bell7's 1010 Challenge

Discussão1010 Category Challenge

Aderi ao LibraryThing para poder publicar.

bell7's 1010 Challenge

Este tópico está presentemente marcado como "adormecido"—a última mensagem tem mais de 90 dias. Pode acordar o tópico publicando uma resposta.

1bell7
Editado: Set 3, 2010, 9:19 pm

I'll be beginning my challenge with books I finish on or before January 1, 2010. I'm going to start with a doable challenge of eight books per category, but will revisit that sometime during the year if I'm speeding along.

Here are my categories for 2010:

1. "Library" books - stories involving libraries, librarians, etc.
2. Keep it Short - short story collections
3. Elves, Dragons, and Princes, oh my! - fantasy
4. Too Young for Me? - children's and YA
5. Out of the Box Fiction - genreblending, genrebending, and new-to-me genres
6. But they MADE me read it - LT/RL Recommendations, LTER, etc.
7. Dewey Decimal Challenge - nonfiction for any Dewey number I haven't yet read this year
8. Author Revisits - books I haven't read by authors I have
9. 8-9-10 - books published in 2008, 2009, or 2010
10. The Everything Drawer - overflow, whims, and just about anything else that doesn't otherwise fit
BONUS CATEGORY 11. Global Reading - an overlap category of ten books originally printed in a language other than English written by an author and set in a country outside the US.

I'll be posting a short review and a rating of each book as I read it. I know everyone rates a little differently, so here's what I mean when I say:

1 star - hated it
2 stars - didn't like it
2.5 stars - I really don't know if I liked it or not
3 stars - sort of liked it, I guess; or didn't, but admired something about it despite not liking it
4 stars - I liked it, maybe with some flaws or just not in the right mood to absolutely love it; probably wouldn't reread it unless it's part of a series
4.5 stars - excellent, perhaps a flaw or two, but ultimately a satisfying read, and may or may not be a reread (most of my reads go here)
5 stars - I adore this book OR I would definitely reread this OR Wow. Just...wow

My ratings aren't meant as a judgment of what I thought the innate worth of a book was. Everyone's taste is so personal, and even what I love (or hate) depends on mood, on what I read last, on my life at this moment and a myriad of other things. So I rate a book solely on what I thought upon finishing it. I love discussing the books I read, so feel free to post with comments, discussion, recommendations, etc.

Just for fun, I've decided to track both the number of books and the number of pages I read in 2010:




I've taken out the number of pages because I forgot to add a few books' worth of page numbers and between that and the audiobooks I was listening to, it was hopelessly inaccurate.

The books read counter is only for books that are counted towards my challenge. If you're interested in the other books I've been reading, check out my 75 Books Challenge Thread

2bell7
Editado: Nov 18, 2010, 9:07 am

Books about books/libraries/librarians (fiction and nonfiction)*:

1. This Book is Overdue by Marilyn Johnson (3/29/10)
2. Book Lust by Nancy Pearl (6/8/10)
3. The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel (9/3/10)
4. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett (10/7/10)
5. Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian by Avi Steinberg (11/17/10)
6.
7.
8.

Possibilities:
A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter Miller
Codex by Lev Grossman
Codex Regius by Arnaldur Indridason
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox
The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom
The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton

*Note: I've expanded this category from libraries to libraries AND books, so that I will, um, read books that fit. :)

3bell7
Editado: Set 22, 2010, 10:47 pm

Keep it Short:

1. Ford County: stories by John Grisham (1/16/10)
2. Steampunk edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer (4/28/10)
3. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman (6/16/10)
4. The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke (6/30/10)
5. The Rose and the Beast by Francesca Lia Block (9/22/10)
6.
7.
8.

Possibilities:
something by Jorge Luis Borges
something by O. Henry
The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (also overlaps w/my Books Off the Shelf challenge)
Homesick: new and selected stories by Lucia Berlin
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

4bell7
Editado: Maio 10, 2010, 5:53 pm

Elves, Dragons, and Princes, oh my!

1. Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta (3/7/10)
2. Spellwright by Blake Charlton (3/13/10)
3. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (3/24/10)
4. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (3/26/10)
5. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (3/27/10)
6. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore (4/5/10)
7. The Last Knight by Hilari Bell (4/29/10)
8.

Possibilities - Arthur and the Minimoys by Luc Besson

5bell7
Editado: Maio 2, 2010, 2:21 pm

Too young for me:

1. ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor (1/22/10)
2. Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman (2/27/10)
3. Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland (3/1/10)
4. The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry (3/16/10)
5. Fifteen by Beverly Cleary (3/22/10)
6. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart (audio - 4/10/10)
7. Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta (4/28/10)*
8. Player's Ruse by Hilari Bell (5/2/10)

Global/in translation read for this category - Australian author

6bell7
Editado: Set 9, 2010, 8:49 am

Out of the Box:

1. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (sf/satire - 1/30/10)
2. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (steampunk/zombies - 2/7/10)
3. Soulless by Gail Carriger (fantasy/steampunk/paranormal romance - 3/24/10)
4. The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers (literary dinosaurs - 5/9/10)*
5. Terrier by Tamora Pierce (fantasy/police procedural - 7/5/10)
6. Blameless by Gail Carriger (fantasy/steampunk/paranormal - 9/8/10)
7.
8.

Possibilities:
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow (novels in verse/werewolves)
Fool Moon by Jim Butcher (and the other Dresden books)
Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce (fantasy/police procedural)
Year of the Horse by Justin Allen (fantasy/western)

*Global reads overlap - translated from German

7bell7
Editado: Set 17, 2010, 7:23 pm

But they MADE me read it:

1. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky* (2/3/10) - friend recommended
2. The Hunt for the Eye of Ogin by Patrick Doud (2/18/10) - LTER
3. The Secret to Lying by Todd Mitchell (3/8/10) - LTER
4. Still Life by Louise Penny (5/8/10) - co-worker and LT people recommended
5. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (5/20/10) - Monthly Author Read
6. Juliet by Anne Fortier (5/26/10) - LTER
7. The Quickening by Michelle Hoover (6/22/10) - LTER
8. Displaced Persons by Ghita Schwarz (9/17/10) - LTER

*Global/in translation read for this category - Russia

8bell7
Editado: Out 27, 2010, 12:10 pm

Dewey Decimal Challenge:

1. The Ends of the Earth: An Anthology of the Finest Writing on the Arctic and the Antarctic edited by Elizabeth Kolbert and Francis (998 - 2/25/10)
2. The Lexicographer's Dilemma by Jack Lynch (423 - 4/15/10)
3. Raising Bookworms by Emma Walton Hamilton (372 - 5/17/10)
4. Barefoot in Baghdad by Manal Omar (305 - 10/26/10)
5.
6.
7.
8.

Author Revisits:

1. Blackout by Connie Willis (2/10/10)
2. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (3/5/10)
3. A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner (3/30/10)
4. The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice by Wilkie Collins (4/17/10)
5. Changeless by Gail Carriger (4/19/10)
6. Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones (4/21/10)
7. Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers (5/12/10)
8. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (6/9/10)*

*Global/in translation read for this category (translated from Spanish, though I think it's set in England)

9bell7
Editado: Jul 31, 2010, 6:58 pm

8-9-10 (Published):

1. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel* (pub. 2009 - 1/14/10)
2. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (pub. 2010 - 3/20/10)
3. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann (pub. 2009 - 4/5/10)
4. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson (pub. 2010 - 4/10/10)
5. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (pub. in US 2010 - 5/18/10)
6. Strokes of Genius by L. Jon Wertheim (pub. 2009 - 6/26/10)
7. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny (pub. 2009 - 7/8/10)
8. Shiver by Maggie Stefvater (pub. 2009 - 07/30/10)

*Global/in translation - English author/setting

10bell7
Editado: Jun 25, 2010, 8:30 pm

The Everything Drawer:

1. Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer (2/19/10)
2. Emma by Jane Austen (audio - 2/21/10)
3. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers (3/11/10)
4. Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey (4/3/10)
5. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (5/3/10)
6. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (5/31/10)*
7. The Sheepfarmer's Daughter by Elizabeth Moon (6/4/10)
8. The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny (6/25/10)

Global/in translation - Canada

11GingerbreadMan
Ago 23, 2009, 2:06 am

Great categories! This will be a very interesting thread to follow indeed. Love your librarian and genre mixing categories.

12bell7
Ago 23, 2009, 1:49 pm

Thanks, GingerbreadMan. I think I have a pretty good balance of categories that I would choose to read anyways (fantasy, YA) and those that would stretch my reading more (recommendations, genreblending). It's hard keeping it down to only 10 categories - I want to have rereads, and classics, and.... but these are also general enough that I should be able to fit those in still. :-) I'll look forward to seeing what you read too!

13AHS-Wolfy
Ago 23, 2009, 2:03 pm

Will be looking forward to how you fill your categories. Have you any idea's yet or is it a case of wait and see?

14bell7
Ago 23, 2009, 6:07 pm

I might start filling in recommendations just so that I don't forget titles. Also, if I like Storm Front (the first book in the Dresden Files which I have out from the library now), I expect that some of those titles will find their way into the "genreblending" category. Other than that, as I did for the 999 Challenge, I will plan only so far as the books I check out of the library and start listing books when I start reading them. I like wiggle room and serendipity in my reading. :-) How about you, are you filling categories now or waiting 'til later?

15AHS-Wolfy
Ago 24, 2009, 3:38 am

I've filled stuff in that I have on my TBR pile (I designed most of my categories to fit in as many of those that I could) but left spaces in most of the groups so I can add what I want later. With my 999 challenge though I have been swapping out the odd title here and there when I find something I want to read more so I'll probably do the same this time around.

16GingerbreadMan
Ago 24, 2009, 4:07 am

Committing to titles seemed to be a good way to actually reduce the TBR mountain range, so that's my main reason for doing it. I'm guessing I'll leave my categories "re-read", "Thrown my way" (recommendations/work-related) and "The rest" mostly open even as I enter 2010, to give some room for flexibility and impulse.

17bell7
Editado: Ago 24, 2009, 10:12 am

mmm...yes, the TBR mountain range is a good name for it! I have a few categories in my second 999 challenge to attempt to tackle many of the 66 books I own and haven't read. What I call my mental TBR longlist (as opposed to the shortlist of library books checked out at any given moment) is hundreds of books long and seems to grow the more I read. All the books I read are on the longlist in some fashion or another, the question is for how long - years or mere seconds? I daresay my approach to reading in general and the challenges is this way partly because I tend to read books borrowed from the library rather than books I own.

ETA: I've inserted a few titles in the "made me read" category, though like my "Recommendations" for 999 I will probably swap titles depending on what else gets recommended or what Early Reviewer books come my way.

18clfisha
Set 3, 2009, 8:37 am

Hi, just I am just going through threads and seeing what's what. Love the out of the box category, cant wait to see how you fill it.

19bell7
Set 3, 2009, 10:17 pm

thanks, clfisha. I like to try genres outside my usual from time to time and thought a "genreblending" category might be fun for those books that don't fit in just one.

20bella_lee
Set 9, 2009, 7:46 pm

I love your 8-9-10 category. I have a heap of books that are recent releases that I want to read.

21bell7
Set 9, 2009, 11:26 pm

Hi Bella - I'm hoping that it will help me keep up-to-date on new releases coming into the library where I work (and, let's be honest, some impulse reads from the new books' shelves) as well as giving me a nice balance between new authors/books and older ones (in author revisits). Have you decided on categories for next year, or are you still thinking about them?

22bella_lee
Editado: Set 9, 2009, 11:50 pm

I'm still deciding. I think I have most of them. There are a heap of books in my TBR that will automatically go into this challenge! I didn't do the 999 but the 1010 sounds awesome, so I just have to join.

23GoofyOcean110
Set 11, 2009, 11:21 am

fun categories, and I like the titles!

24bell7
Set 19, 2009, 3:57 pm

bella, looking forward to seeing what you're reading - I see you're starting in October, so I'll have to follow your thread.

Thanks, bfertig! I like your categories too, especially (in)definite articles.

25divinenanny
Editado: Out 7, 2009, 6:08 am

Saw your categories in the 1010 category compiler thread, and will be following to see what you will fill up your Library/Librarians category up with. As a person who works in a Library, I always love those books. If you need rec's, let me know ;)

ETA: Oh, and I love your serendipity statement, that is probably how I am going to do it too. Fill it up with some TBR's, but otherwise just go with the flow...

26bell7
Out 7, 2009, 11:58 am

Hi divinenanny, thanks for stopping by! I would love recommendations for my library/librarian category (or any other for that matter) - I have not read much of anything that would fit, I just happened to see a book returned one day (I work in a library too) and thought it would be a fun topical category to have. I've kind of had a few cozy mystery series involving librarians on the edge of my radar, but am not particularly familiar with any titles in particular.

27divinenanny
Out 8, 2009, 3:38 am

From memory, the books I know that have libraries/librarians:

The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel - Non-fiction, Manguel's musings about books, libraries and readers, in history and now, public and private.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - Adventure novel about Dracula. I remember the library of Amsterdam University is involved, and also books are a heavily featured subject, but it has been a long while since I read this book (it is in my 101010 reread category).

Codex by Lev Grossman - Is about a guy who is hired to catalog a private library and then an adventure starts concerning the codex in the title, where one party wants it hidden, and the other wants it found.

Codex Regius - Arnaldur Indridason - If you can find this book (I have it in Dutch), it is about the Edda, and how a couple of pages are lost, but in the background it is about Denmark returning the Edda to Iceland.

The name of the Rose - Umberto Eco - Of course this classic mystery features a thirteenth century monastery Library and its keepers quite heavily.

And of course, you could always search by tags... ;)

28tymfos
Out 8, 2009, 7:58 am

Hi! I'm just exploring the threads on this challenge, and I think I'll put a star on yours -- I like your categories!

I, too, tend to neglect the books on my own bookshelves and read things I bring home from the library. Working with all those books day after day, there's always something I see that I want to read. And then people keep providing more recommendations. . . :)

29bell7
Out 8, 2009, 9:40 am

>27 divinenanny: divinenanny, thanks for the recommendations! The only one I've read so far is The Historian, which my cousin recommended to me as a not-too-scary horror novel. I really enjoyed the historical/research aspect of it.

>28 tymfos: tymfos, thanks for stopping by! I have exactly the same joy/problem working at the library. There are always more books I want to read now and eventually...yet the alternative of buying all these books I would rather severely cut into my income and space, so it's nice to be able to read all these books for free and then decide if I like them enough to want them easily accessible for a reread. :-)

30auntmarge64
Out 8, 2009, 10:29 am

Just saw your "number of pages" ticker. A very satisfying idea for us collectors (and certainly we all are who join a challenge like this one).

31bell7
Out 8, 2009, 2:37 pm

Thanks, auntmarge! I'll be adding a "number of books" later in the year, but wanted to have a better idea of the total before I made one. :-)

32divinenanny
Out 8, 2009, 2:52 pm

#29, you're welcome, I hope it helps a bit :D

I am lucky/unlucky, I work in a (national) library, but not with the books. So all I see are filled shelves, but we cannot borrow non-fiction, so I am safe... or not, now I am buying and buying!

33callen610
Out 12, 2009, 10:17 pm

You might want to try A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller for your library category. I'm reading it now and it's quite good!

34auntmarge64
Out 12, 2009, 10:39 pm

>33 callen610:

A Canticle for Leibowitz is a wonderful book! I'd forgotten about the library connection.

