Books for 2016
I read lots of books last year! Just to keep track, here's a list of them!
1.The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan (7)
• This is the last book of the Kane Chronicles books, and I was happy to be done with it. The Kane Chronicles were good, but they didn't really inspire any great love in me. I was mostly happy with how things went though, which is nice. The ending was satisfactory. Now if only there were some decent fics of it....
2. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (9)
• Tumblr loves this book, and thus it was high on my list of books to tackle. I also saw reference to it in a few fics? But, to be honest, I mostly wanted all of the cool fsts that were being made for it. I have to say, it was a really good book! At first, the characters took some time to grow on me, but as they grew, I enjoyed them and their interactions. The historical stuff was fun too. If you want some angsty boys, this is a good choice!
3. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (10)
• Kat suggested this book to me, a few years ago, to be fair. That was back when I was still living in the states, and I bought them on a whim. It took me a long time to actually sit down and read this book, but I finally got to it, and wow, was it amazing. Anyone that knows me, knows that I love this book. It takes some time for you to adjust to the characters, and it's moral ambiguity not only to the reader, but also to the other characters allows the world and it's characters to be dynamic and grow. Everything just slots in together perfectly, and it is just a fabulous read. God I love this book!
4. School of Good and Evil #2: A World without Princes by Soman Chainani (5)
• To be fair, it has been way too long since I read the first book. In fact, I think I read the first one back in.... 2013? Could be 14. Anyway, it was way too long, and it was hard to remember most of what happened in the first book. This was a serious problem in trying to enjoy this book. The story itself is good, but the writer also has a bad habit of not including enough description. I don't remember much of the first book, but I distinctly remember flying into El Paso, thinking that I wasn't really sure how to visualize this book, because there wasn't enough detail. Now, I'm definitely a person who likes to leave out a ton of detail, so that the reader can imagine it themselves, but in this one, it was far too much. Also, I hated the ending for this book. I was so happy that there was going to be a third book that might fix it.
5. Trial of Apollo by Rick Riordan (10)
• This book was fun. I just really enjoy Rick Riordan's style. It's simple, it's easy, it's accessible, and it's sassy. Trials of Apollo puts us in a gods POV for the first time, and the book actually changes up a bit of Riordan's typical formula with great result. It's an absolutely enjoyable read, and I would highly recommend it! Also, Meg is adorable, and I loath the fandom for filling the ToA section with Nico/Will fics. There's two Percy Jackson sections for that, I want all of the adorable Meg fics. ><
6. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (8)
• This was a good book. It suffered from some pacing issues at points, and I feel like it wasn't as fleshed out at times as I would have liked it to be, but on the whole, it was a very good book! This story is another Fantasy book, with a heavy focus on an oppressive government. This seems to generally be the case with fantasy books. Not always, but it seems to happen a lot. Again, pacing issues were the only thing I had wrong with this book. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!
7. Golden Compass: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (3)
• I really disliked this book. A lot of people suggested it to me, so I gave it a go, but I really didn't like it. The writing style was something I just couldn't adjust to, the overhead perspective was atrocious, and was constantly taking me out of the narrative. Lyra wasn't a horrible character, but neither was she good or morally interesting. She was confident of her importance, and that carried her through the whole story, and was very rarely challenged. She was pig headed in a serious way, and though I did grow to appreciate her, liking her is a stretch. The sad thing, is that I wanted to like this book. The set up was really well done, and the world was fascinating, but I just couldn't. At the end of the book, I walked away thinking that it was rather reprihensible, the bad guys were horrible people, the good guys were not really people I wanted to root for. The only characters I genuinely cared about were trampled with very little remorse. I imagine I'll read the second book at some point, but this did not leave a good impression, and I'm not in any hurry to tackle the next one, which will be more of a chore than anything else. I hope the next one will surprise me.
