missrabbitmoon tries to control her bookaholism in 2014

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missrabbitmoon tries to control her bookaholism in 2014

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1missrabbitmoon
Editado: Fev 15, 2014, 2:24 pm

Hello. I am a bookaholic. I buy books at an alarming rate. So starting in January 2014 I'm going to attempt to read more books than I acquire.




75 books in a year is a high goal for me, but I still don't think that it's going to put a dent in this TBR pile. I didn't really count how many I need to read, but if you go to my collection and look at how many are not rated you'll get the jist of how ball-punchingly huge my TBR pile is.

Also, I am trying to read around the world over here, so I am looking for books that take place in different countries.

So that's it for now. Hope you enjoy reading!

2littlegreycloud
Editado: Dez 31, 2013, 3:07 pm

Bon voyage! I suggested a "Germany" book in your other thread (in case the one you have turns out to be a dud).

3rabbitprincess
Dez 31, 2013, 3:54 pm

Hello fellow rabbit! Good luck with your goal :)

4imyril
Jan 1, 2014, 5:54 am

Good to see you - I look forward to hearing more about your literary travels!

5missrabbitmoon
Editado: Dez 27, 2014, 5:42 pm

List of books read in 2014:

1. Unico by Osamu Tezuka
2. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Vol. 3 by Hayao Miyazaki
3. Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup
4. Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman
5. Cat Eyed Boy Vol. 2 by Kazuo Umezu
6. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
7. The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-Mi Hwang
8. The Unwritten: Dead Man's Knock by Mike Carey
9. The Unwritten: Leviathan by Mike Carey
10. The Unwritten: On to Genesis by Mike Carey
11. The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg
12. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
13. Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography by Sid Jacobson
14. Love Poems by Pablo Neruda
15. The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life by Twyla Tharp
16. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
17. Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara by James Gurney
18. Interview With The Vampire: Claudia's Story by Anne Rice & Ashley Marie Witter
19. Okko: The Cycle of Water by Hub
20. Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy
21. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
22. Avatar: The Last Airbender The Rift Part One by Gene Luen Yang
23. Saga Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan
24. The First True Lie by Marina Mander
25. Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow
26. Fantastic Mistakes: Neil Gaiman's "Make Good Art" Speech by Neil Gaiman
27. 100 Works of Art That Will Define Our Age by Kelly Grovier
28. The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the War of Words by Mike Carey
29. Adventure Time with Fionna and Cake by Natasha Allegri
30. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
31. The Tools by Phil Stutz & Barry Michels
32. Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh
33. After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
34. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
35. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
36. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
37. What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristen Newman
38. Hopeless Savages Vol. 1 by Jen Van Meter
39. Avatar: The Last Airbender The Rift Part Two by Gene Luen Yang
40. How to Teach English Overseas by Matt Kepnes
41. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
42. Kabuki: Metamorphosis by David Mack
43. Kabuki: Skin Deep by David Mack
44. Kabuki: Masks of the Noh by David Mack
45. Kabuki: Dreams by David Mack
46. Kabuki: Circle of Blood by David Mack
47. True Grit by Charles Portis
48. Clockwork by Philip Pullman
49. The Book Thief Markus Zusak
50. Take Joy: A Book for Writers by Jane Yolen
51. The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
52. Medea by Euripides
53. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
54. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
55. Jazmin's Notebook by Nikki Grimes
56. Lords of Death and Life by Jonathon Dalton
57. Modest Medusa Season 1 by Jake Richmond
58. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
59. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (the graphic novel adaptation)
60. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
61. Cursed Pirate Girl by Jeremy A. Bastian
62. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
63. The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder
64. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
65. The Private Lives of Trees by Alejandro Zambra
66. Avatar the Last Airbender: The Rift Part 3 by Gene Luen Yang
67. Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

6missrabbitmoon
Editado: Dez 29, 2014, 5:06 pm

List of books acquired in 2014 (I'm not going to use touchstones on this anymore because it's clogging up the side):

1. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
2. Enchantress of the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
4. Magus of Stonewylde by Kit Berry
5. Moondance of Stonewylde by Kit Berry
6. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
7. The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt
8. The Meaning of Night by Michael Fox
9. Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomon
10. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
11. American Taliban by Pearl Abraham
12. The Cider House Rules by John Irving
13. Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
14. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
15. Divergent by Veronica Roth
16. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
17. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
18. The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg
19. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
20. The Places in Between by Rory Stewart
21. Dracula by Bram Stoker
22. The Imperfectionists by Tom Tachman
23. Sky Burial: an Epic Love Story of Tibet by Xinran
24. Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
25. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
26. Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
27. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
28. Love Poems by Pablo Neruda
29. Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala
30. Paper Towns by John Green
31. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
32. Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson
33. The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
34. The Boy Detective Fails by Joe Meno
35. Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
36. Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow
37. The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
38. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
39. The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino
40. Vampires in the Lemon Grove and Other Stories by Karen Russell
41. The Secret History of the World Mark Booth
42. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
43. Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho
44. The First True Lie by Marina Mander
45. The Corpse Exhibition and Other Stories of Iraq by Hassan Blasim
46. The Poetic Edda by Anonymous
47. Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice
48. The Diary of Anais Nin: Volume One by Anais Nin
49. The End of Eve by Ariel Gore
50. Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin
51. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
52. The BFG by Roald Dahl
53. Silence Once Begun by Jesse Ball
54. Maurice by E. M. Forster
55. Avatar: The Last Airbender The Rift Part One by Gene Luen Yang
56. Saga Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan
57. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
58. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
59. The Wizard and the Witch: Seven Decades of Counterculture, Magick, and Paganism by John C. Sulak
60. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
61. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
62. A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz
63. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
64. Kraken by China Mieville
65. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
66. The Language of Baklava by Diana Abu-Jabar
67. The Compassionate Carnivore by Catherine Friend
68. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
69. The Path of Names by Ari Goelman
70. Shaman of Stonewylde by Kit Berry
71. Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer
72. The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson
73. The Ancient Child by N. Scott Momaday
74. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
75. Sex at Dawn: Why We Mate, Why We Stray, and What it Means for Modern Relationships by Christopher Ryan
76. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
77. Mary Poppins, She Wrote: The Life of P. L. Travers by Valerie Lawson
78. The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
79. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
80. Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
81. The Everlasting Story of Nory by Nicholson Baker
82. The Unwritten Vol. 6 by Mike Carey
83. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
84. Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson
85. Adventure Time with Fionna and Cake by Natasha Allegri
86. Julian by Gore Vidal
87. Lady Chatterly's Lover by D. H. Lawrence
88. Miral by Rula Jebreal
89. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
90. Returning to Earth by Jim Harrison
91. Beloved by Toni Morrison
92. Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes
93. The Gates of the Forest by Elie Wiesel
94. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
95. Avatar: The Last Airbender The Rift Part Two by Gene Luen Yang
96. The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
97. The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A. J. Jacobs
98. Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin
99. I, Claudius by Robert Graves
100. Fated by S. G. Browne
101. Air: Or, Have Not Have by Geoff Ryman
102. A Highly Unlikely Scenario, or a Neetsa Pizza Employee's Guide to Saving the World by Rachel Cantor
103. The Science of Discword by Terry Pratchett
104. The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
105. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
106. My Life in France by Julia Child
107. The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost
108. Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks
109. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
110. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
111. The Sister Brothers by Patrick deWitt
112. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
113. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
114. How I Stole Johnny Depp's Alien Girlfriend by Gary Ghislain
115. The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
116. Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
117. Spider Sparrow by Dick King-Smith
118. The Serpent and the Rainbow by Wade Davis
119. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
120. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
121. Cleo: The Cat Who Mended a Family by Helen Brown
122. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
123. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
124. The Martian by Andy Weir
125. The Circle by Dave Eggers
126. All the Wrong Questions: "Who Could it Be at This Hour?" by Lemony Snicket
127. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
128. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
129. The Submission by Amy Waldman
130. King Dork Approximately by Frank Portman
131. Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
132. Two Boys Kissing by David Leviathan
133. A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
134. The Freedom Writer's Diary by The Freedom Writers
135. Misery by Stephen King
136. Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett
137. Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron
138. The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler
140. The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama
141. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
142. Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
143. A Practical Wedding by Meg Keene
144. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
145. Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
146. The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder
147. The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
148. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
149. The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth
150. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
151. The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
152. Messenger by Lois Lowry
153. The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood
154. Avatar The Last Airbender: The Rift Part 3 by Gene Luen Yang
155. Bell, Book, and Murder by Rosemary Edghill
156. The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau
157. Saga Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan
158. The Nazi Officer's Wife by Edith H. Beer

7missrabbitmoon
Jan 2, 2014, 1:46 am

1. Unico by Osamu Tezuka

This is a whole manga series compiled into one volume. I remember watching the anime version of this as a kid! I can't recall if it is similar to this or not. It's just a vague, random memory I have.

So the story is this: Unico is an adorable tiny unicorn (obviously) who starts off the story as the pet of Psyche (the mythical Greek character). The goddess Venus has a problem with Psyche because people are saying that she is more beautiful than her. So she kidnaps Unico and orders Zephyrus, the West Wind, to cart him around to different times and places and erase his memory. In each different place, Unico befriends people and animals and tries to help those that he loves.

It's obvious that this was made for children and, more specifically, little girls. There are these moments of cartoon logic. The characters keep referencing this Japanese pop music band from the 80s regardless of what time period they're in. At one point a little girl is trying to build a fire but doesn't have any wood so she burns her speech balloons. I think this was marketed for girls because a) the lead character is an adorable talking unicorn about the size of a pug (what girl wouldn't want that?), b) almost all of the other characters are girls, and c) there's a lot of love stories.

But the story is ultimately very tragic. (SPOILER ALERT.) You would think that this story would end with Unico being returned to Psyche. That's what I wanted! But that never happens. This book ends very abruptly. I guess Zephyrus is just going to cart Unico around and punish him with amnesia for all eternity? I'm pretty sure that's what's implied. Bummer, man.

Of course the artwork is great. It's Osamu Tezuka. This edition is also all in color, which makes it expensive.

Would I recommend this? Yes and no. I could see myself enjoying this more as a kid. It's a great introduction to manga. As an adult, I'm used to better things.