35divinenanny
Out 13, 2009, 1:55 am

#33, #34 Oh yeah, absolutely. And there are some great quotes in there about the value of books and libraries. A highly recommended book!

36kristenn
Out 13, 2009, 9:12 am

I don't usually read much dystopian fiction but I read A Canticle for Leibowitz last year specifically because it kept coming up in articles at work (I'm also a librarian).

Enjoyed it very much.

37bell7
Out 13, 2009, 11:27 am

Thanks callen (and all of you chiming in with seconds and thirds) for the recommendation. With all of you so enjoying it, I'll definitely have to keep A Canticle for Leibowitz in mind.

38bell7
Jan 8, 2010, 8:51 pm

Well, here goes...starting off the new year with Wolf Hall and The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis Vol. 1.

39divinenanny
Jan 9, 2010, 5:11 am

Enjoy Wolf Hall, it took me some time to get used to the writing style, but I loved the book!

40bell7
Jan 14, 2010, 3:35 pm

1. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Category: Published in 2008/9/10

In England in the 1530s, politics and religion are inextricable, and King Henry is attempting to divorce his first wife, Katherine, in order to marry the woman he loves, Anne Boleyn, with or without the permission of the Pope. Thomas Cromwell, the son of a blacksmith, becomes Henry VIII's chief adviser through his own cunning and ingenuity in tumultuous times. We see most of the story through Cromwell's point of view, though the writing is in third person. There are so many characters, especially men, that it is easy to get confused with the Thomases and Henrys, but the list of characters at the beginning is extremely helpful for sorting everyone out, and I managed to get on well once I discovered that any "he" with no clear antecedent generally refers to Cromwell.

The story is extremely well-crafted, written in present tense, repeating certain phrases and highlighting the metaphor of wolves with the title. Besides being the actual home of the Seymours, Wolf Hall aptly describes King Henry VIII's court and his counselors vying for power: "The saying comes to him, homo homini lupus, man is wolf to man" (468) sums up the constant political machinations, infighting and backbiting that's going on throughout the story. Indeed, I found most of the characters, except perhaps Gregory Cromwell, unlikeable and felt that Cromwell was - purposely but frustratingly - a bit of an enigma. As the best historical fiction does, Wolf Hall gave me more detailed information than a mere high school textbook about a particular period and interested me in learning more. I only wish that the author's note gave more detail about background sources that I could go to next, and where she either reinterpreted or took liberties with the historical record. The present-tense narration takes some getting used to. I found it distracting, particularly in one chapter that covered about nine years in such away that left me a little confused about the chronological order of events. But at the same time, I cannot fault the author for her choice, because it leaves the reader with a sense of immediacy - all this may have happened 400 years ago, but you are there with the characters, traveling as they do through their choices and compelled to read on to find out what happens next. 4 stars.

41ivyd
Jan 15, 2010, 12:26 pm

>40 bell7: Thanks for the great review, Bell! I keep hearing about this book, and based on your review, it goes onto my wishlist!

42GingerbreadMan
Jan 15, 2010, 3:48 pm

Solid review! Might have to do a "historical fiction" category next year. It's a genre I almost never venture into.

Just struck me that practically anything by Borges' would fit your library category. And if you by the oddest coincidence should have happened to miss Ex libris, that's a wonderful book! Libraries also plays an integral part in both The meaning of night (which I thought was so-so, but which many other LT:ers seem to love) and The thirteenth tale. The latter is well worth checking out!

43bell7
Jan 15, 2010, 11:46 pm

>ivyd, hope you enjoy it! It's nice to know I'm adding to others' TBR piles almost as much as you all add to mine. ;-)

>GingerbreadMan - thanks! I enjoy historical fiction for taking me to a different time and place and learning some of the details and intricacies that a general history textbook can't give you. I may look into Borges as he would also fit into my short stories category nicely, as well as the overlap category of works in translation. I have indeed read Ex Libris - for the second time only a few weeks ago - and it's one of my absolute favorites. I have not read The Meaning of Night, but the info from the work page looks intriguing, so I'll keep it in mind. Thanks! Oh The Thirteenth Tale! That was one of my favorite reads from a couple of years ago, and a few people mentioned it when I read The Woman in White last year. Maybe it's time for a reread...

44bell7
Jan 18, 2010, 9:50 am

2. Ford County: stories by John Grisham
Category: Short Stories

I just want to start of saying that this is more about me than the book. I don't want to give you the impression that, though I really didn't like it, this is a bad book by any means. As other reviewers have said, these are "slice of life" stories all set in the same county as some of John Grisham's previous titles, and though I didn't recognize any of the characters, more thorough readers of his oeuvre probably will. It's different from his usual fare: there are several lawyers in Ford County that make an appearance, but courtroom dramas and legal thrillers are not really a part of these tales. It's much more about the characters simply living out their lives.

Basically, however, I dreaded picking up the book. Ford County is a pretty depressing, impoverished place as described in these stories, and the characters are depressing too. There were only a few with whom I sympathized, and even fewer that I actually liked. None of the stories were particularly hopeful, so reading it generally put me in a bad mood.

Why then did I finish it? Why give it any stars at all? Well, as I told you, this is more about me. I generally have no problem putting down a book I dislike or even one that I would enjoy in a different mood - no use putting myself through it when there are so many other great books out there that I want to read now. But before finishing this book, I had already abandoned two books and only finished one, and I was determined not to start of the year with a 3:1 abandoned to finished ratio. Added to that, I reached page fifty (the place where I would normally abandon a book that is not working for me) in the second story, "Fetching Raymond" which was just as depressing as the others but also managed to make me care about characters that I didn't like - and that's saying something. It's because of that story and the fact that I appreciate Grisham trying something new - and doing so decently well, even if not to my taste - that I'm giving the book two stars.

45bell7
Jan 18, 2010, 10:26 am

>42 GingerbreadMan: GingerbreadMan, perhaps I should have asked this before, but it only just occurred to me when I was playing with tagmashes - did you mean Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman or Ex-libris by Ross King?

46thornton37814
Jan 18, 2010, 2:28 pm

>44 bell7: I didn't like the book that well either, as you could probably tell from my review if you saw it when you posted yours.

47GingerbreadMan
Jan 18, 2010, 3:48 pm

45 Fadiman's! Never heard of Ross King or his book.

48bell7
Jan 18, 2010, 6:30 pm

>46 thornton37814: thornton, yeah, it wasn't my cup of tea either, but that's OK. I'm reading ArchEnemy now, which is much more to my taste.

>47 GingerbreadMan: GingerbreadMan, alright, then I did read it (and I absolutely love it). I hadn't heard of the Ross King book before today either.

49kristenn
Jan 20, 2010, 10:10 am

I've read the Ross King book. It's okay. I'd recommend getting it via the library rather than a bookstore. Reminded me of The Club Dumas (but not as good) when I was reading it, but it's been many years.

50bell7
Jan 22, 2010, 9:46 am

Hey kristenn, thanks for your thoughts on the Ross King book. My library/librarians category is filling up with so many possibilities that I don't think I'll need to consider it for this year. Now I just need a few recommendations for my Genreblending category and I'll be gold! ;-)

51bell7
Editado: Jan 22, 2010, 9:58 am

3. ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor
Category: Too young for me (could move to Fantasy)

This is the conclusion to The Looking Glass Wars trilogy, and as such may have ***spoilers*** for the previous titles, The Looking Glass Wars and Seeing Redd.

Queen Alyss Heart has returned to Wonderland and taken her rightful title, but with Her Imperial Viciousness, Redd Heart still alive and allied with King Arch, who is determined to make the queendom of Wonderland into his kingdom, she still must fight to defend the Heart Crystal and White Imagination. Meanwhile, the caterpillars - the oracles of Wonderland - have been a little less cryptic than usual and apparently are meeting not only with Alyss but with Arch. What exactly are they up to?

I was a little less taken with this title than the others in the trilogy, because the writing was a little uneven, and so was the pace. Instead of everything coming together into the climax I expected, the plot was a bit scattered and I was left feeling a little less than satisfied in the end. Yet this is incredibly inventive and fun, even for a reader who was not a fan of the original Alice in Wonderland. 3.5 stars.

Edited to fix touchstone.

52bell7
Jan 30, 2010, 9:38 am

4. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
Category: Out of the Box

Imagine a world where everyone behaved well: there are no prisons, no wars or uprisings, everyone follows the Rules. A utopia? Maybe not. As twenty-year-old Eddie Russett is about to find out, a world in which everyone unquestioningly follows Rules that cover everything from the most mundane ("Flowers are not to be picked. They are to be enjoyed by everyone.") to absurd (spoons may no longer be manufactured), a world that follows a strict color hierarchy based on which color(s) the inhabitants can see from Purple at the best to Grey at the worst, holds some secrets. And having curiosity about such secrets may just get him killed - as he tells us from the first page, the activities of the past four days flash before his eyes while he is being digested by a carnivorous yataveo tree.

Having read all of the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde, I put a hold on this book as soon as I knew that it was coming out. Fforde's writing can't be easily categorized: it's part science fiction, part dystopia, and all humorous even while making a serious point about unquestioning obedience. The details of the dystopia overwhelmed me at first, as there are so many details that I had to keep a handle on, such as the meanings of merits, positive feedback, and trying to grasp how people who only saw one or two colors saw the world. Fforde creates a good sense of tension at the beginning, hinting that all was not right in the death of Robin Ochre, a "swatchman" (essentially a doctor) out on the Outer Fringes whom Eddie's father is replacing. The middle dragged a bit, however, as naive Eddie muddles about trying to figure out what the reader already has - that all is not right in his world - and deciding whether or not to trust Jane. Though Eddie is the narrator, Jane really steals the show with her adamant refusal to treat people with respect merely because of the color they see. I look forward to seeing what happens to these characters in subsequent titles. 4 stars.

53GingerbreadMan
Fev 2, 2010, 12:15 pm

I've never read Fforde, and assumed this latest title was also a Thursday Next book. And while sometimes being tempted at picking up those, this REALLY sounds too interesting to pass up. Who doesn't love a good mix of dystopia and humour??

54bell7
Fev 3, 2010, 4:52 pm

5. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Category: But they MADE me read it*
*also my overlap category of a work in translation

What I thought: When my friend recommended this book I thought about it briefly, but was intimidated by reading a long, Russian classic that I was utterly unfamiliar with. And indeed, the length of this novel (my library copy came in at 629 pages) is intimidating. So when I decided to read it this year, I joined another group read and was a little nervous, expecting some long, dense passages like those I had come up against in The Brothers Karamazov.

What I found: This is an incredibly readable, compelling story of a man, Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov, who considers committing a terrible deed that has been haunting his dreams for some time. "Rodya" is a very flawed yet sympathetic character, and the reader is drawn into his life as well as meeting many other memorable characters along the way. There are philosophical passages, yes, but they're thoughtful without being too dense, and Dostoevsky knows how to write fast-paced passages when the situation calls for it. A few times I was practically holding my breath reading as fast as I could to find out what happens next, other times I was slowing myself down to think about what he was saying and whether I agreed that a certain class of people was above the law and thus above guilt. All the while, I had the sense that the author knew exactly what he was doing in crafting the story and looked forward to seeing how he brought it all together. If I had to categorize Crime and Punishment, I would say that it is a psychological investigation of motives, guilt, and choices that humans make. All in all, I'm very glad that I listened to my friend instead of my misgivings.

55bell7
Fev 3, 2010, 4:55 pm

>GingerbreadMan, I would definitely recommend Shades of Grey, though it's very different from the Thursday Next series it still gives you a good idea of what his brand of humor is like.

56andreablythe
Fev 5, 2010, 2:47 pm

>54 bell7:
My sister read this and really enjoyed it, too. I've tried to read it twice and both times got bogged down by the beginning. For me, the main character is such a whiner (a problem that I've found with Notes from Underground also, though I did like the first chapters of that one). However, my sister says that I should have kept reading, because there's a romance and that it gets better. I keep thinking that I should attempt it again at some point, and your review further makes me think in that direction.

57bell7
Fev 6, 2010, 8:15 am

Yeah, he was a whiner. And actually, I'm surprised I ended up feeling sympathetic towards him, because I usually prefer likable characters in the books I read (I hated The Maltese Falcon because I didn't like anybody). I think it really clicked for me about a sixth of the way into the story - I was so interested in what was going on that I didn't really mind that I wasn't sure if I liked Rodya, I still wanted to know what happened to him.

58bell7
Editado: Fev 8, 2010, 2:22 pm

6. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
Category: Out of the Box

In this alternate history set in 19th century Seattle, Leviticus Blue created a massive machine called the Boneshaker, which dug below the city banks and released a cloud of gas that turned those who breathed it into "rotters." Fifteen years after the incident, Levi's wife Briar and her son, Ezekiel, deal with the censure of their neighbors for being related to Levi and to Maynard Wilkes, Briar's father who infamously let inmates free to get them away from the gas. When Zeke sneaks into the now walled-off Seattle, filled with the poisonous gas and the rotters, determined to clear his grandfather's and father's names, an earthquake leaves him stranded on the inside. Briar is determined to find him and enters the city after him.

After years of reading fantasy, I've gotten pretty good at suspending disbelief, which you really need to do to get into this steampunk/zombie story. If you can, it's a fun premise and I enjoyed the re-imagining of Seattle and American history. The world-building was well done and the writing moves along quickly. I wanted a little more to happen in terms of the story as some revelations were not all that surprising, but overall it was a fun ride and I'd be willing to read more by this author. 4 stars.

**possibly some spoilers** One aspect of the plot kept reminding me of An American Tail - Briar almost finds Zeke or Zeke comes to where Briar was just a few minutes ago and...but no, they can't find each other yet, it's not the end. Just shows what generation I'm from, I guess.

59bell7
Editado: Fev 11, 2010, 9:56 am

7. Blackout by Connie Willis
Category: Author Revisits (could also go in "Out of the Box")

After his trip to the Black Death five years ago, Colin wants to time travel again, but Mr. Dunworthy won't hear of it. And right now Mr. Dunworthy has his hands full, anyways: going to St. Paul's in 1950 for some unknown reason and to London to speak with someone who raises troubling questions about time travel. Not to mention, many of his operatives' schedules change last minute, throwing wrenches in the works for people like Michael Davies, who was given an implant to have an American accent in Pearl Harbor only to be told he's going to Dunkirk instead. Because of the schedule changes, Michael, Merope ("Eileen" while on assignment), and Polly Churchill are all observing various aspects of World War 2: ordinary heroes, evacuated children, and Londoners in bomb shelters, respectively. But their assignments seem to be getting out of control, starting with the substantial slippage that Mike and Polly experience, and continuing downhill from there.

Though easily accessible as a standalone, Blackout may also appeal to readers who would recognize returning characters from Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog. Once you get into the meat of the book you're experiencing historical fiction with a twist: the characters you're following are from 2060, not 1940. Following their stories can be a little confusing at first, because though they all left within days of each other in 2060, they're in different whens from 1939-1940, and the story is told not chronologically but by following Mike, Eileen, or Polly for a chapter or two each. But the extra effort is worth it in the end. The characters are wonderful, and I really found myself caring not just about the main characters but also the "contemps" like Marjorie the shop girl and the terrible Hodbins. I really got lost in the story as I just had to find out what happens next, reading the last half of the book or so nearly in one sitting. If you're adverse to cliffhangers, I suggest waiting to read this one until All Clear comes out in the fall. 4.5 stars.

