Reading Log #35-89
I haven't updated this in forever, so I didn't just finish...
Title: Looking Glass Wars #1: The Looking Glass Wars
Author: Frank Beddor
Genre: YA, fantasy
Publishing Date: 2006
Pages: 364
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: maybe
As I started reading, I didn’t like this book. But by the end, I had already decided to go find the next in the series. It’s an interesting take on “Alice in Wonderland” where Wonderland is real and Alice-or Alyss, as she’s known there- is fighting for her throne.
Title: Josefina: An American Girl (1824) #1: Meet Josefina #2: Josefina Learns a Lesson #3: Josefina’s Surprise #4: Happy Birthday, Josefina! #5: Josefina Saves the Day #6: Changes for Josefina
Author: Valerie Tripp
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date: 1998
Pages: 85, 67, 69, 69, 69, 70
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: yes
Read Again?: sure
Still re-reading the American Girls series. Josefina lives in New Mexico, before it is officially part of the United States, at her family’s rancho. The books include a short glossary for the Spanish words, which are also usually explained in the story.
Title: Steampunk: An Illustrated History of Fantastical Fiction, Fanciful Film and Other Victorian Visions
Author: Brian J. Robb
Genre: non-fiction
Publishing Date: 2012
Pages: 192
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: might flip through it again
Not really a “history”, but more of a very-illustrated overview, it was still very interesting. It’s given me some things to add to my To-Read/To-Watch lists!
Title: Marie-Grace & Cecile: American Girls (1853) #1: Meet Marie-Grace #2: Meet Cecile #3: Marie-Grace and the Orphans #4: Troubles for Cecile #5: Marie-Grace Makes a Difference #6: Cecile’s Gift
Author: Sarah Masters Buckey & Denise Lewis Patrick
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date: 2011
Pages: 105, 120, 104, 104, 104, 96
Collection: my personal library (boxed set)
Read Before?: yes
Read Again?: sure
American Girl re-read, again. This is the first set where there are two main characters, instead of one main girl and her best friend. Marie-Grace and Cecile live in New Orleans during the Yellow Fever epidemic, and the books include a glossary of French words used by Cecile’s family.
Title: Magic Ex Libris #1: Libriomancer
Author: Jim C. Hines
Genre: fantasy
Publishing Date: 2012
Pages: 308
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: sure
This author is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. I’m reading his “Princess” series (a twisted fairy tale series) and this one is just as good. The main character is a book nerd, who uses magic to pull things out of books. Right up my alley! I can’t wait for the next book.
Title: Earthsea #1: A Wizard of Earthsea
Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
Genre: fantasy
Publishing Date: 1968 (my copy, 1984)
Pages: 183
Collection: my personal library (used book sale)
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: maybe
The style of this one is a little sparse, so it took some getting used to, but I really enjoyed it. It’s one of the staples of the fantasy genre, and I’m glad I read it.
Title: Kirsten: An American Girl (1854) #1: Meet Kirsten #2: Kirsten Learns a Lesson #3: Kirsten’s Surprise #4: Happy Birthday, Kirsten! #5: Kirsten Saves the Day #6: Changes for Kirsten
Author: Janet Beeler Shaw
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date: 1990
Pages: 61, 69, 62, 58, 67, 64
Collection: my personal library (boxed set)
Read Before?: yes
Read Again?: most likely
More American Girl re-reading. Kirsten is an immigrant from Sweden, who comes to Minnesota with her family to join their relatives on the frontier.
Title: The Dictionary of Cliches
Author: James T. Rogers
Genre: non-fiction
Publishing Date: 2001
Pages: 353
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: use for reference, sure
This was a fun read. I did know where a lot of the clichés come from, but some were new, and they were all interesting.
Title: Princess of the Wild Swans
Author: Diane Zahler
Genre: YA fantasy
Publishing Date: 2012
Pages: 224
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: sure
A re-telling of the Swan Princes- not to be confused with the Swan Princess (where the girl gets turned into a swan), this is the one where the girl’s brothers get turned into swans. I really liked that it was in the first person, for some reason, especially with this one.