8missrabbitmoon
Jan 2, 2014, 1:46 am

Hello! I'm in the middle of The Book Thief for Germany. Thus far it has not been a dud.

9missrabbitmoon
Editado: Dez 29, 2014, 4:59 pm

There is another type of reading challenge that I want to see if I can accomplish, but it might require some explanation. Writer Georges Polti posited that all of the literature in all the world could be boiled down into 36 Dramatic Situations. Someone else out there added a 37th. This website explains them all in depth a little bit more. I would like to try to read one book for each situation.

SUPPLICATION -- A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
DELIVERANCE -- The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
CRIME PUNISHED BY VENGENCE -- True Grit by Charles Portis
VENGENCE TAKEN FOR KINDRED UPON KINDRED -- Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
PURSUIT
DISASTER -- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
FALLING PREY TO CRUELTY OR MISFORTUNE -- Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup
REVOLT -- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
DARING ENTERPRISE -- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
ABDUCTION
THE ENIGMA
OBTAINING
EMNITY OF KINSMEN
RIVALRY OF KINSMEN
MURDEROUS ADULTERY
MADNESS
FATAL IMPRUDENCE -- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
INVOLUNTARY CRIMES OF LOVE
SLAYING OF A KINSMAN UNRECOGNIZED
SELF SACRIFICE FOR AN IDEAL
SELF SACRIFICE FOR KINDRED
ALL SACRIFICED FOR PASSION
NECESSITY OF SACRIFICING LOVED ONE(S)
RIVALRY OF SUPERIOR VS. INFERIOR
ADULTERY
CRIMES OF LOVE
DISCOVERY OF THE DISHONOR OF A LOVED ONE
OBSTACLES TO LOVE -- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
AN ENEMY LOVED
AMBITION
CONFLICT WITH A GOD -- Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
MISTAKEN JEALOUSY
ERRONEOUS JUDGEMENT
REMORSE
RECOVERY OF A LOST ONE
LOSS OF LOVED ONE(S) -- The First True Lie by Marina Mander
MISTAKEN IDENTITY

10imyril
Jan 4, 2014, 4:40 am

That could be fun (and a lot more fun than my Latin teacher's version of this many years ago - he insisted there were only 3 stories, and everything could be boiled down to one of them. Given he defined 'going from A to B' - and in a figurative not literal sense - as one of his categories, we laughed at him a lot, which may have been the idea).

11missrabbitmoon
Editado: Jan 9, 2014, 7:43 pm

2. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Vol. 3 by Hayao Miyazaki

It's good, but I'm going to wait until I finish the whole series before talking about it.

12missrabbitmoon
Jan 9, 2014, 4:46 pm

3. Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

First one off of the 37 Dramatic Situations challenge! This one falls into "Falling Prey to Cruelty or Misfortune" very easily.

It's hard not to think about Uncle Tom's Cabin when you read this. This came out around the same time. They were both bestsellers. Oddly, the book is dedicated to Harriet Beecher Stowe. I would have thought that Northup would have dedicated it to the guy who helped him escape or to his family. Personally I think this is better than Uncle Tom's Cabin, I read that years ago and found it too preachy.

Anyone who's paying attention to the Oscar race should know the basic premise of this book. The book and the movie are reasonably similar, there's just a few details that were omitted or out of place. The story is about a free, black family man from New York who is captured and sold into slavery in the south. As the title suggests, he was stuck there for twelve years. Northup chronicled what he observed and how he survived.

The book's only problem that I can see is it's dated writing style. It's not like it's overstated and flowery. I found it readable. But it seems like back then there was more of a focus on getting all the facts right in memoirs. Today people care more about making sure the reader feels what it was like to be there. So to my modern sensibilities the writing felt very cold an impersonal. If the story wasn't so interesting I don't know if I would have stuck with it.

I suppose I would still recommend it though. It's just not my favorite.

13missrabbitmoon
Jan 9, 2014, 11:13 pm

4. Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman

I don't love everything Neil Gaiman writes. There, I said it.

In particular, the appeal of The Sandman series eludes me. To be fair, I haven't read very much of it. But it just seems like a random collection of stories that don't tie together in any way.

This is actually not a graphic novel. This is more of an illustrated short story. It's about a Buddhist monk and a fox who fall in love. When the lord of a nearby estate wishes him dead, the fox strikes a deal with Dream in order to save him. The fox shape-shifts, tying into the association with witchcraft (foxes are to Japanese mythology what black cats are to Western culture). There is also three women who are very reminiscent of Macbeth's witches. I loved Yoshitaka Amano's drawings.

I liked this. I didn't love it, but I liked it. I had to think of it as an independent story in order to get enjoyment out of it. It's an interesting little story.

14imyril
Jan 10, 2014, 5:00 am

I'll come out and admit I don't love everything Neil Gaiman writes either :) I'd say there's a 50/50 between a strong positive reaction from me and a meh. I've not read any Sandman, but I typically enjoy his short stories, so maybe I should.

15missrabbitmoon
Jan 11, 2014, 8:18 pm

5. Cat Eyed Boy Vol. 2 by Kazou Umezu

The Cat Eyed Boy is half-human half-monster and despised by both groups. He travels from village to village, living in people's attics. Everywhere he goes he brings misfortune, horror, and death, which causes him to move on to the next house.

This is very traditional Japanese horror. I recognized some of the monsters from reading about Japanese mythical creatures. This is a manga series, and the illustrations have a bit of a dated 1950's style, which I assume is by design. I'm pretty sure that this is meant to take place in the 50's as well.

There is really not much to hold onto here. With the first book, I kind of got the sense that there was going to be some kind of plot point that was going to stay constant throughout the whole series. But this volume totally killed that notion. I get the sense that this whole series is just going to be this collection of weird things. It's like, "Oh look! Here's a random, gross story! Let's see how this plays out." That was fine for the first volume because traditional Japanese horror is a bit of a novelty to me. But here I got a little bored.

Would I recommend this? I'd say yes to the first volume, but this one I'm not so sure. I'm a little disappointed that I haven't fallen in love with any books yet. But time's young.

16missrabbitmoon
Jan 20, 2014, 10:16 pm

6. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

I knew what this story was about because I've seen the movie version (which was made for British television). But I've never read Terry Pratchett before. This is my first Discworld book. He's hysterical! So many excerpts are the best things ever.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The plot begins with these spectral beings known as the "auditors" hiring the guild of assassins to kill the Hogfather, Discworld's version of Santa Claus. They send the very creepy Teatime (pronounced "tey-ah-tah-mee") to complete the job. Death (the skeleton with the scythe) realizes that something is amiss and takes over the Hogfather's job for Hogswatchnight so that belief would not die. It's up to Death's long-suffering granddaughter Susan to get to the bottom of all this.

This fits into the "Conflict with a God" dramatic situation if you read the "auditors" as gods. They certainly have god-like powers. And they're the ones that stir up the conflict.

I would argue that this book has nothing to do with Christmas and everything to do with Yuletide/Winter Solstice. This Hogfather character seems more Pagan than Christian. The connection to boars, the sun, and his earlier tribal looking form are all very familiar to me.

I did love it, but it still doesn't get a perfect rating from me. The scenes at the university with the wizards were not my favorites. Those characters felt interchangeable to me. Some of the scenes felt a little extraneous. There are at least eight endings. But it is still worth the read, and I will definitely be visiting Discworld again.

17missrabbitmoon
Jan 23, 2014, 2:25 am

7. The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-Mi Hwang

This book is an enormous hit in South Korea. It's basically their Charlotte's Web. There are play versions and an animated movie adaptation that's incredibly popular in that country. This book was first published in 2000. Remember hearing about it? Yeah, me neither. But it's a perfect little gem of a novella.

The story is about Sprout, an chicken who is not content to stay caged up laying eggs on command only to have them carted off to market. She longs to leave the coop and raise a little baby chick on her own. That might sound trite, but it's not what you say it's how you say it. Sometimes the simplest story packs the biggest wallop.

(SPOILER ALERT)This story reminds me a lot of Bambi if it were told from the mother's point of view. So you might be a little bit wary if you plan on reading this to kids. Come to think of it, some adults might have an issue with this ending. Possibly. But I think it was the most appropriate ending it could have.

I'm a bit hesitant to include this in my Reading Around the World challenge because apart from the bamboo that's mentioned on occasion there's nothing particularly Korean about it. This could almost take place anywhere (anywhere with four seasons, anyway). But I'm assuming that this take place in South Korea.

I have nothing more to say about this book except read it. You'll probably finish it in one sitting. You won't regret it.

18missrabbitmoon
Jan 25, 2014, 2:47 pm

8-10. The Unwritten: Dead Man's Knock, The Unwritten: Leviathan, and The Unwritten: On to Genesis by Mike Carey

This graphic novel series is about Tom Taylor, who is the son Wilson Taylor, an author of an obviously Harry Potter-esque series who disappeared at the height of his career. His books feature a young wizard named Tommy Taylor, who is based off of Tom. The story is set off when a young woman named Lizzie confronts him publically saying that he's not the real son of Wilson. Things become more crazy when characters from the Tommy Taylor series as well as other famous books show up in the real world. Tom is eventually framed for murder by this mysterious group and now he's on the run.

I'm enjoying this series a lot but as you could probably guess from my synopsis of it it's kind of confusing. It doesn't help that there was a lot of time between me reading Vol. 2 and Vol. 3. When that happens there's always a good chunk of time where I'm thinking, "who are these people again?"

One of my biggest problems with this series so far is creepy puppet lady who's name I forget. I feel like there's a book that's missing between Leviathan and On to Genesis. There's no rhyme or reason why she switches sides. There's no rhyme or reason why she gives information to Tom. There's no rhyme or reason why the heroes forgot the first time they met her.

The other big problem I have is with Wilson Taylor. It's more of a psychology issue. I have a hard time believing that someone who's this much of an asshole could write a young adult fantasy series about friendship and love. If he doesn't give a shit about his own son as a person, how is he supposed to care about the fate of the world?

I'll write more of this when I get more books in this series.

19missrabbitmoon
Fev 4, 2014, 7:38 pm

11. The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg

This story doesn't really take place on our Earth, but in some more mystical world that looks very similar. A storyteller from Nord and a South Pole woman fall in love despite never being able to touch each other. He tells her the story of how he left his home on a quest to find the lost bit of his soul.

