Books #13-14
Book #13 was "The Blood of Olympus," the last in the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. I felt this novel was a very satisfying conclusion to the series. It wrapped up a lot of loose ends while also leaving a few things open to speculation. I like that some of the characters who didn't get to do as much in earlier books (especially Piper) come into their own in the final book. Apparently some people were annoyed that Percy wasn't a viewpoint character in this last book, but he had his own whole series, so I didn't mind it. I was really interested in finding out what happened to the other characters. I truly loved this series.
Book #14 was "Ivanhoe" by Sir Walter Scott. This classic novel had been on my "to read" list for a while. I'd read other classic authors praising it, and heard that, as an adventure tale, it stands the test of time, so I thought I'd tackle it. The downside is that the language is antiquated, and was antiquated even in Scott's time (he wrote it around 1819/1820) because he was portraying events from many centuries earlier, right after the end of the Crusades. The upside is that the book is jam-packed with action: nobles traveling in disguise, jousting, archery contests, kidnapping, threats of torture and rape, a witch trial, a daring rescue, a madwoman in the belfry. If you are the sort of reader who won't get frustrated with encountering many obscure (and often obsolete) vocabulary words, you might find Ivanhoe a fun read. I'm curious to watch one of the movie adaptations of it now.
1. Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time" [nonfiction]- David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson (unabridged audiobook)
2. The Detroit Electric Scheme [fiction]- D.E. Johnson
3. Classic Philip Jose Farmer 1964-1973 (Volume 5 in the Classics of Modern Science Fiction series) [fiction/short stories]- PJ Farmer
4. "The Aspern Papers" and "The Turn of the Screw" (omnibus volume with notes and commentary) [fiction]- Henry James
5. Ever After (11th in "The Hollows" series) [fiction]- Kim Harrison (unabridged audiobook)
6. On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family [nonfiction]- Lisa See
7. Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama [nonfiction/ graphic memoir]- written and illustrated by Alison Bechdel
8. My Year with Eleanor: A Memoir [nonfiction/memoir]- Noelle Hancock
9. House of Leaves [fiction]- Mark Z. Danielewski
10. Ready Player One [fiction]- Ernest Cline (unabridged audiobook)
11. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America [nonfiction]- Barbara Ehrenreich
12. Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life [nonfiction/memoir]- Harriet McBryde Johnson
Book #14 was "Ivanhoe" by Sir Walter Scott. This classic novel had been on my "to read" list for a while. I'd read other classic authors praising it, and heard that, as an adventure tale, it stands the test of time, so I thought I'd tackle it. The downside is that the language is antiquated, and was antiquated even in Scott's time (he wrote it around 1819/1820) because he was portraying events from many centuries earlier, right after the end of the Crusades. The upside is that the book is jam-packed with action: nobles traveling in disguise, jousting, archery contests, kidnapping, threats of torture and rape, a witch trial, a daring rescue, a madwoman in the belfry. If you are the sort of reader who won't get frustrated with encountering many obscure (and often obsolete) vocabulary words, you might find Ivanhoe a fun read. I'm curious to watch one of the movie adaptations of it now.
1. Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time" [nonfiction]- David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson (unabridged audiobook)
2. The Detroit Electric Scheme [fiction]- D.E. Johnson
3. Classic Philip Jose Farmer 1964-1973 (Volume 5 in the Classics of Modern Science Fiction series) [fiction/short stories]- PJ Farmer
4. "The Aspern Papers" and "The Turn of the Screw" (omnibus volume with notes and commentary) [fiction]- Henry James
5. Ever After (11th in "The Hollows" series) [fiction]- Kim Harrison (unabridged audiobook)
6. On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family [nonfiction]- Lisa See
7. Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama [nonfiction/ graphic memoir]- written and illustrated by Alison Bechdel
8. My Year with Eleanor: A Memoir [nonfiction/memoir]- Noelle Hancock
9. House of Leaves [fiction]- Mark Z. Danielewski
10. Ready Player One [fiction]- Ernest Cline (unabridged audiobook)
11. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America [nonfiction]- Barbara Ehrenreich
12. Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life [nonfiction/memoir]- Harriet McBryde Johnson