Reading 2009
This year, my goal is still 50 new books (which I hit, or didn't hit, last year depending on the 50 different ways you can count how I read), but I'm not going to categorize things the way I did last year. It just got discouraging. If I read something and finish it, you'll know about it here. If it's a re-read, I will say it's a re-read.
1) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - LOVED it! A nice book to start off the new year with. While I love difficult things, also wonderful are those that just breeze by. This book was easy and beautiful. I love books with graveyards and ghosts and the end made me tear up on the shinkansen home, much to the guy who kept trying not to stare at other passengers but didn't succeed's embarrassment. D'awww.
2) Chronicles of My Life: An American in the Heart of Japan by Donald Keene - Beautiful, see here.
3) The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie, I'm really quite fond of this one, though I hadn't actually read it before now. I've encountered it in various media forms throughout the years, though, and I always thought of how brash it was for the murderer to send a letter to Poirot himself! and from there, the story has always fascinated me. Having finally read this one, it was as enjoyable as its media versions, and the cheeky references to her other mysteries were amusing.
4) The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan by Ivan Morris, clearly dated, this book remains a standard in "the field" as a kind of Heian period 101. Sure some of what Prof. Morris writes in his book reads now as a laughably sexist or plain ridiculous, but as the introduction writer notes, he was, in fact, a good man that his writing did not always reflect. Also, I'm making it out to be about 5,000 times worse than the book is - in fact the book is great! I can definitely see using it as a quick reference for some fast Heian era facts in the future. Glad I read it.
5) The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler, man, I should have seen that coming. I'm reading this book as part of a larger book, but it IS a book, and I would rather count it as that instead of one of those 5 Raymond Chandler books I read in one larger book. ... yes. Anyway, insofar as firsts go, I daresay another Chandler would have been better, I found that you suspect the conclusion from the beginning, but I love private dicks, so there's really nothing that could have gone wrong with this book in my mind anyway. ... The end. XD
6) 桜蘭高校ホスト部第６８話 by 葉鳥ビスコ, this doesn't count as a book but it seems a shame to be reading these and have it not count toward anything. When I buy the 単行本, I'll consolidate. I think this chapter will end the Kanoya-san arc, and it did it in typical lovely Ouran fashion. THE WAY TO LAUGHTER!!! I laughed out loud several times. :)
7) キスよりも早く ｌｏｖｅ．２１ by 田中メカ, another chapter in my guilty pleasure. :P As usual, nothing happened. Jesus Christ, fucking make out and/or sleep together already. I don't know how much more of this I can take (lies I can wait forever >( ).
8) The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler, book two in this collection. This, though, unlike Lady in the Lake, really? Really??? It seemed pretty fantastical by the end.
9) キスよりも早く第１巻 by 田中メカ, a re-read, collects love.0 through love.2 and then there's a short story written about two students at the same school, 月とひまわり... I read this a month and a half ago, but skipped the short story because I was eager to make it through the main plot. This time I re-read the short story and without going into detail, in true dorama fashion, it destroyed my soul. :P
10) キスよりも早く第２巻 by 田中メカ (re-read)
11) キスよりも早く第３巻 by 田中メカ (re-read)
12) キスよりも早く第４巻 by 田中メカ (re-read)
13) The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler, book three in the collection. I think I like it the best so far, which is unsurprising since most people reading Raymond Chandler know this novel as the more famous one. It's decidedly more complex than either the Little Sister or the Lady in the Lake, and some scenes feel tacked on, sure, but come on! Surely this is what all of us love in our private dick period fiction? XD I also wasn't left with that utterly fantastical feeling of disbelief I had after the Little Sister, which was nice.
14) Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, re-read.
15) Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, reread.
16) House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones. The latest in the books related to Howl, Sophie, and their family. The two main characters were positively insufferable. I found no pity for either of them being so incredibly useless at doing basic chores, lack of tap water or not! Or, like, what the hell was up with Charmain refusing to read the instructions left for her by her uncle in the suitcase when it would have made life a lot easier?! I had no pity at all. I kept reading despite my disgust, though, and was absolutely delighted with Sophie, "Twinkle," and Calcifer's appearance. And, of course, in true DWJ fashion, Charmain and the other character, Peter, become marginally less useless by the end. Though I'm not sure either of them should have their laziness be rewarded with magical training. God, am I getting old? Also, the adorable dog, Waif, quite certainly helped in my continued reading. PUPPY WUPPY. <3
17) 桜蘭高校ホスト部第６９話 by 葉鳥ビスコ, oh my! Tamaki finally realizes his true feelings for Haruhi and... not so quietly staggeringly overreacts. I laughed a lot. Thoroughly enjoyable chapter. Oh Tamaki. xD Disaster!!!