It was okay. I liked the primitive nature of the artwork (it's a graphic novel). It appeared to be done in watercolor which I appreciate since I'm working on my watercolor work right now. All the different myths were interesting and the tone of the book was fun.

Unfortunately, the ending was just not satisfying. It just needed to be bigger. It needed to be more epic. He needed to go to more than two places between the North and South poles. Also, a pet peeve I have with graphic novels is when they pin on all these extra details and stories in the back of the book. It undermines the ending. I would have tried to find some way to intersperse them throughout the story.

Greenberg had some great ideas here, she just needed to go further with them.

20missrabbitmoon
Fev 4, 2014, 7:41 pm

So I read 11 books in one month, which means I'm making good time on getting to 75 in one year. Unfortunately, I'm still a bookaholic. I blame bookmooch and used books stores. I'm going to take a bit of doing to catch up to the amount of books I've acquired. But the year is young. Wish me luck!

21Peace2
Fev 4, 2014, 8:12 pm

Wow! 11 in a month is fantastic. I hope February goes as well for you! You have my sympathy with regards to the catching up to the ones acquired - that I'm finding is a losing battle!

22Amsa1959
Fev 5, 2014, 2:48 am

Maybe a theme for a new group?

23missrabbitmoon
Fev 6, 2014, 3:36 am

Amsa1959: What are you referring to?

24Amsa1959
Fev 6, 2014, 1:26 pm

Hi, sorry my comment was much too short and not easy to understand. What I had in mind was your reading challenge 36 dramatic situations. I just thought it sounded as a great challenge!

25missrabbitmoon
Fev 6, 2014, 11:05 pm

Amsa1959: I actually did make a group for the 36 Dramatic Situations two years ago! No one else was interested in it at the time, but it's here if you want to check it out!

26missrabbitmoon
Fev 7, 2014, 1:52 am

12. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Only two books so far this year have been absolutely amazing: The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly and this one.

Ruth (yes, the author is a character) finds a Hello Kitty lunchbox washed up on the Canadian shore. Inside is, among other things, the diary of a sixteen year old Japanese teenager named Nao. At first, Ruth suspects that this is debris from the 2011 tsunami. The diary reveals the portrait of a child uprooted from her home in America and bullied brutally in school. As Nao's life and family situation spirals more and more out of control, she plans to commit suicide. The only positive figure in her life is her great-grandmother Jiko, a Zen Buddhist nun. Ruth becomes more and more concerned for the girl and is drawn into the mystery of what became of her.

Even though a good chunk of the book takes place in Canada, I'm going to make this my Japan selection for the Reading Around the World challenge. I would argue that this books is more about the Japan storyline, the section in Canada was more of a passive storyline. I have so many books that take place in Japan. I was trying to put Japan off for a little bit because that's one of the easier countries to find a book for. But sometimes, you just gotta read what you feel like reading.

As for a Dramatic Situation...I'm going to say that this is Supplication. It's kind of a tough call, but Ruth becomes deeply concerned for Nao's well being and makes a lot of effort to try and find her so she could help her. Without giving too much away she eventually does provide assistance. Not telling you how.

I considered myself pretty familiar with Japanese culture, but this books gave me details that I was unfamiliar with. If you're looking for a romantic portrayal of Japan, look elsewhere. Nao's family is very poor and the Tokyo described here is very seedy. When I saw the movie Suicide Club years ago I thought it was just a weird, fantastical horror movie. I didn't know that suicide clubs are actually a thing over there. There were a few upsetting insights into Japanese culture here.

As I've mentioned before, the author is a character. Or at least, someone with the same name and profession is a character. I've noticed that this is a reoccurring device in a lot of my favorite books. I would imagine that this is a difficult thing to pull off, but it doesn't come off as self indulgent here. It just makes it feel more real.

So yeah, read this one. I recommend it.

27imyril
Fev 7, 2014, 2:21 pm

Ooooh I've got this on my TBR pile for 2014 - really looking forward to it!

28Amsa1959
Fev 8, 2014, 2:25 am

Thanks! I did! And I have joined - I really liked the idea. You have made a great job with giving reading suggestions and I´m looking forward to maybe add some of my own. I have an awful cold at the moment so I´m going to curl up in the sofa later today and thinking of dramatic situations!

29missrabbitmoon
Fev 8, 2014, 9:14 pm

13. Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography by Sid Jacobson

It's exactly what it sounds like. It was okay, but the writing and drawing styles were just not particularly interesting. I can't imagine ever picking this up again so I'm turning it into bookmooch fodder.

30missrabbitmoon
Fev 17, 2014, 10:39 pm

14. Love Poems by Pablo Neruda

I'm not extremely familiar with Neruda's work. I read The Dreamer, a fictional children's book based off of his childhood, and maybe a few of his poems scattered here and there.

The book I have is a tiny book. It's a little over 80 pages and half of it is in the original Spanish, which I did not attempt to read. So some people might not count something like this but I'm going to because it's my challenge.

Well, love poems is what Neruda is most famous for and they were every bit as sensual as I expected. I have to admit that while I liked this, Neruda uses a lot of the same metaphors over and over. There's a lot of references to earth and women being of the earth. But I'm Wiccan so I enjoyed that. Reading this was a nice way to spend Valentine's Day (which I technically don't celebrate but whatever).

31missrabbitmoon
Fev 17, 2014, 11:30 pm

15. The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life by Twyla Tharp

Twyla Tharp. She knows stuff. Here she imparts her wisdom to the masses. She talks a little bit about her career, which is interesting but not all there is to this. She provides creative exercises, most of which I've never seen in other, similar self-help books.

I loved reading this. A lot of books like this can be a little bit obvious and uninteresting. But this got my wheels turning. I have yet to do the exercises, but those pages will definitely be revisited. There's great advice on harnessing different types of memory, how to research for projects, getting out of ruts (and why they're different from blocks), and how to find new ideas.

The concept of finding the "spine" of a piece was particularly illuminating in terms of reading. I'm going to explain what a "spine" is using my own example: the film Black Swan. The film's inspiration is the original ballet, the dramatic situation would be madness, but the spine of the story is the myth of Persephone. At the beginning Natalie Portman's character (Persephone) is virginal, pure, and under the thumb of her domineering mother (Demeter). Then she descends into the dark Underworld with the ballet director (Hades) and Mila Kunis' character (Hecate). Not all spines need to be this involved, Tharp says the spine of Moby Dick is "get the whale" (I've never read Moby Dick so I wouldn't know). A little light bulb turned on over my head when I read about spines because, because the lack of a spine is what annoys me the most in storytelling. There's nothing more depressing than a lot of interesting details with no point.

So if any of you are creative types like me (or even if you're not) I recommend this.

32missrabbitmoon
Fev 19, 2014, 4:13 pm

16. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

So I guess this can be my pick for India in my Reading Around the World challenge. I own so many other books that take place there, but this is the one that got me first. It's fitting that it's about arguably India's most influential historical figure (Siddhartha is the birth name of the Buddha).

So I took this silly "which book are you?" test a while back and the result of it is posted on my profile page and it's Siddhartha. This made me want to actually read the book, and I have to say that it uncannily mirrors the point in life that I'm currently experiencing.

Siddhartha starts off as a young and promising Brahmin, but he is dissatisfied with where his life is going the ideology that he's being taught. So he goes on a transformative journey in which he learns about who he is, the self, and the unity of all things. I'm not certain how historically or culturally accurate this book is. I'm pretty sure that Buddha was never a hedonist (although I like that part because it shows how easy it is to loose your way even after having a spiritual awakening). And although I noticed that he sits under trees a lot, this book does not have the iconic moment of him meditating under to Bodhi tree for 49 days. So, yeah. Just from what I know of Buddhism (which isn't a lot) I don't think this is meant to be accurate.

For the Dramatic Situations challenge I'm going to say that this is a "Daring Enterprise." It can't be "self sacrifice for an ideal" because Siddhartha never leaves anything that he doesn't want to leave behind (except maybe his son). And searching for spiritual truth can certainly be a daring enterprise.

It's good, but the writing style is a little odd. I chocked this up to the writer being a poet and/or the fact that it's translated from another language. I had to get used to the sentence construction. I had some issue with the dialogue and the characters, it didn't feel real to me. I was very conscious of the fact that the author had a point to make. This is a nit-picky little detail, but splitting this book into two parts was pointless.

This book might not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it. It's short, so even if you're not feeling it you can get through it quickly.

33missrabbitmoon
Editado: Fev 20, 2014, 2:20 pm

17. Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara by James Gurney

Yes I am secretly twelve years old.

For those of you who have had no childhood and are unfamiliar with Dinotopia, it's about an undiscovered island in which dinosaurs and humans live together as equals. The stories are mostly just an excuse to show off Gurney's excellent paintings. This is the third book in the saga, although there is a spin-off chapter book series and a terrible television adaptation.

In this volume, Arthur Denison (who has been the lead character in all three books) is invited to visit Chandara, a city that had been cut off from the rest of the country for decades. Many of the characters from the earlier books make a reappearance. Bix is Arthur's traveling companion. Will and Sylvia are still around, but don't make much of an appearance here. To my disappointment Arthur's lady friend from Dinotopia: The World Beneath, Oriana, is mentioned only once. And Lee Crabb is once again stirring up trouble.

Admittedly, the Dinotopia series is very thin on plot. The problem with Utopia stories is that no one has any serious problems. Lee Crabb is a character with potential. He seems like he is the only criminal on this island (I was shocked when Arthur and Bix meet a pack of thieves, because until that point there have been no other villains in this world) and he is unable to adapt to the peaceful world of Dinotopia. But he's never really that threatening. He kind of reminds me of Phone Bone from the Bone series. He's always just making these scams that never pan out for him. Another thing I thought while reading this was, "Okay, how big is this island?" According to a map shown later Dinotopia is supposed to be roughly the size of Australia. That's very big for an undiscovered island, even during the 1800s.

But whatever. It's not supposed to make sense, it's just beautiful. By the way, all the Dinotopia stories are written like they're Arthur's travel journals. So the plot is probably thin by design, he's just observing the traditions of the various people and places he meets.

I would recommend that everyone get Dinotopia because of the artwork. James Gurney is one of the best illustrators alive. Actually reading the stories is optional.

