50 Book List 2010: kishmish

kishmish

50 Book List 2010

Dec 28, 2010 22:35

Jesus I haven't updated in aaaaaaaaaaages!:) I noticed I haven't even got any 50 book or movie lists on here since 2006! (There used to be a challenge to read//watch 50 in a year, I don't even know if they still do that). I have actually kept a list every year since so it's bad of me not to put them up here. Not to be boring, but I think I better put at least what I've got for 2010 on here while I still remember to:

Miss Marple’s Final Cases by Agatha Christie- I love Agatha’s books usually but this was a bit boring. The only really interesting story was the last one about a man who gets a vision that he takes to be a prophetic warning, but he doesn’t truly understand what he saw until the end, and when he does it shakes him out of a course of action that could have ruined his life. I found it interesting.
Fifth Formers of St.Clare’s by Enid Blyton
Summer Term at St. Clare’s by Enid Blyton- I think I’m too old to get into this book since I never read it as a child. I found it hard to really care.
Shogun by James Clavell- marvelous read, a real epic tale with romance, adventure, history, and tons of great little details about life in feudal Japan that really pull you in and make you feel as if you are living it. excellent in every way, I would recommend it a million times. James Clavell’s talent is immense and impressive and the story is so damn good it’s hard to believe that it’s grounded in real history.
Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers- I am an ardent Peter Wimsey fan and I love this book. The mystery was intriguing and the lore of the bellringers kept everything shrouded in an interesting atmosphere. I enjoyed it a lot.
It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet by James Herriot- this book has so much heart and was written with a great eye for making the small details of life entertaining and absurd. I love this book and I feel it is a comfort book, something to read when life gets you down, to remind you that the best things in life are simple and free and how to take joy in the moments. James Herriot is a gifted writer.
All Creatures Big and Small by James Herriot- just as good
All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot- this one too
The Light at Tern Rock by Julia L. Sauer- a short children’s book about a small family missing Christmas at a lighthouse. It was short and not bad but not special. The love of life in a lighthouse was evident and nicely written though.
Vet in a Spin by James Herriot- good of course
Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl- Read this ages ago but forgot it. I found this biography really interesting and it certainly gave me some insight on who Roald Dahl is and how he could produce such fantastic books from inside of himself. His mother sounds amazing and I can see why he loved her so much. What a woman, raising so many kids all by herself, I love to think of her as never happier than commandeering her boat in a storm with waves bigger than the boat washing over the entire family of hardy kids and cowering nanny haha. He made some good points about how wrong the school practice of beating children is, although I wonder if he had told his mother would she have taken him home and he could have avoided the whole mess altogether. He certainly made a point about how he and C.S. Lewis both lived through a world war and yet wrote volumes on public school beatings and hardly anything about the war. I find it quite disgusting how the older kids treat the younger kids, but then I went to a school with a social hierarchy and I never liked the system and how cruel it can be. I dunno why people think childhood is so idyllic, I think we all have some sort of mental condition where we get to a certain age and then romanticize what we remember and forget the rest. Maybe we can’t deal unless we do that. I also like how as a young man, before planes were commercially available and when other countries were still exotic and unknown, he wanted so much to work in Africa.
Soul Music by Terry Pratchett- Reread. I forgot how GOOD the Discworld books are. I think it’s been about 6 or 7 years since I first read them and wow was I due for a reread. These books make me happy, they brighten up my day and I devour them without even noticing. The Death books really are fantastic and I think Soul Music might just be my favorite one. I love meeting Susan and I love meeting Death through Susan’s eyes, first through her first time going to his house and then in her memories. Susan is one of my favorite characters in Discworld and how can she not be? She’s awesome!J
Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett- Reread. A good Discworld book although not as good as Soul Music, which made me LOVE it, but I did really enjoy Moving Pictures and it was pretty hilarious especially the trolls trying to be civilized lol.
Eric by Terry Pratchett- Reread. This was short for a Discworld book and short on plot as well as length, but it was like a really fun short story. All the glimpses of the eight circles of hell were freaking hilarious as well as Astfgl the modern demon who I think is an underused character because he is just hilarious. Eric was a little unfleshed out and annoying but Rincewind did quite well and the Luggage is an institutution. I also liked all the glimpses into history and the beginning and end of time were excellent.