60GingerbreadMan
Fev 14, 2010, 12:33 pm

@58 I'm glad you enjoyed Boneshaker! I share your remarks about the surprises not being all that surprising and that the story doesn't quite deliver in the end. Still, a fun read!

61bell7
Fev 17, 2010, 6:37 pm

>60 GingerbreadMan:, yes, I did enjoy it, though I had a bit of a mixed reaction. For me, the middle kind of dropped out because it was a lot of near misses between Briar and Zeke as she was searching for him, and I got kind of bored. Towards the end, things started happening again...though again, after the action was over those revelations were pretty much expectations of mine. But as you say, a fun read!

62bell7
Fev 17, 2010, 6:37 pm

Just a note to myself - I've counted 205 p. read of The Ends of the Earth: An anthology of the finest writing on the Arctic and the Antarctic, since I finished the "Arctic" side and the book flips over and the pages start anew...

63bell7
Fev 18, 2010, 10:22 am

8. The Hunt for the Eye of Ogin by Patrick Doud
Category: Made me read it (could also be YA/Children's or Fantasy)

This book was received through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program, and when I got the notice that I'd won it, I was really excited that it seemed to match perfectly with my go-to genres of fantasy and teen fiction. Thirteen-year-old Elwood Pitch and his dog Slukee are exploring the woods near his new home, when suddenly the wood becomes strange and Elwood finds a path to a new world. In this world, he meets Drallah Wehr, a girl a few years older than him who tells him that her land is in danger because the immortal protector, Granashon, is missing. They decide to ask Mithloo, Drallah's uncle, how they might send Elwood back home, but their plans change quickly as they realize they need to find Granashon in order to have any hope of doing so..

I was really disappointed in this book, to the point where every time I picked it up I was forcing myself to read to write a fair review. The narrative was distracting, as information about the plot and characters was dumped upon me, the dialog was stilted, many of the names unpronounceable, and the writing reminded me of Eragon in that the author seemed stylistically uncertain of himself - should the narrative feel old-fashioned or modern? This really kept me from getting into the story, which I may have enjoyed otherwise. The story is typical of journey stories in the fantasy genre, and while it didn't work for me, it might for others. It's hard to give this a rating, since it's written for young teens and not me as an audience, and I have to say if someone in that age group was interested in reading it, I wouldn't discourage them. Based on my own experience in reading it, however, I'm giving it 1 star.

64bell7
Editado: Fev 20, 2010, 8:55 am

9. Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer
Category: Everything Drawer

Lloyd Simcoe and Theo Procopides, two physicists working for CERN, have prepared their whole lives for this moment: trying to capture the Higgs boson with a Large Hadron Collider by recreating energy levels that haven't been seen in the universe since directly after the Big Bang. But when they start the experiment, their consciousnesses move forward twenty-one years into the future for a brief minute or two before returning to the present. In the aftermath, they realize that everyone in the universe experienced something similar, and no one - including the scientists - are quite sure why.

Flashforward takes a common question of humanity and literature, "What would you do if you could see your future?" and investigates it from a science-y point of view. Can the future be changed, or is it as immutable as the past? Does free will exist? Since the characters are physicists, you know their answer is going to be pretty heady, and I was grateful for the science nonfiction I'd read last year or their discussions would have been even further over my head. Lest this sounds like a slog, let me assure you that the reading is generally fast-paced, a good blend of mystery and very human characters that kept me reading even if I didn't always understand things like the Minkowski principle and what not. (Actually, that sounds a good bit like watching Lost.) The book is set in 2009, which I had to remember was ten years in the future when the book was originally written, but I had fun "spotting the differences" between last year and how Sawyer imagined things might be. An entertaining read, and recommended if you don't mind (or can comprehend) the physics theories and discussions. 4 stars.

Edited to correct spelling.

65bell7
Fev 21, 2010, 8:11 am

10. Emma by Jane Austen
Category: Everything Drawer

Emma Woodhouse is a rich young lady living in a small community. She is practically the head of her household, independent and lively, and a little spoiled. She becomes friends with another young woman, Harriet, the illegitimate daughter of no one knows who, but Emma is certain that no gentleman farmer is good enough for Harriet. She is determined to make a better match for her friend. At the same time, the stepson of her old governess, Mrs. Weston, comes for a visit and starts to show Emma every attention.

I always find it hardest to convey what I think and feel about books that are so beloved they have become old friends. Emma is one such book that I have read and reread it since I was a teenager. When I was younger, it was my favorite of the three (now four) Austen novels I had read. My relationship to the characters and the story has changed with time, however, and having shortly reread Pride and Prejudice (my current favorite, in case you were wondering), I couldn't help but compare the two in my mind's eye. Emma Woodhouse and Elizabeth Bennet are nearly the same age, but Emma seems to me much the younger of the two. Indeed, I think one of the reasons I loved Emma as a teenager was because I could related to her youth and naivete when it came to individuals and their relationships to one another. Elizabeth is in some ways much more a woman of the world, while Emma is a little insulated from such things as class. In fact, the treatment of class in Emma struck me more than ever before, as one distinction between characters that governs how much intimacy one can have with another, something that cannot be ignored in terms of Harriet Smith especially, but other characters as well. While still present in Pride and Prejudice, class distinctions are not quite the same hurdle, or at least not so clearly affecting the heroines in their choice of friends. But one of the greatest joys of rereading is rediscovering elements of an old favorite to which I had paid little attention. Though no longer my favorite Austen, Emma still evokes a great deal of affection from me, and I'm sure I will reread it again with pleasure. 5 stars.

66bell7
Fev 25, 2010, 4:50 pm

11. The Ends of the Earth: An Anthology of the Finest Writing on the Arctic and Antarctic edited by Elizabeth Kolbert and Francis Spufford
Category: Dewey Decimal Challenge

Edited by Elizabeth Kolbert (the Arctic) and Francis Spufford (the Antarctic), this collection of fiction and nonfiction selections was published in 2007 to commemorate the fourth International Polar Year, which occurred from 2007 to March 2009. Knowing very little about Polar exploration myself, I found this a wonderful introduction to some well-known explorers as well as some perhaps less familiar scientists, writers, and explorers. Each half of the book was approximately 200 pages long, containing twenty selections on the Arctic and nineteen on the Antarctic, each including one selection by the editors themselves.

The selections covered a variety of subject matter, from wife-swapping to scientific exploration to reaching the Poles for the first time. The writings of the explorers interested me most, from Peary's description of his expedition to the North Pole to Scott's diary on his doomed return trip from the South Pole. As with any collection, the selections were a mixed bag with some that appealed to me more than others. My favorite Arctic selection was that of Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian who tried to get to the North Pole by drifting in his ship - his descriptions were lovely and evocative, almost making me want to travel to the Arctic myself, especially to see the Northern Lights. In the Antarctic, I loved the selection about penguins, written by Diane Ackerman. While I read the selections, I took note of those books I wanted to seek out in full, as well as keeping my computer nearby to look up what crampons and sastrugi look like. The infrequent typo distracted me from time to time, but overall this is a fascinating glimpse into the Polar regions that whet my appetite for more. 4 stars.

67bell7
Fev 27, 2010, 4:44 pm

12. Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
Category: Too Young for Me? (Children's/YA)

Ashleigh is an Enthusiast, the personality type that jumps into an interest wholeheartedly, much to her best friend Julie's embarrassment. Now, Ash is into Jane Austen. She's not just reading the books, which would suit Julie just fine as Pride and Prejudice is her favorite book. No, Ashleigh wants to dance a quadrille, wearing dresses only, and - most importantly - finding True Love. Ashleigh's plan: to infiltrate the upcoming boys' school dance to meet their very own Mr. Darcys. And of course, she's going to drag Julie along.

This was a fun teen romance that could appeal to teen lovers of Austen as well as those who have never read the books (or seen the movies). While there were some nods to Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice that I picked up on, Julie and Ashleigh's story stands well on its own and doesn't need any prior familiarity with either to be enjoyed. I liked Julie as the narrator, and could relate to her love and loyalty towards Ashleigh as well as her exasperation with some of Ash's more drastic schemes. Julie's romantic troubles were believable, if somewhat predictable and quickly wrapped up, but it was a nice, quick light read that I would easily recommend. 4 stars.

68bell7
Mar 1, 2010, 1:14 pm

13. Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland
Category: Children's/YA

If Anne Shirley and Emma Woodhouse combined decided that Diana Barry's Aunt Jo needed to get married, the result might be something like Polly Madassa in Scones and Sensibility. Twelve-year-old Polly, lover of Anne of Green Gables and Pride and Prejudice determines to right romantic wrongs for her older sister Clementine, whose boyfriend is so not right for her; her bosom friend's father; and her neighbor, Miss Whitaker. To Polly's dismay, the course to true love - or at least, the ones she imagines for everyone - does not run smoothly, as her family and friends do not have love lives like that of her favorite heroines.

Polly is a precocious character, which might be a turn off for some younger readers. She's twelve, but she's already read (and loves) Pride and Prejudice and has started mimicking the vocabulary of her favorite books. She's a little over-dramatic at times and pretty much has blinders on when it comes to reading situations and other people. But she is funny and endearing and - I have to say it - annoying, too. I think it may be because I'm an oldest child, but I really found myself relating to and sympathizing with Clemmy much more than I did Polly, who feels left behind now that her older sister is dating and not spending as much time with her as she used to. A cute read, though, that I would recommend to older elementary kids who enjoyed Anne of Green Gables. 3.5 stars.

69bell7
Mar 5, 2010, 8:49 pm

14. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Category: Author Revisits

In 2054 Oxford, time travel is one of the ways in which historians study their field. Kivrin, studying medieval history, is preparing for a jump to 1320 to observe the village of Skendgate during the Christmas season. While Kivrin has to deal with speaking Middle English, the threat of cutthroats, and lack of modern medicine, those in Oxford fare little better when a tech comes down with a virus and the area must be put under quarantine. Those she leaves behind, particularly her mentor, Mr. Dunworthy, grow increasingly anxious as they are helpless to open the "net" to allow her return.

The two threads of this story - Mr. Dunworthy in Oxford and Kivrin in the Middle Ages - are well-balanced, trading off every few chapters and keeping just the right amount of tension and switching back just when I thought, "But what's happening to the others?" I liked Kivrin and Mr. Dunworthy, but I especially liked a couple of the secondary characters, Father Roche and Colin. Father Roche, the medieval priest of the village where Kivrin stays, was a really wonderful character. Colin was funny, bringing some much-needed humor when events became dire, yet completely believable as a twelve-year-old boy. I'm only sorry that I put off reading it so long. 4.5 stars.

70bell7
Editado: Mar 7, 2010, 9:50 pm

15. Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Category: Fantasy (could also be Author Revisits or YA/children's)

When Finnikin was a boy, he was friends with the prince, Balthazar, and his cousin, Lucian. They pledge to protect their country, but shortly thereafter Lumatere is attacked, the royal family killed, and many of the people forced into exile. Several years later, an older Finnikin travels many lands collecting the stories of exiles. Called by a messenger, he travels to a convent to pick up a girl, Evanjalin, who walks in the dreams of others and carries hope that Finnikin had long given up believing in.

This story focusing on the plight of exiles is a compelling one, and Finnikin and Evanjalin are really fun characters to spend time with. I especially enjoyed getting to know Evanjalin, who had a strong presence and complex character. I sometimes felt like the story went by too quickly, a bonus when it meant I was reading fast and she packs a lot of plot into one story, but a little negative when I wished for perhaps a slower relationship development between two travelers, for example. Part of it, of course, is that Jellicoe Road is just an incredibly difficult act to follow, and if I had not read it, I would definitely have rated this higher. 4 stars.

71bell7
Mar 8, 2010, 9:00 pm

16. Secret to Lying by Todd Mitchell
Category: They MADE me read it (LTER book; could also be YA/Children's or 8-9-10)

James is tired of being a nobody, the kid everyone overlooks because he's just plain average. He jumps at the chance to attend a public boarding school for gifted kids, where he reinvents himself as a rebel. He's got it made now - purple hair, ripped jeans, and a few lies have given him a reputation. But his dreams suggest that more is going on beneath the surface than even James realizes.

Todd Mitchell's first book for teens explores the common theme of identity in an inventive way. James' dreams reflect what he's doing to his self, and you see that acting one way and being another really affects his psyche deeply. I actually thought the dream sequences were the weakest part of the story, preferring the interactions with friends, teachers, and the IMs with "ghost44." Mitchell does a good job of discussing teen issues, like cutting, without ever making them the focal point of the story. The focus instead is all on James - who is he, and who will he choose to be? Moments of humor also keep this from being a heavy read; one of my favorite parts was his description of the gifted school's cheers as using words that the opposing team needed dictionaries to understand. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author. 4.5 stars.

72bell7
Editado: Mar 14, 2010, 2:57 pm

17. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
Category: Everything Drawer

In 1802, Doctor Romany and Amenophis Fikee perform an incantation at the behest of their master, an incantation that should allow Anubis to come forth and sorcery to rule the world. In 1983, Brendan Doyle receives a summons from a rich old man who wants to travel to 1810 to observe Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and wants Doyle to lecture his fellow travelers before they set off.

Powers weaves a deft, complicated tale in which both of those apparently divergent tales have much to do with one another. Filled with eccentric characters and the danger of the London streets, the many threads of this story come together in sometimes surprising ways with breakneck pace. I wish there had been a little more character development and a little less blood, but overall it was a fun ride. 3.5 stars.

Edited to add number for my book count. :-)

73bell7
Mar 14, 2010, 3:09 pm

18. Spellwright by Blake Charlton
Category: Fantasy (could also be 8-9-10)

Nicodemus Weal is a cacographer, the magical equivalent of dyslexia, which makes him misspell magic texts and shortchanges his spellcasting ability. An unknown enemy is searching for a powerful cacographer, and Nicodemus is in grave danger, even while the master that would protect him, Magister Agwu Shannon, is under suspicion of murder.

This fantasy is an excellent blend of old and new. I loved the inventiveness of magic itself - and gargoyles, constructs, and the like - being built out of text. This gave rise to numerous plays on words and new meanings for such things as "authors" and "grammarians" that were really fun to discover. At the same time, the use of magic, prophecy, and battle of good and evil put this well within the traditional genre. Though given to long, conversational exposition and a long ending that seemed more to set up the next book than wrap up loose ends, this debut shows a lot of talent, and I look forward to reading the next in the series. 4 stars.

74andreablythe
Mar 15, 2010, 12:26 pm

Spellwright sounds really interesting. I like the concept of a magical dyslexia.

75cmbohn
Mar 15, 2010, 4:28 pm

I was glad to read your review of The Doomsday Book, which is on my list to read. I need to get a copy of that! Secret to Lying sounds good to me too.

76bell7
Mar 15, 2010, 10:06 pm

>74 andreablythe: Andrea, I enjoyed the concept too, I thought it was really well done. Hope you enjoy it if/when you read it!

>75 cmbohn:, Hi Cindy, Glad I was able to give it a "push" on your TBR then. :-) Hope you enjoy both titles. Sadly, The Secret to Lying isn't due to come out until June, I think (though maybe that gives you more time to read other books on your list first?).

77bell7
Mar 17, 2010, 11:13 am

19. The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry (audio)
Category: YA/Children's (could also be Author Revisits or 8-9-10)

The Willoughbys are an old-fashioned family, with a mom, dad, and four children: Tim, the oldest who's bossy (but, the narrator assures us, he has a heart of gold), the twins Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and the youngest, Jane. A baby shows up on their doorstep, as it would in any good old-fashioned tale - but this family won't have any of it, and Tim decides that they will drop the baby off for someone else. This is just one of the many spoofs on the common tropes of older (and some newer) children's stories.