34missrabbitmoon
Fev 23, 2014, 4:32 pm

18. Interview With The Vampire: Claudia's Story by Anne Rice & Ashley Marie Witter

This graphic novel is a retelling of Interview With the Vampire from the point of view of Claudia, the vampire trapped in the body of a child. I've never read the original book but I've seen the movie so I knew the story. This book intrigues me enough that I want to check out the source material, but it doesn't quite stand on it's own. So it's bookmooch fodder. Witter's artwork is very nice.

35Peace2
Fev 23, 2014, 5:00 pm

The Dinotopia book sounds great - I too have a secret inner 12 year old and books with great illustrators are always a good find.

It sounds like you're getting through lots of books so far this year and I love the idea of reading around the world. I'm almost tempted to join you!

36missrabbitmoon
Fev 23, 2014, 11:24 pm

Peace2: To be fair, I am reading a lot of graphic novels so I can read a lot more books faster. It's fun to read around the world, but I can tell that it will not be an easy feat.

37missrabbitmoon
Editado: Fev 24, 2014, 12:00 am

19. Okko: The Cycle of Water by Hub

A prostitute named Little Carp is kidnapped by pirates, living her little brother, Tikku, behind. Tikku enlists the help of Noburo (a mysterious warrior who's face is hidden with a mask), Noshin (a drunk monk), and Okko (a ronin who randomly shows up the day after the kidnapping).

I'm a big fan of the "martial arts fantasy" genre (I don't think that that's actually a term but I'm going with it) but I really wasn't impressed with this. When Okko meets the other three characters, it is like exactly how I just described. He just coincidentally shows up. Okay, I'm just reading the plot summary and apparently the three is a team of demon hunters. I did not get that they knew each other. The book does a very poor job at establishing that relationship. In that open scene it really just looked like a random drunk monk was hanging around the outside of a brothel, it was odd.

Another thing about this book that struck me is how contemptuous the heroes are of the traditional ideas of honor. Noshin even says, "Issues of honor are the canker of the soul." I would argue that the Asian concept of honor is what gives this genre it's soul. Usually in these types of stories in which there is a band of warriors that come from different backgrounds all fighting for the same thing there is a scene in which one warrior tells another something like, "I know I treated you poorly in the past because of your social class, but I now know that you're just as virtuous as me and I respect you." As corny and predictable as it is it connects you to the characters. That never happens in this story.

Also, the book keeps describing Little Carp as a "geisha." Hub, at the risk of sounding tiresome, that word doesn't mean what you think it means. Being a geisha is a very specific profession that involves knowledge of etiquette and traditional fine arts. They're held up as symbols of urban sophistication and perfection. Yes, in the past there was selling of sex involved but there's more to it than that. Little Carp is a prostitute working in a seedy brothel in a tiny port town. That's it.

To be fair, the artwork is good. It's very detailed and gets the feeling of the genre just right, but it doesn't stop the story from not being that compelling.

This is part of a series. Suffice it to say, I will not be checking out the rest of it.

38missrabbitmoon
Mar 17, 2014, 11:54 pm

20. Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy

Holy crap, this book took forever. And there are so many problems with it. I really wanted to like this more, but it was a chore to read.

First of all, there were a few instances in which the editor was asleep at the wheel. In general, Meloy is overly verbose and a little drunk on his own cleverness and someone should have reigned it in a little bit. But there were certain passages that I had to re-read because there was a mistake that confused me. Prue apologizing for what she said to Curtis twice in a row, for instance. I'm pretty sure one of those lines of dialogue was supposed to be from Curtis, otherwise why would anyone do that ever? It was all just really avoidable.

Wildwood was better than this, but the first book's greatest flaw really hurt the second instalment. Usually with these types of young adult books the two main kids have to work together which in turns strengthens their friendship. That didn't happen in the first book. Almost immediately after they enter the magical place they get split up. They only get back together again before the final battle. So I never believed that they were friends. So in this book they are together most of the time, but I don't get the sense that they really like each other at all. I felt no investment in their relationship whatsoever.

If your wondering why I'm not getting into the plot of this book, it's because it is so damn complicated. The first book was simple: save the baby. Here, there are at least four separate storylines going on at the same time. At the same time, there are way too many villains. Two of whom are vaguely ethnic, which I found upsetting.

So is this book worth it? I don't know. The third book will have to determine that. It does feel like this whole book was just set-up for the finale. Nothing is resolved in this instalment. I found it readable, the world is still interesting, but I really just got through it so the last book would make sense.

39imyril
Mar 19, 2014, 5:49 pm

38> I must admit, I didn't like Wildwood as much as I hoped/expected - I ended up finding it quite a chore, so I've not picked up the sequel so far. After seeing your notes, I don't think I'll bother - it sounds even more disjointed! It also upset me in my edition that the editor (asleep again) put in one of the illustrations before the corresponding text - making it a spoiler as it stole the tension from the next chapter. Grrr!

40missrabbitmoon
Abr 8, 2014, 5:13 pm

39: Yeah. I enjoyed the first book because I was still able to care about the characters and the fantasy world had a bit of a hipsterish vibe that I found amusing. But...yeah. I don't have very high hopes for book 3. He added two more characters and at least one more new storyline from what I can tell. Oy.

41missrabbitmoon
Abr 8, 2014, 5:33 pm

21. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

So after the very long and arduous disappointment that was Under Wildwood, I thought that reading all my books that are under 200 pages long would be a good way to get my "books read" number closer to my "books bought" number. Didn't quite work out that way.

I'm actually not done with this yet. I still have maybe 50 more pages left, but I think I get the general jist of this book. Bestselling author Haruki Murakami talks about what he gets out of long distance running and talks a little bit about writing along the way. And I'm shocked by how uninterested I am.

Granted, running marathons is a thing that I would never do. I'm more into biking and yoga. But I thought that since I've enjoyed his fiction so much that his unique writing style would make the subject interesting. Apparently not.

Some things were interesting. Like how he started writing novels. He owned a small jazz club during his twenties. He never even thought about being a novelist until he was almost thirty.

I'm so unimpressed with this that it might turn into bookmooch fodder. I'm not sure yet.

42missrabbitmoon
Abr 28, 2014, 5:36 pm

22. Avatar: The Last Airbender The Rift Part One by Gene Luen Yang

23. Saga Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan

I had written a big thing for the new Avatar comic but the site erased it somehow and I don't care to rewrite it. So for Avatar I'm going to wait until I get the last in the trilogy before I talk about it.

I am very annoyed that touchstones thinks that the Saga series is Twilight. I'm also going to wait until I read the whole Saga series before talking about it, which will take way longer since it's still being made.

43missrabbitmoon
Abr 29, 2014, 12:00 am

24. The First True Lie by Marina Mander

For my Around the World Reading tour, I'm going to include this one for Italy. It also works nicely for "loss of loved one(s)" in the 37 Dramatic Situations.

Luca is a young boy living with his mother and his cat, Blue. Had life turned out differently for her his mother could have been a vibrant, creative free spirit, and in some ways she still is. But she has been battered and disappointed in life and love, leaving her taciturn and depressed. Luca is a thoughtful boy that lives inside his head. Together, they exist on the brink of poverty, a team against the harshness of the world. Until one morning when Luca's mother doesn't wake up.

It is unclear to the son and to the reader whether the mother committed suicide by overdosing on her medication or if her heart simply stopped in her sleep. In any case she's very, very dead. Terrified of being an orphan, Luca decides to keep his mother's death a secret from the outside world for as long as he possibly can. While his mother's corpse slowly decomposes in her bed, Luca keeps up appearances as best he can and isolates himself.

I know that doesn't sound like an upper. But the joy of this book comes from the way that it's written. I pegged Luca within the 10-12 age range, but he is precocious and very clever. I enjoyed living in his head space, and his voice is very authentic. He brings a lot of interest into what would otherwise be just a very upsetting story.

This book is perfect for "loss of loved one(s)" because in a lot of cases a story can start with this situation but then morph into something else like "crime punished by vengeance" or whatever (although this is more of a problem for movies). But this book is pretty much all about grief all the way through. Luca's journey follows the traditional stages of grief almost exactly.

This book was originally published in Italy, but I was almost not aware of that as I was reading. It never says what city it's taking place in, for example. The setting is not really the point. The occasional Italian phrases and minutia of everyday life give it away, though.

It doesn't seem like anyone has ever heard of this book, and that's a shame. Yes, it's a sad story and yes, not a lot "happens." Some of you might have an issue with the peeing scene. And it seems like the book cuts off before the climax. But it is well worth you're time.

44missrabbitmoon
Maio 27, 2014, 2:52 am

25. Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow

I don't buy your plot, book.

For those that have never heard of this book here is what the story's about: It's Hollywood during World War II. Syms Thorley is a film actor staring in B-movie horror-monster fare. He gets called by the United States government. They take him to a secret military base where they show them that they have created giant lizard monsters that they are planning on setting loose in Japan.

Now here's the part where it lost me. The United States government want's Syms to dress up like one of the monsters so they can put on a play for Japanese officials. They're hoping that a demonstration of a monster destroying the replica of a Japanese city will terrify the officials so badly that they will go back to the Emperor and beg him to end the war.

...What? What kind of a plan is that? The outcome that they hope will happen would never, ever happen. If I could figure that out the big-shot army generals should have figured that out too.

And then (SPOILERS) when it predictably doesn't work, the US government kills the lizards and just nukes Japan instead. Oh, and video footage of Syms' display gets used in "Godzilla"--Oh, I'm sorry, "Gorgantis" (I guess the author couldn't call it Godzilla because of copyrights). Lame.

Don't get me wrong, the book is otherwise written very well. Syms' narration was very funny. There were some moments when I laughed out loud at his descriptions. I picked it up because it had an interesting premise and it does. It just didn't reach it's full potential.

It was enjoyable while it lasted. Now it's bookmooch fodder.

45missrabbitmoon
Maio 27, 2014, 2:54 am

26. Fantastic Mistakes: Neil Gaiman's "Make Good Art" Speech by Neil Gaiman

It is what it sounds like. While the graphics were nice, you could probably read or watch this for free online.

