Auntmarge64 - ROOTing for 60

I exceeded my goal of 50 in 2012 so the goal for this year is 60.

Welcome, Auntmarge!

welcome back!

Welcome. Love that ticker!

Always nice to get the first couple done:

1.

Playing for the Ashes by Elizabeth George **½ 1/4/13

Very disappointed with this entry. It goes on and on (and on), and in the end I simply skipped about 100 pages and read the climax. Even then the biggest question facing Lynley (what he should do about the case he's wrapping up) remained unanswered, and it didn't sit well with me. Not what I've come to expect with this series.

2.

My Mortal Enemy by Willa Cather *** 1/5/12

Minor Cather but lyrical, as with most of her work. I usually find her sparseness lovely, but here it leaves a bit too much unsaid, so despite the beauty of the writing, there are too many loose ends to satisfy.

3.

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin **** 1/14/12

Although I own the print version, I decided to listen to the audio version read by Richard Thomas. Although not identified as such, this appears to have been an abridged version, only 8 discs, and it didn't seem to lend itself well to abridgment.

4.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery **** 1/17/12

5.

Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson ****½ 1/20/12

6.

The Ice House by Minette Walters **** 2/16/13

7.

Ice Moon by Jan Costin Wagner **** 2/21/13

8.

The Martian Inca by Ian Watson ** 3/9/13

9.

Double Star by Robert A. Heinlein **** 3/14/13

10.

The Inverted World by Christopher Priest *** 3/26/13

11.

Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin **** 4/8/13

12.

Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle ****½ 4/20/13

13.

Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer ***** 4/26/13

14.

Who Got Einstein's Office? Eccentricity and Genius at the Institute for Advanced Study by Ed Regis ****½ 5/17/13

15.

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem **** 5/20/13

16.

Griffin and Sabine by Nick Bantock *****5/21/13

17.

Defending Jacob by William Landay **** 5/22/13

18.

Sabine's Notebook by Nick Bantock***** 5/24/13

19.

The Golden Mean by Nick Bantock *****5/24/13

20.

On Top of the World: Five Women Explorers in Tibet by Luree Miller **** 5/30/13

21.

The Gryphon by Nick Bantock ****6/4/13

22.

Alexandria by Nick Bantock **** 6/4/13

23.

Morning Star by Nick Bantock **** 6/4/13

24.

Suspect by Michael Robotham ****6/12/13

25.

The Forgetting Room by Nick Bantock **** 6/14/13

26.

The Haunted Hotel by Wilkie Collins *** 6/15/13

27.

The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia by Samuel Johnson **** 6/21/13

28.

Mars Observer's Guide by Neil Bone **** 6/24/13

Even ten years after publication this book is of great use to the lay person interested in Mars or Martian fiction. It was written to be used by amateur astronomers during the close-ups of Mars in 2003-2007 and includes various charts for those years, so that information is of little interest now. But the larger part of the book is historical and geographical in nature and unlikely to be outdated for quite some time.

Sections include a history of Mars observation, both before and since the development of the telescope; basic aerology (geography of Mars) and physics of Martian planetary motion; a guide to observation and equipment; and overviews of Martian exploration and the question of Martian life.

I've read quite a few novels set on Mars, and this book would have been very helpful before and will certainly be in the future.

29.

Lost by Michael Robotham ***** 7/1/13

30.

Dracula by Bram Stoker ***** 7/5/13

31.

Alexander's Bridge by Willa Cather ***½ 7/6/13

32.

Call of the Wild by Jack London ***** 7/8/13

33.

Bleed For Me by Michael Robotham ***** 7/15/13

34.

The Jaguar Hunter by Lucius Shepard **** 8/2/13

I read this collection of supernatural/sci fi tales when it came out 25 years ago. It's still enjoyable to read, just not as surprising as it was then, but it's reckoned to be one of Shepard's best. And it's certainly enough to get me to go back and read more of his work.

35.

Touch by Alexi Zentner **** 9/1/13

36.

Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse ed. by John Joseph Adams ****½ 9/12/13

wow, you are moving along!

>9 cyderry: Thanks! I can see that I won't make my quota at this rate, though. But plugging along....

37.

The Memory of Whiteness by Kim Stanley Robinson ***½ 9/26/13

38.

The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett **** 9/29/13

39.

Still Midnight by Denise Mina **** 10/26/13

40.

Suburban Gods by Branda Clough ***½ 11/1/13

41.

Latitudes of Melt by Joan Clark **** 11/14/13

42.

Henderson's Spear by Ronald Wright **** 12/2/13

43.

Fever of the Bone by Val McDermid **** 12/4/13

44.

Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell **** 12/19/13