Bibliophile (2007): gieves

gieves

Bibliophile (2007)

Feb 01, 2008 13:42

Well, it's only a month late, but it's time for me to make my annual "reading year in review post." As I did last year and the year before, I kept track (for the most part) of the books I read throughout 2007. Last January, I stated that I hoped to read at least 100 new books, a goal which again proved to be ridiculously over-ambitious. I didn't even reach 3/4 of that number in total: at the end of the year, I managed to read a total of 74 (and only 36 of those were new, non-school books.) I totally, utterly and completely blame my thesis for this.

Since I am now, at least for the moment, done with school, I think that it's a little more realistic to restate that goal: I hope to read at least 100 books this year. If I can hit 100 that are new to me, that'll be great. But I'll just be happy getting the chance to read for fun again, whatever form that takes!

And here, for the interested, is the list of books that I read in 2007:

The Complete List
(For reference, I classified a book as read only when it was read cover-to-cover. This means that a lot of the reading I did for school simply doesn't count, since I was using isolated chapters or sections of the books more often than not. And in some cases, I re-read the same book a few times within the span of the year. Those re-reads don't count either!)

Barbara Hambly - The Armies of Daylight (01/01-01/03) - finishing the Darwath Trilogy that I started in December.
Barbara Hambly - Mother of Winter (01/04 - 01/07) - to my astonishment, I had never read this sequel to the Darwath books! A delight to find a new Hambly book that I should have read by now.
Lynn Michaels - Mother of the Bride (01/07-01/10) - ugh, crappy insipid romance, but I bulled through. Not sure if I regret the time or not.
Sue Monk Kidd - The Mermaid Chair (01/07 - 01/12) - a Book Club book; very beautifully written, engaging for the language, but thin and less compelling plot. I enjoyed it, but others didn't.
Martin Booth - Golden Boy: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood (01/13 - 01/22) - What a delight! This memoir, written by a Booker prize nominee, recounts three years of his childhood in Hong Kong. While placed in the 1950s, enough elements remained 30 years later to be uncanny. Excellent book.
Anne McCaffrey - The Rowan (01/16 - 01/21) - I started out being annoyed, finished by remembering why I liked this once upon a time. I'm going to read Damia and then pretend (once again) that the rest of the series was never written.
Ruth Wind - Jezebel's Blues (02/03 - 02/05) - I snagged this off the pile of trashy romance I acquired at my last bag sale, and was pleasantly surprised by a good, engrossing read.
Geoffrey Cantor - Quakers, Jews, and Science (02/07 - 02/12) - I read this book cover to cover three times last year. An excellent and interesting thesis resource.
Catherynne Valente - The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden (02/13 - 02/22) - A delicious read, and one that I started last year, put down in deference to schoolwork, and finally allowed myself again. Some work to get into the world, but oh so worthwhile. Can't wait for book 2!!
Julie Powell - Julie & Julia (02/23 - 03/04) - a fun memoir, based on the blog of the same name. I enjoyed both, differently. Fun read, though very slow for some reason. Possibly the bronchitis.
Jennifer Crusie - Bet Me (02/26 - 03/04) - a re-read, inspired (perhaps weirdly) by last week's Chicken Marsala dinner. Slowed down the Julie and Julia reading a little bit.
Jennifer Crusie - Fast Women (03/08 - 03/10) - another re-read. After several days of thesis-reading, I wanted something comforting and familiar.
David Foster Wallace - A Supposedly Fun thing I'll Never Do Again (03/15 - 05/??) - A fun collection of essays - the title essay made me cry with laughter a couple of times - but it is actually very hard for me to plough through lots of DFW at one go. This took months to read!
Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner - Freakonomics (03/22 - 03/24) - Another book club book, and very entertaining. Even more so when I later met, lied to and got the autograph of Steven Levitt.
Mary Balogh - Simply Love (03/24)
Emma Holly - Prince of Ice (03/25 - 03/27) - trashy, trashy, trashy. Brain candy!
Ellen Kushner - The Privilege of the Sword (03/27 - 03/29) - A wonderfully satisfying "sequel" to one of my favorite fantasy books, Swordspoint.