46imyril
Editado: Maio 27, 2014, 3:31 am

>44 missrabbitmoon: that sounds very silly, but I'm not sure it's silly in the right way :) that said, I was reminded yesterday of an equally daft Allied plot to drive Hitler mad by dropping porn on Berchtesgaden. Apparently this got some discussion before they came to their senses and recognized it as being utterly bonkers.

47missrabbitmoon
Jun 2, 2014, 11:46 pm

27. 100 Works of Art That Will Define Our Age by Kelly Grovier

It's exactly what it sounds like. A poet/art critic attempts to predict what contemporary works of art will stand the test of time. Only one piece per artist is selected. Some works were included because of their backstory and/or how they reflected the time period. Some were included because they brought forth a radical idea or made an old medium new again. Others were included because of the controversy they inspired. There are photographs of each, which is sometimes not helpful because for most contemporary art you really have to be there and experience it in person. So it's a good thing there's a few paragraphs to explain what it is and why it's included.

To clarify, the "Our Age" that the title is referring to is during my lifetime. I think the oldest artwork here is "The Gates" by Christo and Jeanne-Claude and that's a bit of a cheat, because while they started making it in 1979 it wasn't erected in Central Park until 2005. Most of these first exhibited in the mid 1990s to currently.

I agree that all of the pieces listed are great and influential. Whether they will define our age is impossible to say. Sometimes I agreed with the artist but not with the particular work that was picked (specifically Ai Weiwei, Damien Hirst, and Takashi Murakami).

I have to say that there is one conspicuous absence. If I could insert a 101th work of art it would be "Tumbling Woman" by Eric Fischl. It's a very beautifully made piece, and the reaction it got says a lot about the climate of post 9/11. If I could take a work out of this lineup it would be "The Beauty of Death" by Gregor Schneider. I just think it's unfair to include something that was talked about a lot but never made.

This author loves big words. I didn't mind it much reading it to myself. I majored in fine art and studied contemporary art in Britain, so I'm reasonably fluent in art critic lingo. However, when I attempted to read it aloud it was difficult to get my tongue to move over some of these words.

I really enjoyed this. The author brought up some things about familiar artists that I didn't even know about. The biggest praise I could probably give it is that the author is very good at explaining why the works were important. I was sharing this with my mother, who is not into modern art at all. She didn't understand why some of them would be considered art before the explanation, and while it didn't make her like the pieces she at least could see why others did.

48missrabbitmoon
Jun 3, 2014, 7:13 pm

28. The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the War of Words by Mike Carey

Not going to say much about this other than the series continues to be good.

49missrabbitmoon
Jun 4, 2014, 3:55 am

A little bit off-topic, but I thought this was an interesting thing to think about.

So this conversation with my mother probably came up because of the 100 Works of Art That Will Define Our Age book, we were trying to figure out what the contemporary classic novels were. When I hear the word "classics" I think "old and almost universally acclaimed" so I had a hard time coming up with anything.

I researched it a little bit and these are the books that kept getting mentioned as modern classics:

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Atonement by Ian McEwan
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Gilead by Marilynne Robertson
The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

It's a pretty good list. I'm surprised that there's no Salman Rushdie. No young adult novels. If they included those then The Book Thief would probably be on there.

Anything else?

50missrabbitmoon
Jun 16, 2014, 3:44 pm

29. Adventure Time with Fionna and Cake by Natasha Allegri

Not much to say about it other than I enjoyed it. It doesn't seem like this is going to be a series, which is a little sad.

51missrabbitmoon
Jun 25, 2014, 7:47 pm

30. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

This makes Slumdog Millionaire look charming and quaint.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers is a Pulitzer Prize winning work of nonfiction that takes place in a Mumbai slum called Annawadi. There are multiple different story lines that follow many different families, but arguably the most prominent one involves the Husains. The eldest son Abdul is the main breadwinner in the family (the father has tuberculosis which stops him from working but not from making more babies). He's basically a garbage sorter, he buys the recyclable trash that scavengers bring him and takes them to the recycling plant for money. After a spat revolving around renovating their hut their spiteful, deformed neighbor lights herself on fire and gives a false statement to the police before dying (I swear I did not make any of that up). It's pretty obvious that the Husains did nothing wrong, but the policemen want bribe money that they cannot provide so the case gets brought to court.

There is a subplot that involves Asha Waghekar and her quest to become the new slumlord. She is a very fascinating women. Her main source of income comes from taking advantage of how corrupt the government and social services is. Seriously, I lost count of how many times I was tsking at all the bullshit that was going on in the institutions here. But Asha's daughter is the first girl to graduate from college because of her mother's scheming.

People who don't read a lot of nonfiction might enjoy this because of the way it was written. It feels like a novel. I think this is because in many nonfiction works you are very conscious of the author. Katherine is not a character here.

I looked through some of the other reviews of this book on librarything and I noticed that a lot of people either gave it a bad review or stopped reading it because it was "too depressing." I don't understand people like that. To me stories are only depressing when they're poorly told.

52missrabbitmoon
Jun 27, 2014, 4:37 pm

31. The Tools by Phil Stutz & Barry Michels

I'm only reading this because I'm in therapy. It was actually a very good read. With self-help books it takes some time to see how effective they are. I'm still doing the exercises, so we'll see.

53missrabbitmoon
Jul 7, 2014, 7:42 pm

32. Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh

Blue is the Warmest Color is a graphic novel about a lesbian romance in 1990s France. I could probably use this for my Reading Around the World challenge but I'm not going to.

Because gay people are so accepted in the media (generally) nowadays, I had almost forgotten that this period in time existed. This story did a good job capturing the shame and the dangers of a gay relationship in the 1990s.

The artwork is nice. Not my favorite. I liked that while it was in color it kept the pallet very monochromatic.

The book's only real problem is that it's too short. It's like the difference between a short story and a novel.

54missrabbitmoon
Jul 7, 2014, 7:55 pm

33. After the Quake by Haruki Murakami

Wow, another Murakami that didn't blow me away.

Perhaps that's a bit unfair. This is a collection of short stories and all anthologies are going to be a bit of a mixed bag. This might be a case of unmet expectation: I had expected the earthquake to be more central to the stories. But instead, everyone is just watching the earthquake on television or talking about it. You never really see the earthquake.

My favorite story is...well, I gave the book away already so I can't look up the title, but it's the one with the enormous talking frog. I mean honestly, that's what I go to Murakami for. The really surreal stuff is what I love (although I did also love Norwegian Wood, and that might be the most straight forward of all his novels).

It was, of course, well written and a very fast read. But apparently I need to stick with his novels.

55missrabbitmoon
Jul 28, 2014, 5:14 pm

34. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

I, like many Americans of a certain age, first read this during my high school career. I remember liking it, so I assumed that I would fall in love with it as an adult. I was wrong.

Perhaps I should explain the "plot" of the book, as it were. It's possible that some people might not know anything about this. My dad didn't. I guess it wasn't required reading back in his day. In the beginning, Holden Caulfield is suspended from this super preppy high school for failing most of his classes. Instead of staying at the school until Christmas break starts, he decides to bum around New York City. That's basically all that happens. I'm pretty sure that the reason why this book was revolutionary was the first person narration, and that's probably the reason why I enjoyed it in the first place.

This book is mostly about things that are hidden below the surface. Holden is terrified of the adult world and is obsessed with protecting and preserving innocence. He can't throw a snowball at a car because it looks "so nice and white." He pays a prostitute not to sleep with him because she appears to be his age. The thing he loves about the Museum of Natural History is that nothing ever changes. So while he's in New York City he keeps trying and failing to connect to the people around him in the hope that they will assuage his fears.

The reason why he's so frightened of becoming an adult is not something that I caught in my first reading years ago and was certainly not discussed in class. It is suggested, though never stated directly, that Holden was sexually abused as a child. Not to spoil it, because this does happen very close to the ending, but when Holden finally does have a moment of connection with a former teacher (who is totally a closeted gay man) he finds out later that he has ulterior motives for doing so. No wonder he finds the adult world so "phony."

Mostly I was shocked by how unlikable I found Holden. The character is writing this story a year later in a mental institution, and quite frankly there's no reason why he shouldn't be in an institution. He's sexist, a hypocrite, and judgmental. He gets upset over really minuscule things. He has no concept of how his actions are perceived by other people. I felt bad for him certainly, but there is the expectation that teenagers reading this should feel like Holden is like them. I just want to say that if you're nothing like Holden, you're doing something right.

The Catcher in the Rye is a very interesting book. But I wouldn't say that it's one of my favorites.

56missrabbitmoon
Ago 29, 2014, 1:08 am

35. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

To be honest, I didn't think I would like this book when I first heard of the premise. It's about a teenage girl named Hazel with terminal cancer who falls in love. Yeah, I know. Yuck, right? But I picked it up from my TBR pile late one night on a whim because I couldn't sleep. Mistake. I read it all the way through in one sitting. By the time I was done I was blubbering and the sun was rising.

I watch the Vlogbrothers videos so I know that this book is partially inspired by a former fan of the videos named Esther, who was a teen with terminal cancer. So I knew that Green had some knowledge on the subject. But I have a thing against these types of stories. I feel like many authors use children in peril as a lazy way to "trick" me into feeling emotional, or to get some sort of religious idea across. But these characters felt like real people. Some people think that the dialogue is not realistic, but it's an exaggerated form of how I talked with my friends at that age. And the wit of the characters was very entertaining and I felt connected to them.

I wanted to include this on my Reading Around the World challenge, but they spend so little time in The Netherlands that I can't really justify that. I'm including this on the 37 Situations list under "Obstacles to Love." That might be a little bit debatable, but the obstacle in the way of Hazel fully expressing love to Augustus is the fear that her illness is going to destroy him in some way (I'm trying not to give too much of the plot away).

This one is worth the hype.

57missrabbitmoon
Ago 29, 2014, 1:56 am

36. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Revisiting old high school reading material has been an interesting experiment. I absolutely hated The Great Gatsby when I had to read it back then and loved in when I was an adult. I remember loving The Catcher in the Rye when I was a kid but had reservations about it as an adult. My opinion on Lord of the Flies is more or less the same.

Probably most people know what this book is about, but the brief description is this: a plane filled with British school boys crash (they're all definitely under twelve) land on a uninhabited tropical island. I'm a little unclear as to what the time period is, but they do keep mentioning "the war." Anyway, the main characters are Ralph (the chief), Jack (the hunter), Piggy (the smart one), and Simon (the quiet one). The group of boys work together fairly well at first but then paranoia reigns, allegiances shift, and life on the island falls into horrifying madness.