8. First Test by Tamora Pierce (4)
• First Test wasn't bad, it just didn't feel like a whole book. It felt like a part of a book, trying to be it's own book. I wish there was more to it, but there wasn't. The characters were likable, but without a whole lot happening to actually make the book interesting, it all fell rather flat. I do want to read the other books, but I really hope that there are complications to make them much more interesting than this one was.
9. The Theif by Megan Whalen Turner (10)
• This book was a really fun read, and exceptionally clever. I wish some of the characters stood out a bit more, but with that didn't really retract from the enjoyment of the book. It's another fantasy novel (you've likely noticed a trend) and it is quite different from most of the other ones in the genre I read. It's an easy and enjoyable read, and I would definitely recommend it!
10. Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (10)
• I blasted through this one. Kat warned me that the second book in the Mistborn trilogy was a little slow at first, but I didn't notice that at all. Well of Ascension picks up not long after Mistborn leaves us, and though it isn't as action packed as Mistborn was, the Well of Ascension takes us through Vin's trials and tribulations and her place in the world around her. It's just as human a story as Mistborn was, and I had a hard time putting it down.
11. Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (10)
• In fact, I loved Well of Ascension soooo much, that I went directly into the third book in the series, Hero of Ages. This is the last book in the original Mistborn set, and it finishes with a definite bang. All the questions are answered, all of the loose ends are tied up, and everything comes together beautifully. I just, I have feelings that I can not begin to express. I love this set of books.
12. A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar (9)
• A Stranger in Olondria is one that dourmouse suggested to me a while ago. Its a vivid book, about words and love and books, and it will stagger you with it's cultural depth and history. It is set up as a memoire, and it feels like one, with all of the historical and literary references that would come from a well read individual, but of course, all of this is fantasy, and it is fabricated. In it's own way, A Stranger in Olondria is not about magic or fantasy. It's about a ghost, it's about culture and belief and how those things clash and breed difference and misunderstanding. It's a beautiful book, but not for the faint of heart.
13. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater(6)
• The first book in the Raven Boys series, which tumblr also seems to love. The book is good, but the story is kind of all over the place, which is why it did not get a higher rating. The characters are very good, and it's a heavily character driven story, but with a lackluster plot, I just can't really give it much higher than this. I'm looking forward to reading the next book though!
14. Tale of Desperoux by Kate DiCamillo (8)
• This is a really cute book, and an easy read to boot. If you've seen the movie, it's quite different, but no less charming, imaginative, and fun. The movie itself was more action oriented, but the book is more contemplative, with a bed time sort of feel to it. It's really just a joy to read and I would readily recommend it. Mom is actually reading it now, and she likes it so far. I'm excited to see what she says about it when she finishes!
15. The Heros of Olympus: The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan (7)
• I read this book for the 'Son of Magic' short story. It features a character that is not otherwise in Percy Jackson, and since I wanted to add this character to a fanfic I had planned to write (and didn't) I felt I definitely needed to read this short story, and thus, the book it was in. This one was made up of a few short stories? Three I think? I can only remember 3, though it might have been more. The real jewel of the set, really was 'Son of Magic' and it was a joy to read. The rest, eh, they were pretty standard Percy Jackson fair.
16. A World Undone by G.J Meyer (9)
• So this one is kinda sorta cheating, because I didn't read this in one month. I started this last year, and only this year finished it. That being said, it's a huge history book on WWI, and it is fabulous, but labor some, as most good history books are. It took the flight back to the US for me to finish it, but I'm glad I did. It really was a great book!
17. The Bromeliad Trilogy by Terry Pratchett (9)
• So Terri Prachet is one of those Fantasy gods that people like to talk about. That's all well and good, so I wanted to try my hand at some of his books, so I ordered one. When it showed up in the mail, mom was like 'Oh, I have one by him' which had been given to her as a gift, and which she really enjoyed. That was the Broliliad Trilogy. It's a book about Gnomes, and it is cute and adorable and I am fond. It was mom's book though, so I couldn't take it with me. I had to finish it while I was home, and that wasn't a particularly hard thing to do. It was an easy and fast read, though the third book rather lagged a bit.
18. Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson (10)
• Alloy of Law is the first book in the new Mistborn set, which takes place in the future from the original three Mistborn books. It's a wild ride reminiscent of an old western, but with magic and super powers and gun fights and sass. It's fabulous, and I highly recommend it!
19. Blindness by Thomas J. Carroll (7)
• This is one of those research books I tackled. It's a basic guide to understanding how to deal with Blindness, and though it is a good book (and gave me some interesting perspectives to consider in my future writing) it is dated in many ways. Still a good resource and addresses some of the issues I would not have otherwise considered. On a side note, this seems to be rather rare? It's old, published in 1961, and even Amazon doesn't have an image for it, and I'm far to lazy to dig it out and take a picture myself.
20. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (7)
• It took me a long time to get into this book. That's the main reason why it has such a low rating for a Brandon Sanderson book. I kept wanting things, and they didn't happen. As time went on, realized why, and things came together well, but it still retains the lower rating for it. I'm looking forward to the next book though!
21. A Whole New World by Liz Braswell (4)
• All I can say about this one, was that it was a disappointment. This is basically a canon divergence of the movie Aladdin, and not even really a very good one. I was impressed at the onset, but it didn't last very long. I can't recommend it at all.
22. Tell Me How to Write A Story by E.J. Runyon (6)
• This is a basic how to book on writing. Or, more accurately, editing. This is really just a book filled with ideas about how to edit, and a lot of it is what you should or should not do in a novel. Of course, what you should and should not do in a novel is highly subjective, which makes this a little trivial, but there was some genuinely sound advice to be had, and some very good editing strategies, so I can't complain.
23. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (10)
• I borrowed this book from my cousin Will, and goodness was it wonderful! I actually want to go out and buy my own copy. It's a wonderful story with a huge emphasis on fairy tales, misperceptions, and learning what it means to grown up, and treat people properly. It's a wonderful book, and I would recommend it in a heartbeat!
24. The School for Good and Evil #3 by Soman Chainani (7)
• I mentioned earlier that the second book in this series failed to really grab and keep me for a variety of reasons. The last book in the trio was much, much better. It still suffers from a lack of details, but the characters and scenario were better received on my end, and the ending itself was way better than in book two. I was happy with it.
25. Cover Her Face by P.D. James (7)
• This is the first murder mystery I've read in a long time, and it was one suggested to me by mom. It was an older book, and that was quite obvious, but it was rather well put together, and was an easy read. I don't know if I'd want to read a lot more murder mystery books, but I enjoyed this one well enough.
26.The Best American Short Stories 2011 (9)
• I'd been working on this book for a while. As the title implies, it's an anthology of short stories, some very good, and some less so. That being said, a lot of the stories were quite wonderful, and I enjoyed them a lot. I might end up dog-earing a few for mom, to be honest.
27. The Pirates! In an adventure with Scientists by Gideon Defoe (10)
• Dad sent me this one, and it is fabulous. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year. It was the book that inspired the 'Pirates' movie that Aaardman made, and it is clever, witty and hilarious in a singularly British fashion. It's an exceptionally easy read, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. Except maybe my mother. Maybe.
28. Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea by Thomas Cahill (8)
• My non-fiction book of the month, and a wonderful one at that. Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea is a popularized look at ancient Greece, and it's spectrum of influence on the modern society, and the ancient world in general. It covers a wide range of topics, glancing over quite a bit, but does so in a way that is highly satisfying and enjoyable. It doesn't get too bogged down with facts (though at times I certainly wanted more information), and is a generally engaging, easy, and enjoyable read.
29. Horns by Joe Hill (8)
• Suggested by Mei Mei, Horns is sort of horror? I'm not sure if I would actually call it that, because I didn't really find it scary. It's heavy religious themes and very evocative content mean it isn't for the feint of heart, but behind it's shock and splendor, is a very good narrative of revenge and mystery.
30. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (9)
• This is a sequel to The Thief, which I read earlier in the year. This book is almost as good as that one, and in some ways, even better. The characters in this one are more vibrant, and the story itself is more complex. That being said, The Queen of Attolia takes a long time to get going, and thus it did not earn the same rating as the first book, even though it's ending and progression is far more satisfactory than The Thief.
31. Magus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Book 2 The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan (10)
• God I love the Magus Chase franchise. To be fair, it is my favorite series by Rick Riordan, and I do not say that lightly, because I adored the Heros of Olympus series as well. But Magnus Chase has everything I ever wanted, until a new book comes out, and makes me realized I wanted more, and there it is. This book is no different. The narrative is just as witty as expected, the writing no less clever as before. It's always a joy to see things come together, and I really feel like Riordan has grown as a writer, and that this is really an obvious culmination of how he's grown. There are less dead ends, and less things that make me question or wrinkle my nose. It's just good, It's just so good.
32. The Vikings by Jonathan Clements (6)
• Vikings is a small history of the, you guessed it, Vikings. That should be interesting, but it really wasn't. There's only so much you can hear about people pillaging and plundering and killing one another for power, until it all sort of blends together. There aren't a lot of figures that really stand apart, and they all seem rather interchangeable after a while. I know that sounds horrible, but it was really a struggle to get through.
33. Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (8)
• This is the second book in the new set of Mistborn books. That being said, I had issues with this book. It was well done, and everything went off without a hitch, but I took serious issue with how the old and new overlapped so obviously in this book, and that took away from a lot of the enjoyment. I wish it hadn't, but it simply did. It's still a good book, and as I said, things come together perfectly, as most Sanderson books too, but the rating stands.
34. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (8)
• This is an excellent book. That being said, it takes a really long time to go anywhere. It took me almost a full week to read the first 150 pages, because they were not that interesting. Once I got past that, it was very interesting and I flew through it, but getting there is a problem. Other than that, it was a really good book.
35. An Introduction to the Analects by Li Defa (5)
• The Analects, in case you don't know, are the writings of Confucian doctrine, and are some of the precepts of Chinese civilization. That being said, this book was boring. At least it was a quick read...
36. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (7)
• This was my Christmas present from Mom, so I read it as soon as possible (That's a new rule, I want to read gifted books as soon as possible). I liked this book, it's a novelization of a small part of the bible, and it's a vivid, beautiful rendition of that. That being said, it is a woman book. That is to say, it is about women, for women, by women, and it is about the virtues of sisterhood, of having babies, of the importance of women in society, and, of course, having periods as the crux of womanhood. Since I believe very few of these things, there were parts of this book that made me quite uncomfortable. Still, it's a good book, if you can get past that.
37. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (9)
• The Alchemist is a wonderful book. One part inspirational, one part adventure, the alchemist is a simple story, but it's simplicity underlines a depth that few books ever reach. It's worth the read, and it's an exceptionally easy one at that.
38. Animal Farm by George Orwell (8)
• This book is Animal Farm. I don't really feel there's much I need to say about it. Its pretty famous, and there isn't much need for me to go into it more than that. It's good, influential, and an exceptionally easy read.
39. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson (8)
• This book is about the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia. It takes some time to get going, and the protagonist is not automatically interesting or particularly likeable. She gets there, but it takes time and quite a bit of struggling. The setting is where this story shines, and it's really a wonder once it gets going.
40. A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle(9)
• This is the sequel to A Wrinkle in Time, which I read either last year, or the year before that. I adored A Wrinkle in Time, but I was worried about A Wind in the Door. My worries were in vein, A Wind in the Door was a wonderfully put together book. I wouldn't say it was as good as A Wrinkle in Time, but it was wonderful to be back in that world, with those characters, and with that writing. I really blew through it (pun intended) and it was a wonderful read. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!
