Books Read - October 2009
77. Jasper Dash and the Flame Pits of Delaware, by MT Anderson. Juv Fiction/Parody. 432 pages.
78. Transmetropolitan, Volume 3 Revised: Year of the Bastard, by Warren Ellis. Graphic novel.
79. The Umbrella Academy, Volume 1: Apocalypse Suite, by Gerard Way. Graphic novel.
80. Darklight (Wondrous Strange, Book Two), by Lesley Livingston. YA Fantasy/Urban. 320 pages. *
81. Wish, by Alexandra Bullen. YA Fantasy/Urban. 336 pages. *
82. The Conqueror's Shadow, by Ari Marmell. Fantasy. 448 pages. * Review here.
83. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. YA Fantasy/SF. 374 pages.
*reviewed in Booklist
Best book I read this month: Not to be predictable, but I have to go with The Hunger Games here. I finally got around to reading it and I devoured it in an afternoon, my heart in my mouth the whole time. It took me a few chapters to become invested in the characters and the situation (at first, I found the book almost unbearably depressing, albeit well written) but once it got my attention, it kept it until the very end. Weirdly, this reminded me of a fresh YA spin of two Stephen King novels/novellas, written as Richard Bachman: The Running Man, and The Long Walk (The Long Walk in particular, and not just because reading it scarred me as a child). The bleak and dystopic future, the hunting and murdering of people as televised and/or monitored games, the physical and mental/emotional trials characters go through as part of these games, the alliances and betrayals the characters rely on to survive, and the sense that even if you win, you haven't really won because the corrupt system is still in place . . . it's not a new idea, but Collins makes it very personal through Katniss' eyes, which makes it difficult to read but also absorbing. I probably have more to say so perhaps I will write up a longer review one day if I ever get through my backlog.
Worst book I read this month: I'm not sure what I think of The Umbrella Academy yet. The character designs and artwork are quirky and dark and odd in its lopsisded, kinda messy style, but I got confused several times during the story, not sure of the chronology and what was going on. This made reading the first volume frustrating and I almost quit a few times. I will probably read the next volume to see if I can make sense of it, but I won't give the cool ideas as much leeway in the second volume.
78. Transmetropolitan, Volume 3 Revised: Year of the Bastard, by Warren Ellis. Graphic novel.
79. The Umbrella Academy, Volume 1: Apocalypse Suite, by Gerard Way. Graphic novel.
80. Darklight (Wondrous Strange, Book Two), by Lesley Livingston. YA Fantasy/Urban. 320 pages. *
81. Wish, by Alexandra Bullen. YA Fantasy/Urban. 336 pages. *
82. The Conqueror's Shadow, by Ari Marmell. Fantasy. 448 pages. * Review here.
83. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. YA Fantasy/SF. 374 pages.
*reviewed in Booklist
Best book I read this month: Not to be predictable, but I have to go with The Hunger Games here. I finally got around to reading it and I devoured it in an afternoon, my heart in my mouth the whole time. It took me a few chapters to become invested in the characters and the situation (at first, I found the book almost unbearably depressing, albeit well written) but once it got my attention, it kept it until the very end. Weirdly, this reminded me of a fresh YA spin of two Stephen King novels/novellas, written as Richard Bachman: The Running Man, and The Long Walk (The Long Walk in particular, and not just because reading it scarred me as a child). The bleak and dystopic future, the hunting and murdering of people as televised and/or monitored games, the physical and mental/emotional trials characters go through as part of these games, the alliances and betrayals the characters rely on to survive, and the sense that even if you win, you haven't really won because the corrupt system is still in place . . . it's not a new idea, but Collins makes it very personal through Katniss' eyes, which makes it difficult to read but also absorbing. I probably have more to say so perhaps I will write up a longer review one day if I ever get through my backlog.
Worst book I read this month: I'm not sure what I think of The Umbrella Academy yet. The character designs and artwork are quirky and dark and odd in its lopsisded, kinda messy style, but I got confused several times during the story, not sure of the chronology and what was going on. This made reading the first volume frustrating and I almost quit a few times. I will probably read the next volume to see if I can make sense of it, but I won't give the cool ideas as much leeway in the second volume.