18) Pride of Lions by Morgan Llywelyn. Eh. Mostly convincing characterization, though, but nothing leaps and bounds above any of her other books.
19) Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. A positively fantastic book, but with pardons, I hope I never read a book like that again. The very idea of a girl being unable to resist any command given to her was incredibly disturbing to me, so much so that even though I knew the book had to end happily with the curse being broken, I was compelled to keep reading to quiet my horror. All in all, not quite the reason I want to keep reading a book.
20) her hidden children: the Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America by Chas S. Clifton. Not the strongest scholarship, but a valiant effort to try and explain contemporary Paganism in America. I remain skeptical that this an accessible book for those outside the community, but I was especially fascinated by the scifi/fantasy connection to us, simply because it's a part of Paganism I haven't always been comfortable with insofar as my desire for people to take my beliefs seriously. But in some ways, this book has made me feel better about that, just because it's a natural extent of the intense bookishness that pervades our whole culture... Er, I could go on forever, but this was a good read, even if I desired something more meaty.
21) The Grey King by Susan Cooper. The 4th charming installment in the Dark is Rising sequence. I started reading these books a year ago, only one new one left! Sad!
22) Under the Rose by Diana Peterfreund. Installment 2 of ridiculously addictive secret society fiction.
23) Rites of Spring (Break) by Diana Peterfriend. Installment 3 of ridiculously addictive secret society fiction. Come on, we all knew it was coming. I spent most of the book screaming at Amy mentally that if she fucked this up I would never forgive her. ... Now I just have to wait for the last book to see if things will be okay. D:
24) ちょっと江戸まで (巻＃１) by 津田雅美. So far, cute, and it's obvious who the main couple is, but the modern era Edo thing is, at best, a gimmick, and so far, it's just fluff fluff fluff.
25) Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper. Eh. xD
26) Some Prefer Nettles by Tanizaki Junichiro. I could probably write a few short papers about this book (more than certain since others definitely HAVE). I would like to re-read and track the plays involved with the plot (must compare texts MUST DO IT MUST DO IT MUST DO IT), but for now, interesting psychological stuff. Will be chewing on it for awhile.
27) Playback by Raymond Chandler, book 4 in this monstrous 1000 page collection. I liked it, but it felt short and abrupt. On the other hand, the brevity added to the tightness of the story overall? So there is that. Good stuff, as always.
28) On the Wings of a Bird: Folklore, Nativism, and Nostalgia in Meiji Letters by Charlotte Eubanks, 20 page article from Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 65, 2006. I admit, I'm a stalker, so naturally, when I found a copy of this I was able to read, I did. Overall, I felt like I wanted more. Every argument just wanted more meat, somehow, but it was definitely interesting stuff. And I have like 50 new books to read. But that's okay. Like a good part of academia, this paper was about a new way people should be focusing their studies in a particular area, and definitely made me want to look into the issues brought up.
29) ちょっと江戸まで by 津田雅美, the chapter from the 5/2009 release of LaLa, since I can't seem to find a chapter number. I've also skipped all the chapters between this and where my tankobon ended... Cute, as was the tankobon. In which we go ghost investigating...
30) 桜蘭高校ホスト部第７０話 by 葉鳥ビスコ, in which Tamaki and Hikaru ignore Haruhi in their battle against each other to get Haruhi the perfect birthday gift. Also, looks like the Tamaki's grandmother wants Haruhi out of Tamaki's life, which considering the past, makes sense... D:
31) キスよりも早く ｌｏｖｅ．２３ by 田中メカ, I kind of skimmed this one, much like the previous chapter that I don't think I actually read. Graves, relatives, etc. In this one, the father or wheoever some relative of the main girl's, sends his daughter to take the main girl and her brother home, thus trying to break up the marriage. Sniffle, what's with all my mangas trying to break couples apart this month!
32) 黒執事IV by 枢やな, re-read. Started volume 5 and had no idea what was going on so re-read 4. Angst and curry battles, you can't really ask for much more.
33) Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik, second in the Temeraire series. It was okay, but it was like I read 400 pages, and then it was over, but nothing had actually, you know, happened. The recognition of the assassination threat came way too late, and as always seems to be the case with such stories, the meeting with the Emperor was, at best, tacked on. It was okay, but I wanted more to munch on.
34) 黒執事V by 枢やな, I enjoyed this volume, if not so much for the conclusion of the Meena arc, but for the last chapter, as Sebastien rushes around the house trying to keep Aguni from confessing his role in a recent rash of crimes. I also finally grew a little bit of fangirl squee over Ciel in this one, I'm not quite sure why...
35) 黒執事VI by 枢やな. This was a pretty good volume. Ciel and Sebastien join Noah's Circus to investigate the disappearance of children, so there's a good mix of comedy and wtf is that guy doing there? and wait, why does this other person... and then oh no, they found Ciel going through their stuff!!!!
36) Death Note 1 by 大場つぐみ. I'm pretty sure I've read this before. Or not. It's hard to tell since everything happens in the first volume is common otaku knowledge at this point. Hopefully this time I'll actually, you know, finish the series.
37) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 1 by 荒川弘. I remember starting the manga before when the original anime was coming out and for some reason, just not getting hooked since it was so similar. That's all gone now, though, and I love it like coming back to an old friend.
38) Death Note 2 by 大場つぐみ. I've always hated the fiance arc, which makes most of this volume a wash for me, but I love the end couple chapters with the video cameras in the house.
39) Death Note 3 by 大場つぐみ. Now this, this is the volume where things pick up. L comes out into the open and then, another Kira shows up??? どうなるか！
40) Death Note 4 by 大場つぐみ. Who is the second killer but an idiot girl that wants to be Light's girlfriend? :O Light finds himself in a jam because he can't kill her, lest he be killed himself.
41) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 2 by 荒川弘. Nina :( Ed and Al <3 Good volume.
42) 桜蘭高校ホスト部特別諞ハルヒ父とハルヒ母の物語 by 葉鳥ビスコ. Special story, the meeting of Haruhi's mom and dad!!! <3333
43) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 3 by 荒川弘. This flounders a bit, just as a lull in the story. Cute but not spectacular.
44) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 4 by 荒川弘. Al angsts (boo), Hughes, and what happened to Scar after he met Gluttony in the sewers...!
45) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 5 by 荒川弘. A side trip to drop Winry off, before Ed and Al go to find their alchemy teacher, Izumi. When she discovers the truth, it's time for a trip to the past!
46) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 6 by 荒川弘.
47) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 7 by 荒川弘.
48) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 8 by 荒川弘.
49) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 9 by 荒川弘. HOLY CRAP good volume. I sniffled! AND THEN ended in OMGs. xD
50) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 10 by 荒川弘. The OMGs keep coming. D:
51) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 11 by 荒川弘. Slowed down in time for another battle. :P
52) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 12 by 荒川弘.
53) 美少女戦士セーラームーン 1 KCDX reprint by 武内直子. XD XD XD XD 8D SAILOR MOOOON
54) 美少女戦士セーラームーン 2 KCDX reprint by 武内直子.
55) 美少女戦士セーラームーン 3 KCDX reprint by 武内直子. End of the first arc, beginning of the Black Moon.
56) 美少女戦士セーラームーン 4 KCDX reprint by 武内直子. Hate Chibiusa so hard.
57) Double Indemnity by Raymond Chandler, movie script. Goodbye, baby.
58) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 13 by 荒川弘. Nom nom nom more FMA. :D
59) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 14 by 荒川弘.
60) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 15 by 荒川弘.
61) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 16 by 荒川弘.
62) Rampant by Diana Peterfreund. Is losing your virginity to a boy on prom night really something that can be considered a Western culture standard? This detail alone was jarring enough to throw me out of the story. Still good, though I hesitate to recommend it.
63) Tap & Gown by Diana Peterfreund. LOVE as always.
64) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 17 by 荒川弘.
65) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 18 by 荒川弘.
66) 名探偵コナン volume 9 by 青山剛昌
67) 名探偵コナン volume 10 by 青山剛昌
68) 名探偵コナン volume 11 by 青山剛昌
69) 名探偵コナン volume 12 by 青山剛昌
70) 名探偵コナン volume 13 by 青山剛昌
71) キスよりも早く第５巻 by 田中メカ
72) 日本人の知らない日本語 by 蛇蔵&海野凪子 Very cute, though it took me awhile to get into it.