This is a very odd little book. I've heard it compared to Lemony Snicket's series, and I think the comparison is apt for the sort of tongue-in-cheek narrator that nearly becomes another character. I felt very distanced from the story because of this device, and perhaps partly because I listened to the audiobook and the narrator created that much more distance. In any case, though I thought it was clever and sometimes funny, I never really cared about the story or the characters that much. Recommended if you enjoy spoofs or parodies of old stories - some referenced here include Anne of Green Gables and Mary Poppins, and in case you miss any, there's a bibliography at the end. 3 stars.

78bell7
Mar 20, 2010, 7:51 pm

20. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Category: 8-9-10 (year published)

In Franklin, Massachusetts in 1940, Iris James is the postmaster in town, and takes pride in keeping order in her domain. Emma is the wife of the young town doctor, a woman who has already survived tragedy. They both hear the radio broadcasts of Frankie Bard, an American reporter covering the war live in London. This is a historical novel that's not about war, but about individuals and lives and stories that only get partly told.

The story and characters are compelling; the writing moves along quickly as you learn about each character and his or her struggles and want to know what happens to each of them. I didn't like the hopeless point of view that some of the characters espouse, but couldn't imagine their experiences leaving them any other way. 4 stars.

79bell7
Mar 22, 2010, 8:25 pm

21. Fifteen by Beverly Cleary
Category: Too Young for Me (could also be Author Revisits)

Jane Purdy is just your normal, everyday teen growing up in the 1950s. She has babysitting jobs that she trades off sometimes with her best friend, Julie. She is not one of the popular crowd, like Marcy who has a ton of cashmere sweaters (Jane just has one), nor part of the intellectual crowd. But despite all this, she meets a boy while she is babysitting a holy terror, otherwise known as Sandra, and he's interested in her! Now if only her parents will let her go to the movies with him...

The more things change, the more things stay the same. That's what kept coming to mind as I read. Sure, the details change - I didn't wear a peasant blouse with my dirndl skirt or put my hair up in pin curls (alright, I had to look up what the latter was). I didn't worry about my mom not wearing stockings. But some of the same old teenage worries are there: Will my parents embarrass me? Will a boy like me? When I was younger, I read more of the Ramona books than Beverly Cleary's other books, and this had a similar feel of the earnest feelings of an eight- (or fifteen-) year-old. It was an odd experience being so much older than the protagonist, and I'm afraid I laughed at Jane much more than I ever laughed at Ramona. Though I wouldn't have read this at fifteen, it was a sort of nostalgic, wholesome, old-fashioned look at being the age, and I could relate Jane to my own teenage years. 4 stars.

80bell7
Mar 24, 2010, 5:53 pm

22. Soulless by Gail Carriger
Category: Out of the Box

When Miss Alexia Tarabotti took refuge in the library during a dinner party, she did not expect to meet a vampire. He attacks her without provocation and does not know that she was a preternatural, thus ending up dead when she attempted to protect herself. Yes, Miss Tarabotti is soulless, one of those individuals who negate the supernatural abilities of vampires and werewolves, though don't tell her mother, or she'll have a fit. The dead vampire is only the beginning, however, as Miss Tarabotti and Lord Maccon, the werewolf Alpha leading investigations for BUR, discover when they begin to look into the mystery.

This story does not fit neatly into one genre. With vampires and werewolves, it's definitely fantasy, with a smattering of paranormal romance and steampunk. The writing fit the story perfectly, narrating with a humorous tone and a slightly old-fashioned tinge that conveys the 19th century period in which the book is set. I would recommend it to fans of the vampire/werewolf genre and to readers just looking for something out of the ordinary who wouldn't mind all the genre mixing. I'm really looking forward to the next one! 4.5 stars.

81GingerbreadMan
Mar 24, 2010, 6:03 pm

@80 I gave it to my wife for Valentine's! She started reading it a few nights ago and is completely engrossed in it. She presently hardly responds when spoken to :)

82bell7
Mar 24, 2010, 6:06 pm

Yeah, it was a really engrossing read. I started it Monday and could hardly put it down to go to work that afternoon. I really enjoyed it, and I hope your wife likes it too! Thankfully I only have to wait about 2 months for the next one to come out, and I have plenty lined up to read until then. :-)

83bell7
Editado: Mar 27, 2010, 10:49 am

23. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Category: Fantasy (could also go into YA/children's)

Gen, a thief in Sounis, brags that he can steal anything, a boast that lands him a bet to steal the king's signet ring. He does so, only to show it off in the wine shop to prove it, and lands in the king's jail. The king's magus comes to Gen with a proposition: steal something for me, and I'll set you free; fail to steal it, and you die.

This is one of my all-time favorite books. When I first read it about four years ago or so, I remember stopping every so often to look at how many pages left thinking, "What is this author doing? There are so many pages left, what on earth can happen?" Of course, as I kept reading, I realized how brilliantly Megan Whalen Turner had been spinning her story, surprising me while absolutely convincing me that she knew exactly what she was doing. Two rereads later, and the story has not lost its charm. Gen is a great character, and I love following his narrative and being in his head even when I remembered most of the story. The world-building of a whole pantheon, mythology, and politics of three countries, is just about perfect. This first book in the series, followed by Queen of Attolia and King of Attolia, is by far my favorite of the series, but I highly recommend them all. 5 stars.

PS - I'm rereading the series as prep for the fourth book coming out, Conspiracy of Kings. (Waiting impatiently for that one to come in at my library...I might just buy it with my birthday money...)

Also edited to add a category (whoops!)

84clfisha
Mar 26, 2010, 9:35 am

@80 Sounds like a cool book, thanks!

85bell7
Mar 26, 2010, 7:41 pm

You're welcome, and I hope you enjoy it! If you do, the sequel, Changeless, is very-soon-to-be-published (not sure about the exact date there...).

86cmbohn
Mar 26, 2010, 7:53 pm

I loved The Thief. It was so much better and bigger than I expected.

87bell7
Mar 27, 2010, 9:11 am

>Cindy, it's one of my all-time favorites, though Queen of Attolia is close for most satisfying ending.

88detailmuse
Mar 27, 2010, 10:01 am

Mary, I thought of you when I saw this article about Sawyer’s bookshelf from Lost -- some of the books he’s read and exactly when (seasons/episodes).

My viewing last year was scattered and now I've completely lost traction. Still, I want to dedicate myself to the remaining episodes so the finale satisfies!!

89bell7
Mar 27, 2010, 10:44 am

MJ, thanks for the link! I hadn't put together that some of the books from Season 6 were repeats from earlier (not sure why I didn't put it together, except that there are a lot of books to keep track of altogether). I hope you're able to catch up w/Season 5 as well as enjoying the final season - what did you think of "Ab Aeterno"?

90bell7
Mar 27, 2010, 10:55 am

24. Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Category: Fantasy (could also be YA/Children's)

The Queen of Attolia catches Eugenides sneaking around her palace. Eddis sends her people to negotiate, but the situation does not look good for the Queen's Thief - until Attolia decides to invoke an older rule in which thieves were not hung, but lost their right hand. How can Eugenides continue in his role one-handed?

Once again, this story reads beautifully whether the first time or as a reread, where I catch small hints here and there that I passed over the first time reading. Though I'm a little sad that this book does not have Eugenides' first-person narrative, I will (albeit grudgingly) admit that the story would not work as well without the distance created by this method. On the other hand, this story is incredibly satisfying and, despite the fact that this is my third time reading it, I still had trouble putting it down. 5 stars.

91bell7
Mar 27, 2010, 6:43 pm

25. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Category: Fantasy (could also be YA/Children's)

Costis, a member of the Queen's Guard, expects to lose his life because he has punched the King in the face. Everyone knows he's just a swindler from Eddis who stole their queen, but obviously, even if you hate your sovereign hitting him is dangerous business. But Eugenides doesn't kill Costis; he promotes him. The new lieutenant instead sees the King at his finest - half asleep during the morning sessions, bored during lessons on history and languages, practicing sword drills in first position. This is the King of Attolia?

Because the story is told primarily from Costis' perspective, we are that much more distanced from Eugenides, though his personality still comes out, especially when he speaks with his cousins or Attolia. Though I like this book least of the three I have read, I appreciate it in rereading in ways I did not before. The King of Attolia is more about political maneuvering than the others have been, and more about Eugenides becoming a true king than about the action. Though it can drag in parts, I did read it in a day, so I can hardly be too critical on that front.

92detailmuse
Mar 29, 2010, 10:35 am

>89 bell7: gah! I haven't been able to talk coherently about Lost for a year or two. This episode answered questions ... but the answers didn't resonate like they should have, and that showed me how far I've drifted and spurred me to catch up before the finale. I often doubt the producers can fulfill the expectations of their smart, rabid Losties, but then they do! And I think the finale will exceed expectations ... maybe something mind-blowing and ambiguous.

93bell7
Mar 29, 2010, 1:15 pm

>92 detailmuse: do you mean to imply there was ever a time you could talk coherently about Lost? I never could (at least, not to anyone who never watched the show...) I loved Ab Aeterno, I thought it was amazing how many questions they answered, and how much more they hinted at - as I was telling my brother the day after, I think one of the most brilliant things about the show is that they don't spell everything out, they tell you enough (like about the relationship between Jacob and MIB) that hint at more that's kind of under the surface, but just not part of what they're exploring with this particular story. Like we can only get a snapshot, but not the before and after.

Oh, and (go ahead and laugh if you want, my brother did) regarding the good/bad, who I'm "going" for in this epic war and all...My running theory is that any side with Hurley is the good one. :-) (Basically, I figure he's just not the type of character who would side with the bad guy)

94bell7
Editado: Mar 29, 2010, 2:01 pm

26. This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson
Category: Library Books

So many people subscribe to the notion that libraries are falling by the wayside. Who needs books, they argue, when just about anything can be found on the Internet now? Marilyn Johnson explores ways in which libraries are not only continuing to be relevant in a wired world, but using technology to promote and extend library services. Just a handful of the topics covered include blogging, Second Life, and archives.

I expected this to be a book for librarians, written by a librarian, but that first impression had to be revised in numerous ways. Marilyn Johnson is not a librarian, but got the idea for this book when she was writing about obituaries and some of the more interesting ones she came across were the obits of librarians. Furthermore, the book is broad in scope, and reads more like a series of vignettes than an in-depth look at any one issue. My only real disappointment was that she spends a lot of time talking about the New York City libraries, and personally I am more interested in and find more relevant how small-town libraries with smaller budgets and fewer connections would serve their public. Many librarians have probably heard of most of the technologies, issues, and ideas that she covers. Does that mean that librarians won't like the book? No, but I do see this book as perhaps being more helpful for folks who are thinking of going for a master's in library science - in fact, I learned about much of these topics in my M.L.I.S. program - or to suggest to those folks who think librarians are still in the shushing business. 4 stars.

Yeah, it's nonfiction which isn't what I originally intended for this category, but I've decided to make it a loose fiction/nonfiction blend. Should make things interesting, to say the least. :-)

95detailmuse
Mar 29, 2010, 7:59 pm

>93 bell7: haha, well during the first couple seasons, I could talk pretty well about the rich characterization :) I think the first flash-forward (end of season 3?) blew things open and changed the show from intriguing to confusing (sometimes gratuitously, imo). But I don't disagree about Hurley...

96bell7
Mar 30, 2010, 8:30 am

>95 detailmuse:, actually, that's a very good point. The ending of Season 3 blew the whole thing open much more and to much more confusion. But I've generally loved this season, and I hope the finale turns out to be as good as I think it can be. :)

97bell7
Mar 30, 2010, 8:54 am

27. A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
Category: Author Revisits (or 8-9-10 or Fantasy or YA/Children's)

For the previous books in the series, this is a **spoiler warning**

Last we heard of Sophos, Eugenides receives intelligence that a group of rebels captured the heir of Sounis, and no one is sure whether he is alive or dead. In this story, readers get to learn Sophos' story, primarily told by him as narrator, when he is captured while in exile and sneaked off the island disguised as a slave.

Faithful readers of the series probably remember Sophos as the young blusher, looking up to Ambiades and the Magus during their adventure in The Thief. Even while staying true to his character - and keeping readers on their toes by shifting to his perspective believably - we now get to see him grow into a man and king. Because his story is so different from the rest, I feel like I have to reread this to really decide how much I like it in terms of the rest of the series. My first read is so full of anticipation and hurry hurry hurry, I need to know what happens, that I read the book over two days, taking a total of about four hours. But since it's not even a question that I'd consider rereading it, for now I'm giving it 4.5 stars.

98bell7
Editado: Abr 3, 2010, 5:26 pm

28. Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey
Category: The Everything Drawer
Read for National Poetry Month and TIOLI (book by a living poet)

This Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry collection by Natasha Trethewey contains twenty-six poems divided into three sections. Each section's content is linked thematically as the poet examines her grief over her mother's death, the history of the eponymous "Native Guard," and growing up of mixed race in the South. The themes sound disparate, but are truly linked, often by the repetition of a thought or phrase, so that the collection as a whole flows together unmistakeably. Indeed, though I sometimes paused to linger on a single poem, I more often found myself wanting to go on before I lost the connecting thread.

I do not read much poetry; after reading Native Guard, I have determined that I do not read enough poetry. Each poem reads simply - by which I do not mean that it is easy, but that I do not have to attack it with a sledgehammer to determine its meaning - contains strong emotion, and begs to be read aloud and savored. Though I find it hard in such a well-seamed collection to pick out one or two pieces as favorites, I often turned back to the first poem, "Theories of Time and Space," and had to stop reading to hold back tears when I came to "Graveyard Blues." This will definitely be one of my most memorable reads of the year. 5 stars.

99bell7
Abr 5, 2010, 5:30 pm

29. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
Category: 8-9-10 (pub. 2009)
Read for the Steampunk Group Read with the 75-ers.

A "glowing policeman," perhaps a ghost, kills in Whitechapel, baffling police - an airship crashes and kills all passengers, apparently with no explanation - revenants prowling the streets pass on the plague that infects them, making the foggy streets of London dangerous. Sir Maurice Newbury, in the service of Queen Victoria herself, is on these cases, tackling them with the help of his assistant, Miss Veronica Hobbes, and his good friend the police commissioner, Sir Charles Bainbridge.

This is my latest read in the exploration of the Steampunk genre, and I can see how its alternate technology and Victorian setting fit into the parameters. I had trouble getting into the story at the beginning, but I'm glad I persevered. I think it was more me than the actual story, because the pacing built well over the course of the story, until it was strumming along at the end when I just had to keep going and find out how everything fit together. Newbury and Miss Hobbes are interesting characters, and I enjoyed their conversations and growing respect for one another. I would certainly consider reading more of their adventures. 4 stars.

100bell7
Abr 6, 2010, 8:55 am

30. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
Category: Fantasy (could also be Children's/YA or 8-9-10)

Nimira is a "trouser girl," who sings and dances to make her living, not that it's much of one. During one of her performances, a gentleman notices her and speaks to her. Hollin Perry, a sorcerer, offers her a job singing along with an automaton who plays the piano; the girls he has hired before left believing it was haunted. Indeed, the first time Nimira winds up the automaton, it/he begins moaning, apparently trying to communicate. Could it really be haunted, and if so, what is Nimira to do?

