2012 Books
1. DAUGHTER OF BLOOD by Anne Bishop
2. HEIR TO THE SHADOWS by Anne Bishop
3. QUEEN OF DARKNESS by Anne Bishop
4. LEGACY OF KINDS by C. S. Friedman
5. FLESH AND FIRE by Laura Ann Gilman
6. LORD OF CHAOS by Robert Jordan (reread)
7. HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
8. CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins
9. MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins
10. CROWN OF SWORDS by Robert Jordan
11. INVISIBLE RING by Anne Bishop
12. WEIGHT OF STONE by Laura Anne Gilman
13. NAAMAH'S BLESSING by Jacqueline Carey
14. TANGLES WEBS by Anne Bishop
15. DARK WRAITH OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks
16. A HISTORY OF PAGAN EUROPE by Prudence Jones and Nigel Pennick
17. FALLING APART IN ONE PIECE by Stacy Morrison
18. BEYOND TALENT by John C Maxwell
19. The Icebound Land by John Flanagan
20. The Battle for Skandia by John Flanagan
21. Wards of Faerie: The Dark Legacy of Shannara by Terry Brooks
22. SHADOWS EDGE by Brent Weeks
Ben had brought home the final two books in the Night Angel trilogy. I really enjoyed this middle book. I loved the character development, world development, and direction. I had a hard time guessing where the series would go after the last book. I found this book less gritty. I liked the themes of fighting who you are for what you want when they aren't mutually exclusive. I liked that Love doesn't conquer all and that things aren't perfect.
23. BEYOND THE SHADOWS by Brent Weeks
I felt like this final book took a turn that made the prior books a set up for something else. There were a lot of "blink, smile and play along" moments where things happened that did not feel genuine to the story/world/characters. A lot of that is due to some secondary characters that did not get much development until this book, though showing up at the perfect time/place for Solon was a bit more than I could swallow. The ending also felt hallow. Sure, I was saddened by Eileen's end.
Totally unrelated, but,now after reading the complete trilogy I still feel that #TeamMoiraine in the Suvudu match was a fair win. :P
24. THE SHATTERED VINE by Laura Anne Gilman
I squeed with joy when Ben brought this book home the day it came out in paperback. I read it eagerly while burning to a crisp on a Florida beach. It had the normal wittisms of Laura Anne that I love. There was more development of Mahl that I was looking forward to, although I feel she still was under developed compared to the three boys. There was a lot more in understanding how the wine magic worked, how the Washers operated, and of the past - specifically what the difference was between a Vineart and a Mage. I was disappointed that Ao was drastically reduced - he may as well have died in the previous book for all his character grew and helped the story progress; same for Kainam. Most of the book I felt as if it was a typical first book in a trilogy, and the climax was weak. The climax was very tenuous as to how it got there, since there was no previous build up or bread crumbs for it. It was a "don't blink or you'll miss it, and even then just smile and nod while I wave my hands mysteriously."
When taken into the whole, Ben's summation clarified my uneasy feeling, that this was a good book, but not a final book in a trilogy nor was it the final book for this trilogy. I have seen a tweet from Laura Anne that she doesn't like wrapping up things neatly, which is fair. But, this book leaves too many big things undone yet. I think I'm looking at it wrong, because if it is just taken as the simple growth from slave to vine mage of Jerzy, then it is complete.
I am still looking forward to reading more of her work, as her writing provides many snickers and hoots of laughter at several instances or one liners. I'm eager to see how much my thoughts above are about her writing, or about that series in particular.
25. PRAYERS FOR THE ASSASSIN by Robert Ferrigno
This was a welcome change of pace. It has the gripping mystery/action that was like the first read through of the DaVinci Code. It has a VERY interesting view of future America and the world. It has amazing characters. It has lots of gray areas with regards to actions, dogma, and characters - although there is one clearly evil character. It is a scary "what if" based around our current world.
I was happy to find that my local library has the next two books so that a) I don't have to pay for them, and b) I don't have to wait for them. I did wait a day, because of my work schedule and the library hours - and it was hard not to dive into another book instead.
Speaking of my library... Whenever I move somewhere, signing up at the local library is among the first things I do (like within 2-3 months of moving in.) This library I've been a member of for three years now, and haven't checked anything out yet. It has a new self check out that I had not seen before. It was SO COOL - just wave my card, place books on a mat (don't need to have the bar code down), confirm a few things, and then email yourself a receipt. It made me very giddy to see technology used so well and in such a backwater as my little town is. I'm really eager to discuss it with some of my librarian friends to compare against the libraries they work in. Just another sign (like the DMV fees, county parks and gyms) my (low compared to nearby counties) tax dollars are being put to good use.