Reading challenge, books 20-33, and a kitty!
I have a TON of catching up to do on posting this--I've been reading a lot, and am so far a bit ahead of schedule for my goal. I think I may bump my goal for next year, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Before I jump into what I've been reading, I did want to give y'all the heads up. Gwen's still home, still doing ok. Still eating, doing the antibiotics thing, snuggling like a dope. She goes back to the vet for her overnight and tests next Monday, and we should find out by mid-week next week where she's at. Keeping our fingers crossed.
Ok, on to the books!
20) Lisey's Story by Stephen King. 513 pages. Just the sort of twisted stuff you'd expect from Mr. King. Perhaps a little over-long, but so full of rich images that I'll admit, I didn't really mind. However, if he doesn't get off of this "death in the immediate family of the writer, chaos ensues" kick, I may get a little irritated. 4/5
21) Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. 439 pages. Murder, intrigue and the Secret Service in Russia, set roughly in the 1930s. Not my normal fare, but holy crap, was this good. Gruesome, scary, engrossing. 5/5, because this was absolutely exceptional for a debut novel, in my humble opinion.
22) The Color of Water by James McBride. 228 pages. A read from the book-club, and not one I would likely have picked up on my own. Ok, admirable effort on the writer's part, but it really didn't grab me--I'm sure it's good, I just wasn't feeling it. 3/5
23) Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk. 197 pages. Quick, disgustingly dirty, and absolutely hysterical, in true Palahniuk form. NOT for the faint of heart. 3.5/5
24) Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton. 340 pages. Schlock, smut, and a surprisingly gentle sub-plot for the series. I've got a love/hate relationship with the series--I'd hate it if it wasn't so damn readable, and as hackneyed as some things are, I'm attached to the characters. Not amazing, but certainly entertaining. 3/5
25) The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir. 480 pages. I'm a bit of an Anglophile, and have a certain affinity for Tudor England and it's history in particular. This is, I must say, one of the better fictionalized accounts of Elizabeth's youth out there. A bit overlong, but well-researched and amazingly detailed. 4/5
26) Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder. 441 pages. The third in a series (after Poison Study and Magic Study), this really is one of my favorite fantasy series. My only complaint might be that Ms. Snyder tends to play a little fast and loose with her own rules. Sure, it's her world, she can do what she wants. But if you set things like societal rules, or magical mandates, in play, do follow through. 4/5
27) The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. 567 pages. Yup, another book club one. I am going to bludgeon the person who picked this to within an inch of her life, using a copy of this book. No, it isn't bad, per se. Rather, it is so frustrating, annoying, and depressing, I've thrown it down in disgust a number of times. I dislike the characters mightily, every last one. And I think that's primarily because I pity them. They seem to have lost nearly every redemptive quality they might once have had. A masterpiece, certainly, but not one I would have stuck with had it not been for the book club. 4/5
28) Tribute by Nora Roberts. 451 pages. I've said it before, I'll say it again. Sometimes you need a little fluff to get by. And after Franzen's book, this was definitely necessary. I loved it. The story was weak in a few points, but I just fell in love with the main characters--I hated for it to end. 4.5/5
29) A Girls' Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky. 426 pages. More fluff. Librarian learns she's a witch, but it doesn't help her with her crazy love-life or her ridiculous boss. If anything, it gets more crazy. Lots of fun. 5/5
30) Sorcery and the Single Girl by Mindy Klasky. 394 pages. Yup, I like the series. Have the third one on order already. 5/5
31) Shapechangers by Jennifer Roberson. 224 pages. I'm finally allowing myself to go back and reread some things. In this case, the Cheysuli series by Roberson. I originally read the series in high school, and have now fallen in love with it all over again. For a fantasy series, this has a bit of everything. War, mystery, magic, fate, intrigue. 5/5
32) The Song of Homana by Jennifer Roberson. 352 pages. Volume 2 of the Cheysuli.
33) The Legacy of the Sword by Jennifer Roberson. 360 pages. Volume 3 of the Cheysuli.