Linda Howard - Heart of Fire (03/30- 03/31) - a little crappy, but it was a quick read.
Justine Dare - Avenging Angel (03/31 - 04/03) - this was weirdly creepy and, even when it was supposed to be, not romantic AT ALL. This one's going back to the book sale.
Julia Ross - Games of Pleasure (04/10) - re-read when overcome with ennui last night.
Jennifer Blake - Midnight Waltz (04/19-04/20) - historical Louisiana, chock full of research - almost too much - but kind of fun
Jennifer Blake - Tigress (04/21) Re-read in a culling phase. Better than expected, and kept on shelf.
Anne Stuart - One More Valentine (04/30) - weird little Harlequin, sort of paranormal, but entertaining as she usually is.
Jennifer Greene - Hot to the Touch (05/03) - a slightly above average Harlequin romance. Odd; the deeper in the throes of thesis I am, the lower my reading tastes sink. This was chosen as unchallenging while I ate dinner, and proved to be better than expected. Still, read in less than 90 minutes.
Linda Howard - Killing Time (05/04 - 05/05) - a typical suspense-romance from Linda Howard. Not too bad, though the plot is waaaay too contrived, and some of the characterizations just annoyed me.
Mary Balogh - The Incurable Matchmaker (05/05) - I'm on a Mary Balogh kick, thanks to the relatively recent acquisition of much of her backlist at a booksale. Not my favorite, but pretty good - no doormats, even if slightly improbably orchestration of events - fun, and a quick read.
Mary Balogh - The Obedient Bride (05/18-05/19) - I really do think that I've read part of this before. The heroine is a bit doormat-ish to begin, and the hero entirely insipid. Ah well. At least it only took an hour to read, serving as a good dinner break.
Mary Balogh - The Last Waltz (05/19) - regency romance, a little too grim for my mood, addressing abuse as it does. Not bad though.
Mary Balogh - Dark Angel (05/19 - 05/20) - slightly too complex for a category romance. A fun read, but could have profited with another 40 pages or so to better explain the plot and the resolution. A nice surprise, anyway, for a new read.
Robin McKinley - Sunshine (05/25 - 05/27) - a comfort re-read, and as compelling and dark and wonderful as ever. Somewhat oddly, this makes me want to be a baker.
Mary Balogh - Secrets of the Heart (05/25-05/26) - I'm absolutely certain that I read this before, but the cover is unfamiliar. Odd. Not a bad story, but not her best. Lots of articifial distrust and separation, and self-sacrifice and annoyingly villainish villains. Enh.
Simon Green - Blue Moon Rising (05/28 - 05/30) - A re-read, after spending the weekend noticing Jim reading another Simon Green book. Not quite as good as I remember, but more punny and still fun.
Jo Goodman - A Season to be Sinful (05/31) - Actually, a very good and not-too-contrived book from Jo Goodman. Dark themes, nicely complex characters, well-paced plot, addressing painful topics and healing. A little too much surprise reveal, and a little suspense of disbelief required wrt to the children in the book and their ability to cross class lines, but otherwise a surprisingly good book. Nice find in a booksale.
Katherine Sutcliffe - Bad Moon Rising (05/31 - 06/01) - My first contemporary read from Katherine Sutcliffe. Very dark, grim, violent. A little too noir-ish and genuinely scary for my tastes at the moment, but not a bad book. Totally strains belief wrt to witness protection program and the willingness of the heroine to take what the hero dishes out while risking her own life and cover. I didn't see the villain coming, but then I wasn't really paying attention either.
Mary Balogh - The Secret Pearl (06/01 - 06/03) - A re-released book, one of her better category regencies. Slightly forced premise, but very nicely resolved.
Mary Balogh - The First Snowdrop (06/03) - Another regency, very quick read. Enjoyable.
Justine Larbalastier -Magic or Madness (06/07 - 06/10) - a quick-reading YA book. Gritty characterization, interesting magic system and a cool concept. Will definitely read more in the series!
David Foster Wallace -Consider the Lobster (06/14 - ?) - A fun read, but it's still really hard to read a lot of DFW at one go.
Mary Balogh - The Notorious Rake (06/19 - 06/20) - I swear, these are like that bag of Doritos Angie's mom hid in the dryer; once I find a new Mary Balogh, it's like a potato chip craving and I can't stop. Very fast read, not her best work - the initial scene is completely unbelievable, and our heroine doesn't give the best account of herself except to be shrewish - but it was fun.