Title: Addy: An American Girl (1864) #1: Meet Addy #2: Addy Learns a Lesson #3: Addy’s Surprise #4: Happy Birthday, Addy! #5: Addy Saves the Day #6: Changes for Addy
Author: Connie Rose Porter
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date: 1993
Pages: 69, 68, 80, 60, 67, 61
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: yes
Read Again?: sure
Still doing the American Girl re-read. Addy was born a slave, then runs away with her Mama to Philadelphia. Her books are about the prices of freedom, and trying to find the rest of her scattered family.
Title: Star Wars and History
Author: Nancy R. Reagin
Genre: non-fiction
Publishing Date: 2012
Pages: 382
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: not likely
Not a bad read, but kind of boring. Exactly what it says on the tin, a bunch of essays about how stuff in Star Wars comes from Earth history.
Title: Samantha: An American Girl (1904) #1: Meet Samantha #2: Samantha Learns a Lesson #3: Samantha’s Surprise #4: Happy Birthday, Samantha! #5: Samantha Saves the Day #6: Changes for Samantha Nellie’s Promise
Author: Valerie Tripp
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date: 1986
Pages: 64, 61, 66, 69, 65, 67, 85
Collection:
Read Before?: yes
Read Again?: most likely
More American Girl re-read. Samantha is tied as my favorite, I think (with Molly, 1944). She lives in Victorian New York- technically, Edwardian, but this is aimed at grade school kids- with her wealthy grandmother, where she befriends the girl who works as a maid next door. This was the first series to add the “best friend” book & doll, with Samantha’s best friend, Nellie.
Title: Riese: Kingdom Falling
Author: Greg CoxGenre:
Publishing Date: 2012
Pages: 288
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: maybe
I started watching the web series on SyFy.com, but I got lost. Then I read this book, which is Riese’s entire backstory, and suddenly the series made much more sense! I’m hoping that there’s some more of it, too.
Title: Rebecca Rubin: An American Girl (1914) #1: Meet Rebecca #2: Rebecca and Ana #3: Candlelight for Rebecca #4: Rebecca and the Movies #5: Rebecca to the Rescue #6: Changes for Rebecca
Author: Jacqueline Dembar Greene
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date:
Pages: 78, 78, 77, 78, 77, 78
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: half yes, half no
Read Again?: sure
Another American Girl re-read. Rebecca is a Jewish Russian-American in 1914 New York, to a working-class family.
Title: Star Wars: Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor
Author: Matthew Stover
Genre: science-fiction
Publishing Date: 2011
Pages: 366
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: maybe
This is set a couple of weeks after Return of the Jedi which makes it so much funnier when you know how the rest of the EU turns out. But I did like the ‘look back’ at the characters, Luke still the only Jedi, Leia just starting to use the Force, and Han still half-convinced they’re both crazy…
Title: The Ordinary Princess
Author: M.M. Kaye
Genre: YA fantasy
Publishing Date: 1980 (my copy much newer)
Pages: 128
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: yes
Read Again?: oh, yes
One of my favorites! The style is simple, but it’s a great story about being yourself, no matter how ordinary.
Title: Kit: An American Girl (1934) #1: Meet Kit #2: Kit Learns a Lesson #3: Kit’s Surprise #4: Happy Birthday, Kit! #5: Kit Saves the Day #6: Changes for Kit Really Truly Ruthie
Author: Valerie Tripp
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date: 2000
Pages: 69, 67, 71, 69, 68, 70, 75
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: yes (except the last one)
Read Again?: sure
Still one more American Girl re-read. Kit lives in Cincinnati during the Great Depression… which is surprisingly relevant, in this economy.
Title: Robbie Forester and the Outlaws of Sherwood Street
Author: Peter Abrahams
Genre: YA fantasy-ish
Publishing Date: 2012
Pages: 320
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: nope
This book sounded like a re-telling of “Robin Hood” in a modern setting with middle-school kids. Instead, it ended up being a weird quasi-magic mystery, with some ‘stealing from the rich’ thrown in as an afterthought. The only good thing was that it was a short read.