Up next, taking a quick break from the Cheysuli for another old series, Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince trilogy.
33/50 = 66%
11,911/15000 = 79%
Before I jump into what I've been reading, I did want to give y'all the heads up. Gwen's still home, still doing ok. Still eating, doing the antibiotics thing, snuggling like a dope. She goes back to the vet for her overnight and tests next Monday, and we should find out by mid-week next week where she's at. Keeping our fingers crossed.
Ok, on to the books!
20) Lisey's Story by Stephen King. 513 pages. Just the sort of twisted stuff you'd expect from Mr. King. Perhaps a little over-long, but so full of rich images that I'll admit, I didn't really mind. However, if he doesn't get off of this "death in the immediate family of the writer, chaos ensues" kick, I may get a little irritated. 4/5
21) Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. 439 pages. Murder, intrigue and the Secret Service in Russia, set roughly in the 1930s. Not my normal fare, but holy crap, was this good. Gruesome, scary, engrossing. 5/5, because this was absolutely exceptional for a debut novel, in my humble opinion.
22) The Color of Water by James McBride. 228 pages. A read from the book-club, and not one I would likely have picked up on my own. Ok, admirable effort on the writer's part, but it really didn't grab me--I'm sure it's good, I just wasn't feeling it. 3/5
23) Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk. 197 pages. Quick, disgustingly dirty, and absolutely hysterical, in true Palahniuk form. NOT for the faint of heart. 3.5/5
24) Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton. 340 pages. Schlock, smut, and a surprisingly gentle sub-plot for the series. I've got a love/hate relationship with the series--I'd hate it if it wasn't so damn readable, and as hackneyed as some things are, I'm attached to the characters. Not amazing, but certainly entertaining. 3/5
25) The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir. 480 pages. I'm a bit of an Anglophile, and have a certain affinity for Tudor England and it's history in particular. This is, I must say, one of the better fictionalized accounts of Elizabeth's youth out there. A bit overlong, but well-researched and amazingly detailed. 4/5
26) Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder. 441 pages. The third in a series (after Poison Study and Magic Study), this really is one of my favorite fantasy series. My only complaint might be that Ms. Snyder tends to play a little fast and loose with her own rules. Sure, it's her world, she can do what she wants. But if you set things like societal rules, or magical mandates, in play, do follow through. 4/5
27) The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. 567 pages. Yup, another book club one. I am going to bludgeon the person who picked this to within an inch of her life, using a copy of this book. No, it isn't bad, per se. Rather, it is so frustrating, annoying, and depressing, I've thrown it down in disgust a number of times. I dislike the characters mightily, every last one. And I think that's primarily because I pity them. They seem to have lost nearly every redemptive quality they might once have had. A masterpiece, certainly, but not one I would have stuck with had it not been for the book club. 4/5
28) Tribute by Nora Roberts. 451 pages. I've said it before, I'll say it again. Sometimes you need a little fluff to get by. And after Franzen's book, this was definitely necessary. I loved it. The story was weak in a few points, but I just fell in love with the main characters--I hated for it to end. 4.5/5
29) A Girls' Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky. 426 pages. More fluff. Librarian learns she's a witch, but it doesn't help her with her crazy love-life or her ridiculous boss. If anything, it gets more crazy. Lots of fun. 5/5
30) Sorcery and the Single Girl by Mindy Klasky. 394 pages. Yup, I like the series. Have the third one on order already. 5/5
31) Shapechangers by Jennifer Roberson. 224 pages. I'm finally allowing myself to go back and reread some things. In this case, the Cheysuli series by Roberson. I originally read the series in high school, and have now fallen in love with it all over again. For a fantasy series, this has a bit of everything. War, mystery, magic, fate, intrigue. 5/5
32) The Song of Homana by Jennifer Roberson. 352 pages. Volume 2 of the Cheysuli.
33) The Legacy of the Sword by Jennifer Roberson. 360 pages. Volume 3 of the Cheysuli.
Up next, taking a quick break from the Cheysuli for another old series, Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince trilogy.
33/50 = 66%
11,911/15000 = 79%