2013 Year in Review Through Books

Jan 01, 2014 22:53

It's time for another year end book round-up! :) I stole this one from ladyadeone again.

2013's Books )

books

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meltintall3 January 2 2014, 21:22:44 UTC
Mel will probably disagree with me, but I found the Boone family in The Drowned Vault to be rather cliched and irritating. Nope, I agree with you on that one. They're from a character type I tend to like but they were cardboard-like (more so than in the previous book, I guess?) and thus meh. Drowned Vault had the same flaw as When the Stars threw Down their Spears: there was too much going on and too little concrete explanation for a lot of it.

*still needs to read a Brandon Sanderson book*

I read Clara's War too. It was riveting, though I wouldn't say it left me reeling... just often rather confused as to why certain characters were motivated. Fiction has left me expecting more clear cut 'whys' than she had to offer. :*>

*happily scoops titles from the non-fic reading*

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valiantarcher January 3 2014, 01:50:02 UTC
Huh, really. I'm glad to know we share the same opinion on the matter. ;)) (...yeah, I think part of it was meeting the parents? I wasn't overly fond of them all in the first one, but it was worse in the second.) I can see that, though I liked Drowned Vault more than When the Stars Threw Down Their Spears; at least the former has more books to allow for further explanation!

Well, you'll have to let me know what you think when/if you read any of his books. :)

I suppose reeling in Clara's War had to do with just everything they went through, the courage shown, and then the remarkable ending. Heh, I guess all the non-fiction this year has paid off since I don't remember being that confused beyond just thinking that people were people ( ... )

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meltintall3 January 4 2014, 02:08:52 UTC
(I don't remember the Boons doing much in the first book, except for cheering the main characters on in their difficult coursework... and maybe flying a plane. Which is funny, because I think I retained a better overall picture of Dragon's Tooth than Drowned Vault. But yeah, I do remember eyeing the book a little sideways when the Boone parental units showed up in DV. ;)) )

...I wonder if it's possible to queue books at the library so they'll show up in a certain month... because then I could order them while I'm thinking about it and not end up with eleventy-billion books all at once. :p

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valiantarcher January 4 2014, 16:08:58 UTC
(They flew a plane and also trained Cyrus and Antigone some, I think; in general, though, they were the super-talented, super-pretty people with no flaws. Heh, yeah, it just got worse when Mr. and Mrs. Boone showed up. ;)) )

Ummm...I don't think so? But if you figure it out, let me know! I'd love to do that. ;)) (And it is a great idea, and should be doable because of that...)

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ladyadeone January 16 2014, 09:10:44 UTC
*slinks in to comment belatedly*

Interestingly, I've had Clara's War on my Amazon wishlist for some time. :P

I need to be sure and read a McKillip this year - I didn't last year, and so my list was sadly lacking!
That second cover you posted is indeed a standout.

I ought to read The Importance of Being Earnest, as well.

The N.D. Wilson quote is lovely and thoughtful - a few of my sisters read the 100 Cupboards series years ago, and it did sound creative, but for some reason I didn't quite like the sound of it... Can't recall what it was, now. But he did write Leepike Ridge, which I enjoyed. So, yet another series to add to the To Read list? The cover is wildly creepy, I must say.

Some of those non-fiction titles are positively awe-inspiring; Refrigeration in America? Brave, brave soul, to have picked that one up!

I shall try to get my whole questionnaire copied over from tumblr one of these days.
/too rushed at this hour to properly italicize or underline book titles :P Sorry!

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valiantarcher January 16 2014, 22:37:52 UTC
Ooh, yay, thanks for weighing in ( ... )

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