Current Mood:
tired
Title: Looking Glass Wars #1: The Looking Glass Wars
Author: Frank Beddor
Genre: YA, fantasy
Publishing Date: 2006
Pages: 364
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: maybe
As I started reading, I didn’t like this book. But by the end, I had already decided to go find the next in the series. It’s an interesting take on “Alice in Wonderland” where Wonderland is real and Alice-or Alyss, as she’s known there- is fighting for her throne.
Title: Josefina: An American Girl (1824) #1: Meet Josefina #2: Josefina Learns a Lesson #3: Josefina’s Surprise #4: Happy Birthday, Josefina! #5: Josefina Saves the Day #6: Changes for Josefina
Author: Valerie Tripp
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date: 1998
Pages: 85, 67, 69, 69, 69, 70
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: yes
Read Again?: sure
Still re-reading the American Girls series. Josefina lives in New Mexico, before it is officially part of the United States, at her family’s rancho. The books include a short glossary for the Spanish words, which are also usually explained in the story.
Title: Steampunk: An Illustrated History of Fantastical Fiction, Fanciful Film and Other Victorian Visions
Author: Brian J. Robb
Genre: non-fiction
Publishing Date: 2012
Pages: 192
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: might flip through it again
Not really a “history”, but more of a very-illustrated overview, it was still very interesting. It’s given me some things to add to my To-Read/To-Watch lists!
Title: Marie-Grace & Cecile: American Girls (1853) #1: Meet Marie-Grace #2: Meet Cecile #3: Marie-Grace and the Orphans #4: Troubles for Cecile #5: Marie-Grace Makes a Difference #6: Cecile’s Gift
Author: Sarah Masters Buckey & Denise Lewis Patrick
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date: 2011
Pages: 105, 120, 104, 104, 104, 96
Collection: my personal library (boxed set)
Read Before?: yes
Read Again?: sure
American Girl re-read, again. This is the first set where there are two main characters, instead of one main girl and her best friend. Marie-Grace and Cecile live in New Orleans during the Yellow Fever epidemic, and the books include a glossary of French words used by Cecile’s family.
Title: Magic Ex Libris #1: Libriomancer
Author: Jim C. Hines
Genre: fantasy
Publishing Date: 2012
Pages: 308
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: sure
This author is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. I’m reading his “Princess” series (a twisted fairy tale series) and this one is just as good. The main character is a book nerd, who uses magic to pull things out of books. Right up my alley! I can’t wait for the next book.
Title: Earthsea #1: A Wizard of Earthsea
Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
Genre: fantasy
Publishing Date: 1968 (my copy, 1984)
Pages: 183
Collection: my personal library (used book sale)
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: maybe
The style of this one is a little sparse, so it took some getting used to, but I really enjoyed it. It’s one of the staples of the fantasy genre, and I’m glad I read it.
Title: Kirsten: An American Girl (1854) #1: Meet Kirsten #2: Kirsten Learns a Lesson #3: Kirsten’s Surprise #4: Happy Birthday, Kirsten! #5: Kirsten Saves the Day #6: Changes for Kirsten
Author: Janet Beeler Shaw
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date: 1990
Pages: 61, 69, 62, 58, 67, 64
Collection: my personal library (boxed set)
Read Before?: yes
Read Again?: most likely
More American Girl re-reading. Kirsten is an immigrant from Sweden, who comes to Minnesota with her family to join their relatives on the frontier.
Title: The Dictionary of Cliches
Author: James T. Rogers
Genre: non-fiction
Publishing Date: 2001
Pages: 353
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: use for reference, sure
This was a fun read. I did know where a lot of the clichés come from, but some were new, and they were all interesting.
Title: Princess of the Wild Swans
Author: Diane Zahler
Genre: YA fantasy
Publishing Date: 2012
Pages: 224
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: sure
A re-telling of the Swan Princes- not to be confused with the Swan Princess (where the girl gets turned into a swan), this is the one where the girl’s brothers get turned into swans. I really liked that it was in the first person, for some reason, especially with this one.
