the other two 100% only happen because the main characters are women.

I get that rape is a "realistic" thing that happens to women, but SFF are decidedly unrealistic genres. If we can accept FTL travel or dragons or magic, surely we can accept a universe where rape is an unthinkable act.

I'm totally with you. I steer clear of most violence in general but if I know someone is going to get raped in the book I am extremely unlikely to read it (I'm looking at you A Song of Ice and Fire). I cannot appreciate an author who gets their shock value through this plot element.

That said, I have read and loved books that included rape. Mostly in that case it's all "off stage" and it does in fact have a purpose, but I still cringe even then. The best example of this I can give is The Sparrow.

I'm not opposed to stories including rape, when it makes sense. I really like Robin McKinley's Deerskin, for example, which has an awful rape scene near the beginning. And two of the four books I mentioned had legitimate contextual reasons for what happened. Particularly the duty one, where it's not one character raping another so much as their superiors forcing it upon both of them.

Of the other two...I guess one of them might be considered shock value, because that's not only attempted rape but non-consensual bondage and sadism as well. Ick. It's a book I'm currently reading and I paused in the middle of the scene; I'm really hoping someone barges in and stops him before it goes much farther.

The last one couldn't be classed as shock value, I don't think. It was a prince who assumed a serving girl would be available to him, but he didn't get far because she wasn't actually a serving girl and was able to stop him. I'm not sure about the other one (since I haven't finished the scene, much less the book, yet), but this one was not a necessary part of the story (in my opinion).

As I said, what bothers me is that, for the latter two, it only happens because they're female. If either character was male, they almost certainly would not have been put in that situation. Not that I want to see male characters in that situation; I'd rather see no characters in that situation unless it's necessary and truly makes sense for the story.

And yes, I didn't like ASOIAF either, for much the same reason.

Edit: I take it back, there were in fact FIVE books that I've read recently that have rape/nonconsensual sex. I'd forgotten about the ebook that I started a couple of weeks ago. SIGH.

Finished Book 76: So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld
Reread, young adult, fiction, Audiobook: 6h 32m

Finished Book 77: Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson
New read, fantasy (steampunk), Dead tree: 320p

Really liked this. Quick read, though.

Finished Book 78: Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher
New book, adult, fantasy, ebook: 136p

There is a war between the Goblins and the Elves. I...am not sure how to describe it beyond that without giving away lots of the story.

I didn’t really care for this story particularly. A good portion of the beginning is spent learning about Goblin culture, which is just kind of icky, and also much of it seemed to be pointless and/or contradicted later.

Finished Book 79: Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher
new book, adult, fantasy, ebook: 174p

Creepy but very good.

Finished Book 80: Uprooted by Naomi Novik
New read, adult, fantasy, dead tree: 435p

Absolutely loved this. I’ve read some really fantastic new books recently, and this is definitely one of them.

80 / 146 books. 55% done.
30 / 66 new reads. 45% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
9975 / 38600 pages. 26% done.
16d 5h 32m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 300+% done.

Just finished Uprooted myself--couldn't put it down!

Right? It was so great! The characters! The setting! The story! The weight of history over everything. Ahh, it was just so great.

I admit I could have done without what felt like a tacked-on love story and the really incredibly unnecessary attempted rape. But those were very small parts of the story. On the other hand, I absolutely loved how the bad guy wasn't actually a bad guy - or she was, but she had every right to be furious about what was done to her. And I also loved how the story ended but it clearly wasn't wrapped up, the way the forest was still dangerous and still needed help to heal and grow and change.

Yes, I loved those things about it too, and agree with you on the first. Although I did feel the relationship growing and didn't entirely disbelieve that part.

I read something with quite a few elements in common earlier this year--I'll have to research it to see what it was--but it wasn't nearly the powerful story that this was!

It's not that I disbelieved the emotions; I simply don't like relationships between teenagers and 100+-year-old people. That's icky. If she were 35 or something, an actual adult, it would have been less of an issue, but she was, what, 16, 17? A child in a traumatic situation. It was gross in Twilight, it was gross on Buffy, and it's gross here. If it had been any bigger a part of the story, it would have diminished my enjoyment of an otherwise wonderful book.

>93 bluesalamanders: Yeah, I also found that icky. I think I said as much in my review back when I read it. But I agree that, on the whole, it was a really good book.

