100- book challenge
Ok, if you count the audio books, I'm up to 25. If you're restricting it to tangible books, it's... 16? 17?
also, i'm not sure what's up with my spelling today. I'm sorry.
Anyhow. The list thus far.
Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold. Engaging. The main character has a strong, clear voice, and her youth gives some parts an unsettling feeling. She could have easily written more graphic scenes, but there was a lot she put very simply, matter of factly, and not overly flaunted; i think that made parts even more disturbing. I love her character descriptions.
The Bonesetter’s Daughter- Amy Tan. Fed gave this one for me to read. This is one of those books where I wondered what I was supposed to feel after it was over. I ended up not liking the daughter at all, even though I got the impression that I was supposed to be sympathetic to her? Anyhow, the mother's story was interesting, when i wasn't irritated by the daughter.
Digging to America- Anne Tyler. This one, too, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to think. I liked Maryam; I liked Dave, most of the time; the story itself was good. The rest of the characters I found ridiculously archetypical, and spent the rest of the book wondering if they were really supposed to be.
Forever Lily- Beth Nonte Russell. It's about a woman who goes to China with a friend who plans on adopting a baby- only to have the friend panic and change her mind, and the woman wants to take the child herself. The book itself is written strangely, a bit too coincidental & new agey for most people I'm sure; but I really liked the very personal account of what it's like to go to another country and deal with the stresses of bringing home a child. (complete with their own unique issues.) I'm kind of fascinated by international adoption, so i really liked it.
Secret Life of Bees- Sue Monk Kidd. I don't even know what to say about this. Poignant. And I don't use that word for reviews- ever. She pulled off things I wouldn't like coming from other authors, and it still managed to be one of the best books i've read in a while.
Arsonist’s Guide to Homes in New England- Brock Clarke. Honestly, I expected it to be a lot funnier, as per its marketing. As it is, it holds sort of a dry, tragic wit, reminiscent of stale beer, old movie melodrama, and a mildly unbelievable suspension of disbelief. Not bad, but it isn't at all what it's sold as.
Sebastian- Anne Bishop. Her books are enthralling. Addictive, maybe. They're kind of my secret guilty pleasure; they sound fluffy, they look really fluffy, but I love them. She tends to follow a certain self-stereotype, and this book wasn't any different, but just as good. ye gods, I like I like Sebastian even better than Daemon, and that's saying quite a lot. It ended weirdly- it ended, and then you realised it didn't actually end; like the sequel was an afterthought. I had the sequel on hand, though, so I didn't care.
Belladonna- Anne Bishop. I was really curious to read this one, between the slight cliffhanger from the last one, and also just to read more about the landscapers. This one was a little more forced on the all-powerful female thing, though; also, I really hate it when two characters fall in love because they 'are meant to.' Seriously, can't they find a better reason than that? Especially when they don't know what to do with the other person? ...i liked it anyway, but that made me bitter.
She’s Not There- Jennifer Finney Boylan. Interesting to read the perspective of someone who didn't fit for such a large portion of their life. The concept still sort of bewilders me- not being transgender, but how one would cope with society's labeling- and this was an interesting explanation of her development around that.
Inkheart- Cornelia Funke (UAUD) I think there was something extra-special about having it in audio book- can't race through it, can't skim through everything, so you're forced to just absorb. Many times I wonder if authors write, thinking their stories will be read aloud; there always seem to be general awkwardness, as if they didn't think of it. This is not one of those books. It's magical.
I Capture the Castle- Dodie Smith. Still as fantastic as I remembered it, although it was really interesting to see what parts i connected with now, vs. the ones i did when i was 13.
Earthsea Trilogy- Ursula K. Le Guin (UAUD) It's interesting, because there are flaws in the writing style I don't particularly care for; little things that become really obvious in audio. But it's impossible not to see how these became one of the milestones for modern fantasy. Tombs of A'Tuan was by far my favorite; now I really want to read the rest in the series.
Almost French- Sarah Turnbull- Definitely written like a journalist. It was interesting, though, to see someone's retrospect of their trial and error to fit into a completely new culture, especially one that wasn't an automatic easy fit.
Song of the Lionness- Tamora Pierce. I only read the first one of these whenever I was a kid, and that was probably a good thing. I think I read them too young to know what to do with the rest. I still like the first one best, jonathan's still a doof, and I really think she should've married liam instead.I don't remember it all being quite that blatantly foreshadowed in the books- but as i said, i never read the later ones either. But still. :)
Igraine the Brave- Cornelia Funke (UAUD) The cheesy magic poems would have embarrassed me even when I was a kid, but there was a lot that was really cute about this. The sorrowful knight and the singing books were my favorite.
Dance of the Dissident Daughter- Sue Monk Kidd. It was really fascinating to read someone's conscious journey of something i went through a few years ago without having a name to put on it. I'm still musing over the entire last half of the book. Fantastic.
Tangled Webs- Anne Bishop. Extended off of the black jewels series. The purpose seemed to be an entertaining revist with favorite characters, and for the most part it served them well, even if i think they're stronger in the less fluffy plots. Still bloody entertaining.
The Looking Glass Wars- Frank Beddor. I picked up this one because I saw a review for the spin-off graphic novel Hatter M. and was really intrigued. I wasn't sure about the book at first, but it's cool. Definitely ties into the original wonderland in some unexpected ways, and now I really want to read the graphic novel, i must hear more about the Milliners. :)
ETA: oops, forgot one!
Airman- Eoin Colfer. It started out like a steampunk princess bride. (Movie, not the book, it's too YA for such cynicism.) It doesn't stay that way, unfortunately, but by that time, I was quite hooked. Steampunk YA in the age of discovery was quite entertaining by itself; i like how he dressed it up but didn't sugarcoat, also, room for a sequel!
also, i'm not sure what's up with my spelling today. I'm sorry.
Anyhow. The list thus far.
Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold. Engaging. The main character has a strong, clear voice, and her youth gives some parts an unsettling feeling. She could have easily written more graphic scenes, but there was a lot she put very simply, matter of factly, and not overly flaunted; i think that made parts even more disturbing. I love her character descriptions.
The Bonesetter’s Daughter- Amy Tan. Fed gave this one for me to read. This is one of those books where I wondered what I was supposed to feel after it was over. I ended up not liking the daughter at all, even though I got the impression that I was supposed to be sympathetic to her? Anyhow, the mother's story was interesting, when i wasn't irritated by the daughter.
Digging to America- Anne Tyler. This one, too, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to think. I liked Maryam; I liked Dave, most of the time; the story itself was good. The rest of the characters I found ridiculously archetypical, and spent the rest of the book wondering if they were really supposed to be.
Forever Lily- Beth Nonte Russell. It's about a woman who goes to China with a friend who plans on adopting a baby- only to have the friend panic and change her mind, and the woman wants to take the child herself. The book itself is written strangely, a bit too coincidental & new agey for most people I'm sure; but I really liked the very personal account of what it's like to go to another country and deal with the stresses of bringing home a child. (complete with their own unique issues.) I'm kind of fascinated by international adoption, so i really liked it.
Secret Life of Bees- Sue Monk Kidd. I don't even know what to say about this. Poignant. And I don't use that word for reviews- ever. She pulled off things I wouldn't like coming from other authors, and it still managed to be one of the best books i've read in a while.
Arsonist’s Guide to Homes in New England- Brock Clarke. Honestly, I expected it to be a lot funnier, as per its marketing. As it is, it holds sort of a dry, tragic wit, reminiscent of stale beer, old movie melodrama, and a mildly unbelievable suspension of disbelief. Not bad, but it isn't at all what it's sold as.
Sebastian- Anne Bishop. Her books are enthralling. Addictive, maybe. They're kind of my secret guilty pleasure; they sound fluffy, they look really fluffy, but I love them. She tends to follow a certain self-stereotype, and this book wasn't any different, but just as good. ye gods, I like I like Sebastian even better than Daemon, and that's saying quite a lot. It ended weirdly- it ended, and then you realised it didn't actually end; like the sequel was an afterthought. I had the sequel on hand, though, so I didn't care.
Belladonna- Anne Bishop. I was really curious to read this one, between the slight cliffhanger from the last one, and also just to read more about the landscapers. This one was a little more forced on the all-powerful female thing, though; also, I really hate it when two characters fall in love because they 'are meant to.' Seriously, can't they find a better reason than that? Especially when they don't know what to do with the other person? ...i liked it anyway, but that made me bitter.
She’s Not There- Jennifer Finney Boylan. Interesting to read the perspective of someone who didn't fit for such a large portion of their life. The concept still sort of bewilders me- not being transgender, but how one would cope with society's labeling- and this was an interesting explanation of her development around that.
Inkheart- Cornelia Funke (UAUD) I think there was something extra-special about having it in audio book- can't race through it, can't skim through everything, so you're forced to just absorb. Many times I wonder if authors write, thinking their stories will be read aloud; there always seem to be general awkwardness, as if they didn't think of it. This is not one of those books. It's magical.
I Capture the Castle- Dodie Smith. Still as fantastic as I remembered it, although it was really interesting to see what parts i connected with now, vs. the ones i did when i was 13.
Earthsea Trilogy- Ursula K. Le Guin (UAUD) It's interesting, because there are flaws in the writing style I don't particularly care for; little things that become really obvious in audio. But it's impossible not to see how these became one of the milestones for modern fantasy. Tombs of A'Tuan was by far my favorite; now I really want to read the rest in the series.
Almost French- Sarah Turnbull- Definitely written like a journalist. It was interesting, though, to see someone's retrospect of their trial and error to fit into a completely new culture, especially one that wasn't an automatic easy fit.
Song of the Lionness- Tamora Pierce. I only read the first one of these whenever I was a kid, and that was probably a good thing. I think I read them too young to know what to do with the rest. I still like the first one best, jonathan's still a doof, and I really think she should've married liam instead.I don't remember it all being quite that blatantly foreshadowed in the books- but as i said, i never read the later ones either. But still. :)
Igraine the Brave- Cornelia Funke (UAUD) The cheesy magic poems would have embarrassed me even when I was a kid, but there was a lot that was really cute about this. The sorrowful knight and the singing books were my favorite.
Dance of the Dissident Daughter- Sue Monk Kidd. It was really fascinating to read someone's conscious journey of something i went through a few years ago without having a name to put on it. I'm still musing over the entire last half of the book. Fantastic.
Tangled Webs- Anne Bishop. Extended off of the black jewels series. The purpose seemed to be an entertaining revist with favorite characters, and for the most part it served them well, even if i think they're stronger in the less fluffy plots. Still bloody entertaining.
The Looking Glass Wars- Frank Beddor. I picked up this one because I saw a review for the spin-off graphic novel Hatter M. and was really intrigued. I wasn't sure about the book at first, but it's cool. Definitely ties into the original wonderland in some unexpected ways, and now I really want to read the graphic novel, i must hear more about the Milliners. :)
ETA: oops, forgot one!
Airman- Eoin Colfer. It started out like a steampunk princess bride. (Movie, not the book, it's too YA for such cynicism.) It doesn't stay that way, unfortunately, but by that time, I was quite hooked. Steampunk YA in the age of discovery was quite entertaining by itself; i like how he dressed it up but didn't sugarcoat, also, room for a sequel!