Mary Balogh - Courting Julia (06/21) - Sick at home with a miserable headache, I somehow found the necessary concentration to read this (which is to say, not much.) Very predictable, fluffy, but it had a fun heroine and was a good read for the occasion.
Judith Ivory - Untie My Heart (06/23-24) - A re-read of a lovely book, courtesy of a lazy day. Judith Ivory has such a command of language, and she tells such rich stories. Wonderful read.
Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart, Eileen Dreyer - The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes (06/29 - 07/03) - Woo! A really fun book, a collaborative effort between two of my favorite romance authors (and somebody I wasn't familiar with) and well worth the time and the anticipation.
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (07/03 - 07/04) - Embarking on the great re-reading of the series before Deathly Hallows.
Ellen Emerson White - Long Live the Queen (07/04 - 07/05) - Wow, a blast from the past. I read this shortly after it was published in 1989 and it was too old for me, too mature. Amazing YA book about the kidnapping of the President's daughter and its aftermath.
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (07/07 - 07/09) - More anticipatory reading...
Julia Quinn - The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (07/09 - 07/10) - I was excited about reading a new Julia Quinn, but this wasn't her best. I fear she has become formulaic. (No! I hear you gasp.)
Lois McMaster Bujold - The Sharing Knife: Legacy (07/12 - ) - The second book in the duology; I'm not sure how much I liked it. I was kind of disappointed by the focus on the mundane, but it may have been my state of mind at the time.
Justine Larbalestier - Magic Lessons (07/13 - ? Finished, but when?) - Second book in the trilogy. I liked this one less than the first (ain't that always the way with trilogies), but still want to see where it's going...
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (07/14 - ? Finished, but when?) - Making my way through the series again!
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (?? - ??) - I have absolutely no idea when I read this. It was a tough summer.
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (?? - ??) - - I have absolutely no idea when I read this, either.
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (?? - ??) - - ...nor this.
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (07/31 - 07/31) - Can anyone say, SPEED READING?
Jennifer Crusie - Manhunting (08/29 - 09/10) - A recently re-released Crusie book. Bought it, and it's almost as good as I remember!
Diane Duane - So You Want to be a Wizard (08/30 - 09/01) - Yet another comfort re-read of a beloved YA/childrens' book. I still love it!
Diane Duane - Deep Wizardry (09/01 - 09/02) - Another re-read in the series, another book I love.
Diane Duane - High Wizardry (09/03 - 09/03) - The third book in the series, but this one hasn't aged quite as well as the first two. Sad.
Neil Gaiman - Anansi Boys (09/03 - 09/04) - I finally got around to reading this! And I quite enjoyed it. I will have to re-read American Gods now.
Diane Duane - The Door into Fire (09/05 - 09/09) - being on a Diane Duane kick, I decided to venture into her early adult fantasy stuff. Its even more dated than High Wizardry!
David Weber - Mutineer's Moon (09/06 - 09/09) - Yet more comfort re-reading; I can practically recite this one.
Jennifer Crusie - Welcome to Temptation (09/11 - 09/12) - Classic Jennifer Crusie!
Mary Balogh - Tempting Harriet (09/22) - Not her best regency, but nice to catch a part of an out-of-print series.
Jody Lynn Nye - Taylor's Ark (09/22 - ?) - I've read it before but upon re-reading I think it's... banal.
Jack Kerouac - On the Road (11/15 - 12/12) - Yes, that took me forever to read, but I was determined to finish it!
Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer - Agnes and the Hitman (12/10 - 12/16) - Ooh, a much MUCH better collaboration than their first. I quite enjoyed it, as implausible as it was!
Anne McCaffrey - Crystal Singer (12/22 - 12/31) - Read the e-book version of this while on the trip. I am a SLOW ebook reader! Another book that improved on re-reading as a grownup. Still a little... self-indulgent, but amusing.

