May: Books 13-24
13. Justice Hall (Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes), Laurie R. King. As always, King's characters and settings absolutely shine. Holmes and Russell, of course, but also the secondary, tertiary, and incidental characters, are well-crafted individuals that are interesting to read about. However, I thought that the mystery here, while compelling in terms of characters and relationships, was just not very, well, mysterious. For everything else, this is an excellent read. (4/5)
14. The Girl Who Chased the Moon, Sarah Addison Allen. I know "treacly" seems like a pejorative term, and it certainly could be, but it isn't in this case. "The Girl Who Chased the Moon" is absolute sugar - sweet, delicious, and brittle at times. Maybe Allen falls back on the same tropes she used in her two previous novels, but it hardly matters when the end result is so lovely and magical. (4.5/5)
15. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen. Well, this was pretty disappointing. Although I found some of the characters vivid and engaging (especially the animals), the story was rote and predictable. I was full-on rolling my eyes by the time I was done. (3/5)
16. Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 5), written by Joss Whedon, Jane Espenson, Steven S. DeKnight, Drew Z. Greenberg, Jim Krueger, and Doug Petrie; illustrated by Georges Jeanty and Cliff Richards (graphic novel). Loved the Harmony bits, barely tolerated the rest of it. (3/5 - because of Harmony, mostly)
17. Retreat (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol 6), written by Jane Espenson and Joss Whedon; illustrated by Georges Jeanty, Andy Owens, Michelle Madsen, and Jo Chen (graphic novel). This installment had me interested in the story again (but I keep feeling let down by the art - it's difficult to tell one blonde or brunette from another, and that's a pretty big problem here). (3.5/5)
18. The Foundling: And Other Tales of Prydain (Prydain Chronicles), Lloyd Alexander. Oh, Lloyd Alexander, I love you, and I love Prydain. I think I'm going to reread the entire series this year! YA Welsh High Fantasy FTW! (4/5)
19. Moonheart, Charles de Lint. Maybe I'm just a sucker for character development through a hodgepodge of manipulated mythology, but I tend to love Charles de Lint. (4.5/5)
20. Serenity: Those Left Behind, written by Joss Whedon and illustrated by Will Conrad and Laura Martin (graphic novel). It was nice seeing everyone again, but it wasn't the most interesting story - enjoyed the art, though. (3.5/5)
21. Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days, written by Joss Whedon; illustrated by Brett Matthews, Will Conrad, and Adam Hughes (graphic novel). Interesting, but not spectacular. (3.5/5)
22-23. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, written by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by John Tenniel, edited and with additional material by Hugh Haughton (reread of the novels, first read of the additional material). I have to say it's difficult to fully enjoy these books in their apparent innocence after reading a lengthy article that prattles on about Lewis Carroll's (probably un-acted upon) paedophilia. I should just avoid reading the introductory material to anything by Lewis Carroll or J.M. Barrie. The book is very pretty, though! And I'm pretty sure a future re-reread will be more enjoyable (as long as I avoid the intro next time round). (4.5/5 for the sheer wonder of it all)
24. The House at Riverton, Kate Morton. I picked this up because I enjoyed The Forgotten Garden, and it just isn't as good. It was a perfectly fine time-waster - interesting enough, but not very inventive or original. It was full of cliches and not-really-mysterious mysteries, but despite of this, I found myself enjoying the setting (and a few of the characters) too much to put it down. (3/5)
14. The Girl Who Chased the Moon, Sarah Addison Allen. I know "treacly" seems like a pejorative term, and it certainly could be, but it isn't in this case. "The Girl Who Chased the Moon" is absolute sugar - sweet, delicious, and brittle at times. Maybe Allen falls back on the same tropes she used in her two previous novels, but it hardly matters when the end result is so lovely and magical. (4.5/5)
15. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen. Well, this was pretty disappointing. Although I found some of the characters vivid and engaging (especially the animals), the story was rote and predictable. I was full-on rolling my eyes by the time I was done. (3/5)
16. Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 5), written by Joss Whedon, Jane Espenson, Steven S. DeKnight, Drew Z. Greenberg, Jim Krueger, and Doug Petrie; illustrated by Georges Jeanty and Cliff Richards (graphic novel). Loved the Harmony bits, barely tolerated the rest of it. (3/5 - because of Harmony, mostly)
17. Retreat (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol 6), written by Jane Espenson and Joss Whedon; illustrated by Georges Jeanty, Andy Owens, Michelle Madsen, and Jo Chen (graphic novel). This installment had me interested in the story again (but I keep feeling let down by the art - it's difficult to tell one blonde or brunette from another, and that's a pretty big problem here). (3.5/5)
18. The Foundling: And Other Tales of Prydain (Prydain Chronicles), Lloyd Alexander. Oh, Lloyd Alexander, I love you, and I love Prydain. I think I'm going to reread the entire series this year! YA Welsh High Fantasy FTW! (4/5)
19. Moonheart, Charles de Lint. Maybe I'm just a sucker for character development through a hodgepodge of manipulated mythology, but I tend to love Charles de Lint. (4.5/5)
20. Serenity: Those Left Behind, written by Joss Whedon and illustrated by Will Conrad and Laura Martin (graphic novel). It was nice seeing everyone again, but it wasn't the most interesting story - enjoyed the art, though. (3.5/5)
21. Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days, written by Joss Whedon; illustrated by Brett Matthews, Will Conrad, and Adam Hughes (graphic novel). Interesting, but not spectacular. (3.5/5)
22-23. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, written by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by John Tenniel, edited and with additional material by Hugh Haughton (reread of the novels, first read of the additional material). I have to say it's difficult to fully enjoy these books in their apparent innocence after reading a lengthy article that prattles on about Lewis Carroll's (probably un-acted upon) paedophilia. I should just avoid reading the introductory material to anything by Lewis Carroll or J.M. Barrie. The book is very pretty, though! And I'm pretty sure a future re-reread will be more enjoyable (as long as I avoid the intro next time round). (4.5/5 for the sheer wonder of it all)
24. The House at Riverton, Kate Morton. I picked this up because I enjoyed The Forgotten Garden, and it just isn't as good. It was a perfectly fine time-waster - interesting enough, but not very inventive or original. It was full of cliches and not-really-mysterious mysteries, but despite of this, I found myself enjoying the setting (and a few of the characters) too much to put it down. (3/5)