>94 foggidawn: Right? It's one of those things that didn't used to bother me at all, but has started bothering me more and more. And it was such a minor part of this book (really surprisingly tiny) that things just hadn't gone that direction, the story wouldn't have suffered, the emotional impact wouldn't have decreased.

>86 bluesalamanders: I agree with you. I haven't read any books, though, where I've managed to convince myself it was necessary to the storyline. I hate being blindsided, too; a couple of instances were in series that I was (previously) deeply into, and I could never look at the same way again. I'm in two minds about tagging them - would it be a warning or a draw? (The Mad Ship, A Handful of Men)

As for SoIaF, I gave up on finishing reading the series about 2 or 3 books in - though I'm in the room when my husband watches the show. *shudder*

While I could have completely gone without the attempted rape or the sex scenes in Uprooted, I was not squicked by the relationship. I felt the author made it very clear that the Dragon, regardless of his years, was emotionally stunted. Traumatized by his early experience in court and the way a woman made a fool of him, he hasn't had a relationship of any kind since, burying himself in his duties and his studies. So he's still between about 17 and 23 emotionally, until our heroine, who is very bad about observing boundaries, shows up.

>96 humouress: I'm considering trying to start putting content/trigger warnings next to my reviews here (eg Content warning: torture, discussions of rape, graphic description of giving birth) but...I was trying to write up what would be in the content warnings for the book I just finished and it's a massive list. And I probably left things out that I forgot or didn't notice. Hm.

I have, actually, read several books where rape or sexual assault is a necessary part of the plot and couldn't have been removed or replaced with a different event. (Have I mentioned how I love the spoiler tag??) In Deerskin by Robin McKinley, which is based on a fairy tale that's even more horrifying than most, the main character is subject to rape and incest. It is necessary for the story, frankly nothing else could have moved the story in the direction it needs to move. It is horrifying and I don't generally recommend the book to people, though. It's one that should have strong content warnings. Also, in The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin (stop now to avoid minor spoilers) is the "duty" situation I mentioned before. Two of the main characters are required to produce offspring, which means having sex even though they are completely uninterested and in fact dislike each other. This is a kind of sexual assault perpetrated not by those involved but by those in control, and for complicated and even-more-spoilery reasons, it's important to the plot. But these are extremely rare cases and pretty much every other book I've ever read sexual violence in it could have been removed or replaced with something else.

>97 ronincats: I don't buy that. Emotionally stunted doesn't change the fact that he's, like, 5 times her age, with that much more knowledge and life experience. Just because he looks young and acts immature doesn't mean he is young. Stunted emotional growth doesn't actually make a person younger. I once dated a man who was almost 20 years older than me; just because he acted immature and clearly hadn't had as much relationship experience as he wanted people to think didn't mean he was actually 5 years younger than me or something.

And, even if it were true about him, she's 17! (Or whatever.) For real 17, not just "emotionally" 17. She's a child. She's going to grow up in the next few years and change and become a new person, because nobody stays who they are at 17. Adults change too, of course, but teenagers are still growing, physically their bodies and brains are still maturing.

Finished Book 81: Mastiff by Tamora Pierce, read by Full Cast Audio
Beka Cooper, book 3
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 20h 29m

Finished Book 82: The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin
The Broken Earth, book 1
New read, adult, fantasy, dead tree: 449p

The Fifth Season is told from three alternating points of view, which take place at three different times and from three different perspectives - first person, third person, and even second person.

Jemisin is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and The Fifth Season is no exception. A truly fantastic book that just blew me away.

Finished Book 83: Carousel Tides by Sharon Lee, read by Elisabeth Rodgers
Archer's Beach, book 1
New read, adult, fantasy, audiobook: 12h

Kate hasn’t heard from her grandmother in months, so she returns to her hometown in Maine to see what’s going on. What she finds is that her grandmother is missing and has left her in charge of the family business - for starters, the carousel at the local fair, and the magical prisoners who are held there.

I’m calling this a new read even though I read it once a few years ago, because I remembered basically nothing about it. I liked it, though, possibly better as an audiobook than as a paper book, since the one thing I do remember is that there were some stylistic quirks that bothered me in the text, which didn’t come through in audio.

Finished Book 84: The End of All Things by John Scalzi
Old Man's War, book 6
New read, adult, science fiction, dead tree: 349p

Standard Scalzi. Made me laugh, made me sad, good characters and plots; same good quality writing as usual.

Finished Book 85: Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
Discworld (publication), book 12
New Read, Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 8h 29m

85 / 146 books. 55% done.
34 / 66 new reads. 45% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
10773 / 38600 pages. 28% done.
17d 22h 30m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 400+% done.