--- below are the books I read in their entirety for school at least once but that I didn't record dates for. ---
John Brooke and Geoffrey Cantor - Reconstructing Nature: The Engagement of Science and Religion (??/?? - ??/??)
Jed Z. Buchwald - The Rise of the Wave Theory of Light : Optical Theory and Experiment in the Early Nineteenth Century (??/?? - ??/??)
Geoffrey N. Cantor - Optics after Newton : Theories of Light in Britain and Ireland, 1704-1840. (??/?? - ??/??) - While I had read portions of this previously, I managed to read the whole thing only this summer.
Hudson Gurney - Memoir of the Life of Thomas Young (??/?? - ??/??)
Elizabeth Isichei - Victorian Quakers (??/?? - ??/??)
George Peacock - The Life of Thomas Young, M.D., F.R.S. (??/?? - ??/??)
Andrew Robinson - The Last Man Who Knew Everything: Thomas Young, the Anonymous Polymath Who Proved Newton Wrong, Explained How We See, Cured the Sick, and Deciphered the Rosetta Stone, among Other Feats of Genius (??/?? - ??/??) - I re-read this one in its entirety at some point in the final push to finish the thesis.
Richard T. Vann - The Social Development of English Quakerism 1655-1755 (??/?? - ??/??)

In addition to the above, I also read significant portions of:

Robert Barclay - An Apology for the True Christian Divinity (??/?? - ??/??)
W.C. Braithwaite - The Second Period of Quakerism (??/?? - ??/??)
Paul Wood, ed. - Science and Dissent in England, 1688-1945 (??/?? - ??/??)
Douglas V. Steere, ed. - Quaker Spirituality: Selected Writings (??/?? - ??/??)
William Whewell - History of the Inductive Sciences (??/?? - ??/??)
Alexander Wood - Thomas Young: Natural Philosopher, 1773-1829 (??/?? - ??/??)

I must admit that I think I read more things than are listed here, but I also cannot remember what those things were. Thesis brain...

The breakdown:

Books read/re-read for school this year:

Geoffrey Cantor - Quakers, Jews, and Science (02/07 - 02/12)
John Brooke and Geoffrey Cantor - Reconstructing Nature: The Engagement of Science and Religion (??/?? - ??/??)
Jed Z. Buchwald - The Rise of the Wave Theory of Light : Optical Theory and Experiment in the Early Nineteenth Century (??/?? - ??/??)
Geoffrey N. Cantor - Optics after Newton : Theories of Light in Britain and Ireland, 1704-1840. (??/?? - ??/??)
Hudson Gurney - Memoir of the Life of Thomas Young (??/?? - ??/??)
Elizabeth Isichei - Victorian Quakers (??/?? - ??/??)
George Peacock - The Life of Thomas Young, M.D., F.R.S. (??/?? - ??/??)
Andrew Robinson - The Last Man Who Knew Everything: Thomas Young, the Anonymous Polymath Who Proved Newton Wrong, Explained How We See, Cured the Sick, and Deciphered the Rosetta Stone, among Other Feats of Genius (??/?? - ??/??)
Richard T. Vann - The Social Development of English Quakerism 1655-1755 (??/?? - ??/??)

