applebook1's reading list 2009

Just thought I would create a thread..first..
I wouldn't be able to finish any book after the finals anyway...:(

love your ticker
Welcome to the group. I look forward to reading your posts.

Welcome to the group! Good luck with finals . . .

Thanks for the welcome^^
Finals are over..and currently loving the winter break..
Starting the New Year lightly..

1. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey
rate: ***1/2

2. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
read it because of my sister's recommendation (she's 11)
quite enjoyed it..
rating: ****

3. East by Edith Pattou
based on a fairy tale that I like since my childhood
rating: ****1/2

Sounds like your reading year is off to a great start!

My daughter, Catey (fantasia655), just finished Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale and liked it a lot. I am thinking that Hale is an author I am going to have to try out.

I read that book as well and quite enjoyed it as well..
I might have to try the sequel to The Goose Girl after I finish reading Nicholas Nickleby

Oh I love fairy tales :) I'll be back to see what else you're reading in between studies -- or are you done?

ciao -- Susan

Susan, I am far from being done from my studies..since I am only a freshman..
I have a long way to go..
I really hope I can manage reading 75 books this year and do well at school..

piles of fairy tales at home might have to wait a bit longer...since I am still reading Nickleby...

Just make sure you do the homework first! lol Last time I was in school I was really sick, so sick in fact that whenever I could read I *had* to use that opportunity for textbooks. I really hated that!

Hope you plan to include your texts here -- they certainly qualify, if you read them ;->

It would have been more interesting last semester..when I was taking Conversation of the West: Antiquity and Renaissance class for my degree requirement class..I read from Bible (not everything) to Shakespeare's The Tempest...but this semseter, I am reading history textbook, math, and sciences......

Well, anyways, I finished reading Nicholas Nickleby
4. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
rating: *****
not the best Dickens that I read, but still wonderful^^

hi applebook - just nipped over from, hmmm, not sure whose thread now i think of it... i'm currently reading nicholas nickleby - i'd be very interested if you had any further thoughts on it? ...and am also a big fan of fairy tales, so if you have any recommendations...

>Flissp: I've got 2 "rock & roll fairy tales" by Jane Yolen sitting here (lol). I haven't read them yet, but they look entertaining! They're called Pay the Piper and Troll Bridge. Downstairs, I have The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey (a retelling of 'The Arabian Nights') and I know there are a number of other re-told fairy tales in that series, all by different authors. Have you read Just Ella and/or Ella Enchanted? I love Gail Carson Levine's fairy tales, they're a lot of fun. :)

>9 applebook1:: If you can manage 75 books while at school, kudos to you!!! I couldn't have done it while I was at Uni, there was just too much else going on. Then again, if I'd counted all the books I'd read to write my papers... o_O

Oh no! That's a whole lot of stuff I haven't read - you'll have to tell me what you think of the ones you haven't read yet. Nope, not read the Ella books - saw the film though - does it bear any relation?

>14 flissp:: Yes, the film was based on the book and I thought they did a very good job of it! Naturally, the book is better, of course. :) You can browse through my library for a number of other fairy tale books by Levine, if you're interested! I'll keep you posted on the Yolen books :D

flissp: Just checked this post since I still didn't finish my Tolstoy yet...
Just like you, I enjoyed reading Nickleby but..not as much as either Bleak House or Hard Times...Since I haven't read Edwin Droood yet..can't comment on that part..(has been sitting on my TBR pile for some time....)

Regarding fairy tales..
East that I have read earlier this month is, as I've said, is based on a (Norwegeian..have I spelled that correctly? hmm...) fairy tale..."East of the Sun West of the Moon" I loved the characters...and although I knew the whole story, I couldn't keep my eyes off from the book (that was possible since it was during winter break)

I think Mercedes Lackey has written lots of fairy tale retolds..
I've only read one book of hers, so can't say much about her...writing style..
and I read several books by Levine (recomended by my younger sister), and she is worth the read..
Shannon Hale is quite brilliant as well...

dk_phoenix: very likely to read piles of books during summer (starting mid-May) and winter break but still planning to read when I can manage...because I can't live without reading books...^^;
But...not very likely to tackle lengthy books such as Bleak House or Nickleby as I have done while I am at school....
Hopefully...I can read 75 books this year.... :)

Ooh, i loved 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon' when I was at school - I'm going to look that one up...

