December 2015 reading
December 2015 reading:
50. A Red-Rose Chain, by Seanan McGuire (358 pages)
Toby's life seems to be taking a positive turn, her days taken up by dealing with creatures which have come from the deeper realms and wedding-planning.... until the nameless False Queen convinces the Silences to declare war on the Mists. It's a situation that requires diplomacy lest it become a bloodbath, and for some reason the true queen has decided Toby is perfect for the job. Toby isn't one to question the wisdom of her queen, but that seems like a bad idea--the fatal kind of bad. So it's into the Silences she goes, hoping she and her entourage can make it through this one without dying. We get to learn cool things about Walther in this one!
51. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, by Sydney Padua (317 pages)
I'm considering this a hybrid book, because there were a lot of very interesting primary documents and footnotes that actually made up the majority of the book compared to the comic bits. I'm not well-versed in calculus and have only a tenuous understanding of mathematics beyond basics, but this was really enjoyable--especially a lot of the little jokes and interesting characterizations. I really liked being on this adventure, and one of the appendices really got to me--the fact that Babbage had in his possession one of Lovelace's calling cards, years after her death. It's amazing, really, all that people accomplished in those days of imaginary computers.
52. Kingsteel, by Michael Meyerhofer (432 pages)
Although I wished more had been explained regarding Knightswrath's powers, this was a very satisfying conclusion to the Dragonkin trilogy. The protagonists are spread across Ruun and facing the newly revealed Dragonkin who has been hiding and gathering power for centuries and believes himself to be a god. Each alone, they seem destined for defeat--especially Rowan, who fears Knightswrath's seductive power and its hold on him. With the Dragonkin revealed and the fabled Jolym terrorizing the land, new and unprecedented alliances are forged of desperation. Even then, the future of all of Ruun may lie in Darkness. The threads leading to the conclusion were subtly woven throughout. Definitely enjoyable. Not all arcs were completely wrapped up, hinting possibly at more, so it will be interesting to see whether Meyerhofer returns to the land of Ruun in future works. I know I'd love to learn more about some of the races not focused on as much in this trilogy, like the Queshi, as well as the fate of the future Shel'ai.
53. Don't Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric, by Claudia Rankine (155 pages)
The major themes of the poetry in this were depression, death, loneliness, and sociopolitical nihilism. I really enjoyed this, and could connect with the specific moments referenced from the early 2000s. I liked the bluntness about depression and antidepressants, too.
54. Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury (288 pages)
This book is like distilled nostalgia, the prose beautifully intoxicatingly, and I could only handle it in short doses. It took me over a year to read it, but because it was so emotionally powerful to me. I also grew up in Illinois, not too far from Waukegan, so there was a lot I identified with. Possibly one of my favorite books ever.
December pages: 1,550
Pages to date: 17,206
Progress: 54/52
December 2015 comics/manga reading:
215. Durarara!! Yellow Scarves Arc: Volume 1, by Akiyo Satorigi (176 pages)
216. GTO: Volume 9, by Tohru Fujisawa (184 pages)
217. GTO: Volume 10, by Tohru Fujisawa (192 pages)
218. GTO: Volume 11, by Tohru Fujisawa (192 pages)
219. A Certain Scientific Railgun: Volume 10, by Kazuma Kamachi (256 pages)
220. Wandering Son: Volume 7, by Shimura Takako (220 pages)
221. Awkward Moments (Not Found in Your Average) Children's Bible: Volume 1, by Horus Gilgamesh (82 pages)
222. Dance in the Vampire The Bund Memories of Sledge Hammer: Volume 2, by Nozomu Tamaki (192 pages)
223. Tegami Bachi: Volume 18, by Hiroyuki Asada (200 pages)
224. Dresden Files: Down Town, by Jim Butcher (144 pages)
December pages: 1,838
Pages to date: 41,061
Progress: 224/365
50. A Red-Rose Chain, by Seanan McGuire (358 pages)
Toby's life seems to be taking a positive turn, her days taken up by dealing with creatures which have come from the deeper realms and wedding-planning.... until the nameless False Queen convinces the Silences to declare war on the Mists. It's a situation that requires diplomacy lest it become a bloodbath, and for some reason the true queen has decided Toby is perfect for the job. Toby isn't one to question the wisdom of her queen, but that seems like a bad idea--the fatal kind of bad. So it's into the Silences she goes, hoping she and her entourage can make it through this one without dying. We get to learn cool things about Walther in this one!
51. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, by Sydney Padua (317 pages)
I'm considering this a hybrid book, because there were a lot of very interesting primary documents and footnotes that actually made up the majority of the book compared to the comic bits. I'm not well-versed in calculus and have only a tenuous understanding of mathematics beyond basics, but this was really enjoyable--especially a lot of the little jokes and interesting characterizations. I really liked being on this adventure, and one of the appendices really got to me--the fact that Babbage had in his possession one of Lovelace's calling cards, years after her death. It's amazing, really, all that people accomplished in those days of imaginary computers.
52. Kingsteel, by Michael Meyerhofer (432 pages)
Although I wished more had been explained regarding Knightswrath's powers, this was a very satisfying conclusion to the Dragonkin trilogy. The protagonists are spread across Ruun and facing the newly revealed Dragonkin who has been hiding and gathering power for centuries and believes himself to be a god. Each alone, they seem destined for defeat--especially Rowan, who fears Knightswrath's seductive power and its hold on him. With the Dragonkin revealed and the fabled Jolym terrorizing the land, new and unprecedented alliances are forged of desperation. Even then, the future of all of Ruun may lie in Darkness. The threads leading to the conclusion were subtly woven throughout. Definitely enjoyable. Not all arcs were completely wrapped up, hinting possibly at more, so it will be interesting to see whether Meyerhofer returns to the land of Ruun in future works. I know I'd love to learn more about some of the races not focused on as much in this trilogy, like the Queshi, as well as the fate of the future Shel'ai.
53. Don't Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric, by Claudia Rankine (155 pages)
The major themes of the poetry in this were depression, death, loneliness, and sociopolitical nihilism. I really enjoyed this, and could connect with the specific moments referenced from the early 2000s. I liked the bluntness about depression and antidepressants, too.
54. Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury (288 pages)
This book is like distilled nostalgia, the prose beautifully intoxicatingly, and I could only handle it in short doses. It took me over a year to read it, but because it was so emotionally powerful to me. I also grew up in Illinois, not too far from Waukegan, so there was a lot I identified with. Possibly one of my favorite books ever.
December pages: 1,550
Pages to date: 17,206
Progress: 54/52
December 2015 comics/manga reading:
215. Durarara!! Yellow Scarves Arc: Volume 1, by Akiyo Satorigi (176 pages)
216. GTO: Volume 9, by Tohru Fujisawa (184 pages)
217. GTO: Volume 10, by Tohru Fujisawa (192 pages)
218. GTO: Volume 11, by Tohru Fujisawa (192 pages)
219. A Certain Scientific Railgun: Volume 10, by Kazuma Kamachi (256 pages)
220. Wandering Son: Volume 7, by Shimura Takako (220 pages)
221. Awkward Moments (Not Found in Your Average) Children's Bible: Volume 1, by Horus Gilgamesh (82 pages)
222. Dance in the Vampire The Bund Memories of Sledge Hammer: Volume 2, by Nozomu Tamaki (192 pages)
223. Tegami Bachi: Volume 18, by Hiroyuki Asada (200 pages)
224. Dresden Files: Down Town, by Jim Butcher (144 pages)
December pages: 1,838
Pages to date: 41,061
Progress: 224/365