1.The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan (7)
• This is the last book of the Kane Chronicles books, and I was happy to be done with it. The Kane Chronicles were good, but they didn't really inspire any great love in me. I was mostly happy with how things went though, which is nice. The ending was satisfactory. Now if only there were some decent fics of it....
2. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (9)
• Tumblr loves this book, and thus it was high on my list of books to tackle. I also saw reference to it in a few fics? But, to be honest, I mostly wanted all of the cool fsts that were being made for it. I have to say, it was a really good book! At first, the characters took some time to grow on me, but as they grew, I enjoyed them and their interactions. The historical stuff was fun too. If you want some angsty boys, this is a good choice!
3. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (10)
• Kat suggested this book to me, a few years ago, to be fair. That was back when I was still living in the states, and I bought them on a whim. It took me a long time to actually sit down and read this book, but I finally got to it, and wow, was it amazing. Anyone that knows me, knows that I love this book. It takes some time for you to adjust to the characters, and it's moral ambiguity not only to the reader, but also to the other characters allows the world and it's characters to be dynamic and grow. Everything just slots in together perfectly, and it is just a fabulous read. God I love this book!
4. School of Good and Evil #2: A World without Princes by Soman Chainani (5)
• To be fair, it has been way too long since I read the first book. In fact, I think I read the first one back in.... 2013? Could be 14. Anyway, it was way too long, and it was hard to remember most of what happened in the first book. This was a serious problem in trying to enjoy this book. The story itself is good, but the writer also has a bad habit of not including enough description. I don't remember much of the first book, but I distinctly remember flying into El Paso, thinking that I wasn't really sure how to visualize this book, because there wasn't enough detail. Now, I'm definitely a person who likes to leave out a ton of detail, so that the reader can imagine it themselves, but in this one, it was far too much. Also, I hated the ending for this book. I was so happy that there was going to be a third book that might fix it.
5. Trial of Apollo by Rick Riordan (10)
• This book was fun. I just really enjoy Rick Riordan's style. It's simple, it's easy, it's accessible, and it's sassy. Trials of Apollo puts us in a gods POV for the first time, and the book actually changes up a bit of Riordan's typical formula with great result. It's an absolutely enjoyable read, and I would highly recommend it! Also, Meg is adorable, and I loath the fandom for filling the ToA section with Nico/Will fics. There's two Percy Jackson sections for that, I want all of the adorable Meg fics. ><
6. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (8)
• This was a good book. It suffered from some pacing issues at points, and I feel like it wasn't as fleshed out at times as I would have liked it to be, but on the whole, it was a very good book! This story is another Fantasy book, with a heavy focus on an oppressive government. This seems to generally be the case with fantasy books. Not always, but it seems to happen a lot. Again, pacing issues were the only thing I had wrong with this book. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!
7. Golden Compass: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (3)
• I really disliked this book. A lot of people suggested it to me, so I gave it a go, but I really didn't like it. The writing style was something I just couldn't adjust to, the overhead perspective was atrocious, and was constantly taking me out of the narrative. Lyra wasn't a horrible character, but neither was she good or morally interesting. She was confident of her importance, and that carried her through the whole story, and was very rarely challenged. She was pig headed in a serious way, and though I did grow to appreciate her, liking her is a stretch. The sad thing, is that I wanted to like this book. The set up was really well done, and the world was fascinating, but I just couldn't. At the end of the book, I walked away thinking that it was rather reprihensible, the bad guys were horrible people, the good guys were not really people I wanted to root for. The only characters I genuinely cared about were trampled with very little remorse. I imagine I'll read the second book at some point, but this did not leave a good impression, and I'm not in any hurry to tackle the next one, which will be more of a chore than anything else. I hope the next one will surprise me.