Re Edwin Drood, I really enjoyed it, but the problem is that just as things get going, Dickens died...

flissp: I know...that's why I hesitate to read it...

#18 definitely still worth it though...

although i should add that if you don't know what happens and you have the penguin classics edition, some of the notes give pretty big spoilers, as they assume you already know what happens...

flissp: I think...I have that edition at home...
Oh dear;;;

By the way, are you enjoying Nickleby?

This is definitely a university read...
I guess you'll know right away what class I'm taking (one of the degree requirements...)

5. Byzantium by Rowena Loverance
short book regarding history of Byzantium

still working on Resurrection...

#20 hi, yep, i am enjoying Nickleby, although less so than the only 2 other Dickens I've read (Edwin Drood and Bleak House) - it's making me giggle away, but the central characters are somehow less sympathetic for me anyway. I'm taking quite a while to get through it though, mostly because I keep getting distracted by other books!

Re the Penguin Edwin Drood edition - despite the spoilers, they do have quite a bit of interesting extra info, so I suppose it all balances out! ;)

6. Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy
rate: *****

Finally finished reading it..
was only glad that I could understand this better than when I did last time~

#21: I'll definitely read it..eventually..

Hi! Just wanted to say thanks for the East/North Child recommendation - very much enjoyed it!

I'm glad you enjoyed it flissp^^

7. The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton
rate: ****1/2

this is one of the few books that I absolutely despise the heroine (in this case, Undine Spragg)

apparently..spring break is here..

8. A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
rate: ****
very light-reading,non-stressful material

9. Magic Bite by Ilona Andrews
rate: ***
urban fantasy,,,not the best I've read yet..

#26: I have not yet read that one by Ibbotson, so I will give it a try. Thanks for the mention.

I agree with you about Andrews' book.

alcottacre: A Coutress Below Stais is worth the read..
The ending is quite obvious though..don't say I didn't warn you...

Anways..
10. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
rate: ****1/2
I do love strong heroines (who doesn't need 'knights in shiny armor')
I quite enjoyed it..
If you enjoyed Tamora Pierce..you are very likely to enjoy this one as well.. :)

11. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
rate: ****

12. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
rate: ****

considering that I don't like urban fantasy much, these two were quite interesting..and quite difficult to put down..
fast-paced..
much better than Andrews' book anyways..

now that my school is about to start..update of my reading list will get painfully slow...until May..

Good luck with school, apple!

Thank you very much alcottacre^^

13. Timeline by Michael Crichton
rate: ***1/2

quite predictable as it got to the ending..but I enjoyed reading it..

You're probably right about the Ilona Andrews books - but I did quite enjoy reading them - mostly because they were so ridiculous! So many cliches - love it!

Have fun at school...

regarding Ilona Andrews...maybe I shouldn't have expected too much..
oh well...

just few more weeks..until May...then I'll start reading for pleasure again :)
need to read...need to breathe...

#34 No, you're quite right, they were rubbish - just the kind of rubbish I enjoy occasionally!

...nearly May ;)

Few more weeks..and I'll read at least five books without stopping..
can't wait for May 9th to come (the day I go back to my home)
I guess I can't put my 'biology' textbook as one of the 'books' that I read since I started it on..September.. ;) (chem shouldn't count since my prof. didn't go over all the chapters...)

#35 well..at least she made me laugh from time to time..(explaining my somewhat generous rating...)

I'm finally home..
Now..all I need to do is..catching up...

14. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
rate: **** 1/2
15. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
rate: **** 1/2

Olympian gods in modern world.. (reminds me little of Eyre Affair)
it's hard to put down once you start it..
currently working on third book of the series...