First I have to say that the actual writing technique here is gorgeous. And there's something interesting about putting children in this situation and how dark the story is. But there are a few things that just made me very uncomfortable.

First of all, I was very conscious of the symbolism the entire time. Which is not good. I mean, symbolism is great and all and it's interesting to look back and find it, but when I'm reading I just want to enjoy the story. For example, the conch symbolizes law (because high school told me so) but also wealth because when Ralph first finds it Piggy goes on and on about how valuable they are. And then, when they vote for who the chief is going to be Ralph gets the position because he looked impressive while holding the conch. So immediately I think, "I get it. The author's making a statement for how rich and charismatic people get into positions of power even if they're not the right one for the job." There's a lot of that in this book. That's why I couldn't really connect to anyone as characters. They weren't human beings, they were statements.

Secondly, I seem to remember being told that this is supposed to be a Christian allegory. And I'm a Wiccan. So that definitely influenced how I read this book. I'm not sure I would go so far as to say that this book is anti-Pagan, but it's obvious that we are not supposed to think that the children dancing naked with face paint in the woods is a good thing.

I'm going to include this as "Revolt" in the 37 Dramatic Situations challenge. That's pretty obvious. Would I recommend this? I guess. If you're still in high school you're probably going to be forced to anyway.

58missrabbitmoon
Ago 29, 2014, 2:14 am

37. What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristin Newman

I picked this up at the library based on the title and the fact that it was a travel memoir. The author is a sitcom writer who has worked on "That 70's Show" and "How I Met Your Mother" and probably a whole bunch of other stuff that I don't watch because I don't own a television. This is a memoir about all the countries she's partied and all of regrettable romantic decisions she made along the way.

I didn't really like Kristin. She's pretty oblivious to other people's feelings and is too obsessed with men. Yes, she writes very well, and I enjoyed some of her insights on travel and the countries she was visiting. But this woman irritated me.

There are a lot of blurbs on the back of this book that talk about how "sexy" her adventures are. That's false advertising. Yes there is a lot of sex in it, but there is nothing sexy. This could be my sensory overload talking, but most of her escapades sound genuinely awful. I appreciated that she didn't shy away from it (at one point she says something about combating slut-shaming) but her definition of sexy is way different from mine.

Stick with Eat, Pray, Love.

59missrabbitmoon
Set 4, 2014, 9:46 pm

38. Hopeless Savages Greatest Hits Vol. 1 by Jen Van Meter

I think I have a new favorite graphic novel series!

Hopeless Savages is about the Hopeless Savage family, which consists of punk rock musician parents Dirk Hopeless and Nikki Savage and their four children: Rat Bastard, Arsenal Fierce, Twitch Strummer, and Skank Zero. The series mostly focuses on Skank (who goes by Zero most of the time). She is the only one of the children who is still a minor although there are a lot of flashbacks so you get to see the adult children when they were younger as well.

So there are three separate stories in this book. In the first one the parents get kidnapped and their kids have to rescue them. The second one involves Zero having problems in school and at home, she starts having boy troubles right when a reality television crew starts filming at her home. The third story focuses more on Arsenal, who takes a trip to Singapore and gets caught up in some international intrigue.

Jen Van Meter writes all of the stories and different artists trading off illustrating duties. Bryan Lee O'Malley of Scott Pilgrim fame is one of them.

This is actually a very beautiful story. Sure, I'm a sucker for offbeat families, but it's clear that they all love each other and protect each other. You see that they sometimes struggle with the outside world's perception of their punk rock lifestyle, but they're all strong and find friends who accept them for who they are.

Is there going to be a Greatest Hits Vol. 2? I don't think it has come out yet.

60missrabbitmoon
Set 4, 2014, 9:48 pm

39. Avatar the Last Airbender: The Rift Part 2 by Gene Luen Yang

I'm going to hold off on talking about this until I read the last book in this trilogy.

61littlegreycloud
Set 5, 2014, 5:15 pm

>51 missrabbitmoon:: I got this book as an audiobook recently and am really looking forward to it. When I visited India the first time, I actually rove through this slum on my very first day, and I'm not going to lie -- if there had been a way for me to turn around and get back on the plane, I would have probably done it. (It didn't help that it was like 6 am in the morning and everyone was cooking their food on little kerosine stoves and I thought I was going to suffocate.) But ever since, I have been curious about the people who live there (and it also helps to put things into perspective whenever I'm beginning to feel sorry for myself about some minor issue).

62littlegreycloud
Set 5, 2014, 5:20 pm

>53 missrabbitmoon:: Interesting. I heard about the movie but did not realize it was based on a book.

63missrabbitmoon
Set 5, 2014, 9:45 pm

littlegreycloud: Thank you for replying! I was beginning to wonder if anyone was reading this.

Your experience in India mirrors a lot of what I've heard, unfortunately. I've always wanted to go to India but all of the poverty, corruption, and pollution make me wonder if it's worth it. Perhaps some areas are better off than others.

64missrabbitmoon
Set 6, 2014, 2:56 am

40. How to Teach English Overseas by Matt Kepnes

I probably shouldn't include this because it's an digital book and this challenge is for books on my shelf, but I'm going to because it was very long.

There are not many reliable resources on this topic, so I bought this to do some research before embarking on a new career path. It is obviously not edited well, but it does its job.

65imyril
Set 6, 2014, 5:45 am

>63 missrabbitmoon: still reading along - quietly lurking :)

66missrabbitmoon
Set 10, 2014, 3:01 pm

imyril: Well, I'm glad you're still here. :)

67missrabbitmoon
Set 10, 2014, 4:21 pm

41. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Are there really people out there who don't know the basic premise of this story? I really don't have to do a synopsis, right? Good.

That being said there are certain things about this story that might surprise people that have grown up with the movie versions. For example, it starts with a series of letters from an arctic explorer. There were a lot of characters that I wasn't familiar with (but no Igor). Probably one of the biggest differences is the Monster himself. Hopefully everyone here is aware that Frankenstein is the name of the doctor, not the monster (although technically, if we are to read the monster as Frankenstein's "son" they would share the same last name). The description of his physical appearance is a lot more disturbing than his portrayal in movies. Also, he's a lot smarter.

Despite a lot of interesting stuff in this book, I couldn't really like it. If you look through my library you'll notice that I don't tend to have a lot of "old" books. That's because I have a lot of literary pet peeves that are very common in the classics. For example: this book feels incredibly bipolar. Frankenstein either feels elated or wretched at all times. He is never apathetic. It didn't feel realistic.

The good thing is that this book helps me along on both of my reading challenges. For the 37 Dramatic Situations this obviously fits into "Fatal Imprudence." Frankenstein wants to create life from death but thinks nothing about the consequences and wants no responsibility for what he has created. Most of this book takes place in Switzerland so I can use it for the Reading Around the World challenge. This isn't a great selection for that challenge, but I really don't have anything else for that country. One thing I really appreciated about this book was the descriptions of the natural world. Nature is almost a character in this book. Just from reading this it seems like Switzerland would be a very beautiful place.

68missrabbitmoon
Set 10, 2014, 11:03 pm

42-46. Kabuki: Metamorphosis, Kabuki: Skin Deep, Kabuki: Masks of the Noh, Kabuki: Dreams, and Kabuki: Circle of Blood by David Mack

I read Kabuki: The Alchemy a long time ago and absolutely loved it, but I started it before I realized that it was the last book in a series. That might explain why I decided to read the series backwards.

This graphic novel collection is seven books long but could have easily been compressed into three. Dreams and Masks of the Noh don't contain any necessary story points. Here's what happens in those: in Dreams Kabuki almost dies, she's lifted up in a mysterious helicopter, and doctors revive her (all of which is discussed again in Skin Deep and Metamorphosis). Masks of the Noh is about her former colleagues as they try to track her down. It get's a little bit into each of their backgrounds, but it never really pays off in any meaningful way. I don't own, nor have I read Kabuki: Scarab, but that one deals with a secondary character and I understood the story perfectly without it. Skin Deep does have important story points, but it's so short that it could have easily been shoved into Metamorphosis. So if what I'm about to say interests you and you want to check out the Kabuki series for yourself get Volume 1: Circle of Blood, skip ahead to Volume 4: Skin Deep, Volume 5: Metamorphosis, and then skip ahead again to Volume 7: The Alchemy. I just saved you roughly $60.

I can't really talk about the specifics of the story without spoilers, so I'll try to keep it to the artwork and the overall feel. One of the reasons why this series is so acclaimed is the artwork. The artwork in Skin Deep, Metamorphosis, and The Alchemy is so beautiful that I almost wouldn't care what the story was. It's made with incredibly innovative collage work that you really don't see in any other comic book. You have to see it in order to know what I'm talking about. The story is about our heroine, Kabuki, trying to escape her traumatic past and start again. This is difficult because she is a former assassin with an enormous scar on her face. The books with this style of artwork are magical realism in which there are a lot of quirky characters and surreal things happening. Those books are amazing.

The look and tone of the first volume is completely different. Had I started in order I might not have gotten into this series at all. It's essentially an ultra-violent organized crime drama. And the artwork is just the same black-and-white pen and ink drawings that would be in any other comic book. It's well done, but there's nothing particularly revolutionary about it.

Here's my main problem with the series, and I am about to give away a major plot point but maybe other people have read this and can enlighten me. SPOILER ALERT. If all of her enemies are dead at the end of Circle of Blood, who wants to kill her and why in the rest of the series? I could not figure that out at all. Her former colleagues don't seem to want to kill her, they're just following orders. But from whom? The government? I have no idea what was going on there.

This book series is very strange in that Circle of Blood, Metamorphosis, and The Alchemy could almost exist on their own. You might be confused, but you can enjoy those without having read any of the others. I loved Metamorphosis and The Alchemy. I just don't feel like the books connect very well.