Title: Addy: An American Girl (1864) #1: Meet Addy #2: Addy Learns a Lesson #3: Addy’s Surprise #4: Happy Birthday, Addy! #5: Addy Saves the Day #6: Changes for Addy
Author: Connie Rose Porter
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date: 1993
Pages: 69, 68, 80, 60, 67, 61
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: yes
Read Again?: sure
Still doing the American Girl re-read. Addy was born a slave, then runs away with her Mama to Philadelphia. Her books are about the prices of freedom, and trying to find the rest of her scattered family.
Title: Star Wars and History
Author: Nancy R. Reagin
Genre: non-fiction
Publishing Date: 2012
Pages: 382
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: not likely
Not a bad read, but kind of boring. Exactly what it says on the tin, a bunch of essays about how stuff in Star Wars comes from Earth history.
Title: Samantha: An American Girl (1904) #1: Meet Samantha #2: Samantha Learns a Lesson #3: Samantha’s Surprise #4: Happy Birthday, Samantha! #5: Samantha Saves the Day #6: Changes for Samantha Nellie’s Promise
Author: Valerie Tripp
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date: 1986
Pages: 64, 61, 66, 69, 65, 67, 85
Collection:
Read Before?: yes
Read Again?: most likely
More American Girl re-read. Samantha is tied as my favorite, I think (with Molly, 1944). She lives in Victorian New York- technically, Edwardian, but this is aimed at grade school kids- with her wealthy grandmother, where she befriends the girl who works as a maid next door. This was the first series to add the “best friend” book & doll, with Samantha’s best friend, Nellie.
Title: Riese: Kingdom Falling
Author: Greg CoxGenre:
Publishing Date: 2012
Pages: 288
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: maybe
I started watching the web series on SyFy.com, but I got lost. Then I read this book, which is Riese’s entire backstory, and suddenly the series made much more sense! I’m hoping that there’s some more of it, too.
Title: Rebecca Rubin: An American Girl (1914) #1: Meet Rebecca #2: Rebecca and Ana #3: Candlelight for Rebecca #4: Rebecca and the Movies #5: Rebecca to the Rescue #6: Changes for Rebecca
Author: Jacqueline Dembar Greene
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date:
Pages: 78, 78, 77, 78, 77, 78
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: half yes, half no
Read Again?: sure
Another American Girl re-read. Rebecca is a Jewish Russian-American in 1914 New York, to a working-class family.
Title: Star Wars: Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor
Author: Matthew Stover
Genre: science-fiction
Publishing Date: 2011
Pages: 366
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: maybe
This is set a couple of weeks after Return of the Jedi which makes it so much funnier when you know how the rest of the EU turns out. But I did like the ‘look back’ at the characters, Luke still the only Jedi, Leia just starting to use the Force, and Han still half-convinced they’re both crazy…
Title: The Ordinary Princess
Author: M.M. Kaye
Genre: YA fantasy
Publishing Date: 1980 (my copy much newer)
Pages: 128
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: yes
Read Again?: oh, yes
One of my favorites! The style is simple, but it’s a great story about being yourself, no matter how ordinary.
Title: Kit: An American Girl (1934) #1: Meet Kit #2: Kit Learns a Lesson #3: Kit’s Surprise #4: Happy Birthday, Kit! #5: Kit Saves the Day #6: Changes for Kit Really Truly Ruthie
Author: Valerie Tripp
Genre: children’s historical fiction
Publishing Date: 2000
Pages: 69, 67, 71, 69, 68, 70, 75
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: yes (except the last one)
Read Again?: sure
Still one more American Girl re-read. Kit lives in Cincinnati during the Great Depression… which is surprisingly relevant, in this economy.
Title: Robbie Forester and the Outlaws of Sherwood Street
Author: Peter Abrahams
Genre: YA fantasy-ish
Publishing Date: 2012
Pages: 320
Collection: my personal library
Read Before?: no
Read Again?: nope
This book sounded like a re-telling of “Robin Hood” in a modern setting with middle-school kids. Instead, it ended up being a weird quasi-magic mystery, with some ‘stealing from the rich’ thrown in as an afterthought. The only good thing was that it was a short read.
Current Mood:
tired