Welcome home!

(I am up to the 3rd book in the Percy Jackson series, too. I am really enjoying the series!)

and a 2nd welcome home from me! Not heard of 13 & 14, but sound like my kind of thing...

Hi, applebook1,
The Riordon books sound wonderful. I have put them on my want list.
Best of luck with school.

I just picked up book #4, Battle of the Labyrinth, this past weekend... soooo excited to read it!!!

thanks for the warm welcome^^
If you like fantasy and light reading..I'm sure you are going to like it :)

16. The Titan's Curse
17. The Battle of the Labyrinth
18. The Last Olympian
all three by Rich Riordan
rate: **** 1/2

interest level does not diminish as you go through the series..
they are all equally interesting (in my humble point of view.. :)

19. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
rate: *** 1/2
nice enough collection of short stories..
enjoyed commentary more than the story itself...

20. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
rate: ****

nice light-reading material..

21. Rising of the Evening Star (Fablehaven) by Brandon Mull
rate: ****

22. Grip of the Shadow Plague (Fablehaven series 3) by Brandon Mull
rate: ****

I have the first Fablehaven book home from the library. Good to see that the others in the series are worth reading too.

Others in the series are worth reading..
just finished reading the fourth book of the series actually..
and now..I need to wait for the fifth book..

23. Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull
rate: ****
much more actions and twists than other series but maybe that was to be expected..

24. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
rate: ****

enjoyed more than I thought I would..

#47: Looks like one I would enjoy. I will add it to the Continent.

#47 I never knew that was a book! Will have to find it!

#48, 49
If you like fantasy..I'm sure you are going to like it :)

25. Magyk by Angie Sage
rate: ****
fast-paced with little bit of twists here and there

26. Flyte by Angie Sage
rate: ****

27. Physik by Angie Sage
rate: ****

28. Queste by Angie Sage
rate: ****

29. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
rate: *** 1/2

so-so..
maybe I expected a little bit much

30. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
rate: ****

quite funny.. :)

Some good reading there! I have read all of the Septimus Heape books and enjoyed them, too and Cold Comfort Farm is just a hoot.

#55: I know..I really enjoyed all of the Septimus Heape books and Cold Comfort Farm.. :)

31. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
rate: ****

didn't really know what was going on at first..but began to enjoy it little later

Hi apple, your thread in another that I seem to have unintentionally neglected all year. But now I have you starred and will visit again. Many of your books are new to me and I have added them to my wish list. Enjoy your summer reads.

#57: I hope you enjoy them as much as I had Carmenere,
I hope your reading goes well^^

32. Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
rate: ****

33. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
rate: ****

this is my first time reading these..and I quite enjoyed it.. :)

34. The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
rate: ****
I love her humors :)

35. The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
rate: ****
made me laugh a lot while I was reading this..

Sounds like you have had some fun reading lately!

yes..oh I do enjoy my summer break :)
I should do most of my reading before I get any busier..all with internship-searching and all;;

well anyways..

36. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
rate: ****
finally managed to read this.. looking forward to read the sequels..when my mother orders them :)

37. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
rate: *** 1/2
well..not the book that I am going to pick when I'm slightly stressed out..
rather pick Persuasion but..maybe that's just me..

38. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
rate: ****
very funny.. enjoyed it immensely :)

39. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
rate: ****
reminded me of Alice in Wonderland a bit..
began to enjoy after I progressed a bit though..

40. The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison
rate: ***1/2
fairy tale retold of Beauty and the Beast

41. Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
rate: ****
character of Benevolences improves considerably at the last part..

42. Chalice by Robin McKinley
rate: ****

Some nice recent reads! I have Chalice around my house somewhere and will eventually get to it . . . I hope!