8. First Test by Tamora Pierce (4)
• First Test wasn't bad, it just didn't feel like a whole book. It felt like a part of a book, trying to be it's own book. I wish there was more to it, but there wasn't. The characters were likable, but without a whole lot happening to actually make the book interesting, it all fell rather flat. I do want to read the other books, but I really hope that there are complications to make them much more interesting than this one was.
9. The Theif by Megan Whalen Turner (10)
• This book was a really fun read, and exceptionally clever. I wish some of the characters stood out a bit more, but with that didn't really retract from the enjoyment of the book. It's another fantasy novel (you've likely noticed a trend) and it is quite different from most of the other ones in the genre I read. It's an easy and enjoyable read, and I would definitely recommend it!
10. Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (10)
• I blasted through this one. Kat warned me that the second book in the Mistborn trilogy was a little slow at first, but I didn't notice that at all. Well of Ascension picks up not long after Mistborn leaves us, and though it isn't as action packed as Mistborn was, the Well of Ascension takes us through Vin's trials and tribulations and her place in the world around her. It's just as human a story as Mistborn was, and I had a hard time putting it down.
11. Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (10)
• In fact, I loved Well of Ascension soooo much, that I went directly into the third book in the series, Hero of Ages. This is the last book in the original Mistborn set, and it finishes with a definite bang. All the questions are answered, all of the loose ends are tied up, and everything comes together beautifully. I just, I have feelings that I can not begin to express. I love this set of books.
12. A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar (9)
• A Stranger in Olondria is one that dourmouse suggested to me a while ago. Its a vivid book, about words and love and books, and it will stagger you with it's cultural depth and history. It is set up as a memoire, and it feels like one, with all of the historical and literary references that would come from a well read individual, but of course, all of this is fantasy, and it is fabricated. In it's own way, A Stranger in Olondria is not about magic or fantasy. It's about a ghost, it's about culture and belief and how those things clash and breed difference and misunderstanding. It's a beautiful book, but not for the faint of heart.
13. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater(6)
• The first book in the Raven Boys series, which tumblr also seems to love. The book is good, but the story is kind of all over the place, which is why it did not get a higher rating. The characters are very good, and it's a heavily character driven story, but with a lackluster plot, I just can't really give it much higher than this. I'm looking forward to reading the next book though!
14. Tale of Desperoux by Kate DiCamillo (8)
• This is a really cute book, and an easy read to boot. If you've seen the movie, it's quite different, but no less charming, imaginative, and fun. The movie itself was more action oriented, but the book is more contemplative, with a bed time sort of feel to it. It's really just a joy to read and I would readily recommend it. Mom is actually reading it now, and she likes it so far. I'm excited to see what she says about it when she finishes!
15. The Heros of Olympus: The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan (7)
• I read this book for the 'Son of Magic' short story. It features a character that is not otherwise in Percy Jackson, and since I wanted to add this character to a fanfic I had planned to write (and didn't) I felt I definitely needed to read this short story, and thus, the book it was in. This one was made up of a few short stories? Three I think? I can only remember 3, though it might have been more. The real jewel of the set, really was 'Son of Magic' and it was a joy to read. The rest, eh, they were pretty standard Percy Jackson fair.
16. A World Undone by G.J Meyer (9)
• So this one is kinda sorta cheating, because I didn't read this in one month. I started this last year, and only this year finished it. That being said, it's a huge history book on WWI, and it is fabulous, but labor some, as most good history books are. It took the flight back to the US for me to finish it, but I'm glad I did. It really was a great book!
17. The Bromeliad Trilogy by Terry Pratchett (9)
• So Terri Prachet is one of those Fantasy gods that people like to talk about. That's all well and good, so I wanted to try my hand at some of his books, so I ordered one. When it showed up in the mail, mom was like 'Oh, I have one by him' which had been given to her as a gift, and which she really enjoyed. That was the Broliliad Trilogy. It's a book about Gnomes, and it is cute and adorable and I am fond. It was mom's book though, so I couldn't take it with me. I had to finish it while I was home, and that wasn't a particularly hard thing to do. It was an easy and fast read, though the third book rather lagged a bit.
18. Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson (10)
• Alloy of Law is the first book in the new Mistborn set, which takes place in the future from the original three Mistborn books. It's a wild ride reminiscent of an old western, but with magic and super powers and gun fights and sass. It's fabulous, and I highly recommend it!
19. Blindness by Thomas J. Carroll (7)
• This is one of those research books I tackled. It's a basic guide to understanding how to deal with Blindness, and though it is a good book (and gave me some interesting perspectives to consider in my future writing) it is dated in many ways. Still a good resource and addresses some of the issues I would not have otherwise considered. On a side note, this seems to be rather rare? It's old, published in 1961, and even Amazon doesn't have an image for it, and I'm far to lazy to dig it out and take a picture myself.
20. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (7)
• It took me a long time to get into this book. That's the main reason why it has such a low rating for a Brandon Sanderson book. I kept wanting things, and they didn't happen. As time went on, realized why, and things came together well, but it still retains the lower rating for it. I'm looking forward to the next book though!
21. A Whole New World by Liz Braswell (4)
• All I can say about this one, was that it was a disappointment. This is basically a canon divergence of the movie Aladdin, and not even really a very good one. I was impressed at the onset, but it didn't last very long. I can't recommend it at all.
22. Tell Me How to Write A Story by E.J. Runyon (6)
• This is a basic how to book on writing. Or, more accurately, editing. This is really just a book filled with ideas about how to edit, and a lot of it is what you should or should not do in a novel. Of course, what you should and should not do in a novel is highly subjective, which makes this a little trivial, but there was some genuinely sound advice to be had, and some very good editing strategies, so I can't complain.
23. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (10)
• I borrowed this book from my cousin Will, and goodness was it wonderful! I actually want to go out and buy my own copy. It's a wonderful story with a huge emphasis on fairy tales, misperceptions, and learning what it means to grown up, and treat people properly. It's a wonderful book, and I would recommend it in a heartbeat!
24. The School for Good and Evil #3 by Soman Chainani (7)
• I mentioned earlier that the second book in this series failed to really grab and keep me for a variety of reasons. The last book in the trio was much, much better. It still suffers from a lack of details, but the characters and scenario were better received on my end, and the ending itself was way better than in book two. I was happy with it.
25. Cover Her Face by P.D. James (7)
• This is the first murder mystery I've read in a long time, and it was one suggested to me by mom. It was an older book, and that was quite obvious, but it was rather well put together, and was an easy read. I don't know if I'd want to read a lot more murder mystery books, but I enjoyed this one well enough.
26.The Best American Short Stories 2011 (9)
• I'd been working on this book for a while. As the title implies, it's an anthology of short stories, some very good, and some less so. That being said, a lot of the stories were quite wonderful, and I enjoyed them a lot. I might end up dog-earing a few for mom, to be honest.
27. The Pirates! In an adventure with Scientists by Gideon Defoe (10)
• Dad sent me this one, and it is fabulous. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year. It was the book that inspired the 'Pirates' movie that Aaardman made, and it is clever, witty and hilarious in a singularly British fashion. It's an exceptionally easy read, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. Except maybe my mother. Maybe.
28. Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea by Thomas Cahill (8)
• My non-fiction book of the month, and a wonderful one at that. Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea is a popularized look at ancient Greece, and it's spectrum of influence on the modern society, and the ancient world in general. It covers a wide range of topics, glancing over quite a bit, but does so in a way that is highly satisfying and enjoyable. It doesn't get too bogged down with facts (though at times I certainly wanted more information), and is a generally engaging, easy, and enjoyable read.
29. Horns by Joe Hill (8)
• Suggested by Mei Mei, Horns is sort of horror? I'm not sure if I would actually call it that, because I didn't really find it scary. It's heavy religious themes and very evocative content mean it isn't for the feint of heart, but behind it's shock and splendor, is a very good narrative of revenge and mystery.
30. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (9)
• This is a sequel to The Thief, which I read earlier in the year. This book is almost as good as that one, and in some ways, even better. The characters in this one are more vibrant, and the story itself is more complex. That being said, The Queen of Attolia takes a long time to get going, and thus it did not earn the same rating as the first book, even though it's ending and progression is far more satisfactory than The Thief.
31. Magus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Book 2 The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan (10)
• God I love the Magus Chase franchise. To be fair, it is my favorite series by Rick Riordan, and I do not say that lightly, because I adored the Heros of Olympus series as well. But Magnus Chase has everything I ever wanted, until a new book comes out, and makes me realized I wanted more, and there it is. This book is no different. The narrative is just as witty as expected, the writing no less clever as before. It's always a joy to see things come together, and I really feel like Riordan has grown as a writer, and that this is really an obvious culmination of how he's grown. There are less dead ends, and less things that make me question or wrinkle my nose. It's just good, It's just so good.
32. The Vikings by Jonathan Clements (6)
• Vikings is a small history of the, you guessed it, Vikings. That should be interesting, but it really wasn't. There's only so much you can hear about people pillaging and plundering and killing one another for power, until it all sort of blends together. There aren't a lot of figures that really stand apart, and they all seem rather interchangeable after a while. I know that sounds horrible, but it was really a struggle to get through.
33. Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (8)
• This is the second book in the new set of Mistborn books. That being said, I had issues with this book. It was well done, and everything went off without a hitch, but I took serious issue with how the old and new overlapped so obviously in this book, and that took away from a lot of the enjoyment. I wish it hadn't, but it simply did. It's still a good book, and as I said, things come together perfectly, as most Sanderson books too, but the rating stands.
34. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (8)
• This is an excellent book. That being said, it takes a really long time to go anywhere. It took me almost a full week to read the first 150 pages, because they were not that interesting. Once I got past that, it was very interesting and I flew through it, but getting there is a problem. Other than that, it was a really good book.
35. An Introduction to the Analects by Li Defa (5)
• The Analects, in case you don't know, are the writings of Confucian doctrine, and are some of the precepts of Chinese civilization. That being said, this book was boring. At least it was a quick read...
36. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (7)
• This was my Christmas present from Mom, so I read it as soon as possible (That's a new rule, I want to read gifted books as soon as possible). I liked this book, it's a novelization of a small part of the bible, and it's a vivid, beautiful rendition of that. That being said, it is a woman book. That is to say, it is about women, for women, by women, and it is about the virtues of sisterhood, of having babies, of the importance of women in society, and, of course, having periods as the crux of womanhood. Since I believe very few of these things, there were parts of this book that made me quite uncomfortable. Still, it's a good book, if you can get past that.
37. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (9)
• The Alchemist is a wonderful book. One part inspirational, one part adventure, the alchemist is a simple story, but it's simplicity underlines a depth that few books ever reach. It's worth the read, and it's an exceptionally easy one at that.
38. Animal Farm by George Orwell (8)
• This book is Animal Farm. I don't really feel there's much I need to say about it. Its pretty famous, and there isn't much need for me to go into it more than that. It's good, influential, and an exceptionally easy read.
39. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson (8)
• This book is about the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia. It takes some time to get going, and the protagonist is not automatically interesting or particularly likeable. She gets there, but it takes time and quite a bit of struggling. The setting is where this story shines, and it's really a wonder once it gets going.
40. A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle(9)
• This is the sequel to A Wrinkle in Time, which I read either last year, or the year before that. I adored A Wrinkle in Time, but I was worried about A Wind in the Door. My worries were in vein, A Wind in the Door was a wonderfully put together book. I wouldn't say it was as good as A Wrinkle in Time, but it was wonderful to be back in that world, with those characters, and with that writing. I really blew through it (pun intended) and it was a wonderful read. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!