69imyril
Set 11, 2014, 7:05 am

>67 missrabbitmoon: I finally read Frankenstein a couple of years back, and found it incredibly frustrating - so much angst! Like you, I'm not a big reader of older books; I studied English Lit at school and did my turn on Victorian and Regency literature, but didn't get a lot out of most of it (ironically, given my disdain for Frankenstein's angst, my favourite book across the 2 years was Jude the Obscure. Whether I'd like it as much now I'm less sure). That said, I did enjoy horror / Gothic novels of the period (Dracula, The Vampyre, Carmilla, although I'm yet to tackle Edgar Allan Poe) so I had high hopes for Frankenstein and just found it hard going - in part because Frankenstein himself was so unlikeable, as well as the overwrought monster veering between angst and rage; I think I wanted the monster to be the antihero, but his actions still put him beyond the pale.

You're right about the descriptions of Switzerland (and the far north) though - they were the highlights for me too :)

70missrabbitmoon
Set 13, 2014, 12:04 am

imyril: I'm also impressed/envious that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she was nineteen. I guess that explains its angst.

71imyril
Set 13, 2014, 7:58 am

>70 missrabbitmoon: very true. And given the company she was keeping at the time... :)

72missrabbitmoon
Out 26, 2014, 10:50 pm

47. True Grit by Charles Portis

If there's a book that more perfectly embodies "Crime Punished by Vengeance" then I don't know what it is. Okay, there's probably a lot of books that would have that dramatic situation, but I don't usually read a lot of those. I usually don't read Westerns either, but this one was very enjoyable.

I have not watched the John Wayne movie adaptation but I did see the Jeff Bridges one, and the story is pretty much the same. It even has a lot of the same details and dialogue. The story is very simple. Mattie Ross hires a marshal named Roster Cogburn to help her avenge her father's murder.

Mattie Ross is a fully realized character and I thoroughly enjoyed her voice throughout the story. Of course, she is a very strong and no-nonsense young lady and I like that. But even very little things like her thinking that Fort Smith was a nice enough town but it didn't seem like it belonged in Arkansas were nice touches. And can I just say how much I appreciate this book not giving the teenage heroine a love interest? It seems like that's all young adult novels are these days.

73missrabbitmoon
Out 26, 2014, 10:54 pm

48. Clockwork by Philip Pullman

A creepy novella from the author of His Dark Materials, this book is very short and is intended for a young audience. As the title would suggest, it revolves around clocks and enchanted clock figurines. It was enjoyable for what it was, but I see no reason to hang on to it.

74missrabbitmoon
Out 30, 2014, 11:07 pm

49. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

My one word review of this is, "Oof." The way I cried at the end of The Fault in Our Stars is nothing compared to the way I cried when I finished this.

This wasn't really the pick that I had in mind for Germany. I was kind of hoping to read something that didn't have Nazis and dead Jews for once and planned on using Steppenwolf. But I'm very happy to have read this instead.

This book covers familiar territory, but does so in a very interesting and unique way. It's a coming of age story of this little German girl during World War II told from the vantage point of Death (this is the second book I've read this year that has Death as a character). One of the ways in which this girl deals with the horror around her is through reading. Because she is very poor she obtains books often through stealing, which is how she becomes the Book Thief.

In my 37 Dramatic Situations challenge I'm counting this as a "Disaster" story. This whole book is building up to the moment in which this girl's whole town is destroyed in a massive bombing. That is not a spoiler. That is revealed in the prologue. The description did not say that it had to be a natural disaster.

My understanding is that the movie adaptation was disappointing. I'm not surprised by that. I assume that Hollywood softened this up a lot.

75missrabbitmoon
Out 30, 2014, 11:08 pm

50. Take Joy: A Book for Writers by Jane Yolen

I picked this up again because I'm gearing up for NaNoWriMo in a few days and wanted to get into the spirit. It was enjoyable, but I didn't really get a whole lot out of it. It seemed like this was intended for a younger audience.

76missrabbitmoon
Out 30, 2014, 11:35 pm

51. The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

I'm a fan of the movie adaptation, so I was a bit surprised by some of the differences. The general plot remained the same, so I should talk about that first. The story deals with Maori culture in New Zealand. The chiefdom passes from eldest son to eldest son. But the story begins with the birth of a firstborn girl. She is named after their ancestral hero, the original Whale Rider, Kahu (Paikea in the movie). Her great grandfather refuses to accept her and resents that she broke the patriarchal line, even though she loves him unconditionally. Then, when Kahu is eight years old, a pod of whales beach themselves on the shore of the village. This is taken as a very bad omen for the Maori because of their deep connection to whales. Kahu swims to them, gets on the back of the leader, and rides the whales back into the ocean. After this, she is finally accepted as the rightful heir to her tribe's cultural traditions. This is why I'm using it for my 37 Situations challenge under "Deliverance." She literally rescues the whales from death, but a subcategory of Deliverance is "a parent replaced on the throne by his children."

So that's all the same. Here's what's different. Instead of Kahu/Paikea telling us the story, the story switches between the perspective of her uncle and the perspective of the whale. While I loved hearing about the whales, I had a bit of a problem with this. Kahu doesn't really come off as a fully realized character. She's more symbolic. The book is more specific about Maori mythology, which I appreciated. Also, this book is very short. It's only about 140 pages. The movie just had a lot more happening.

I definitely enjoyed it, but this is one of the rare instances in which the movie is actually better.

77missrabbitmoon
Out 31, 2014, 12:48 am

52. Medea by Euripides

This is not my first experience with Greek plays. My college put on a production of Trojan Women. In ancient Greek. With no translation. And almost no lighting except from torches. And the actresses were instructed not to shave. It was quite an interesting experience. From what I heard from my friends in the acting department, the director was very eccentric. But this is my first experience reading a Greek play.

I didn't enjoy this. I found it aggressively misogynistic. Knowing what I know about Ancient Greek culture, and by the fact that Trojan Women was also aggressively misogynistic, I shouldn't be surprised.

78imyril
Nov 3, 2014, 7:08 am

>77 missrabbitmoon: you're absolutely right, Ancient Greek writing is not a good place to find balanced views on gender roles or equality! The production of The Trojan Women sounds like it must have enjoyed a very niche audience...

79missrabbitmoon
Nov 18, 2014, 5:08 pm

I'm interrupting my reviews so I can comment on my progress. I'm somewhat pleased with my reading speed, but the last book I read took longer than anticipated and I don't have a lot of time left. I haven't been listing all of the books I've acquired, but I've also purged a lot of my books recently. I decided that if I wasn't excited to read it than there was no point in keeping it.

Since I have 21 more books to go in order to reach my goal and only a month and a half left of time I need a plan. So here's what I'm doing: I'm going to prioritize short and/or quick reads. If it fits in with one of my two reading challenges, great. But I'm not prioritizing that. I'll continue with both challenges in next year's thread.

80imyril
Nov 19, 2014, 1:33 pm

>79 missrabbitmoon: I had a bit of a moment like this too - I suddenly realised it was mid November and there's no way I can hit all my remaining goals: at current reading speed, I need to read only female authors until the end of the year to achieve a 50/50 ratio for the year, which rules out finishing the Culture novels and my last SantaThing - and Donna Tartt, because her books are so damn long I won't get much else read ;)

Which is a bit sad, but on the flip side the books now jostling in my 2015 Challenge collection are incredibly inviting and promising. It will be a good year!

81Yells
Nov 25, 2014, 12:06 pm

I gave up on my goals this year (RL really got in the way this year) and now I am just enjoying the ride. Now, if I stay awake long enough to finish a book, it's a good day!

82missrabbitmoon
Dez 1, 2014, 4:23 pm

53. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Reading this was a wonderful way to spend Halloween. I also read this very quickly, so for those that are looking for quick reads that finish their yearly reading goal this one's a good one.

The story involves a teen named Jacob who grew up loving his grandfather's fantastic stories but has resigned himself to the idea that his life would be ordinary. Then his grandfather dies in a horrific way. In order to make sense of his cryptic last words Jacob goes to this orphanage he stayed at in Wales. I think I'll leave it at that. I didn't really know much about this book when I first started reading, and that's where part of the joy was.

One of the things that I did know beforehand was that Ransom Riggs has an obsession with old photographs, and he uses a lot of them to illustrate this book. I also knew that Riggs and John Green were college friends, and at one point in Green's Vlogbrothers youtube channel Riggs takes him to visit an abandoned hospital. So I definitely knew that this book was going to have a creepy vibe.

Overall, this book was immensely satisfying. The only thing that I didn't care for was that it was obviously set up for a sequel. I like my endings to be wrapped up a little bit more neatly.

83missrabbitmoon
Dez 1, 2014, 4:45 pm

54. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

There's a movie adaptation of this coming out and I'm not sure if I'll watch it. Not much happens in this book and while it was engrossing to read I'm not sure it'll be interesting to watch.

I suppose they'll spend a lot of time talking about the past drama of Cheryl's life that lead up to her hiking the Pacific Crest Trail by herself. Cheryl's life went into a downward spiral after the death of her mother. Her family split apart, she ruined her marriage, and she became a heroin addict. She decides to hike from the Mojave Desert to Portland, Oregon almost on a whim, but it starts her path towards healing.

You know, a lot of people talk about how funny this book is, but the whole time I was reading this not one laugh came out of my mouth. I was fascinated by her journey, but I struggled to empathize with her. Her experiences are a bit beyond me. I was also kind of annoyed with her. Almost throughout the entire book I was thinking, "For the love of god, will you break up with your gross druggie boyfriend already." (Presumably she does, since her current husband is not that guy, but you don't get the satisfaction of seeing it.)

Overall, it was very good and I enjoyed it but it was not absolutely fantastic.

84missrabbitmoon
Dez 1, 2014, 4:52 pm

55. Jazmin's Notebook by Nikki Grimes

This is a book that I've had since I was in middle school. It still holds up when I read it as an adult.

The book is about Jazmin, a black teenager living in Manhattan during the 1960s. She has dreams of being an author and living a life better than her tiny apartment with her older sister. Her beloved father is dead and her mother is an alcoholic in a mental hospital. This book is written like a journal and you really see this world through her eyes very well.

No one really mentions this book anymore, and that's a bit of a shame. It's a very short book and not much happens, but I still like it as much as I did as a kid.

85missrabbitmoon
Dez 1, 2014, 4:54 pm

56. Lords of Death and Life by Jonathon Dalton

A book that I picked up at Comic Con. I found the setting interesting (it takes place in pre-Spanish Mexico) but that was about it. I think it's a webcomic.