Once I really started reading this book, I finished it in nearly one sitting. Nim is a well-drawn character, a dark girl and an immigrant in a land that doesn't think highly of her people, but she is determined to make her way here. Unfortunately, I only got a sense of connection with her as a character and not any of the others, though that may be partially because she narrates it in first person. There are hints of a broader world, such as politics between sorcerers and fairies that were enough to tantalize me in wanting to know more about this other world. The ending hinted at the possibility of more story to come, and I hope there will be. 4 stars.

101bell7
Abr 11, 2010, 2:02 pm

31. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Category: 8-9-10

Major Pettigrew, a sixty-eight-year-old retired widower from a small village in Sussex, England, learns that his brother died. While he is still in a fog from the news, his neighbor Mrs. Ali comes over and helps him out. She offers to drive him to the funeral, where he hopes to convince his brother's widow to give him the Churchill - one of pair that his father had divided between the two boys with the understanding that they would be passed on together to subsequent generations of the Pettigrew family. But Marjorie and her daughter seem much more interested in selling the pistols, much to Major Pettigrew's chagrin.

This charming story is less about the pistols than it is about an older man who looks back with fondness on the glory days of his youth and his country, as well as the friendships that he has in the village and his growing friendship with Mrs. Ali, the shopkeeper of Pakistani heritage. Major Pettigrew, Mrs. Ali, and the people of the village of Edgecombe St. Mary are so finely drawn that I truly hesitate to call them "characters" rather than "people." I grew to have a fondness for many of them, particularly the Major and Mrs. Ali, who each have very human flaws yet are so endearing that I truly enjoyed spending time with them. 4.5 stars.

102bell7
Editado: Abr 16, 2010, 8:53 am

32. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart (audio)
Category: YA/children's

The Mysterious Benedict Society made up of four extremely and intelligent children - Reny, Kate, Sticky, and Constance - of various ages and talents is back in this amusing tale of clues and mystery and dastardly plots. Mr. Benedict, their benefactor and friend for whom the group is named, is missing, and the evil Ledroptha Curtain has him in his clutches. The children begin following clues that Mr. Benedict has left for them, hoping against hope that they can follow them to Mr. Benedict himself and save their friend.

I enjoyed this story of smart kids and mysterious clues, though it had been so long since I read The Mysterious Benedict Society that I had trouble recognizing even familiar characters. Also, this is a tough book to listen to before bed - it's the equivalent of 11 CDs long, and it took me so long to finish it that I'd forgotten a lot of what happened in the beginning by the time it was over. But Reny and Kate, Sticky and Constance are smart, fun characters and I enjoyed their travels and banter. I may consider reading the third book in the series, but would probably reread the books first to better follow the story. 4 stars.

103bell7
Abr 16, 2010, 8:54 am

33. The Lexicographer's Dilemma by Jack Lynch
Category: Dewey Decimal Challenge

Have you ever wondered why split infinitives and sentence-ending prepositions were forbidden by grammar books? Maybe you're more curious about dictionaries and their history of recording, and sometimes making judgments about, the language. Jack Lynch covers all this and more in The Lexicographer's Dilemma, a history of all those rules (grammar, spelling, etc.) about our native language that we had to study at school - or, as he more succinctly puts it, "the evolution of 'proper' English."

That's not to say that he's making fun of these rules, though on the occasions he does, it's very entertaining. Generally Lynch takes a balanced approach, recognizing the need to learn and know standard English for writing at school, work, and other situations, while not bellyaching about the demise of the language. One example of this is the chapter on those 18th century grammarians that some pile on all the faults of trying to force English into a Latin mode with such rules as "don't split an infinitive." Actually, he argues, many of these rules did not begin in the 18th century - and the three big names in grammar were not strictly lay-down-the-law types. He quotes from many sources at length to prove his points, and I've made note of a few more books I want to read in the future. 4.5 stars.

104bell7
Abr 17, 2010, 3:18 pm

34. The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice by Wilkie Collins
Category: Author Revisits

A strange woman comes to visit a doctor, claiming that she may have a strange malady, perhaps even madness. The doctor examines her, but can find nothing wrong. After she leaves, he is intrigued: who is this woman, and why does she think another - her former rival in love - is fated to be her undoing?

Identity, madness, and fate are familiar themes to readers of Wilkie Collins' more famous books, The Moonstone and The Woman in White. This novella explores them all in a frenetic plot that I found somewhat compelling but far too melodramatic. Maybe I'm just too cynical or maybe Collins' last story really does show the state of his own doped-up brain, as the back cover of my edition suggests. Either way, I found it hard to find the story believable, and his characterizations of females in this story annoyed me more than they have in the past. Though I found the story interesting as an example of early mystery, I would be hard-pressed to recommend it otherwise. 3 stars.

105bell7
Abr 19, 2010, 4:23 pm

35. Changeless by Gail Carriger
Category: Author Revisits (could also be 8-9-10 or Genreblending)

*As the second book in a series, this necessarily has spoilers for the first book, Soulless. Potential readers beware!*

Lady Alexia Maccon, the new muhjah and wife to werewolf Conall Maccon, has a new problem to solve when London and its environs suddenly does not have supernaturals. The ghosts disappear, and vampires and werewolves become mortal, generally in the environs of the Thames. Most disturbingly, no one knows why, though apparently their ancient lore suggests that this is not the first time something like this has happened. Lord Maccon travels to Scotland to try to work out the mystery, and Alexia soon follows when his Beta discovers that the plague - or whatever it is - appears to be traveling in the same direction as her husband.

I so enjoyed returning to the inventive world first encountered in Soulless. Alexia and Lord Maccon are as entertaining married as they were before - and their argumentative and stubborn natures stay quite true to their characters. While the first book had only a hint of flying airships and alternate technology, this one has a little bit more, and the introduction of some of the scientific alternatives in this world were fun. I'm very much looking forward to the next book. 4.5 stars.

106bell7
Abr 21, 2010, 9:28 am

36. Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones
Category: Author Revisits (could also be 8-9-10 or Fantasy or YA/Children's)

Andrew was working at a university when his grandfather Jocelyn Green died, leaving him a legacy that turns out to be more than he can remember. For example, he can remember that the panes of glass on the back door should not be broken or that he leaves his gardener's inedible vegetables outside overnight, but he doesn't remember their importance or who eats them, respectively. Then there's the field-of-care, the tract of land under the protection of his grandfather, and now Andrew himself. Aidan Cain, a boy with no little magical ability himself, runs from mysterious visitors into Andrew's protection. Will Andrew be able to remember what his grandfather told him and come into his inheritance? Why is Aidan in danger? And what is the importance of the panes of glass on his kitchen door?

Diana Wynne Jones is one of the authors on my "automatic order" list - when a new book comes out, I immediately put it on hold at the library sight unseen and knowing as little about the story as possible. This story does not disappoint. The story is a fast read with twists and turns carrying the reader along with it. The characters sometimes run to eccentric but are so much fun to spend time with. Like Howl's Moving Castle, each individual's approach to magic is a little different, and magic is accepted alongside science as part of reality. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars.

107cmbohn
Abr 21, 2010, 3:59 pm

Some great books on here. I'm especially looking forward to the Diana Wynne Jones book. I was hoping for another Chrestomanci book, but this one still sounds good!

108bell7
Abr 21, 2010, 4:08 pm

Cindy, hope you enjoy it! Diana Wynne Jones goes into my "automatic order" list for interlibrary loan requests (purchase if I had the money), and I very much enjoyed this one.

Do you know offhand if she's planning any more Chrestomanci books? If she did, I think I'd have to go back and reread them, it's been a few years and a couple hundred books in between...

109bell7
Abr 26, 2010, 9:39 am

37. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Category: Fantasy (could also be YA/Children's)

Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three sisters, and as everyone knows, that is not the birth order one wants to have in a fantasy story, especially if this particular sister is the stepsister of the youngest. But this is not your typical fantasy story and Sophie is not your typical heroine. When the Witch of the Waste grows jealous of Sophie's magical ability and turns her into an old woman who can't tell anyone she's under a spell, Sophie leaves the hat shop to seek her fortune. She comes across the Moving Castle owned by the Wizard Howl, who - as everyone in Ingary knows - eats girls' hearts, and bullies her way on board. Calcifer, a fire demon, let her in and seems to like her alright, offering to break her spell if she will break his contract with Howl, though he can't tell her what it is either.

I usually try to keep my summaries short, but there's a lot going on in this story. Believe it or not, I only scratched the surface and didn't go beyond page 60. Part of the reason I love and reread this story is because of its complexity and having the opportunity to perhaps pick up on small clues to the plot that I overlooked the first time. The other reason is that Sophie, Howl, Calcifer, Michael (Howl's apprentice), and all the rest are fabulous characters. I love Sophie's sort of bullying magic, Howl's ridiculously vain behavior, and Michael's longsuffering. Their interactions are entertaining whether it's the first or the third time I've read the book, and even when I know exactly what's going to happen and how, I enjoy spending time with them. Howl's Moving Castle has a permanent place on my shelf. 5 stars.

110andreablythe
Abr 26, 2010, 12:26 pm

I did love Howl's Moving Castle. The book was wonderful. I saw the movie first, and found that I could love both equally for different reasons. The movie is quite different, but I think it works perfectly for the movie (and it's done by one of my favorite anime directors Hayao Miyazaki). The book works perfectly, showing the progression and interactions of each character in the written form. The movie takes those interactions and creates the kind of visual metaphores necessary for the visual medium of film. It's rare that I fall in love with both a book and the movie versions equally as individual medium's like that.

111clfisha
Abr 27, 2010, 7:45 am

109 what a great review. I bought this for my niece for her birthday and she devoured it but now I want to read it for myself :) Are her other books as good?

112bell7
Abr 27, 2010, 12:24 pm

>110 andreablythe: Andrea, I should probably watch the movie again. I think when I saw it I was a little disappointed that it wasn't quite how I imagined the characters or the castle, but it is still enjoyable and a good story in its own right.

>111 clfisha: Thanks, Claire! I don't think I've ever been disappointed by a Diana Wynne Jones book (and I've read a lot of them), but my two favorites are Howl's Moving Castle and Dark Lord of Derkholm.

113andreablythe
Abr 27, 2010, 12:37 pm

I certainly think my reaction to the movie might have been different if I had read the book first, because I would have had to deal with those expectations going in. But since I didn't I was able to enjoy it on its own terms.

114bell7
Abr 27, 2010, 12:45 pm

A very good point - one of my co-workers says she always watches the movie before reading the book so that she can do just that. But I always feel like if I watch the movie first, I'll always have pictures of the actors in my head instead of the author's descriptions.

115AHS-Wolfy
Abr 27, 2010, 1:01 pm

Always had a soft spot for Miyazaki's movies but think I prefer the slightly older ones like Nausicaa, Laputa & Princess Mononoke. I even have a plushie of Totoro that sits on my bed.

116divinenanny
Abr 27, 2010, 2:47 pm

I love just about anything Ghibli, Totoro being my standard feel good movie for when I am down or stressed. I liked Howl (liked Nausicaa and Laputa better though) and am very curious about the book. I know the lovers of the book are very critical about the movie, but I think I can love both...

117bell7
Abr 28, 2010, 10:38 am

hmm...you're both making me want to look into more classic anime. I've only watched Howl's Moving Castle, Fruits Basket and Ouran High School. I didn't hate Howl's Moving Castle, it just wasn't quite what I expected. I think if I were to watch it again, I would like it better now.

It's tough to compare books/movies because each format lends itself to a different kind of storytelling. There are some things that work in books that just don't work as well in movies and vice versa. I think that I generally prefer the storytelling devices of books over movies, though of course there are exceptions.

118bell7
Abr 28, 2010, 11:28 am

38. Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
Category: YA/Children's (could also be Author Revisits)

Josephine Alibrandi knows what it's like to deal with labels. She never felt like she fully fit in, because she was born in Australia but had Italian roots, and has a single mother. Now she's a scholarship student and a senior at a Catholic high school, still struggling to know herself. Josie has to navigate relationships with her mother, her Italian grandmother who seems to find nothing good to say about her daughter, and her father, Michael Andretti, who shows up out of the blue after abandoning her mother eighteen years ago. She wants to break free of everyone's rules and expectations, but does Josie even know what she expects of herself?

Written in an almost-diary format, Josie has a compelling and authentic voice of a seventeen-year-old coming into her own. Each chapter is written in first-person past tense, but comes across as if the events she relates just happened. It's not quite a diary, however, as there are no dates heading up each chapter, and weeks can go by between pages. Almost an entire year is covered, as Josie learns about herself, her family, and her dreams. The story covers a lot of ground in terms of her relationships with friends, boys, her father, and her grandmother, but the theme holding the story together is Josie's coming of age and growing to know herself. Realistic teen fiction doesn't always age well, but this search for identity will always have currency, and the only parts that date the story are brief references to Doc Martens and a tape deck. Though not as streamlined or complicated as Jellicoe Road, this is still a book I would recommend. 4 stars.

119bell7
Abr 28, 2010, 1:51 pm

39. Steampunk edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer
Category: Short Stories

This anthology of steampunk writers from over twenty years begins with the essay "The 19th-Century Roots of Steampunk" by Jess Nevins, which gives the reader a lot of background about the genre and its roots in the novels of Jules Verne, dime novels, and authors' political responses to science fiction. The stories included then go on to show just how broad this genre can be, from diabolical inventors to a really creepy character who created rifts in time to a sort of comedy-of-manners in which a wife tries to distract her husband from gardening.

You may not love every story here - in fact, considering the range of stories, I would be surprised if you did - but you will surely come away with an appreciation of the breadth of subjects and styles that steampunk can encompass. My personal favorite was "Seventy-Two Letters" by Ted Chiang, an intricate short story involving the power of naming, kabbalistic ideas, and automata. On the other hand, I skimmed rather than read "The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down: A Dime Novel" by Joe R. Lansdale. Though an interesting premise, that the main character from H.G. Wells' Time Machine created rifts in time and becomes insane, the story involved such a large amount of violence that only those with a very strong stomach should read it.

Finally, if you enjoy some of the stories, you will come away with a list of further books to read. I want to look for more by Ted Chiang, as well as James Blaylock and Michael Chabon. Besides the authors included, the final two essays give you even more to look into. Rick Klaw surveys steampunk books, movies, and games in his essay "The Steam-Driven Time Machine: A Pop Culture Survey," in which he includes a list of his top-ten steampunk books and movies. The final essay, "The Essential Sequential Steampunk" by Bill Baker gives readers a brief sketch of steampunk stories in comic book format.

If you're interested in learning about the steampunk subgenre, this collection of short stories is an excellent place to start. Though the editors admit in the introduction that the best of steampunk is novel-length, the essays and stories included in this anthology are an excellent source of information, authors, and title suggestions for a newbie like me and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick introduction to the genre.

120andreablythe
Abr 28, 2010, 2:49 pm

"I'll always have pictures of the actors in my head instead of the author's descriptions."

Ah, yes, that can be a problem. I have certainly had that happen to me. Though if the author is particularly vivid about a character and their personality, their description will trump that.

Also, you mentioned interest in other anime, so here are a few suggestions:
Pretty much anything by Hayao Miyazaki
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Graveyard of the Fireflies (1988) - Warning! This had me weeping for an hour.
Cowboy Beebop: The Series (1999) or The Movie (2002)
Perfect Blue (1997)

Those are some of my favorites

121bell7
Abr 28, 2010, 6:12 pm

>120 andreablythe: Thanks, I'll have fun checking some of those out! I think my library has the Cowboy Bebop movie. Do you know offhand what "The Remix" is in relation to the series?