Finished Book 86: Blood Debt by Tanya Huff
Vicki Nelson, book 5
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, dead tree: 330p

Finished Book 87: Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, read by Grover Gardner
Vorkosigan (chronological order), book 2
New read, adult, science fiction, Audiobook: 8h 46m

My friend Carol has been trying to get me to read this series for years, and I finally managed to get the first book out of the library.

I liked this book a lot. Cordelia was a great character, as was Vorkosigan (mostly). I found the story enjoyable. I would have enjoyed it a lot more without the random attempted-rape-and-torture scene in the middle (not to mention abuse of a mentally ill person), though, especially since I was listening to an audiobook and couldn’t just skip past it as I would have with a paper book.

Finished Book 88: Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold, read by Grover Gardner
Vorkosigan (chronological order), book 3
New read, adult, science fiction, Audiobook: 11h 40m

So, I liked this book too, but as with the previous one, there were some things that I could have done without or that I maybe could have used a warning for. That being the case, I decided to write up some content warnings for this book, which maybe nobody but me is interested in but that’s ok:

Content warnings for Barryar: graphic descriptions of violence, attempted violence against children and pregnant women, discussions of torture, discussions of rape, discussion of pedophilia, sexual assault, derogatory comments about mentally and physically disabled people, descriptions of giving birth, nonconsensual drug use, kidnapping, discussions of suicide, self-harm, issues of consent and coercion, sexism, ableism, classism, probably racism too

Finished Book 89: Heartless by Gail Carriger, read by Emily Gray
Parasol Protectorate, book 4
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 11h 19m

Finished Book 90: Timeless by Gail Carriger, read by Emily Gray
Parasol Protectorate, book 5
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 11h 29m

I love this series.

90 / 146 books. 62% done.
36 / 66 new reads. 55% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
11103 / 38600 pages. 29% done.
19d 21h 54m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 400+% done.

Yay! A Vorkosigan convert (I think). Pop over here for a visit :

http://www.librarything.com/topic/160914#

Finished Book 91: A Red-Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, book 9
new read, adult, fantasy, dead tree: 368p

Yay, new October Daye book! I started reading it and then I texted my sister “it starts happy, so clearly something awful is about to happen”. I wasn't wrong. Oh, Toby. Your life.

Finished Book 92: Shatterglass by Tamora Pierce, read by Mark Oshiro
reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 7h 59m

Finished Book 93: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
new read, adult, science fiction (no matter where it’s shelved), dead tree: 333p

Excellent post-apoc story.

Finished Book 94: Beauty by Robin McKinley
reread, young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 247p

Finished Book 95: Young Wizards: Lifeboats by Diane Duane
Young Wizards book 9.6
new read, young adult, fantasy, ebook: 280p

Really lovely novella (or something) set in the Duane’s Young Wizards universe. A planet is in peril and not all the wizardry in the universe can save it - but if enough wizards work together, they might be able to save the population. If the population allows itself to be saved...

95 / 146 books. 65% done.
39 / 66 new reads. 59% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
12331 / 38600 pages. 32% done.
20d 5h 53m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 400+% done.

Finished Book 96: Wizard’s Holiday by Diane Duane
Young Wizards, book 7
reread, young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 448p

After reading Lifeboats, and looking foward to the upcoming Games Wizards Play, I felt like rereading some of the other books in the series.

Finished Book 97: One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, book 5
reread, adult, fantasy, Audiobook: 12h 42m

Finished Book 98: A Wizard of Mars by Diane Duane
Young Wizards, book 9
reread, young adult, fantasy, Dead tree: 560p

Finished Book 99: Not On My Patch by Diane Duane
Young Wizards short story, # 9.1
reread, young adult, fantasy, ebook: 60p

Finished Book 100: How Lovely Are Thy Branches by Diane Duane
Young Wizards short story, # 9.5
reread, young adult, fantasy, ebook: 95p

100 / 146 books. 68% done.
39 / 66 new reads. 59% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
13494 / 38600 pages. 35% done.
20d 18h 35m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 400+% done.

Gosh, you're spending hundreds and hundreds of pennies on your reading.

I'd like to read more in Duane's Young Wizards series, but I've never even seen the later ones.

If you do ebooks, the Young Wizards series is available right now at a super low discount from the author's online store. The whole series, all 9 books, for $25 (!!).