Books read for the first time this year, for fun:

Barbara Hambly - Mother of Winter (01/04 - 01/07)
Lynn Michaels - Mother of the Bride (01/07-01/10)
Sue Monk Kidd - The Mermaid Chair (01/07 - 01/12)
Martin Booth - Golden Boy: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood (01/13 - 01/22)
Ruth Wind - Jezebel's Blues (02/03 - 02/05)
Catherynne Valente - The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden (02/13 - 02/22)
Julie Powell - Julie & Julia (02/23 - 03/04)
David Foster Wallace - A Supposedly Fun thing I'll Never Do Again (03/15 - ?)
Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner - Freakonomics (03/22 - 03/24)
Mary Balogh - Simply Love (03/24)
Emma Holly - Prince of Ice (03/25 - 03/27)
Ellen Kushner - The Privilege of the Sword (03/27 - 03/29)
Linda Howard - Heart of Fire (03/30- 03/31)
Justine Dare - Avenging Angel (03/31 - 04/03)
Anne Stuart - One More Valentine (04/30)
Jennifer Greene - Hot to the Touch (05/03)
Linda Howard - Killing Time (05/04 - 05/05)
Mary Balogh - The Incurable Matchmaker (05/05)
Mary Balogh - The Last Waltz (05/19)
Mary Balogh - Dark Angel (05/19 - 05/20)
Jo Goodman - A Season to be Sinful (05/31)
Katherine Sutcliffe - Bad Moon Rising (05/31 - 06/01)
Mary Balogh - The First Snowdrop (06/03)
Justine Larbalastier -Magic or Madness (06/07 - 06/10)
David Foster Wallace -Consider the Lobster (06/14 - ?)
Mary Balogh - The Notorious Rake (06/19 - 06/20)
Mary Balogh - Courting Julia (06/21)
Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart, Eileen Dreyer - The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes (06/29 - 07/03)
Julia Quinn - The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (07/09 - 07/10)
Justine Larbalestier - Magic Lessons (07/13 - ? Finished, but when?)
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (07/31 - 07/31)
Neil Gaiman - Anansi Boys (09/03 - 09/04)
Lois McMaster Bujold - The Sharing Knife: Legacy (07/12 - )
Mary Balogh - Tempting Harriet (09/22)
Jack Kerouac - On the Road (11/15 - 12/12)
Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer - Agnes and the Hitman (12/10 - 12/16)

Books I re-read this year:

Barbara Hambly - The Armies of Daylight (01/01-01/03)
Anne McCaffrey - The Rowan (01/16 - 01/21)
Jennifer Crusie - Bet Me (02/26 - 03/04)
Jennifer Crusie - Fast Women (03/08 - 03/10)
Julia Ross - Games of Pleasure (04/11)
Jennifer Blake - Midnight Waltz (04/19-04/20)
Jennifer Blake - Tigress(04/21)
Mary Balogh - The Obedient Bride (05/18-05/19)
Mary Balogh - Secrets of the Heart (05/25-05/26)
Robin McKinley - Sunshine (05/25 - 05/27)
Simon Green - Blue Moon Rising (05/28 - 05/30)
Mary Balogh - The Secret Pearl (06/01 - 06/03)
Judith Ivory - Untie My Heart (06/23-24)
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (07/03 - 07/04)
Ellen Emerson White - Long Live the Queen (07/04 - 07/05)
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (07/07 - 07/09)
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (07/14 - ? Finished, but when?)
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (?? - ??)
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (?? - ??)
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (?? - ??)
Jennifer Crusie - Manhunting (08/29 - 09/10)
Diane Duane - So You Want to be a Wizard (08/30 - 09/01)
Diane Duane - Deep Wizardry (09/01 - 09/02)
Diane Duane - High Wizardry (09/03 - 09/03)
Diane Duane - The Door into Fire (09/05 - 09/09)
David Weber - Mutineer's Moon (09/06 - 09/09)
Jennifer Crusie - Welcome to Temptation (09/11 - 09/12)
Jody Lynn Nye - Taylor's Ark (09/22 - ?)
Anne McCaffrey - Crystal Singer (12/22 - 12/31)

Among these books, there were 32 romance novels, 25 Sci Fi/ Fantasy (YA and adult) books, 3 general fiction novels (both YA and adult) and 14 non-fiction books. I'm getting better about mixing up my genres, but I think that I'm going to have to broaden my horizons a bit more in the coming year.