122alimosina
Abr 28, 2010, 6:15 pm

"The Vanished Library" by Luciano Canfora

123AHS-Wolfy
Abr 28, 2010, 7:35 pm

I think my library has the Cowboy Bebop movie. Do you know offhand what "The Remix" is in relation to the series?

It's basically a remastered (both audio and video) version of the original release and had some additional extras on the DVD's.

124bell7
Abr 28, 2010, 8:04 pm

>123 AHS-Wolfy: Oh cool, so it looks like I can try both the series and the movie. Thanks for the info!

125bell7
Abr 30, 2010, 5:38 pm

40. The Last Knight by Hilari Bell
Category: Fantasy (could also be YA/children's)

Fisk is a squire - at least, he is as of a week ago when he met Michael, an eighteen-year-old knight errant about 200 years after that was a fashionable trade. Michael wants to travel, so he chose this life of working hard and helping out his fellow man over his father's chosen profession for him: steward to his oldest brother. But when the boys are tricked into freeing a murderess, Michael's father Baron Seven Oaks redeems them. In order for Michael to be a free man again, they have to recapture Lady Ceciel and bring her for trial.

Much of this story is told over the course of a journey, so the plot feels meandering at times while Michael and Fisk try to track down Lady Ceciel or her steward all along the countryside. The story is much more focused, however, when it is read as the story of two young men becoming friends and learning to trust each other. Each chapter is told alternating between Fisk's and Michael's points of view, which can be difficult to pull off but works really well to give readers insight into both of their characters, not only by what they reveal about themselves, but what they say about each other. Fisk is funny and sarcastic, protesting just a bit too much that he wants to leave Michael the first chance he gets. Michael's narrative is sprinkled with "tis" and "mayhap," marking him as a nobleman's son, and his descriptions of others show how idealistic he is. This first in the "Knight and Rogue" series is recommended for older readers who enjoyed The Lightning Thief or Howl's Moving Castle. 4.5 stars.

126bell7
Maio 1, 2010, 8:37 am

41. Rogue's Home by Hilari Bell
Category: YA/Children's (could also be Fantasy)

*If you haven't already read the first in the series, The Last Knight, this is a spoiler warning for that title.*

Returning from their adventures attempting to recapture Lady Ceciel, Sir Michael knows that returning without the lady will mean he is declared unredeemed. He will be marked with a tattoo and forever considered outside the law - he can claim no redress, nor is it a crime for another man to harm him. But this is the only way he can see of getting out of his father's requirement for him to work as a steward, and Michael is nothing if not stubborn. Meanwhile, a messenger finds Fisk and gives him a message he's been carrying for months. The contents are vague, but clear - his sisters need him.

This time around, we meet Fisk's family and get more of his backstory, which was only hinted at in The Last Knight. As before, the chapters alternate between Fisk's and Michael's points of view so we can get a really good sense of their character development, as idealistic Michael learns just how hard life can be as an unredeemed man and Fisk has a backhanded way of trying to give Michael his dignity back. Instead of a journey, this story is more of a mystery that close readers may be able to put together a little before the characters do, but what really makes these stories fun is spending time with Michael and Fisk. 4.5 stars.

And now (well, not now, after I get back from work, really) - I get to read the third book in the series, Player's Ruse for the first time. SO excited!

127bell7
Maio 2, 2010, 2:19 pm

42. Player's Ruse by Hilari Bell
Category: YA/children's (could also be Author Revisits or 8-9-10 or Fantasy)

*If you haven't read the first two books in the Knight and Rogue series, The Last Knight and Rogue's Home, this is a **spoiler warning** for those titles*

Over a year has passed since Fisk and Michael left Fisk's family. They have made a bit of a life for themselves - Michael working as a bouncer and Fisk copying and sewing. Then Rosamund, Michael's cousin and the girl he's in love with, shows up and asks for their help in finding her love, a traveling player named Rudy. When they travel to the town in which the players are working, Michael and Fisk manage to catch the eye of the sheriff by seeing a signal fire used by wreckers. Instead of asking them to leave when he finds out Michael's status as an unredeemed man, the sheriff requests that they stay while he conducts his investigations. Of course, a knight errant and his squire can't help but get involved.

This story took a little longer than the others to get going, and to be perfectly honest - though I'm very sad to be leaving this world behind for now - I didn't like it as well as the first two. Though the wreckers and the mysterious enemy of the players gives the story a hint of mystery, there is not as much adventure and some elements of the story seem a little forced in comparison to the earlier titles. Still, I enjoyed seeing Michael and Fisk's friendship and characters develop further. Their personalities really come through the narration, even given small details such as the dog that Michael calls True and Fisk calls Trouble. This is definitely a series I would reread with pleasure. 4.5 stars.

128bell7
Editado: Maio 3, 2010, 10:04 pm

43. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Category: The Everything Drawer

Tom Sawyer just can't seem to stay out of trouble, much to the chagrin of his Aunt Polly and other adults in his life. Among other things, he skips school, tricks his friends into doing his chores, and falls in love with the new girl. Though he's always up to something, you can't help but like this kid.

It's always a little strange to reread books that I first encountered as a child, and having my past and present reactions running through my mind. I remember reading Tom Sawyer for the first time when I was in elementary school, and really enjoying the chapter about whitewashing the fence. I was so proud of myself that I figured out how devious Tom was, even when the narrator didn't really tell me that he was tricking everyone. I still enjoyed it as an adult, but my reactions were different in a few ways. I had remembered it as more of a cohesive story, but it's really quite episodic. The characterization of "Injun Joe" didn't faze me as a child, but reading it now I was struck by the pervasive racism. A fun story, especially when Tom and Huck are up to shenanigans and discussing superstitions. 4 stars.

129bell7
Maio 8, 2010, 11:31 am

44. Still Life by Louise Penny
Category: But they MADE me read it

"Miss Jane Neal met her maker in the early morning mist of Thanksgiving Sunday. It was pretty much a surprise all around. Miss Neal's was not a natural death, unless you're of the belief everything happens as it's supposed to" (1). So begins Still Life, a mystery set in the small Canadian town of Three Pines, Quebec, where everyone knows everyone and life goes by at a slightly slower pace. Jane Neal was a bit eccentric - not letting anyone beyond her kitchen, for example - but well-liked and about to enter a painting into an art show for the first time. When she is found dead, apparently the victim of a hunting accident, Inspector Armand Gamache is called in from the big city to piece together the events. He relies on intuition and good people skills in his investigation.

I'm late to the party with this one. A co-worker of mine named it as one of her favorite reads last year, and several people here on LibraryThing have sung its praises much more skillfully than I. All I can say is its one of those stories that gripped me from the first sentences. The blend of humor and seriousness, wonderfully vibrant characters and compelling mystery made this an incredibly difficult book to put down. I'm glad it's the first in a series, because I don't want to leave Three Pines behind. What else can I say? Still Life is definitely on my list of favorites for the month, and will probably make my list of top reads for the year. 5 stars.

130bell7
Maio 10, 2010, 9:42 am

45. The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers
Category: Out of the Box (and Global Reading overlap - originally written in German)

Optimus Yarnspinner is an aspiring author and a dinosaur living in Zamonia. As an inhabitant of Lindworm castle, he has had the best training under the tutelage of his authorial godfather, Dancelot Wordwright. On his deathbed, Dancelot bequeaths a manuscript to Optimus, a brilliant short story by an unknown author, and commissions his godson to go to Bookholm to discover the writer.

This is an endlessly inventive tale that mixes the ridiculous (literary dinosaurs) with smart bookish humor (author names that Optimus lists are anagrams of famous authors in our world). The odd mixture puts me in mind of the Thursday Next series, though in many ways the stories themselves are completely different. But if you have a good imagination, enjoy discovering literary references in unexpected places, and didn't mind the footnoterphone or the Cheshire Cat as librarian in The Well of Lost Plots, then I would recommend Moers' creative yarn. Though the fourth in a series, The City of Dreaming Books was the first that I read and I had no trouble reading it as a standalone. It runs a little long towards the end, but it was such a fun ride that I want to check out the rest of the series. 4.5 stars.

131bell7
Maio 13, 2010, 10:23 am

46. Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers
Category: Author Revisits (could also be 8-9-10)

At age twelve, Marta knows what she wants out of life - she wants to continue learning, leave her family home behind, and own her own boarding house or hotel. Her abusive father takes her out of school and makes her work for families in their hometown of Steffisburg, Switzerland, but Marta makes the most of all she learns so that she can attain her dream. Family ties back home threaten to break her, however, for her sick mother and her gentle sister Elise stay behind. Her mother encourages her to fly, and Marta determines to do so regardless of her father's plans for her.

Covering about 50 years from 1901 to 1951, this is the story of Marta and her oldest daughter, Hildemara, and how their relationship is shaped by Marta's past. The two of them have very different temperaments, and their points of view dominate the story, but I connected and sympathized with both women. Unfortunately, none of the other characters are as fleshed out as Marta or Hildie. Time moves by fast, too, so that I was left wanting more information, though the story covers nearly 500 pages. Maybe I'm just not cut out for family sagas - I wanted Marta to have a story of her own, with more details instead of the broad brush strokes required to cover so much time in a short space. 4 stars.

132bell7
Maio 18, 2010, 9:11 am

47. Raising Bookworms by Emma Walton Hamilton
Category: Dewey Decimal Challenge

Please don't mind this really long post while I figure out exactly how to review this book. But the review on the book page should turn out better as a result. :)

My Children's Literature teacher taught me to review a book for what it is rather than what I want it to be. I'm trying to separate my expectations of what I wanted Raising Bookworms to be from my reactions to what it is, but it's really hard to distance myself from the experience of reading a book in order to look at it more analytically than emotionally, especially when the subject matter is one near and dear to my heart: getting kids to read. I should be up front about what I expected. I was hoping for a list of resources and suggestions that either might be handy in recommending books to children and teens in my capacity as reference librarian or that I could use to subtly encourage my younger sister to read.

The suggestions in the book, however, are of much more use to parents. Hamilton's main premise is that we should connect reading with joy, and many of her techniques such as reading aloud, creating a book nook, keeping books in every room, and modeling a love of reading yourself, hearken back to this main theme. Each chapter focuses on one age group - baby and toddler, preschool, elementary school, and middle school. She warns in the introduction that a lot of the techniques carry over into other age groups, so reading from cover to cover can be repetitive. At the end of each chapter, she includes a list of some of her "Family Favorites" as suggestions. Most of her suggestions are common sense; perhaps because I took so many courses in children's services, I didn't find a lot that I had not already known. Despite the introduction, I found myself quickly getting annoyed with the repetitive structure of the book and the frequent use of italics. I did enjoy the chapter of various resources - recommended books, awards, and websites - which again, was more along the lines of what I had expected going in to it.

So, I was often bored or frustrated in the reading of the book, basically because it was not the book I wanted nor do I find it extremely useful right now, with no children and no real capability of putting her suggestions into practice either at home or at work. But what I did find was a handy resource to suggest to parents who want to interest their kids in reading from a young age and don't know where to start. The repetitive nature of her suggestions would probably be less obvious if you were to hone in on the applicable chapters for your children's ages. While the italics are still annoying (probably an editorial choice, but I felt like I was being talked down to) and the book suggestions put series titles out of order, it's generally a good resource and starting point for parents who want to positively reinforce reading in their homes.

Personal reaction: 2 stars
Recommending to parents: 4 stars

133bell7
Editado: Maio 18, 2010, 5:38 pm

48. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Category: 8-9-10 (pub. 2010 in US)

Finn is a prisoner in Incarceron, the sentient prison originally intended as a utopia, but truly a savage place with Scum and outlaws and all-seeing eyes. Claudia is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. As the betrothed of the Prince, Claudia may apparently have an idyllic life, but she's in a prison of her own.

The world imaged in Incarceron is apparently sometime in the future. Huge scientific discoveries were made and a lot of technology could be available, but the people have purposely turned their backs on it, instead following a Protocol much like the Victorian Era. Both those inside and outside Incarceron still seemed imprisoned by Protocol and by the royal family - what Claudia's father refers to as "the game." The world-building is complex and sometimes confused me, but it builds up the tension and suspense in reading. Finn and Claudia are sympathetic characters, and I want to know more about each of them. I hope future titles in the series will further explore their backgrounds. 4 stars.

134bell7
Editado: Jun 1, 2010, 12:02 pm

49. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
Category: But they MADE me read it (Monthly Author Read)

Alan Grant is laid up in the hospital after a fall through a trap door, and incredibly bored as a result. Best-sellers brought by well-meaning friends do not help his situation, but when Marta brings him some historical photographs, he suddenly takes an interest. Grant studies faces, and he comes across a photograph of a man he would have guessed to be a leader and a good man - only to find out it is Richard III. Surprised at his uncharacteristically wrong guess, he embarks on a research project to find more about the last Plantaganet king and the mystery of the murder of his nephews.

For a story in which there is not much action and little immediacy, the pace is fast and the mystery surprisingly intriguing. I enjoyed Tey's dry sense of humor from the beginning, and once Grant started sending people off to research Richard III and continuing with historical tidbits, I was pretty well hooked. I think I would have followed Grant and his friends' research better had I been better versed in the history of the British monarchy. As it was, there was one chapter thick with historical summary that bored me incredibly. I also wished for a bibliography or author's note or something as an endnote to tell me where to look up more information about Richard II or Henry VII or the Princes in the Tower. I was intrigued enough, however, to follow up with a nonfiction title and will certainly read more by this author in the future. 4 stars.

135GingerbreadMan
Maio 21, 2010, 7:04 pm

@129 Our wedding day is coming up, and that sounds like something my wife would love. Thank you for the tip!

136bell7
Maio 23, 2010, 1:38 pm

You're welcome, I hope she enjoys it - and happy anniversary!

137bell7
Editado: Jun 1, 2010, 12:02 pm

50. Juliet by Anne Fortier
Category: But the MADE me read it (LTER)

When Julie Jacobs' aunt dies, she received a letter that reveals her name is truly Giulietta Tolomei, a descendant of the real-life families that inspired Romeo and Juliet: the Tolomeis and the Salembenis. Her mother, Diane, had left behind a box with more information for her to find. Leaving her twin sister behind, Julie - or Giulietta - travels to Siena, Italy to follow the clues her mother left behind. She also meets members of the Salembeni, Eva Maria and her godson, Alessandro. As she becomes more and more wrapped up in the story of the previous Giulietta Tolomei and her love, Romeo Marescotti, Julie doesn't know whom to trust or who is telling her the truth.

I was most interested in the historical, literary angle of the book, and the sections set in 1340 worked best for me. The rest was in Julie's voice, and I didn't really connect with her as a narrator, especially in her description of her twin sister, Janice, and their relationship. Fortier's decision to narrate the story in first person also took away some of the tension, since it is very unlikely that the narrator will die. Though a fairly well-paced plot, I never really felt invested in the characters nor did I fully buy the modern-day romance. The narration is sprinkled with similes, some of which were fresh but many of which were unnecessary and only served to make the story feel even more over the top than it already was. A quick and fun summer story, but not one that I would reread. 3 stars.

Edited to fix numbering

138bell7
Editado: Jun 1, 2010, 12:03 pm

51. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
Category: Everything Drawer

Nobody particularly liked CC de Poitiers and no one, even in idyllic Three Pines, is particularly torn up now that she's been murdered. Even so, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache investigates, using his trademark respect and ability to read people.