Cool. Will do that once I unearth my Kindle. Thanks!

Thanks for the heads upon the Young Wizards ebooks, Blue. Although there was a store glitch when I initially tried to buy them, I was able to get the discount the next day and have them on my Kindle. Of course, now I will have to read them and compare the Millenium Editions to my originals...

>106 humouress: You're welcome! It is a limited time sale, jsyk. They do have sales frequently but I think this is the deepest discount I've seen.

>107 ronincats: You're welcome, too! Glad it all worked out. Though they're pretty good about getting things straightened out if glitches happen. It is literally Diane Duane and Peter Morewood's store, so they have a vested interest in keeping readers happy. Also they seem to be good people.

I've read, hm, the first three of the Millenniums, I think? At least the first three. I don't love all the changes she made, but I think most of them were good updates and revisions.

Finished Book 101: In Sea-Salt Tears by Seanan McGuire
October Day, book 5.1
reread, adult, fantasy, ebook: 24p

Finished Book 102: Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire
October Day, book 6
reread, adult, fantasy, audiobook: 12h 26m

Finished Book 103: Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire
October Day, book 7
reread, adult, fantasy, audiobook: 12h 15m

Finished Book 104: The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire
October Day, book 8
reread, adult, fantasy, audiobook: 11h 58m

Finished Book 105: Mystery Cats (no editor listed)
New read, adult, mystery anthology, dead tree: 256p

So, this book is terrible. Of the thirteen stories, there are maybe two or three that I didn’t hate (I’m not saying I liked them, just that I didn’t completely hate them). Too many injured or dead cats, too many really awful characters, too much “humor” that simply wasn’t funny. Not recommended at all.

105 / 146 books. 72% done.
40 / 66 new reads. 61% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
13774 / 38600 pages. 36% done.
22d 6h 14m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 400+% done.

Boo on Mystery Cats!

I must say, if I read that many books in a series right after each other, fiction would intrude on real life. Even two back to back can do it :0)

>110 leahbird: Right? I got it because there was a Lilian Jackson Braun story, and even that didn't make up for how horrible it all was. That is, as they say, time I will never get back.

>111 humouress: That happens to me with tv shows when I watch too many episodes too quickly (particularly with high-stress shows, which is why I cut back on the high-stress shows), but not so much with books. What does happen with books is that I have trouble reading anything else for a while because nothing else feels right.

Finished Book 106: Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
Reread, adult, fantasy, audiobook: 9h 38m

This is one of those “I know I read it before, but I really don’t remember anything” books. It was interesting, but not one of my favorites.

Finished Book 107: A Red-Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire
reread, adult, fantasy, audiobook: 12h 47m

Finished Book 108: A Fantasy Medley 2 edited by Yanni Kuznia
reread, adult, fantasy anthology, dead tree: 160p

I thought this was a new read, but then I recognized every story, so apparently I had read it before. Ah, well. Good book anyway.

Finished Book 109: The Killing Moon by NK Jemisin
Dreamblood, book 1
New read, adult, fantasy, audiobook: 12h 38m

The Killing Moon isn’t as gripping as Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, but it’s a good book and I will definitely read the sequel. This is one of the cases when I found the audiobook easier to get into than the printed book.

Finished Book 110: Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
Imperial Radch, book 3
New read, adult, science fiction, dead tree: 368p

This series is just fantastic. I plan to go back and reread all three in a row, since I'm sure there's a lot of nuance that I'm missing because of things I've forgotten from the previous books.

110 / 146 books. 75% done.
42 / 66 new reads. 64% done.
1 / 4 non-fiction. 25% done.
14302 / 38600 pages. 37% done.
23d 16h 17m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. 400+% done.

Finished Book 111: Willful Impropriety edited by Ekaterina Sedia
New read, Young adult, anthology of historical fantasy and historical fiction, dead tree: 384p

Really fantastic anthology, highly recommended if you like this sort of thing.

Finished Book 112: The Queen’s Readers: A Collection of Essays on the Words and Worlds of Tamora Pierce edited by Amanda Diehl and Holly Vaughn
New read, young adult (?), non-fiction essay collection, dead tree, 288p

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of essays exploring different aspects of Tamora Pierce’s books. There are, unsurprisingly, multiple essays on how the books deal with race, sexuality, feminism, and neurodiversity. There are also essays about religion, character studies of several people from Emelan and Tortall, and personal stories about the impact these books have had.

