6. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Would you believe I've never read this before? Especially considering I'm such a big fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I tried to read the book as a youth, and could never get into it. I finally read the trilogy once the movies were underway and loved them. So finally, it was The Hobbit's turn. Sadly, I don't have ( Read more... )

For several years on LJ, I have kept a list of the books I read, with reviews as time has allowed. Since I started grad school, it has been hard to keep up with the reviews. But, here in the middle of spring break, I can post about the 5 books I've read so far this year:

For School:
1. The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times And Ideas Of The Great ( Read more... )

I've had to admit that grad school has made it so that I do not have time to review all the books that I'm reading these days. So here, in a simple list, are the rest of the books I read in 2008.  The ones I really enjoyed are starred, the ones I loved and think everyone should read are double-starred.

Stories for Pleasure:

• The Birthday of the World ( Read more... )

The Knitter's Book of Yarn: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Using, and Enjoying Yarn by Clara Parkes

An excellent resource on yarn and how different fibers and different preparations create a different finished yarn. Also contains some nice patterns.

Shear Spirit: Ten Fiber Farms, Twenty Patterns, and Miles of Yarn by Joan Tapper & Gale Zucker ( Read more... )

Fire Logic
Earth Logic
Water Logic
all by Laurie J. MarksI have been truly delighted by the Elemental Logic series. CK introduced it to me, for which I am grateful, as my recent experience of fantasy fiction (outside known favorite authors such as Robin McKinley, Patricia McKillip, Guy Gavriel Kay, and Ursula K. Le Guin) has been that there is ( Read more... )

Daughters of Copper Woman
Dzelarhons: Mythology of the Northwest Coast
Tales of the Cairds
by Anne Cameron

Three collections of short stories, legends, tales, the first two from Pacific Northwest Native Americans, and the third from the wandering peoples of the Celtic lands. All were very enjoyable.

Photoshop CS3 Photographer's Handbook: An Easy Workflow by Brad Hinkel and Steve Laskevitch

This was the textbook used in my digital photography classes. It is an excellent textbook for the level of Photoshop that I am at and continues to be a good resource.

The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers by Peter Krogh ( Read more... )

Normal: Transsexual CEOs, Crossdressing Cops, and Hermaphrodites with Attitude
by Amy Bloom

I'm rather behind in posting books, and I'll start with this one because I'm ready to return it to the library.

Amy Bloom's editor asked her if there was anything she wondered about and never understood, then sent her off to write an essay on that topic.  The ( Read more... )

A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller
by Frances Mayes

Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun, wrote this book about her journeys to various countries in Europe - Spain, Portugal, Sicily, France, Morrocco, Wales, Scotland, Greece, Turkey, and several parts of Italy. The chapters are arranged chronologically, from spring to summer ( Read more... )

The Hearts of Horses
by Molly GlossI'm a big fan of Molly Gloss. She has a writing style that I think can best be described with the word "savor" - things don't move with a rush of excitement in her books, but with slow, delicious detail that allows you to savor words and characters. I love it, but I know not everyone does ( Read more... )