The second in the Three Pines series, A Fatal Grace could be read before Still Life without a problem; however, readers with the inhabitants of Three Pines - such as Peter and Clara Morrow, Gabri, Olivier, Ruth, Myrna and, of course, Inspector Gamache himself - will appreciate the return of familiar characters and probably best be able to keep track of them all. Personally, I loved Still Life and was a little afraid I was going in to A Fatal Grace with unreachable expectations, but the book delivers in spades. This is a really delightful mystery series, including a smattering of human emotion and psychology, poetry, and hints of the past affecting the present for Inspector Gamache and his team. I really look forward to seeing how this series continues to develop. 5 stars.

Edited to fix numbering

139ivyd
Jun 1, 2010, 1:06 pm

>138 bell7: In my opinion, the best is still to come for you. I've read all 5 in the past few months and am eagerly awaiting the next book (this fall, I think).

140bell7
Jun 1, 2010, 1:28 pm

Thanks, ivyd. I've been really impressed by the series so far, and can't wait to see what happens next! Not sure how I'll be able to handle waiting. :)

141bell7
Jun 4, 2010, 9:21 am

52. The Sheepfarmer's Daughter by Elizabeth Moon
Category: Everything Drawer

Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter runs away from home and an unwanted marriage proposal to join the army. She joins with Duke Phelan's company, a mercenary company, promising to fight for two years after training. Beginning with training and continuing as Paks rises through the ranks, we see Paks mature and deal with all manner of challenges from within and outside the company.

Though a fantasy, as evidenced by mention of orcs and elves, the focus on military life ground the story in a reality of its own, though names of towns or people may be unfamiliar. The story is mostly about Paks' coming-of-age, and readers don't really know all the whys and wherefores of the many battle until well into the book when Paks herself is rising in rank. There are hints of even more going on behind the scenes, but nothing spelled out in this first book of a trilogy. 4 stars.

142GingerbreadMan
Jun 6, 2010, 5:29 pm

I keep seeing interesting reviews of Elizabeth Moon's books here and there on LT. I've yet to read anything, but she sounds like a name to remember.

143bell7
Editado: Jun 7, 2010, 10:29 pm

>142 GingerbreadMan: I had only heard of Elizabeth Moon through LT as well, and I'm glad I did. I'll certainly check out the next book in the series to begin with, and probably more as well.

I should note that I've read a couple of off-challenge reads, which has been making my page counter go up:
Talking to Dragons by Patricia Wrede and
At Large and At Small by Anne Fadiman

Reviews are on the book pages for those interested. Unfortunately, the only spot I have left in my "Everything Drawer" is for a global read - I may finagle categories later in the year (my "library" category is sadly lacking, for example) but for now I decided it's too early to worry about it.

Edit - fixed a title which fixed the touchstone which should now lead to the proper work with my review! :)

144pammab
Jun 7, 2010, 9:01 pm

Patricia Wrede! I love her. Recently started reading her collection of short stories again after years and years of not reading her -- had a great time with the wit and feminist twists. Of course, I couldn't find your review, so my apologies if I'm totally off-base from how you left the book. :)

145bell7
Jun 7, 2010, 10:32 pm

>144 pammab: pammab - I enjoyed The Enchanted Forest Chronicles overall, though I didn't like Talking to Dragons quite as well as the others (I fixed the title for the touchstone, so it now goes to the book that I really did review...oops!). My favorite was Dealing with Dragons. The only other book I've read by her is Sorcery and Cecilia, a book which for the life of me I can't remember why I didn't think it was quite as good (I should revisit it and find out).

146GingerbreadMan
Jun 8, 2010, 6:12 am

143 No, wait! I'm mixing up Moon and Bear! Oh well, they both sound good.

147bell7
Jun 8, 2010, 8:52 am

>146 GingerbreadMan: - From what I've read, at least, they are. :) Last year I did read Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear, the first in a series that involved a bit of Arthurian legend and the legend of Tam Lin. (I mix up author names all the time - there are the "E.W.''s I can never keep straight - Evelyn Waugh, Eudora Welty, and there's a third in there that will come to me after I post this message.)

148bell7
Jun 8, 2010, 8:53 am

53. Book Lust by Nancy Pearl
Category: Library books (could also be Dewey Decimal Challenge)

The subtitle says it all - "Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason." The lists are organized alphabetically from "A is for Alice" to "Zero," which just about every genre and topic you can think of in between. Because it's organized topically, there is some overlap in books mentioned that fall into more than one category, with books like The Brothers K, for example, listed in both "Baseball" and "Mothers and Sons." Nancy Pearl, reader and librarian extraordinaire, also offers her comments on a book's plot or what she loved about it. I love that she's not afraid to give her opinion, saying upfront which books she loved and which sequels she did not think were as good. I know from listening to her podcasts and reading her blog that her opinions about books do not always coincide with mine, but I love that she doesn't try to sugarcoat her responses to try to appeal to more readers, because reading is personal.

This is not a book I would necessarily recommend reading from cover to cover unless you read widely and you could stand adding several books to your already large list of books to be read. I added about 30, and that was only by being really picky and rushing through some of the lists to get this book back to the library before it did more damage to my ever-growing TBR list. If it's not a book to be read straight through, however, it's an excellent book to own. I want this book. I want to be able to dip into it at random in the rare moments that I'm stuck for something to read. I want to be able to talk back in the margins - "No, The Makioka Sisters is dead boring, NOT like Jane Austen." I want to add books I've read that fall into each list that perhaps were published since Book Lust came out in 2003. The topical lists are also great for display ideas, and I admit to using one in the library soon after I started this book. Should you fail to find enough books to interest you here, there are more: More Book Lust, published in 2005, and Book Crush, similarly recommended books for children and teens. Personally, though, I'm going to wait until I can buy these, too. My TBR list is bloated enough as it is.

149pammab
Jun 8, 2010, 7:57 pm

145
I didn't like Talking to Dragons as much as the other three either, if I'm recalling ten years ago correctly.... Thanks for fixing the link; I couldn't seem to figure out how to navigate my way there on my own.

150bell7
Jun 9, 2010, 11:25 am

You're welcome - all my fault, really, for mixing up my prepositions. I want to call it "Talking with Dragons" when it's really "Dealing with Dragons" and "Talking to Dragons."

151bell7
Editado: Jun 9, 2010, 11:42 am

54. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Category: Author Revisits (Global/in translation overlap)

The summer of 1943, Max Carver and his family move to the seaside. Their new home has been empty for some time, and was built by the Fleishmanns, a couple whose son, Jacob, drowned. The house seems creepy and full of secrets, including a garden of statues surrounded in mist that Max discovers nearby. Max also meets Roland, a boy who promises to take him and his older sister, Alicia, diving to see the Orpheus, a ship whose demise has a mystery of its own.

This debut novel of the author best known for The Shadow of the Windhas been newly translated into English. Though not as polished as his later works, The Prince of Mist definitely has moments of atmosphere that reminded me of Ruiz Zafon's adult books. The backstory is introduced kind of clunkily and the prose doesn't flow as well, but the deliciously creepy mystery kept me reading quickly. This is a story I can recommend to fans of The Ruby in the Smoke and other mysteries with a taste of the supernatural. 4 stars.

Edited to add category

152VictoriaPL
Jun 9, 2010, 2:57 pm

Good comments on Book Lust. I felt the same way after I got my hands on a copy. I haven't finished reading it completely. After adding about a dozen books to my TBR I decided to put it down and come back later.

153bell7
Jun 10, 2010, 8:07 am

Hi Victoria! It did strike me as a book that I would like to have around to reference, but I'm not sure I'd read a book like that from cover to cover again. One of the main reasons I kept going was to fill the 011 spot in the Dewey Decimal Challenge. Not to say I didn't enjoy the book, just that it wasn't designed to be read that way (and I added 30 books to the TBR pile in about 3 days, which is not good for morale! haha).

154bell7
Editado: Jun 17, 2010, 8:45 am

55. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
Category: Short Stories (could also be 8-9-10)

Though billed as a novel, this is a series of vignettes or short stories that each focus on a different character. These characters have one thing in common: their connection - often employment - with an English-language newspaper in Italy. The stories are told in chronological order, so even as we move between each character's point of view and story, the full picture that we begin to put together is of the newspaper itself. In between each story, we learn more of the back story of how the paper came to be in the first place, and by the end of the book the two stories - the character sketches and the story of the newspaper - have merged.

I'm rather conflicted about this book. I liked the format, which often reminded me of Olive Kitteridge. In the latter, the short stories taken together gave me a mosaic of this one character as seen from many points of view. In The Imperfectionists, each character's story eventually gives you a full picture of the newsroom. Each story is rather artfully done, too, with clever use of language and interesting - though very imperfect - characters. And here my conflict lies. I did not these characters, and I have a very tough time reading about characters that I dislike. By the time I realized that no one was going to be likable, I was too far in to abandon the book. I found the characters and the overall tone fairly depressing, so the more I think about the book, the less I like it. The writing is superb, though, and at moments I cared about the characters despite my dislike. So it tips the balance to 3 stars.

Edited to change category

155bell7
Jun 22, 2010, 10:40 am

56. The Quickening by Michelle Hoover
Category: Made me read it (LTER)

Enidina Current and Mary Morrow are farmer's wives and neighbors. They are almost thrown together by circumstances, if not friends in the strictest sense of the word. The arc of the story focuses more on their internal struggles than on external events, as the women connect through family, poverty, and the hard work of the farms.

Enidina and Mary trade narration every chapter, sometimes telling the same stories from a different viewpoint, beginning during World War 1 and running through the decades. Sometimes their reminiscences provide a picture of their pasts and the narrative present (about 1950), but primarily the story takes place between the World Wars. I was not sure how much to trust either woman's point of view. At times, Enidina seemed confused about exactly what happened, and I had a hard time fully trusting Mary's description of events as well. Because time moves quickly, I sometimes had a hard time remembering character's ages. Enidina and Mary are the most fleshed out, which makes sense since they are narrating. I found myself sympathizing more with Mary, but liking Enidina more. Recommended for readers who enjoy a midwestern setting and character-drive stories. 4 stars.

156bell7
Jun 25, 2010, 8:31 pm

57. The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny
Category: The Everything Drawer (yep, it's full. That means everything from hear on out either fits in my category or won't be reviewed here.)

The third book in the Three Pines series promises to be different from the others from the very first page. As Easter approaches, the villagers are preparing for an Easter egg hunt, and a Good Friday seance that Gabri is going to spring on his unsuspecting guest, a psychic. The first seance breaks up rather lightly. Clara, Myrna, Monsieur Beliveau and the other participants decide to hold another at the old Hadley place because of the resident evil that seems to be in its very foundation. But when one of the participants in the second seance dies, Inspector Armand Gamache is called in to investigate.

I do not normally read books involving seances (too easily scared, I suppose), but I honestly think Louise Penny could get me to read almost anything in order to find out more about the wonderful people who live in Three Pines. Reading this series has kept me so riveted that I hardly know what to say when I've finished, except that I'm utterly satisfied. I love these characters, who seem very human to me because of the author's attention to human emotions - the best and the worst, what makes us noble and what drives us to kill. I can't recommend it highly enough. 5 stars.

157bell7
Jun 27, 2010, 4:30 pm

58. Strokes of Genius by L. Jon Wertheim
Category: 8-9-10 (could also be Recommendations)

The 2008 final of the Championships, Wimbledon was one of the classic matches in tennis. Two of the best players in the world, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, took Centre Court and it was history in the making - either Federer would break Bjorn Borg's record of five Wimbledon championships in a row or Nadal would become the first man since Borg to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in one year.

It wasn't enough that it was a historic moment, both men were also at their peak, playing incredible tennis. Sports writer L. Jon Wertheim breaks down the match, describing key points, and discusses both men's backgrounds and styles of play. As a tennis fan, I remembered watching the match and how tense it was for me, and it was fun to revisit it as well as learning more about both players. The writing really detracted from my enjoyment, however. Sometimes Wertheim uses the oddest descriptions, such as comparing Nadal's biceps to yule logs, and at other time words seem to fail him so he describes something as "damn good" or "a hell of a point," which just struck me as bad writing when he couldn't think of anything else more descriptive. The other irritant was that he seemed to be more in Nadal's camp, usually describing as an Everyman or a journeyman who's just one of the guys, while Federer is described in less glowing terms as kind of above all that. I tried to remember that I had about two years of future knowledge, and that the book itself - at least when it came to tennis statistics - was out of date almost as soon as it was published, but as a Federer fan myself it was a little hard to get past that. If you're a tennis fan looking for more on the Federer-Nadal rivalry, I would recommend this book, but for most I would point to Levels of the Game by John McPhee instead. 3.5 stars.

158bell7
Jun 30, 2010, 10:31 pm

59. The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke
Category: Short Stories

The short story collection by the author of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is set in the same world as that novel. The "Introduction" by the "Director of Sidhe Studies, University of Aberdeen" gives the tales a pseudo-historical feel: either the tale itself is an alternate history, or illustrative of the legends of that world. The use of footnotes adds to the feeling of history or a literary collection used in "Sidhe Studies." This adds a layer of complexity and cleverness to the collection.

The stories themselves I found of varying interest. Some confused me, many seemed dark. These fairies are governed by ethics much different from humans' and their interactions in the human world generally cause trouble, whether intended or not. Personally, my favorite was "On Lickerish Hill," the story of a girl, Miranda, whose mother promises the man Miranda weds that she can spin five skeins of wool a day. I enjoyed recognizing the tale, though it was told in a style very different from what I would have expected. If you've been thinking of trying Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but were intimidated by the size, try this first to get a shorter introduction to Susanna Clarke's Faerie world. 4 stars.

159bell7
Jul 6, 2010, 9:24 am

60. Terrier by Tamora Pierce
Category: Out of the Box

Over one hundred years before Alanna was living, Rebakah Cooper's dream was to be one of the Provost Guards, known as "Dogs." Given the chance to be a Puppy to two of the best, Beka can't wait to learn more but she's so shy that she can barely look her Dogs in the face. Then, her friend Tansy's son Rolond goes missing. So many go missing in the Lower City that there are not enough Dogs to look into it. Beka must use her ingenuity and magical ability to hear the dead to learn what happened to Rolond and the other children taken and killed by someone calling himself the Shadow Snake. Now, she just has to gather enough solid facts for her Dogs to take up the hunt as well.

I like Beka a lot. She's tough and she's determined. Her world is not always black and white - the Dogs take bribes but not to evil purposes, and there is only so much they can do in a city teeming with crime. Even though Beka's narrating the story, the other characters have meat on their bones. For example, Tunstall and Goodwin, Beka's Dogs, each have their own personality and we get a sense of their relationship as partners as well. There are a lot of characters to keep up with, so much so that there is a list in the back of the book, though I'd recommend you look at it only after finishing, as there are spoilers included. The story is well-paced, and even at 500+ pages, the last hundred or so read very quickly as the solutions to the mystery come together. I'll see what I think after reading the next book, but so far I think I might like Beka even more than I liked Alanna. 4.5 stars.

This is probably more firmly fantasy in terms of who would be interested in reading it, but there is a mystery and the Provost Guards are essentially the police force, so a lot of the tags are for "police procedural" as well.

160kristenn
Jul 6, 2010, 10:20 am

>154 bell7:

I had the same reaction to The Imperfectionists, both the positive and the negative. Well, there were a couple people I liked near the beginning, like the corrections editor. But they just got worse and worse, particularly the women. And I was really bothered by a certain incident near the very end. Yes he wanted dramatic there but I still found it gratuitious.