I didn’t agree with all the theses presented (and I thought a few of the essays could have used further editing) but overall The Queen’s Readers is a delightful and thought-provoking book.

(And look! I read a non-fiction book! Woohoo!)

>113 bluesalamanders: Joe (jnwelch) and I met up in DC recently, and he got me to pick up Ancillary Justice. It's in the briefcase now to start over lunch. Glad you liked the series!

>115 drneutron: I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Finished Book 113: Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl
New read, young adult, science fiction, dead tree: 401p

I wanted to like this book much more than I did. Once things got going, the story was relatively interesting, but it took far too long for me to start caring about the characters, even characters I already like (Natasha) or should quickly have had sympathy for (Ava). I couldn’t tell if the story was supposed to take place in MCU or one of the comic book universes, which was distracting. The action sequences were kind of dull, to the point where I just skipped ahead a few times. Natasha was too stoic and dismissive of friendship and family, like a caricature rather than a fleshed-out character. Overall, I call it disappointingly mediocre.

Finished Book 114: A natural history of dragons : a memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan
Lady Trent series, book 1
new read, adult, fantasy, audiobook: 10h 16m

My sister recommended this to me and she wasn’t wrong, I really enjoyed it!

Finished Book 115: Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon
New read, Adult, Fantasy, ebook: 438p

Not my favorite book ever, but I liked it. I should make a list of all the “I want to check out the sequel sometime” books I read this year.

Finished Book 116: Simon’s Cat off to the vet and other cat-astrophes by Simon Tofield
new read, young adult (?), comic, dead tree: 240p

I’ve recieved several Simon’s Cat books through Early Reviewers and, as expected, Off to the Vet is just as charming and funny as the others.

Finished Book 117: Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede, read by Words Take Wing Repertory Company of Syracuse, NY
Enchanted Forest Chronicles, book 1
reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 5h

Finished Book 118: Fire by Kristin Cashore, read by Xanthe Elbrick
Graceling, book 2
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 12h 40m

One of my favorite YA fantasy books of recent years.

Finished Book 119: Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
Discworld (publication order), book ??
new read, adult, fantasy, audiobook: 9h 4m

Not one of my favorite Discworld books.

Finished Book 120: Lock In by John Scalzi, read by Amber Benson
Reread, adult, science fiction, audiobook: 10h 57m

I really like this book, and Benson does a fantastic job reading it.

Finished Book 121: Lyra’s Oxford by Philip Pullman, read by Mark Oshiro New read, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 48m

Cute. Very short. Made me want to read HDM again.

Finished Book 122: So you want to be a wizard by Diane Duane
Young Wizards, book 1
reread, young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 400p

Finished Book 123: IM by Seanan McGuire
reread, adult, fantasy, ebook: 11p

A short story set in the InCryptid universe. Very touching (but will make zero sense if you haven't read the first couple books).

Finished Book 124: Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane
Young Wizards, book 2
reread, young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 384p

While some of the more recent books in the series have more depth (not to mention length), this will always be among my favorites.

Finished Book 125: Omnitopia Dawn by Diane Duane, read by Kirby Heyborne
reread, adult, science fiction, audiobook, 14h 58m

I didn’t like this quite as much the second time around. It’s still entertaining, but the story isn’t as engaging and the characters aren’t as strong as I remembered.

125 / 146 books. 86% done.
50 / 66 new reads. 76% done.
2 / 4 non-fiction. 50% done.
16848 / 38600 pages. 44% done.
26d 7h 55m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. (very) done.

You've been rereading a lot of my comfort reads lately--of course I reread the complete Toby Daye series and Young Wizards series myself this year. I do need to read Omnitopia Dawn one of these days--it's been in my tbr pile here since it was first published!

Finished Book 126: Carousel Sun by Sharon Lee, read by Elizabeth Rodgers
New read, adult, fantasy, audiobook: 11h 58m

I like this world a lot and I’m glad my friend (the same one who originally recommended the series to me) gave me this audiobook!

Finished Book 127: Indexing by Seanan Mcguire
New read, adult, fantasy (fairy tale retelling), audiobook: 12h 5m

Finished Book 128: The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce, read by Mark Oshiro
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 15h 37m

Finished Book 129: Street magic by Tamora Pierce, read by Mark Oshiro
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 7h 14m

These last three are books I read (or rather, listened to) awhile ago - awhile ago ranging anywhere from “a couple of weeks ago” to “back in May” - and only just realized that I forgot to list them. This is what happens when I stop updating regularly!