Do you plan to read the rest of the Hitchhiker's Guide series as well? :)

#64: I'm quite sure you are going to like it...once you read it...I hope :)
#65: I'm planning to read book 2 of the series.. :)

43. Keturah and Lord Death byMartine Leavitt
rate: ****

44. A Posse of Princesses by Sherwood Smith
rate: ****

45. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
rate: **** 1/2

46. Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle
rate: *** 1/2
so-so
maybe expected a little bit too much..

47. Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
rate: **** 1/2
just wish he finished it...

#67: I agree completely about Edwin Drood!

ditto!!

Well, there's always Drood if you want to know the whole story! 8^}

48. The Big over Easy by Jasper Fforde
rate: ****

49. The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde
rate: **** 1/2

50. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
rate: ****

#71: I have not read that particular series by Fforde, although I am a big fan of the Thursday Next series. I think I had better check into these. From your ratings, it looks like you enjoyed them quite a bit.

#72. I enjoyed them..although The Big Over Easy starts quite slowly.. I'm sure you will like them :)

51. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
rate: ****

52. Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chavelier
rate: ****

53. Lisa and Lottie by Erich Kastner
rate: ****

I enjoyed reading Kastner for light reading - from time to time..

need to confess..though..that I read this in Korean :)

54. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
rate: *** 1/2
got quite..tired by the heroine...

55. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
rate: ****
very funny

56. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
rate: ****

57. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
rate: ****

58. Specials by Scott Westerfeld
rate: ****

I'm a fan of the Uglies series, have you read his Midnighters trilogy which is quite different?
You have read some really great YA books so far this year, I love looking at lists like yours to get some ideas for reading more YA fantasy.
I had to read Vanity Fair for school years ago and I loved it at the time, I think I was the only one in my class to like it at all!

#77: I haven't read his Midnighters trilogy yet..
I shall have to try it..some time later.. :)
well..I love reading YA books..they are quite light to read..and I enjoy reading them...

59. The Pfaffling Family by Agnes Sapper
rate: **** 1/2
-don't really know the English title....read it in Korean edition...

60. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
rate: **** 1/2
-re-read of course..and I liked it :)

61. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
rate: **** 1/2

62. Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett
rate: **** 1/2

few of my all time favorite reads

63. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
rate: **** 1/2

64. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
rate: **** 1/2

65. Jo's Boysby Louisa May Alcott
rate: **** 1/2

had a sudden wish to read works of Alcott..

I love Alcott's books - Little Women is still a favorite of mine.

#81 It is one of mine as well :)

66. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

67. Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

68. The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde

quite light, fast-paced...
it's hard to put it down...

69. Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde

70. First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
rate: ****

Bit of a Jasper Fforde fest there! Have you read the Jack Spratt books too?

#84 yes I did :)
loved those as well

71. Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
rate: ****

72. House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
rate: ****

didn't really expect much when I read this two..but turned out that I liked them..what a pleasant surprise :)

--
school is about to start..and my reading progress is going to seriously slow down..

ahhhh, Diana Wynne Jones has a very special place in my heart ;)

#86
me too :)
she is very special :)

73. Neuromancer by William Gibson
rate: *** 1/2

finally finished this..although it wasn't long..
it's so hard to read for pleasure when I'm at school.. *sigh*

As for Neuromancer..maybe I expected a little bit too much..
some parts were interesting though..I admit..

74. Eight Cousins

75. Rose in Bloom

both by Louisa May Alcott, w/ rate: ****1/2
maybe my tastes are a bit old-fashioned..

#88: I like them too, so I can join in the 'old-fashioned' club

#88--I've loved those stories since I was first introduced them in the second grade! I'll second old-fashioned tastes!

I see.. :)
well...it's a bit hard not to like those books in my opinion...

anyways...
just read Biya Han's essay "It was Love" (this is a Korean book..... by the way..)

and am currently reading Ambassadors by Henry James very very slowly..

so hard to dedicate some time to read when I have tons of school work to do *sigh*

77. Ambassadors by Henry James
rate: ***1/2
finally..

I do hope you will be joining us for the 2010 challenge. The group is up and running!

Congrats!

Thank you :)