161bell7
Jul 6, 2010, 8:53 pm

Hi Kristen, thanks for stopping by. Yeah, I didn't mind the editor who was kind of old-fashioned as much as the others; as a librarian and book-lover I suppose I can relate to that. I don't remember the incident you mention, but that may just be because I was hurrying along by the end to just finish the book and be done with it... The girl with the boyfriend really annoyed me, though. I wanted to tell her to just dump him already.

162kristenn
Editado: Jul 6, 2010, 11:04 pm

The dog.

The user boyfriend was the most irritating episode by far for me too. Although the airplane one was the creepiest.

163bell7
Jul 7, 2010, 5:49 am

Oh. Yeah, I was not too happy with that, either. And (strikeout for possible spoiler) the airplane one creeped me out, and I had to read the end twice to try to figure out if he killed her or not.

164GingerbreadMan
Jul 7, 2010, 5:01 pm

159 Sounds pretty interesting. I've never read anything by Pierce. Do you think I'd benefit from reading the alanna books first, or does Terrier work as a first read?

165bell7
Jul 7, 2010, 7:46 pm

I don't think you have to read the Alanna books first, since the events in Terrier take place beforehand. The only thing I can think of is that a short prologue in the beginning of Terrier is not going to be meaningful in its reference to a character that shows up in the Alanna series, but it certainly works on its own.

166bell7
Jul 8, 2010, 10:32 am

61. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny
Category: 8-9-10 (published in the US in 2009)

Inspector Armand Gamache and his wife Reine-Marie are away, celebrating their anniversary in a small hotel in the middle of nowhere. The Finney family are the other guests, "celebrating" a reunion, but each of them seem deeply unhappy underneath their surface behavior. When murder intrudes, Inspector Gamache and his team have a wealth of suspects to sort through: the question is not why but how?

I absolutely love this series, and I find it so hard to explain exactly why. I read more analytically if there's something I don't like, something I can focus on outside of the story. But the Three Pines series completely draws me in to that world, to these characters whom I've come to care so much about that I can smile or tear up depending on what's going on in their lives and hearts. I got up this morning with about 80 pages left, put on a pot of coffee, sat down on the couch to read and didn't get up to get my cup of coffee until I'd finished the book (and if you know me at all, you know almost nothing gets between me and coffee first thing in the morning). This fourth book in the series is the first to be set away from Three Pines, but I was not at all disappointed by the results. Once again, the characters' inner struggles are the focal point, because twisted human emotions are what lead to murder and Armand Gamache carefully exposes his own and others' secrets to find the truth. If you've been putting off reading the series, all I can say is, what are you waiting for? 5 stars.

167cmbohn
Jul 8, 2010, 11:34 am

The Tamora Pierce book sounds interesting to me too. My daughter is a big fan of hers, but I only like her somewhat. But this one sounds different. I will have to look for it.

168bell7
Jul 8, 2010, 7:50 pm

Hope you enjoy it, Cindy! I haven't read much by her, just the Alanna series and Terrier, but this looks like a series I want to continue reading.

169bell7
Jul 31, 2010, 7:14 pm

62. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Category: 8-9-10 (published in 2009)

Six years ago, Grace was dragged away from her tire swing and attacked by the wolves that roamed her woods every winter. Yet she's not afraid of them. There's one wolf in particular, one with yellow eyes, that seems to be an obsession of hers. That wolf is Sam, a boy who is only human in the summer, and has never spoken to Grace. Then a boy from her school dies, apparently attacked by wolves, and the whole pack is in danger.

I was disappointed overall. Despite the fact that Grace and Sam switch off telling me their love story, I never really connected with the characters. Sam's prose in particular was too embellished at times, even for an aspiring songwriter. But I'm not much for paranormal (or any other) romance, unless it's part of a larger story. So please, take what I'm saying with a grain of salt, because I'm probably not the type of reader the author had in mind. If you enjoy this sort of story, then I recommend it as a fast and fun read. It was a good read for hanging out one afternoon when I didn't want a deep read, but it's not a story that will stay with me, nor am I convinced that I want to read the sequel. 3 stars.

170bell7
Set 3, 2010, 9:22 pm

63. The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel
Category: Libraries/books

I so enjoyed this book, an homage to libraries of all sorts - personal, public, national, and even imaginary. Each chapter is almost an essay in its own right, though Manguel often builds on thoughts from one to the next. This book was as much over my head when it came to literature as Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time was over my head in science (and I was an English major!). Manguel's erudition often intimidated me, yet he is never stuffy. His musings become an interesting mix of philosophy, history, and literary criticism that made me wish my mental library was a little closer to his so that I could follow more of his thoughts. I most loved the book when he was meandering, talking about personal libraries or love of books, and I wish the book was my own so I could underline passages or revisit it whenever I like. 4.5 stars.

171detailmuse
Set 4, 2010, 9:30 am

>170 bell7: the book (and Manguel) sound wonderful. I doubt I would have heard of them but for you, thank you!

172bell7
Set 4, 2010, 8:58 pm

>171 detailmuse: You're welcome! I hope you enjoy it!

173divinenanny
Set 6, 2010, 2:24 pm

I received The Library at Night last year for my birthday and loved it even more than I thought. I must say it (and the pictures of Neil Gaiman's library) have shaped my ideal house and library in my head.

174bell7
Set 7, 2010, 8:09 am

>173 divinenanny: Yes, I was really jealous of a particular picture (now I can't even remember whose/what library it was) that made me think that's what I want my library to look like when I have one someday. It's the one with the tall shelves along the wall and a small step stool, with curvy chairs in front of it, kind of further on in the book... (I returned it, so can't reference the page number, grr)

175bell7
Set 9, 2010, 9:02 am

64. Blameless by Gail Carriger
Category: Out of the Box

The third highly-anticipated book (for me, at least!) in the Alexia Tarabotti series begins with Lady Maccon once again living with her appalling family because her husband, Earl of Woolsey and werewolf Alpha, has kicked her out. Alexia is pregnant, you see, a state that scientists agree would be impossible as her husband is not exactly living, and she herself as a preternatural never expected what she has dubbed the infant-inconvenience. The vampires seem to know more about it than she does, however, because they want her dead.

While I enjoyed reading more adventures of Alexia, Lord Maccon, Professor Lyall, Ivy Tunstell (nee Hisselpenny), and the rest, I did not enjoy Blameless quite as much as the previous titles in the series. Perhaps this has more to do with my expectations than the story itself. I expected certain plot threads to take more time than they did to resolve, and was taken aback by how much time is spent figuring out why Alexia is pregnant and what that means for the supernatural community. Personally, since the fact that she is pregnant is a given, I was less interested in the how. I enjoyed the over-the-top humor as always, and was intrigued by the hints that Ivy is not quite as harebrained as we may have been led to believe. I will be looking forward to the publication of Heartless, the next book in the series, due out in July of next year. 4 stars.

176bell7
Set 17, 2010, 7:24 pm

65. Displaced Persons by Ghita Schwarz

In May 1945, Pavel and his friend Fishl are newly liberated from the German concentration camps. They steal to get money and rent rooms from a widow woman. Eventually they are joined by Fela and Pavel, two other refugees and begin to build their lives back together.

This is one of the most depressing books I've read in a long time. While I felt sorry for the characters for their war experiences, I did not like a lot of the choices they made, such as Pavel's plan to kick a widow out of her house to have for himself, Fela, and Chaim. I thought a story about characters in the aftermath of their war experiences might give some interesting insight into their psychology. Well, it did, but what I found was an awfully bleak world view in which your friends and family can betray or hurt you, and broken lives can never fully be put back together. Aside from the tone, I had trouble with the lack of quotation marks around speech, unless it was a character speaking in English. It was very hard for me to follow in the beginning, especially, trying to remember who was speaking, and knowing when speech stopped and a character's thoughts began. Because the book covers the years 1945 through 2000, there are often gaps of several years between chapters, which gave the story a very disjointed feeling that I also had a hard time with. I'm not sorry I read it, as it thoughtfully addresses the way in which tragedies like World War 2 can become commodities, but it's not the type of book I enjoy reading. 2 stars.

In all honesty, I wouldn't have finished it if it weren't an Early Reviewer book. :(

177bell7
Set 22, 2010, 10:48 pm

66. The Rose and the Beast by Francesca Lia Block
Category: Short Stories

This collection of nine fairy tales retells familiar stories such as Snow White and Beauty and the Beast, giving each of them a darker or more modern spin. In "Charm," for example, Sleeping Beauty is not literally asleep, but a girl who was used by men and became a drug addict. Most of the stories have a positive outcome in some form or another, however, much like fairy tales themselves, though the result is much more bittersweet than "happily ever after." My personal favorite, "Glass," told the story of a Cinderella who spun fine tales, and whose relationship with her sisters necessarily changed because of the prince. Though the stories were darker than I tend to enjoy, I have to say the writing was splendid. Sentences flow smoothly, making you want to keep reading without pause, or even try it out loud for a sound of it. Recommended for fans of fairy tales with a modern twist. 3 stars.

178bell7
Editado: Out 7, 2010, 10:06 pm

67. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
Category: Books about Books/Libraries/Librarians

The world of rare books can be a strange place to those not given to collecting or interested in books-as-objects rather than holders of information. In fact, it's quite an impressive business and has the thievery rate to show for it. When a friend showed her an old book that was apparently stolen from a library some time ago, Allison Hoover Bartlett was intrigued enough to look into the rare book business, collecting, and stealing. In particular, she heard about one thief, John Gilkey, who stole quite a bit to keep for his own personal use rather than to resell, and the man who worked as security chair for the ABAA, Ken Sanders.

Much of the information comes from Gilkey himself, as well as Ken Sanders and other book dealers. Bartlett also enters the narrative, as she describes her reaction to some of Gilkey's comments, her experience going to a rare books fair, and ethical dilemmas she wrestles with as a reporter. Though I found much of the beginning ruminations on collecting repetitive, and wished the narrative covered more details of the psychology behind the desire to obtain rare books or other collections, this is a nonfiction book that reads quickly and one I would recommend to anyone who would like a glimpse of the rare book trade. 4 stars.

Edited to add category.

179detailmuse
Out 8, 2010, 9:40 am

I'm looking at your edit to msg#1 -- if you do still want to track how many pages you've read, you can get a book's page-length from Amazon. (It's a little fluffed, what with title pages, acknowledgements, etc., but close.) I read very few audiobooks so I give them a "1" for page count but am thinking of changing that to the hard-copy number.

180bell7
Out 8, 2010, 10:28 am

>179 detailmuse: Yeah, I can get that from the library records of the books that I borrowed, too, but I'm a too lazy to do it just to have the exact number. I think I can safely say I read 30,000-40,000 pages a year, and it's enough for me to have a ballpark figure. :)

181bell7
Out 27, 2010, 12:15 pm

68. Barefoot in Baghdad by Manal Omar
Category: Dewey Decimal Challenge
This was an Early Reviewer book.

Manal Omar is a Palestinian-American, a Muslim and a woman. When she was given the opportunity to work in Baghdad for an agency dedicated to providing women with training to allow them to be more financially independent and put their war-torn lives together, she felt uniquely qualified to do the job. Omar's story focuses primarily on her thoughts, feelings, interactions, and a few "outside" cases working for Women for Women International, a non-governmental agency (NGO) starting a branch in Iraq in 2003. As she spends time in Iraq, she finds herself attempting to negotiate between distinct worlds, and making compromises she never expected.

The memoir could have used more stringent editing, as there was some repetition of thought (even within the same paragraph), some awkward sentences, and sometimes minimal connection between the chapter headings and content. Despite this, Omar presents a broad spectrum of women in Iraq, from the elite and well-off to the poorer women she was drawn to help. She is up front with her political leanings, and stubborn to a fault about certain things. I sometimes wished that she would include facts or statistics to back up some of her broader, opinionated claims. Since I was expecting a story about her work for the international aid organization, I was surprised at the tight focus on Omar herself. I did not learn much about her regular work; instead, she focuses on interactions she has with staff, friends, and U.S. military in Iraq, as well as detailing a few of the cases considered outside the purview of her position. Towards the end of the memoir, however, I realized that this is more a reflection of her time in Iraq and the memories that haunt her rather than an enumeration of success stories. 3.5 stars.

182bell7
Nov 18, 2010, 9:11 am

69. Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian by Avi Steinberg
Category: Libraries/books

The last thing Avi expected to become was a prison librarian. This former Orthodox Jew without an MLS applied for the job because, well why not? It was full time and came with benefits, which was more than he could say for writing obits. But the job came with much more than the description in the ad could entail.

As a librarian in a public library, I usually skip over books that are about working at a library. It feels too much like bringing work home. This memoir intrigued me, however, reminding me of a class I look en route to my MLS on serving underserved populations. Our class even visited a prison library as a field trip. And, I figured, his job was different enough from mine not to feel like bringing work home.

Well, soon after starting this book I realized how much of an understatement that was. At first I was put off by his casual use of swear words and his attitude towards the religious life he left behind. After he got the job, however, I became fascinated with some of the details of his interactions with inmates, his struggles with "the right thing to do" in various situations, and what his job entailed. It's about as different as a job in the same field can possibly be; we both work with books and try to have materials on the shelves that interest our patrons, but that's about as far as the similarities go. The high stress of his job and the constant battle between serving the inmates and keeping the guards happy gets to him after awhile. The descriptions of prison life and the lifestyle and choice of the men and women who were in that prison are not pretty, and drained me just reading the book. By the time I got to the end, the book started to feel disjointed and hard to follow. I wasn't sure if I ran out of steam or the author did. Still, this is a profession that doesn't get a lot of notice, and I enjoyed this look into an aspect of librarianship that is often fraught with difficulty. 3.5 stars.

183pammab
Nov 18, 2010, 9:43 am

Fascinating. The conflict between serving inmates and keeping guards happy speaks to me, though I've never thought of it in quite those terms before. I volunteered in a prison for a while and it was definitely one of the more intense latent tensions in that environment. It's the guards' job to think all the inmates are constantly and unchangeably dangerous (and to keep all non-inmates on their toes), but you can't possibly constantly be thinking that and still do a good job of believing in the inmate's better natures and helping them to believe in those natures themselves.... There is some definite mental tension that goes along with that.

You wrote a good review, though I probably won't be picking this one up given your comments.

184bell7
Nov 18, 2010, 6:38 pm

>183 pammab: Thanks, pammab. I thought that tension was interesting too, it made me happy to work in a public library where I can feel comfortably ethical about not sharing patron's reference questions and reading choices. Other people liked it better than me based on the reviews, so you might find other comments strike you a little differently than mine. Overall, I'm still glad I read it.

185bell7
Dez 31, 2010, 10:44 am

Well, I ended up reading "off challenge" quite a bit this year - more than half my reading didn't fit. As much as I've enjoyed the category challenges, I've decided to take a break from them in 2011 and concentrate on the books both on my TBR longlist and the unread books I own, with full permission to get into a series, subject, author, etc. should the mood strike me.

If you're interested in following along, here's my thread in the 75 Book Challenge in 2011.

Happy New Year and happy reading in 2011!

186GingerbreadMan
Jan 2, 2011, 3:09 pm

I've enjoyed following your thread and will miss you in the 11 in 11 group. Happy free reading though!

187bell7
Jan 3, 2011, 3:38 pm

Thanks, Anders. Hope you have fun with 11 in 11. Looks like you have a bunch of interesting reads ahead of you, I'll be following your thread with interest.