Finished Book 130: Star Trek: Intellivore by Diane Duane
Star Trek TNG, book 45
New read, Adult, Science Fiction, Dead tree: 239p

The Enterprise and two other Federation ships try to figure out what is destroying whole civilizations in a remote region of space.

Not one of Duane’s best, but still a reasonably entertaining Star Trek novel.

130 / 146 books. 89% done.
53 / 66 new reads. 80% done.
2 / 4 non-fiction. 50% done.
17087 / 38600 pages. 44% done.
28d 6h 49m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. (very) done.

For my Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice/Holiday image this year (we are so diverse!), I've chosen this photograph by local photographer Mark Lenoce of the pier at Pacific Beach to express my holiday wishes to you: Peace on Earth and Good Will toward All!

What a gorgeous picture! Happy holidays to you as well, roni!

Finished Book 131: The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
New read, Young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 355p

I am at something of a loss as to what genre to place this book in. It reads like fantasy, but there are no obviously fantastical elements. It also reads like romance, but there are (spoilery) reasons I’m hesitant to put it in that category as well. It’s tempting to call it historical fiction, but it isn’t set in any real historical time or place. That, I suppose, is the element that puts it into the fantasy genre: the pseudo-Renaissance setting that is nonetheless clearly a made-up world.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I’m not generally fond of slave/master romances, which are problematic (to say the least) and this book only briefly acknowledged those issues and didn’t really deal with them, seemingly preferring the perspective that he’s there voluntarily, so he’s not really a slave or she becomes his captive, so it’s all equal in the end, neither of which actually negates the problematic aspects. The non-romance parts of the story were more interesting, but not as well developed.

It kept my interest enough to finish the book, but I’m not planning to read the sequels.

Hi Blue. Just dropping by to wish you and your family for the season, and to wish you the very best for 2016!

Thanks, humouress! I've had a wonderful time visiting my family this past couple of weeks. I wish you the best for 2016, too!

I read Rutkowski's children's trilogy in 2014. They were entertaining but didn't inspire her to look for others by her. Will we see you in the 2016 group? I set up over there today after I wrapped up my 1025 thread.

>128 ronincats: I'm planning on it! I have to finish up here first.

Finished Book 132: The Frog Princess by E D Baker
Tales of the Frog Princess, book 1
new read, young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 240p

Finished Book 133: Dragon’s Breath by E D Baker
Tales of the Frog Princess, book 2
new read, young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 250p

My sister recommended these books to me (especially after discovering that I’ve read two of the later books in the series) and then got them from her library for me to read while I was visiting. They’re cute and I probably would have loved them when I was in the target age group.

133 / 146 books. 91% done.
56 / 66 new reads. 85% done.
2 / 4 non-fiction. 50% done.
17932 / 38600 pages. 46% done.
28d 6h 49m / 4d 16h 12m audiobooks. (very) done.

Here is the link to my 2016 thread, although I have a few more things to finish up here (which will probably have to wait until tomorrow; today is v busy).

I did a book poll for my 2015 books! I used google forms, which was an adventure.

2015 Round-Up

Overview:
133 finished books totaling 17,932 pages and 28d 6h 49m
Books read twice during 2015: 7

Adult/YA:
57 YA, 76 Adult

Genre:
102 Fantasy, 21 Science Fiction
8 Fiction, 2 Non-Fiction

Format:
53 Dead Tree, 1 Graphic Novel
64 Audiobook, 14 eBook

Author/Editor gender:
113 female, 22 male

New or Old:
56 new reads, 77 rereads

Series:
99 in series, 34 standalone

So. Interesting! Some things are about the same as the past few years - the overwhelming number of books by women authors, for instance, and how most books I read are in fantasy and in a series.

Some things have changed, though. I actually read significantly more Adult books than YA, for possibly the first time ever. Also, damn but I listened to a lot of audiobooks! A lot of them are “Mark Reads” books, which are a couple hours every Sunday morning and not the whole thing at once, but still.

So, my ideal book is still a fantasy written by a woman - but it’s Adult now rather than YA, definitely in a series, and there should probably be an audiobook available.

>132 bluesalamanders: 71.4% Not bad!

Impressive! Assuming I counted right, you've read more than 70 of the books I read this year. Only one person who's taken the poll so far has read more - a friend of mine who I regularly share books and book recommendations with irl has read around 90 of them. I've been doing this poll for a few years now and she regularly tops the "top responders" list, heh.