The Zahir by Paulo Coelho- This was a good read, it made me think a lot about the way I live my life and what I really want. I don’t agree with everything it said, but for the most part, the ideals held up by the main character were satisfying to read. I really didn’t like how the narrator was so casual about him and his wife being able to have affairs as long as they agreed not to discuss them. I don’t think that can possibly be healthy and certainly not nice in any way. I also think the narrator has a crazy inflated sense of self-importance. Seriously, your books are good but there are tons of people who do it better than you do. Be a little humble.
Night Watch by Terry Pratchett- Reread. Jesus what a fantastic, emotional read. Vimes is one of the best characters I have ever read, I just can’t help reacting to what he’s seeing with my gut, because of the way he sees it. I love that Terry put a lot of politics into the book and made some very good points about life in general like how when you’re little, you think the world is run by grown-ups who have a grip on it, but one day you find out it’s all a sham and that nobody knows what the hell they’re doing. He also made a point about how much people suffer for what they believe in, never knowing that the real changes come about behind closed doors by people they never heard of. Deals are made. And there is no “the People” there are only persons, all different and idiosyncratic and fallible and all people we know or know someone like. The world doesn’t make sense really, but Vimes does the best he can in the madness he is given and you can’t ask anything more from anyone. And he can kick some righteous ass while doing itJ
Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett- Reread. Another good Death book but this one was pretty melancholy. The wizard subplot with the shopping malls was ok, the plot itself was uninteresting but the wizards dialogue is always funny. Death was brilliant but it was so sad to see him come to grips with life and then forget it all. Even though it ended with some great scenes, I was still sad at the end.
Thud! by Terry Pratchett- Reread. m*****f***** wow, what a fricking fantastic book. I could not put this down. I remember really enjoying the mystery the first time I read this about seven years ago and not being able to figure it out, but I think the Discworld books actually get richer and BETTER on a reread. Certainly all the wizard books are less boring than I remember (I didn’t find Rincewind funny before) and the Death books have become far more endearing. This time the Watch are even more visceral, emotional books than I remember. I love the politics of this, I love Detritus and his motherhen side and I love the Angua-Sally werewolf-vampire dynamics even though I wasn’t a big Angua fan before, I loved being inside her head and seeing what she thinks and I think she’s great. Dwarf-Troll politics are my favorite somehow I don’t know why. Vimes of course is Vimes, I think he was better in Night Watch, but I did love seeing his fatherly side and I always adore Sibyl and he is indeed a very lucky man. I always choke up rather when he talks about his family. Cheery is a bit boring though, but Carrot always surprises in a good way.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett- such a good read, Moist von Lipwig is an entertaining a character as anyone could wish for and Adora Belle Dearheart is someone I want to BE. Cynical, pessimistic, tough as nails and entirely endearing. I also find the golems rather endearing and the magic of the post is really fun plus the clacks vs post politics, which I love. The entire system of the clacks is actually really interesting and well thought out, I love the Hour of the Dead and Sending Home and how the only people who work there are mad and live by their own clacks code.
Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett - Reread. I think this may be the sweetest of all the books Terry has written. I love the Karate Kid homage and the deeper look into Susan as a character. Definitely a great book for Susan fans like me, and a somehow calmer book than the others (perhaps because it’s full of monks? Is that possible?). Lobsang is a wonderful new character and I think my favorite is Lady LeJean who had style. I adore the crazed behavior of the fleshed out auditors and the idea of “slicing” through time. The theory behind why humans have such an adaptable idea of time and say things like “Seems like it was just yesterday.” is hilarious. This book is lovable.
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett- I dunno why I put off reading this for so long, because it was a fun read. There were some parts of the writing that I enjoyed immensely when Tiffany is thinking. The Wee Free Men were also extremely cute. Perspicacia Tick is also fun.
Cat Amongst the Pigeons by Agatha Christie- liked it better than I had expected, good mystery and great setting at a girl's school.
A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie- Reread. really interesting mystery but I’ve read it before so some of the charm was lost.
The Borrowers Afloat by Mary Norton- didn't like it
Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs- pretty badly written, but Reichs is a first time author. Still, she has some pretty hilarious writing in there, claiming she knows her best friend’s moods as well as she knew her own menstrual cycle among some other written gems. The book is practically an ode to Montreal, but a very real Montreal, nothing romanticized at all. I think this book is basically a fictional version of her own real life and I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for her based on what she ends up eating lol, I was a student in Montreal and the things she survives on are what I ate when it was 3am and I had no choice. The mystery itself was okay and I was rather bored by all the technical parts, her job is really not that interestingly written, but it was not a bad effort for a first book and I would pardon a lot for a book that loves the streets of Montreal.
Mannequin: My Life As a Model by Carolyn Kenmore- interesting glimpse into the life of a model. It really makes me wonder why they do it, because other than the outward glamour, if you’re not a top model minting money, there don’t seem to be many rewards and you have to work pretty hard. I don’t envy her walking from 7-6:30pm outside with a heavy bag containing all the tricks of her trade and having to change in front of everyone in the world without any shame, or being treated like an object many times and people assuming she would do anything because she is a model.
The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer- This was really boring and hard to finish. I must say Miss Heyer has written many books and they are all better than this. When you look at the bare bones of the story, it seems like it should have been good, but there just wasn’t enough charm or interest to the story.
Death In Kashmir by M. M. Kaye- pretty fun and suspenseful with good characters
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke- Reread and yet delicious delicious book, I just soak myself in the amazing mood and setting and charm. This book is unreal in so many ways. Unreal because it’s too good and unreal because I feel as if I’m living it as I read and am in an unreal world. The characters are so mysterious and every detail about them is delicious.
The Game by Diana Wynne Jones- reread, very cute short novella
Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones- Reread. her usual but a bit less charm and not really interesting actually
White Cat by Holly Black- freakin’ awesome, reminds me of Nine Princes in Amber which I loved because you start out only knowing what the main character knows, but he is unreliable and you learn more with every page. Excellent plot and interesting characters
Demon’s Covenant by Sara Rees Brennan- good sequel although I’m not sure if I loved it on an emotional basis as much as the first even though the plot was as good. Perhaps because this book was from Mae’s point of view and I don’t really like her as much as the other characters although I didn’t think she was bad.
The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye- Reread but I don't remember the first read. But WOW. This book is phenomenal writing. It has everything a book could ever need. It is beautifully written with a strong sense of history, a timeless love, political machinations, a sense of intrigue and plotting, adventure, action, friendship and more. It even explores growing up and finding a sense of identity. On top of that, it is all taken from real life examples, which is amazing. The characters are all engaging and you feel as if you share their lives as you read. Ash and Juli’s love story is written with so much pathos and tenderness and the characters motivations all make sense. Ash is a wonderfully flawed character packed with good and bad qualities both and terribly exciting to know. The atmosphere of the plotting that goes on at an Indian palace is interesting and the politics is actually quite gripping. Definitely as written on the back “Gone with the Wind” set in India:P
Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett- Reread. quite funny but on a reread I find I’ve outgrown most of it
Hard Boys Casefiles: Fright Wave by Frankling W. Dixon- waste of time
The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike- interesting in a philosophical way. for a teen book. All the children in this book are dying and tell stories to each other with grains of their own personal truths in it. It’s interesting to inhabit the minds of people who have such little time left to live and read what they would be thinking.
Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer- fun but definitely not her best. It was difficult to see why the main character fell in love other than her beau being “different” and rude basically. We never really got to know him either and I really can’t enjoy love stories that seem to come out of left field. It was basically a whole lot of banter and not much else.
The Street Lawyer by John Grisham- not his best work certainly but the beginning was very interesting and the plight of the homeless eye-opening and informative. I used to live in DC as well so I could really feel the story more.
The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key- random kid’s book, I think I’m too old for it.
Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene - random one about models, it was boring
Games at Twilight by Anita Desai- overrated author or perhaps she is better at novels because her short stories are not that great, I have read much better. She is very talented at setting a scene richly and making you feel it but she has no point to her stories, they are aimless scenes stolen from a rich tapestry of life. Many of her characters are also hard to like, and there is not much happiness in any of the stories. The best one was about the teacher giving tuition in his flat wanting only to spend time with his wife and baby. It was about the daily frustrations of living and was quite sweet.
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer- At first I was offended that someone who could write in such lovely Sherlockian style would want to write a book about Sherlock’s battle with drug addiction and none of his brilliance or strength of character. I felt it was slander on Sherlock’s will. I still feel that way a little bit, but since the introduction of Freud, it was so delightful to see the doctor as a character and interacting so perfectly with Sherlock that I forgave most of the offence and thought the ending if rather sordid, at least clever and insightful.
Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie- Reread. This was okay, it kept me guessing but even Poirot himself was just normal. She has written more fun books.
King Rat by James Clavell- really interesting book about war prisoners and how even in captivity, men are men or at least some semblance of men. It is interesting and crazy to see the tiny world politics they create for themselves in such a crowded atmosphere and the risks they take. The way the human mind deals with being put in such untenable situations is just crazy and sad and magnificent at the same time. It was interesting but sad overall and in the end.
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin- Reread. I forgot how much fun this was! I think I enjoyed it more the second time around. It’s uncanny how he can make so many characters that are honestly interesting to follow. Jon Snow is my favorite I think, a character that has complex possibilities and depth. I also like how many mysteries run as an undercurrent that affect the plot in subtle ways or at least promise to. There is something to like about almost all the characters, the direwolves are wonderful, Sansa is irritating yet well-written, Arya is strong and heroic, Eddard is noble and too heroic, Bran and Robb rise in estimation at the tale unfolds. Even Daenarys, whom I thought laughable on my first read, was actually quite a tragic and interesting character to read, being such an innocent and such a victim yet rising up to meet circumstances. I found Lady Stark to be a rather horrible stepmother though and did not think it well of her. The book has strong and feeling losses that only make you more invested in the story. Even characters I don’t WANT to like become interesting like the Lannisters, the charming Jaime and the imp who gets better on acquaintance. There are also those I love to hate like Joffrey, which balances the story I suppose.
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie- Reread. I love Tommy and TuppenceJ
N or M by Agatha Christie- Tommy and Tuppence are back and always surprising and fun.
Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie - Tommy and Tuppence make me laugh with their impersonations of fictional detectives and the lengths they carry it to in public. The mysteries were short but sweet and the way they run a detective agency is really entertaining. Albert is of course, lots of fun.
By the Pricking of my Thumbs by Agatha Christie - This was good but a bit normal for them lol. The mystery is not my favorite.
Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie - Tommy and Tuppence are quite old but their relationship and banter is as delightful as it has ever been. The mystery was not really that fun though but I did adore their relationship to bits and Albert is always endearing.
Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, Sanditon, The Watsons by Jane Austen- Reread. Lady Susan is wicked and fun, and the rest is rather boring. Northanger Abbey has flashes of charm, especially in the language and the contrasting of the Fanny to the classic heroine but the plot itself is not interesting.
The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope- Reread. Excellent book that never ever gets old. Rudolf is always the ultimate gentleman and even though this book is not only daring and exciting but also bittersweet, it is full of such honourable and dashing characters that you can’t help loving all of it.
At Bertram’s Hotel by Agatha Christie- Reread. not as much fun as I remembered
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown- eh Dan Brown, this was not that much fun, the first two were better. It’s become a boring formula now.
The Magic Shop by H. G. Wells- short story that was not bad. The sense of something off and going deeper and deeper into something that seemed normal at first and then got more and more wrong was well-done.
Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett- Reread. hmm not one of Pratchett’s best, but maybe because it’s an early one, but definitely had some great moments. I am a big fan of Granny Weatherwax and truly enjoyed the glimpse into her youth and alternate life as well as really every single moment of hers. Casanunda’s romancing of Nanny Ogg was odd but funny and Magrat was the only one who fell a little flat, although it was quite sweet when she finds how little Verence has changed since being King. I also quite enjoyed Shawn Ogg as man-of-all-jobs at the castle and Ridcully and Esme’s almost-romance. Even though as whole it wasn’t as satisfying and emotional as some of his books, it was quite funny and has some of the best characters ever.
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett- Reread. I think this book has a similar issue, it has some excellent parts but as a whole does not satisfy as much as some others. Perhaps that is just personal taste though, as I find the watch books quite satisfying whereas other people only love the Death books. This is a good Death book but I have loved his other books more, perhaps because the story hung together better, even though he has some wonderful moments in this and I am a lifelong (of course:P) fan of Death. I love how he rights any wrongs he perceives such as the little match girl’s story. His vulnerability and desire to be close to Susan is really sweet and Susan and the poker are legendary and awesome. I love Death eating a “bikkit” and trying to be the Hogfather the proper way and seeing the world in black and white. His outrage is adorableJ
Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett- Reread. This seemed almost like a short story compared to his other books even though it was long because the plot was less complicated than usual somehow. I enjoyed it though. I especially enjoyed Brother Mightily Oats lol.
Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett- I enjoyed this more than I thought I would since it was about sports coming to the Discworld. I actually really enjoyed it, it was a nice emotional read. I especially love Juliet and the way she talks and thinks lol. “I fink I luvim”:P
A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett- I really enjoyed this Tiffany book too. I think I adore the Nac Mac Feegle, they never fail to make me smile and in this book they also showed depth of feeling I’d not thought possible. This book showed Tiffany having to mature and I really loved it. I think it’s even better than the first although a bit more serious, just as much fun and with an extra dose of Granny and some really fun and endearing new characters like Miss Level.
The Last DragonLord by Joanne Bertin- I really like this book and I’m not sure why. I guess I’m just a fantasy nerd. I enjoyed the mythology and world-building with dragon-human souls and soultwins and all the fun of being at court and the premise of Linden being the last one.
Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones-Reread. too clever by half I’m sure there were more jokes in here than I could notice because they were so seamlessly written into a full and satisfying emotional story that I’d need a separate read just to notice more of the brilliant parody. I love all the characters and I love this book. Kit and Blade especially get me although Shona has her moments. I found Sukey and Regin rather stereotypically funny. I just really love seeing the fantasy world from a practical point of view and getting the full ramifications of planning a fantasy adventure and what complains and sufferings occur just to fulfill some plot poins.
The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susannah Clarke- interesting read. The first few short stories were especially tense and a little frightening and I love her dark take on Faeries. The last story was amusing and charming.
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr- true story and quite sad but sweet.
Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones- Reread. These next four Chrestomanci books were AMAZING. I remember as a child being a huge fan of Howl (which I still am) and not understanding why all the older people on the internet seemed to prefer Chrestomanci. Well now I am rereading these as an adult and I think I finally see it! The Howl books, as fun as they are, contain only hints of the complexity which I find in the Christopher Chant books. Chrestomanci books somehow seem a bit more adult; perhaps it just lurks in the background. I loved Charmed Life, Gwendolyn was just appallingly SO EVIL that sometimes I couldn’t believe DWJ had come up with a villain so without any shred of decency. Cat was an interesting hero as he doesn’t fit into anyone’s idea of a hero being such a weak character yet somehow DWJ managed to make him interesting. For orphans with tragedy in their lives, they certainly don’t seem very sad, but I think that DWJ’s take on children with sadness in their lives is probably much more real than movies with moping children. Children are flexible and adaptable and really very elastic and even though tragedy in their lives has much deeper underlying effects on them (for example Gwendolyn and even Cat have not much moral sense), on a day to day basis, children’s woes are about much more mundane things. This I saw in Witch Week as well, being witch orphans they seem to spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about bullies and P.E. and food they hate than about the families they have lost. This book rocked much more than I remembered. And the setting is just so magically perfect as well as Chrestomanci and his awe-inspiring dressing gowns. Even the ending was interesting because bad people do not always get punished but most authors are not brave enough to let that happen. I also like that Chrestomanci’s children are so ordinary compared to his magnificence and I adore his vagueness.
The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones- Reread. Another book knocking it out of the ballpark, it’s hard to believe this one came after the other because Chrestomanci’s origins story fits so perfectly and is just so GOOD and not tacked on feeling. Christopher’s childhood is deeply interesting in its dysfunctionalness and maybe that’s part of what makes DWJ books about children so good, the fact that she homes in on this and doesn’t do what other books do which is give everyone a happy normal childhood. Her children go through life neglected and unloved mostly and have to rely on themselves and don’t even seem aware of the unfairness of it all. Tacroy was such a layered and interesting character as well that I can’t even classify him as good or bad sometimes as well as the hero Christopher who does quite a number of bad things he shouldn’t. I adore the scenes with Dr.Pawson and Christopher screaming at each other as they work, their relationship is hilarious. The plot points are all fantastic, Millie is an awesome character, Throgmorten I am just crazy about, and even Gabriel de Witt ends up a truly endearing man even though he seems so serious and old at first, him giving Throgmorten a chance to do some damage was truly wickedly fun of him. The Place in Between is one of the best things anyone has ever dreamed up I think, it’s just such a perfect dreamscape and infinite worlds linked together that I wish it was real. The tales of Christopher’s journeys there are always dangerous and exciting and it is quite fun to see how dangerously Christopher lives and keeps me in suspense. I quite love the “wasted” bootboy and Christopher’s personality is unique for a hero. He loves to boss people around, be haughty, give orders, and seems devoid of any good qualities except for the fact that he is at heart, unwilling to do bad by anyone although I’ve no idea where he gets it from seeing as he couldn’t have learnt it from anyone. I also enjoyed his time at prep school obsessing over cricket. The Goddess obsessing over the Millie books and finding them so exotic was also hilarious.
Magicians of Caprona by Diana Wynne Jones- Reread. I didn’t think this would be so good, but it was quite a fun read. Tonino thinking books without magic were really exciting was an interesting way to turn our world on it’s ear, as I read books with magic in them for the same reasons he enjoys his books lol. The Italianness of the books was well-done and I really enjoyed it although perhaps not as much as the other three.
Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones- Reread. Fantastic! She really captured how childhood isn’t really as idyllic as we like to remember it, but full of it’s own worries and problems. I adored every bit of this and how it played out was so entertaining. I do love Nan describing food horribly and Charles and his glare and the shoes and the Simon Says plot device is just awesome. I like how Brian Wentworth is picked on but ALSO awful himself, which I find resonated with my memories of school as well. Just because the other kids pick on someone doesn’t make them automatically nice either. I like Charles’ thought about how character and situation are not mutually exclusive as opposed to what Nirupam thinks.
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman- a short story but well-done with a great ending. There weren’t any consequences though for Odd doing the same thing that cost Odin an eye to do, which I felt was unaddressed.
Ice Dragon by Richard A Knaak- Reread. I must be a proper fantasy nerd because I enjoyed this one too. I liked the mythology here as well with magicians with the silver streaks in their hair, the races of beings that rose and fell, and even the cheesily named different colored Dragon Lords. The lonely Gryphon is quite likable as well as the Green Dragon and the Blue Dragon.
The Truth by Terry Pratchett- Reread. This was a satisfying reread but not as much fun as I remembered. I thought it was as good as Going Postal but it wasn’t as fun and the characters though good, were not as endearing. Moist and Adora Belle are much more fun than William and especially Sacharissa. William at least has layers and gets more interesting as he gets more complicated. I can really identify with his love of words and through that love the story more. It was a decent read.
Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones- Reread. This was as fun as the first Derkholm book with even more fun ingredients. I always love books that take place at wizard school and all the characters were wonderful. I like that in a fantasy book, Diana Wynne Jones always adds just enough reality, for example the book starts off worrying about money and donations from parents lol. I particularly love seeing what happened to Derk’s children, all of whom I love and I can never really get enough of. I enjoyed all the romance and absurdity like the tiny assassins and orange peel spells. I particularly enjoy the attitude towards magic shown by the students, and their efforts to teach the faculty that wizardry has unlimited avenues and there is no one way of doing things.
Dragon and Phoenix by Joanne Bertin- Reread. amazing. As I read I thought it must have taken years to write such a great book and when I looked it up afterwards I was right. I love the world of Dragonlords that Joanne Bertin has created. The sequel has even more magic than the first, and the “foreign” land they journey to is a marvel of world-building and made-up culture. I love the politics and intrigue and all the details are just so delicious. The plot is always exciting, the mood is always tense and I can never quite see how she is going to work things out but then she does in such a good way.
Poirot Loses a Client by Agatha Christie- not too bad
Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie- just okay
Mixed Magics by Diana Wynne Jones-Reread. I really enjoyed these short stories, they were actually very charming, interesting and satisfying, as well as deliciously imaginative.
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett- Reread. I enjoyed this although I think as an earlier Discworld book it lacks some of the emotional punch that Terry packs into his work now. It was very good though and I loved all the parts with the philosophers especially. I love the character of Brutha and all of Om’s curses are hilarious. Religion is a pretty controversial and broad area and Terry tackled it pretty well. The book was smart and asked savvy questions and mocked without being disrespectful.

As you can tell, I did a lot of Terry Pratchett and Diana Wynne Jones rereading among others because it's been so many years since I read them I'd forgotten them. They were definitely worth rereading:)

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