73) Pirandello's Henry IV, translated and enhanced by Tom Stoppard. Very weird.
74) 君に届け １ by 椎名軽穂 AUUUUGH
75) 君に届け ２ by 椎名軽穂
76) Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones
77) The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner. Really, this book just mostly reminded me of the short stories after Swordspoint and how sad it was to read about Alec's death and gaaaah. D: These books are so weirdly awesome. XDDD
78) 名探偵コナン volume 14 by 青山剛昌
79) 名探偵コナン volume 15 by 青山剛昌
80) こどものおもちゃ (1) by 小花 美穂. *sniffle sniffle*
81) Seeing Through Zen: Encountering Transformation, and Genealogy in Chinese Chan Buddhism by John R. McRae, totally forgot to add this when I finished it.
82) 涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱 (角川スニーカー文庫) by 谷川流
83) Chalice by Robin McKinley
84) Rashomon and Other Stories by Akutagawa Ryunosuke
85) A Guide to Japanese Buddhist Sculpture by 副島弘道
86) Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey
87) Jhereg by Steven Brust
88) Yendi by Steven Brust
89) 会長はメイド様！ (1) by 藤原ヒロ
90) 会長はメイド様！ (2) by 藤原ヒロ
91) 会長はメイド様！ (3) by 藤原ヒロ
92) 会長はメイド様！ (4) by 藤原ヒロ
93) 会長はメイド様！ (5) by 藤原ヒロ
94) 会長はメイド様！ (6) by 藤原ヒロ
95) 会長はメイド様！ (7) by 藤原ヒロ
96) 桜蘭高校ホスト部 (15) by 葉鳥ビスコ
97) Teckla by Steven Brust
98) The Fox's Craft by Michael Bathgate
99) Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
100) Mythical Trickster Figures, edited by William J. Hynes and William G. Doty
101) Buddhist Hagiography in Early Japan: Images of Compassion in the Gyoki Tradition by Jonathan Morris Augustine
102) Alms and Vagabonds by Janet Goodwin
103) 彼氏彼女の事情 (1) by 津田雅美 reread
104) 彼氏彼女の事情 (2) by 津田雅美 reread
105) Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett
1) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - LOVED it! A nice book to start off the new year with. While I love difficult things, also wonderful are those that just breeze by. This book was easy and beautiful. I love books with graveyards and ghosts and the end made me tear up on the shinkansen home, much to the guy who kept trying not to stare at other passengers but didn't succeed's embarrassment. D'awww.
2) Chronicles of My Life: An American in the Heart of Japan by Donald Keene - Beautiful, see here.
3) The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie, I'm really quite fond of this one, though I hadn't actually read it before now. I've encountered it in various media forms throughout the years, though, and I always thought of how brash it was for the murderer to send a letter to Poirot himself! and from there, the story has always fascinated me. Having finally read this one, it was as enjoyable as its media versions, and the cheeky references to her other mysteries were amusing.
4) The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan by Ivan Morris, clearly dated, this book remains a standard in "the field" as a kind of Heian period 101. Sure some of what Prof. Morris writes in his book reads now as a laughably sexist or plain ridiculous, but as the introduction writer notes, he was, in fact, a good man that his writing did not always reflect. Also, I'm making it out to be about 5,000 times worse than the book is - in fact the book is great! I can definitely see using it as a quick reference for some fast Heian era facts in the future. Glad I read it.
5) The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler, man, I should have seen that coming. I'm reading this book as part of a larger book, but it IS a book, and I would rather count it as that instead of one of those 5 Raymond Chandler books I read in one larger book. ... yes. Anyway, insofar as firsts go, I daresay another Chandler would have been better, I found that you suspect the conclusion from the beginning, but I love private dicks, so there's really nothing that could have gone wrong with this book in my mind anyway. ... The end. XD
6) 桜蘭高校ホスト部第６８話 by 葉鳥ビスコ, this doesn't count as a book but it seems a shame to be reading these and have it not count toward anything. When I buy the 単行本, I'll consolidate. I think this chapter will end the Kanoya-san arc, and it did it in typical lovely Ouran fashion. THE WAY TO LAUGHTER!!! I laughed out loud several times. :)
7) キスよりも早く ｌｏｖｅ．２１ by 田中メカ, another chapter in my guilty pleasure. :P As usual, nothing happened. Jesus Christ, fucking make out and/or sleep together already. I don't know how much more of this I can take (lies I can wait forever >( ).
