2009 Book List <--- Thanks for the idea, Scout.
I always want to keep track of the books I've read, but I never manage to remember to do it for the whole year. But, I'm gonna give it another try. Why not?
1. Southern Cross by Patricia Cornwell - The first Patricia Cornwell book I've had the stomach to attempt since her Kay Scarpetta series started giving me nightmares back in '03. Fortunately this was not a Kay Scarpetta book, so there were no autopsies in it. And it reminded me what I do like about her writing.
2. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer - First my stepdaughter wanted me to read it, then my niece wanted me to read it. What the hey, I read it, and it didn't kill me. Fluff, I say, fluff.
3. Queen of Dragons by Shana Abe - Nominally a romance novel, but almost more a fantasy. It was recommended by an old high school friend who has broken into writing via the romantic-thriller genre and has her second book coming out at the end of this month. It wasn't A-B-C like many I've read: there was a bit more plotline than was required to get the two leads in position, (pardon my phrasing), to do the horizontal bop. It seems the world of romance novels has matured in the fifteen or so years since I'd last picked one up. The writing here was pretty strong. Nonetheless: a good read for those who enjoy fantasy, or romance, or both, but probably not so compelling for anyone else.
4. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - A young adult book about which I had heard some very encouraging reviews. It's about a modern-day 12-year-old boy who finds out that the gods of ancient Greece are still around, and one of them is his father. I was very entertained, enough to follow up with:
5. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan - The second in the series. I enjoyed it enough to be glad that there's a third book.
Yeah, I've been reading again lately. Next up: What The Dickens? by Gregory Maguire, aka that Wicked guy.
Honorable mention: Babylon Babies by Some Weird Frenchman. This is the book that the movie Babylon A.D. was based on. The translation is rough in spots ... the idioms can be goofy, for example. Or maybe it's supposed to be that way? I still can't tell. But it's making it a bit tough for me. Thus, I haven't finished it yet. The story is weirdly compelling, though, so I keep coming back to it. I don't know whether I should count it as an '09 book, though, because I started it last year. Hrm.
1. Southern Cross by Patricia Cornwell - The first Patricia Cornwell book I've had the stomach to attempt since her Kay Scarpetta series started giving me nightmares back in '03. Fortunately this was not a Kay Scarpetta book, so there were no autopsies in it. And it reminded me what I do like about her writing.
2. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer - First my stepdaughter wanted me to read it, then my niece wanted me to read it. What the hey, I read it, and it didn't kill me. Fluff, I say, fluff.
3. Queen of Dragons by Shana Abe - Nominally a romance novel, but almost more a fantasy. It was recommended by an old high school friend who has broken into writing via the romantic-thriller genre and has her second book coming out at the end of this month. It wasn't A-B-C like many I've read: there was a bit more plotline than was required to get the two leads in position, (pardon my phrasing), to do the horizontal bop. It seems the world of romance novels has matured in the fifteen or so years since I'd last picked one up. The writing here was pretty strong. Nonetheless: a good read for those who enjoy fantasy, or romance, or both, but probably not so compelling for anyone else.
4. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - A young adult book about which I had heard some very encouraging reviews. It's about a modern-day 12-year-old boy who finds out that the gods of ancient Greece are still around, and one of them is his father. I was very entertained, enough to follow up with:
5. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan - The second in the series. I enjoyed it enough to be glad that there's a third book.
Yeah, I've been reading again lately. Next up: What The Dickens? by Gregory Maguire, aka that Wicked guy.
Honorable mention: Babylon Babies by Some Weird Frenchman. This is the book that the movie Babylon A.D. was based on. The translation is rough in spots ... the idioms can be goofy, for example. Or maybe it's supposed to be that way? I still can't tell. But it's making it a bit tough for me. Thus, I haven't finished it yet. The story is weirdly compelling, though, so I keep coming back to it. I don't know whether I should count it as an '09 book, though, because I started it last year. Hrm.