86missrabbitmoon
Dez 1, 2014, 4:55 pm

57. Modest Medusa Season 1 by Jake Richmond

Another Comic Con/webcomic find. It's an interesting idea, but it wasn't as cute as I had imagined it would be.

87missrabbitmoon
Dez 1, 2014, 5:19 pm

58. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

I always feel a little guilty when I'm not utterly thrilled by children's classics. After I finished this I felt exactly the same way as when I finished The Little Prince: underwhelmed and slightly annoyed.

This is a little strange because The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly (which I still think is the best book I've ever read) played in this same sandbox. They're both allegories about the meaning of life with animal characters. But while I loved Sprout, I never loved Jonathan.

There are three main reasons why I didn't love this book. 1) This book has an obsession with achieving perfection, and perfection isn't real. 2) Jonathan Livingston Seagull comes across as vaguely Jesus-y (I forget the exact sentence that made me think of that but when I found it I had a visceral "ugh" reaction). 3) There are no girl seagulls amongst the students.

Something tells me that I'm committing book lovers heresy.

88missrabbitmoon
Dez 1, 2014, 5:23 pm

59. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (The Graphic Novel Version) by L. Frank Baum

Because I didn't read the actual version, that might have impacted my enjoyment somewhat. Because mostly I just found this very repetitive. What I enjoyed most was finally having a context for all of the characters talked about in the Wicked series. Since I grew up only with the movie version, I kept thinking, "Who's this Boq guy? What are quadlings? What are they talking about?" Now I know.

89imyril
Editado: Dez 2, 2014, 10:04 am

>82 missrabbitmoon: I keep seeing Miss Peregrine in book shops and being tempted. Your fabulously spoiler-free review is making me even more tempted :)

>87 missrabbitmoon: Jonathan Livingstone Seagull has been on the family bookshelves for as long as I remember, and I've never picked it up (I never knew it was a children's book!) - it has recently emigrated to my bookshelves (my grandma was having an eviction session, trying to get rid of family books so she can fit her own on her shelves ;) so I feel obliged to have a read at some point. Can't say I'm keen though...

90Yells
Dez 2, 2014, 11:42 am

I love Miss Peregrine! Now you can read the sequel :)

91missrabbitmoon
Dez 12, 2014, 4:20 pm

89 imyril: Well, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull's status as a "kids book" is a bit questionable. It's sometimes characterized as that. I guess because all the characters are animals.

92missrabbitmoon
Dez 12, 2014, 4:22 pm

60. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Another one of my favorites from middle school that I decided to re-read. Basically, it's the journal of a teenage girl from England in the 1200s. I enjoyed this because despite the very well researched Middle Ages setting, it still felt like a teen's journal and I found that amusing. I long to use "Corpus bones!" in a sentence now.

93missrabbitmoon
Dez 12, 2014, 4:25 pm

61. Cursed Pirate Girl by Jeremy A. Bastian

Interesting premise for a graphic novel. I was having some problems with the art style though. I liked that the illustrator took some interesting liberties with the word balloons and the proportion of the characters, but for some reason my eyes had a hard time really looking at it. I suspect it might have something to do with a lack of different line widths, and the drawings were very elaborate so there were a lot of lines.

94missrabbitmoon
Dez 15, 2014, 3:31 pm

62. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Perhaps this is a case of unmet expectations. I didn't know much about this book before I picked it up other than it was a "quick read." I was expecting something more like King Dork. For some reason I had assumed that this book was just this fun YA novel about a misfit who learns how to find his place in school and learns about life and love and stuff. Instead, what I got was a very dark and intense book that was no fun at all. As a result, I did not finish it as quickly as I wanted. I feel a little bad because this actually is a good book, it just wasn't what I wanted to read at the time.

95imyril
Dez 17, 2014, 5:32 pm

>94 missrabbitmoon: I think that was more or less exactly my response to the movie.

96missrabbitmoon
Jan 1, 2015, 11:39 pm

Okay I didn't make it to 75. Only to 67. Which is still a good number but not THE number. And I failed miserably at not buying books. But it just steels me to do better next year. I'm going to still give little blurbs about the other books I read this year that I didn't write about yet, and then I'm going to link to next year's thread.

97missrabbitmoon
Jan 2, 2015, 12:59 am

63. The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder

I've actually seen a production of this at the college I went to. It was fantastic, and I'm not just saying that because a lot of my friends were in it. It was incredible to watch. Reading it, on the other hand, is a little trickier.

Maybe I should explain this play a little bit. It's very strange. The setting is very nebulous. It's a stereotypical 1940's suburban setting but it also takes place in prehistoric times and biblical times and...yeah, it's hard to explain. But basically the characters survive disasters and rebuild over and over again for all eternity. This play also breaks the fourth wall a lot, the actors break character and start talking to the audience as themselves. It's completely scripted. It was so funny when a theater critic who was not familiar with this play saw the production that my school put on and in his review he basically said that it was the most unprofessional performance he ever saw. Everyone had a hearty laugh at that.

The "in character" stuff was the same as I remembered it, but the "breaking character" dialogue was completely different from what I saw because the director reworked it for the actors she had. So most of the things that I remember laughing out loud at just laid there when I read it. I'm the type of person that can enjoy reading plays that I've never seen. I don't know if I would have appreciated this fully if I hadn't seen this first.

98missrabbitmoon
Jan 2, 2015, 1:08 am

64. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter

I loved this. I've read some of these before for various school assignments, but never the whole collection. Basically, this is a book of fairy tales, but it is definitely not for children. Or prudes.

Carter didn't really reimagine the tales in any significant way, she just retold them very well. I would say that the only thing that's really different is that the sexual and dark elements of all of the tales that are usually hidden under the surface are very obvious. Angela Carter's writing is very lush and sensual and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Let's put it this way: if you love the French Cinderella with the fairy godmother and the pumpkin carriage then you probably won't like this. If you love the German Cinderella in which the evil stepsisters get their eyes plucked out by birds at the end, then this is probably for you.

99missrabbitmoon
Jan 2, 2015, 1:11 am

65. The Private Lives of Trees by Alejandro Zambra

Ugh. I picked this up because it was short, and that's pretty much all it has going for it.

Well, that's not fair. The writing is actually very good. I just couldn't stand the "story." Basically, a guy is waiting for his wife to come home at night. She never does. The end.

I hate passive protagonists. They set my teeth on edge.

100missrabbitmoon
Jan 2, 2015, 1:39 am

66. Avatar The Last Airbender: The Rift Part 3 by Gene Luen Yang

Well, I said that I wasn't going to review this until I finished the trilogy, so here I am. This will probably not make any sense to anyone who is not a fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Fair warning.

So here's the story of The Rift, Aang gets distorted and distressed messages from Avatar Yangchen. He takes this to mean that he needs to bring back Yangchen's festival, an old Air Nomad holiday. He is dismayed to find that there is a factory on land once sacred to his people. And he soon finds out that there is an angry spirit who also has a problem with this. There is a secondary plot about Toph and the rift between her and her parents, and her and Aang.

I still don't like that these graphic novels take place a year after the events of the TV series. It didn't feel right during The Promise and it continues to be problematic. They were better off saying that it took place a few months later. In The Promise it was just a vague feeling that it didn't make sense. In this trilogy, I have a very specific instance in which it doesn't make sense. This factory that they visit have a few workers from the Southern Water tribe. One of them accuses Katara and Sokka of abandoning their homeland because they did not go back to help them after the war. And yet, I just don't understand how that's possible. Am I really supposed to believe that they didn't visit their family for two years? They didn't even attend Gram-Gram and Pakku's wedding? Come on, man. I'll admit that it's a minor point, but it did bother me. Especially since it wasn't really resolved in any way.

Another problem I have with this series is Toph. I didn't like her here. She's a really terrible friend to Aang. She attacks him at the end! Sokka is also a terrible friend here, but it's more of a problem for Toph because she was supposed to be the focus to a certain extent. I did not empathize with her at all.

All of this isn't to say that I didn't enjoy it. It's still an Avatar: The Last Airbender book. I'm enjoying the comics a hell of a lot more than The Legend of Korra.

So in the next series Zuko will be back (yay!), and so will Mai. I'm insanely excited about the last one. My biggest criticism of the graphic novels was how they jettisoned Mai. I assumed that she would be back, but I was really nervous that she wouldn't be. So I'm happy to see that she plays a big part in the next trilogy.

101missrabbitmoon
Jan 2, 2015, 2:29 am

67. Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

For my last book of 2014, I managed to find something that fit both of my reading challenges. Although it's never specifically stated that it takes place in Colombia, that seems to be the general assumption. And for my 37 Dramatic Situations challenge I'm using this for "Vengeance taken for kindred upon kindred," which is a little bit of a stretch but I'll explain why I did that.

The story is this: a strange man comes into town looking for a bride. He picks one and marries her in a very short amount of time. The night of the wedding he returns her back to her parents because she is not a virgin. The bride's brothers decide that in order to restore their sister's honor they have to kill the person she lost her virginity with. They do so. But as the story progresses it becomes clear that everyone in this town knew that the murder was going to happen beforehand, and were either too afraid or too apathetic to stopping it. This story is essentially about the morality of an entire community.

The thing about "vengeance taken for kindred upon kindred" is that everyone involved must be family. Traditionally, this type of dramatic scenario would be used in royal dramas (think Hamlet). So in that sense, this book would not be an obvious choice for that. But here's why I classify it in this way: this book is about this small town in which everyone has seemingly lived there forever and knows everyone else. This town feels like one big extended family. In fact, the murderers'/returned bride's aunt is the godmother of the murdered, so technically they are related albeit distantly and not by blood. This could have also been used for "erroneous judgment," but I didn't feel like that was as prevalent in the story.

This is my first Gabriel Garcia Marquez book. The writing is very good. I have some mixed feelings about the story, but I enjoyed it overall.

102missrabbitmoon
Jan 2, 2015, 2:34 am

Out of all the books I read this year, I would qualify these as the best:

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-Mi Hwang
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life by Twyla Tharp
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
The First True Lie by Marina Mander
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Hopeless Savages by Jen Van Meter
Kabuki: Metamorphosis by David Mack
True Grit by Charles Portis
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter

Well, that's the end of 2014! See you on my 2015 thread!