8) The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler, book two in this collection. This, though, unlike Lady in the Lake, really? Really??? It seemed pretty fantastical by the end.
9) キスよりも早く第１巻 by 田中メカ, a re-read, collects love.0 through love.2 and then there's a short story written about two students at the same school, 月とひまわり... I read this a month and a half ago, but skipped the short story because I was eager to make it through the main plot. This time I re-read the short story and without going into detail, in true dorama fashion, it destroyed my soul. :P
10) キスよりも早く第２巻 by 田中メカ (re-read)
11) キスよりも早く第３巻 by 田中メカ (re-read)
12) キスよりも早く第４巻 by 田中メカ (re-read)
13) The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler, book three in the collection. I think I like it the best so far, which is unsurprising since most people reading Raymond Chandler know this novel as the more famous one. It's decidedly more complex than either the Little Sister or the Lady in the Lake, and some scenes feel tacked on, sure, but come on! Surely this is what all of us love in our private dick period fiction? XD I also wasn't left with that utterly fantastical feeling of disbelief I had after the Little Sister, which was nice.
14) Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, re-read.
15) Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, reread.
16) House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones. The latest in the books related to Howl, Sophie, and their family. The two main characters were positively insufferable. I found no pity for either of them being so incredibly useless at doing basic chores, lack of tap water or not! Or, like, what the hell was up with Charmain refusing to read the instructions left for her by her uncle in the suitcase when it would have made life a lot easier?! I had no pity at all. I kept reading despite my disgust, though, and was absolutely delighted with Sophie, "Twinkle," and Calcifer's appearance. And, of course, in true DWJ fashion, Charmain and the other character, Peter, become marginally less useless by the end. Though I'm not sure either of them should have their laziness be rewarded with magical training. God, am I getting old? Also, the adorable dog, Waif, quite certainly helped in my continued reading. PUPPY WUPPY. <3
17) 桜蘭高校ホスト部第６９話 by 葉鳥ビスコ, oh my! Tamaki finally realizes his true feelings for Haruhi and... not so quietly staggeringly overreacts. I laughed a lot. Thoroughly enjoyable chapter. Oh Tamaki. xD Disaster!!!
18) Pride of Lions by Morgan Llywelyn. Eh. Mostly convincing characterization, though, but nothing leaps and bounds above any of her other books.
19) Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. A positively fantastic book, but with pardons, I hope I never read a book like that again. The very idea of a girl being unable to resist any command given to her was incredibly disturbing to me, so much so that even though I knew the book had to end happily with the curse being broken, I was compelled to keep reading to quiet my horror. All in all, not quite the reason I want to keep reading a book.
20) her hidden children: the Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America by Chas S. Clifton. Not the strongest scholarship, but a valiant effort to try and explain contemporary Paganism in America. I remain skeptical that this an accessible book for those outside the community, but I was especially fascinated by the scifi/fantasy connection to us, simply because it's a part of Paganism I haven't always been comfortable with insofar as my desire for people to take my beliefs seriously. But in some ways, this book has made me feel better about that, just because it's a natural extent of the intense bookishness that pervades our whole culture... Er, I could go on forever, but this was a good read, even if I desired something more meaty.
21) The Grey King by Susan Cooper. The 4th charming installment in the Dark is Rising sequence. I started reading these books a year ago, only one new one left! Sad!
22) Under the Rose by Diana Peterfreund. Installment 2 of ridiculously addictive secret society fiction.
23) Rites of Spring (Break) by Diana Peterfriend. Installment 3 of ridiculously addictive secret society fiction. Come on, we all knew it was coming. I spent most of the book screaming at Amy mentally that if she fucked this up I would never forgive her. ... Now I just have to wait for the last book to see if things will be okay. D:
24) ちょっと江戸まで (巻＃１) by 津田雅美. So far, cute, and it's obvious who the main couple is, but the modern era Edo thing is, at best, a gimmick, and so far, it's just fluff fluff fluff.
25) Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper. Eh. xD
26) Some Prefer Nettles by Tanizaki Junichiro. I could probably write a few short papers about this book (more than certain since others definitely HAVE). I would like to re-read and track the plays involved with the plot (must compare texts MUST DO IT MUST DO IT MUST DO IT), but for now, interesting psychological stuff. Will be chewing on it for awhile.
27) Playback by Raymond Chandler, book 4 in this monstrous 1000 page collection. I liked it, but it felt short and abrupt. On the other hand, the brevity added to the tightness of the story overall? So there is that. Good stuff, as always.
28) On the Wings of a Bird: Folklore, Nativism, and Nostalgia in Meiji Letters by Charlotte Eubanks, 20 page article from Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 65, 2006. I admit, I'm a stalker, so naturally, when I found a copy of this I was able to read, I did. Overall, I felt like I wanted more. Every argument just wanted more meat, somehow, but it was definitely interesting stuff. And I have like 50 new books to read. But that's okay. Like a good part of academia, this paper was about a new way people should be focusing their studies in a particular area, and definitely made me want to look into the issues brought up.
29) ちょっと江戸まで by 津田雅美, the chapter from the 5/2009 release of LaLa, since I can't seem to find a chapter number. I've also skipped all the chapters between this and where my tankobon ended... Cute, as was the tankobon. In which we go ghost investigating...
30) 桜蘭高校ホスト部第７０話 by 葉鳥ビスコ, in which Tamaki and Hikaru ignore Haruhi in their battle against each other to get Haruhi the perfect birthday gift. Also, looks like the Tamaki's grandmother wants Haruhi out of Tamaki's life, which considering the past, makes sense... D:
31) キスよりも早く ｌｏｖｅ．２３ by 田中メカ, I kind of skimmed this one, much like the previous chapter that I don't think I actually read. Graves, relatives, etc. In this one, the father or wheoever some relative of the main girl's, sends his daughter to take the main girl and her brother home, thus trying to break up the marriage. Sniffle, what's with all my mangas trying to break couples apart this month!
32) 黒執事IV by 枢やな, re-read. Started volume 5 and had no idea what was going on so re-read 4. Angst and curry battles, you can't really ask for much more.
33) Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik, second in the Temeraire series. It was okay, but it was like I read 400 pages, and then it was over, but nothing had actually, you know, happened. The recognition of the assassination threat came way too late, and as always seems to be the case with such stories, the meeting with the Emperor was, at best, tacked on. It was okay, but I wanted more to munch on.
34) 黒執事V by 枢やな, I enjoyed this volume, if not so much for the conclusion of the Meena arc, but for the last chapter, as Sebastien rushes around the house trying to keep Aguni from confessing his role in a recent rash of crimes. I also finally grew a little bit of fangirl squee over Ciel in this one, I'm not quite sure why...
35) 黒執事VI by 枢やな. This was a pretty good volume. Ciel and Sebastien join Noah's Circus to investigate the disappearance of children, so there's a good mix of comedy and wtf is that guy doing there? and wait, why does this other person... and then oh no, they found Ciel going through their stuff!!!!
36) Death Note 1 by 大場つぐみ. I'm pretty sure I've read this before. Or not. It's hard to tell since everything happens in the first volume is common otaku knowledge at this point. Hopefully this time I'll actually, you know, finish the series.
37) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 1 by 荒川弘. I remember starting the manga before when the original anime was coming out and for some reason, just not getting hooked since it was so similar. That's all gone now, though, and I love it like coming back to an old friend.
38) Death Note 2 by 大場つぐみ. I've always hated the fiance arc, which makes most of this volume a wash for me, but I love the end couple chapters with the video cameras in the house.
39) Death Note 3 by 大場つぐみ. Now this, this is the volume where things pick up. L comes out into the open and then, another Kira shows up??? どうなるか！
40) Death Note 4 by 大場つぐみ. Who is the second killer but an idiot girl that wants to be Light's girlfriend? :O Light finds himself in a jam because he can't kill her, lest he be killed himself.
41) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 2 by 荒川弘. Nina :( Ed and Al <3 Good volume.
42) 桜蘭高校ホスト部特別諞ハルヒ父とハルヒ母の物語 by 葉鳥ビスコ. Special story, the meeting of Haruhi's mom and dad!!! <3333
43) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 3 by 荒川弘. This flounders a bit, just as a lull in the story. Cute but not spectacular.
44) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 4 by 荒川弘. Al angsts (boo), Hughes, and what happened to Scar after he met Gluttony in the sewers...!
45) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 5 by 荒川弘. A side trip to drop Winry off, before Ed and Al go to find their alchemy teacher, Izumi. When she discovers the truth, it's time for a trip to the past!
46) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 6 by 荒川弘.
47) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 7 by 荒川弘.
48) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 8 by 荒川弘.
49) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 9 by 荒川弘. HOLY CRAP good volume. I sniffled! AND THEN ended in OMGs. xD
50) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 10 by 荒川弘. The OMGs keep coming. D:
51) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 11 by 荒川弘. Slowed down in time for another battle. :P
52) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 12 by 荒川弘.
53) 美少女戦士セーラームーン 1 KCDX reprint by 武内直子. XD XD XD XD 8D SAILOR MOOOON
54) 美少女戦士セーラームーン 2 KCDX reprint by 武内直子.
55) 美少女戦士セーラームーン 3 KCDX reprint by 武内直子. End of the first arc, beginning of the Black Moon.
56) 美少女戦士セーラームーン 4 KCDX reprint by 武内直子. Hate Chibiusa so hard.
57) Double Indemnity by Raymond Chandler, movie script. Goodbye, baby.
58) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 13 by 荒川弘. Nom nom nom more FMA. :D
59) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 14 by 荒川弘.
60) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 15 by 荒川弘.
61) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 16 by 荒川弘.
62) Rampant by Diana Peterfreund. Is losing your virginity to a boy on prom night really something that can be considered a Western culture standard? This detail alone was jarring enough to throw me out of the story. Still good, though I hesitate to recommend it.
63) Tap & Gown by Diana Peterfreund. LOVE as always.
64) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 17 by 荒川弘.
65) 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 18 by 荒川弘.
66) 名探偵コナン volume 9 by 青山剛昌
67) 名探偵コナン volume 10 by 青山剛昌
68) 名探偵コナン volume 11 by 青山剛昌
69) 名探偵コナン volume 12 by 青山剛昌
70) 名探偵コナン volume 13 by 青山剛昌
71) キスよりも早く第５巻 by 田中メカ
72) 日本人の知らない日本語 by 蛇蔵&海野凪子 Very cute, though it took me awhile to get into it.
73) Pirandello's Henry IV, translated and enhanced by Tom Stoppard. Very weird.
74) 君に届け １ by 椎名軽穂 AUUUUGH
75) 君に届け ２ by 椎名軽穂
76) Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones
77) The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner. Really, this book just mostly reminded me of the short stories after Swordspoint and how sad it was to read about Alec's death and gaaaah. D: These books are so weirdly awesome. XDDD
78) 名探偵コナン volume 14 by 青山剛昌
79) 名探偵コナン volume 15 by 青山剛昌
80) こどものおもちゃ (1) by 小花 美穂. *sniffle sniffle*
81) Seeing Through Zen: Encountering Transformation, and Genealogy in Chinese Chan Buddhism by John R. McRae, totally forgot to add this when I finished it.
82) 涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱 (角川スニーカー文庫) by 谷川流
83) Chalice by Robin McKinley
84) Rashomon and Other Stories by Akutagawa Ryunosuke
85) A Guide to Japanese Buddhist Sculpture by 副島弘道
86) Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey
87) Jhereg by Steven Brust
88) Yendi by Steven Brust
89) 会長はメイド様！ (1) by 藤原ヒロ
90) 会長はメイド様！ (2) by 藤原ヒロ
91) 会長はメイド様！ (3) by 藤原ヒロ
92) 会長はメイド様！ (4) by 藤原ヒロ
93) 会長はメイド様！ (5) by 藤原ヒロ
94) 会長はメイド様！ (6) by 藤原ヒロ
95) 会長はメイド様！ (7) by 藤原ヒロ
96) 桜蘭高校ホスト部 (15) by 葉鳥ビスコ
97) Teckla by Steven Brust
98) The Fox's Craft by Michael Bathgate
99) Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
100) Mythical Trickster Figures, edited by William J. Hynes and William G. Doty
101) Buddhist Hagiography in Early Japan: Images of Compassion in the Gyoki Tradition by Jonathan Morris Augustine
102) Alms and Vagabonds by Janet Goodwin
103) 彼氏彼女の事情 (1) by 津田雅美 reread
104) 彼氏彼女の事情 (2) by 津田雅美 reread
105) Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett