staci426 reads in 2013

2013 READS

JANUARY
1. D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton (mystery) ***1/2
2. The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks (sci fi) ****
3. Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf (fiction) ***
4. A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson (fantasy) ***1/2
5. The Sandman: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman (fantasy) ***1/2
6. The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope (fiction) ****
7. The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (fiction) ***1/2
FEBRUARY
8. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (fantasy) ****
9. Storm Front by Jim Butcher (fantasy) ***1/2
10. The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester (sci fi) ****
11. The Black Company by Glen Cook (fantasy) ***1/2
12. Artemis Fowl: the Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer (fantasy) ***1/2
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (fantasy) ****
14. Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde (fantasy) ****
MARCH
15. Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs (mystery) ****
16. Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri (mystery) ****
17. The Walking Dead Vol. 13 by Robert Kirkman (zombies) ***1/2
18. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley (mystery) ****
19. Eric by Terry Pratchett (fantasy) ***1/2
20. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart (YA/mystery) ***1/2
21. E is For Evidence by Sue Grafton (mystery) ***
22. Sovereign by C. J. Sansom (mystery) ****
APRIL
23. Chocky by John Wyndham (fiction) ****
24. Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Conner (short stories) ****
25. The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope (fiction) ****
26. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (classics) ***1/2
MAY
27. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann (steampunk) ***1/2
28. Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley (mystery) ****
29. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (fairy tale) ***1/2
30. The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi (sci fi) ***1/2
31. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell (historical fiction) ****
32. The Walking Dead Vol. 14 by Robert Kirkman (zombies) ***1/2
33. Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson (nonfiction) ***1/2
34. The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe (fantasy) ***1/2
35. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (ghost story) ***
36. The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch (mystery) ****
37. Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix (YA) ***1/2
38. The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (mystery) ***1/2
JUNE
39. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory (historical) ****
40. Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh (sci fi) ***1/2
41. Y: the Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned by Brian K. Vaughn (graphic novel) ***1/2
42. The Centurion's Wife by Davis Bunn & Janette Oke (historical fiction) ***1/2
43. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (sci fi) ****
44. A Question of Upbringing by Anthony Powell (fiction) ***
45. Yendi by Stephen Brust (fantasy) ****
46. The Buyer's Market by Anthony Powell (fiction) ***
47. The Acceptance World by Anthony Powell (fiction) ***
48. Honolulu by Alan Brennert (historical fiction) ****
JULY
49. A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving (fiction) ****1/2
50. Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer (sci fi) ****
51. Thirty Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill (mystery) ***1/2
52. The Moon and the Sun by Vonda McIntyre (fantasy) ***1/2
53. Emma by Jane Austen (classics) ***
54. Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett (fantasy)***1/2
AUGUST
55. Sunshine by Robin McKinley (fantasy) ***1/2
56. Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson (fantasy) ****
57. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (urban fantasy) ****
58. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey (fantasy) ****
59. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (sci fi) ***1/2
SEPTEMBER
60. Bloody Jack: Being the Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L. A. Meyer (YA/historical) ****
61. The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory (historical) ****1/2
62. The Alleluia Files by Sharon Shinn (fantasy) ***
63. Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor (fiction) ***
64. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold (sci fi) ****1/2
65. The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis (fantasy) ***1/2
66. Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett (fantasy) ****
67. F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton (mystery) ***1/2
68. Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik (fantasy) ****
69. Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson (sci fi) ***
70. Rabbit, Run by John Updike (fiction) ***
71. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling (fantasy) ****
OCTOBER
72. The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade (steampunk) ***
73. Dark Worlds of H. P. Lovecraft by H. P. Lovecraft (horror/short stories) ****
74. Syndrome E by Franck Thilliez (mystery) ****
75. Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake (gothic fantasy) ***
76. Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman (horror) ****
77. Deadline by Mira Grant (zombies) ****.
78. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen (non fiction)
79. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (classics)
80. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (horror) ***1/2
81. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon (mystery) ***1/2
82. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (classics) ***1/2
83. The Walking Dead Vol. 15 by Robert Kirkman (zombies) ***1/2
84. Salem's Lot by Stephen King (horror) ***1/2
85. The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga (zombies) ****
86. The Walking Dead Vol. 16 by Robert Kirkman (zombies) ***1/2
87. Classic Tales of the Paranormal (ghost stories) ***
88. Horns by Joe Hill (horror) ***1/2
89. The Terror by Dan Simmons (thriller) ***1/2
NOVEMBER
The Sandman #17: Caliope by Neil Gaiman (fantasy/comic) ****
90. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (mystery) ****
91. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler (mystery) ***1/2
92. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (fiction) ****1/2
93. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (fiction) ***1/2
94. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk (fiction) ****
95. Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace (historical fiction) ***
96. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (classics) ***1/2
97. The Anatomist's Apprentice by Tessa Harris (historical mystery) ****
98. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (mystery) ****
99. Carrie by Stephen King (horror) ***1/2
100. G is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton (mystery) ***1/2
DECEMBER
101. Nemesis by Philip Roth (fiction) ***1/2
102. John Dies at the End by David Wong (fantasy) ***1/2
103. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (sci fi) *****
104. The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis (fantasy) ***1/2
105. Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb (fantasy) ****
106. The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory (historical) ****1/2
107. The Shining by Stephen King (horror) ***1/2
108. Clockwork Fairy Tales (steampunk short stories) ***1/2
109. At the Mountains of Madness by HP Lovecraft (horror) ***1/2



DID NOT FINISH
The White Lioness by Henning Mankell (mystery)
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths (mystery)
The Taking by Dean Koontz (fiction)
Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse (fiction)
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (sci/fi)

CURRENTLY READING

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (classics/dailylit)
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (fantasy/ebook)
The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie (mystery/book)

Been working on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die for a few years now. I've been working on the combined list from all four editions. Last year, I only read four books, bringing my total up to 140. Hopefully, I'll get more done this year and so far, I've already finished two, so I guess I'm off to a good start.

1001 BOOKS
148. The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
149. Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf
150. The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
151. Chocky by John Wyndham
152. Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Conner
153. The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope
154. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
155. A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving
156. Emma by Jane Austen
157. Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor
158. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
159. Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake
159. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
160. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
161. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (fiction/audio
162. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
163. Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace
164. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
165. Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse
166. Nemesis by Philip Roth
167. At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft

One note, that just came up regarding Steppenwolf. I actually gave up on the book a little less than half way through. I've discovered that Hesse is just not an author I enjoy. I also gave up on Siddhartha. I am still including it in my count of books read off the list. I've been inclduing books I've abandoned, as long as it's not within the first few pages or so. I think I made it through enough to count this one.

So, I've been going back and forth on whether or not I want to join again this year and decided to give it a go. I had a disappointing reading year in 2012 due to some real life stress issues that put me in a non reading mood for a good chunk of the time. I gave up on the group here in March. I feel like I'm in a better place now this year and hope to finally make it to 100 books read, but won't stress out if I don't.

I don't really have any specific reading plans this year. Some things I would like to do are finish up some series I've been working on for a while, read more off the 1001 Books lists and read more of the actual books I own. My reading of actual paper books has dwindled significantly due to vision issues. Most of my reading I do on my iPad now, either in audio or ebook format. I still have shelves full of books I want to read, so want to tackle some of those this year.

Last year I did manage to finish 58 books. No major stand outs. My favorite of the year was probably The White Queen by Philippa Gregory. I also managed to finish two chunksters that I had been working on for quite a while, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I also discovered The Walking Dead comics and made it through volume 12. This was my first foray into the world of graphic novels and I have really been enjoying it.

I'm working on the 1001 Books as well, and also read both Jacob's Room and The Woman in White last year!

I've read 97 books off the 2006 list. I recently printed out the combined list, but I haven't counted how many I've read on it yet.

Welcome back!

Hi Staci - welcome back. Good to hear the Philippa Gregory book was a favourite for you last year. I want to read both of the queen books at some point - maybe soon before the library copies get too grubby!

Welcome back, Staci!

Thanks for the welcome!

ursula: I really enjoyed The Woman in White. I'm looking forward to reading Collins' other book on the list, The Moonstone. I've never printed out the list. I use the excel spreadsheet & app that used to be available to keep track of everything.

susanj67: I really enjoyed the Philippa Gregory. It was my first time reading anything by her and I will definitely be coming back for more.

Found you!

I decided to look for the full list too late for the spreadsheet/app, but I'm not much for tracking things on a computer anyhow. I'm also looking forward to The Moonstone but I'm holding off for a bit so that I don't read all the good stuff at once, haha.

>10 ursula: Yeah, it will probably be a while until I get to The Moonstone also. I like to put some space between books by the same author.

So, I feel like I'm off to a pretty good start for the year, four books down so far, including the monstrous 42 hour audio edition of A Memory of Light by Jordan/Sanderson. I'm still not sure how I feel about this one actually. I'm glad there's finally an end to the series, but it just didn't feel like the right ending. Can't really put my finger on what it is that's bothering me about this.

I just started listening to The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope. This is the fifth book in his Chronicles of Barsesthire series. I'm really enjoying this series. I love Trollope's writing. I've also been working on The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester in print. I'm about half way through and enjoying this one as well.

5. The Sandman: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman ***1/2
Genre: Fantasy/Graphic Novel
Format: Paper book, borrowed from a friend, 252 pages

This is the second volume of the series. Morpheus, lord of the Dreaming, is trying to put things to right in his realm after his long imprisonment, including finding and stopping the dream vortex. Gaiman's writng is great. I haven't read any of his novels yet, but am really enjoying these comics. I have to say that I did have some slight issues with the artwork. I found it slightly difficult to tell what was going on in some places, but I think that's just an issue relating to my vision problems. I'm going to see if I can find the next volume in eformat, I think it will be easier for me to enjoy.

I've read his novels, but never his GNs! I keep seeing Sandman pop up on LT and want to read them, but they keep getting shoved down further on the wishlist. Some day, maybe. :)

I suppose in eformat you can adjust the brightness of the screen or zoom in to see the images better; that sounds like a great idea especially if you have a larger screen.

>14 UnrulySun:. Yeah, I would reccomend giving Sandman a try one of these days. It's pretty good and friends of mine who are big comic geeks say it's one of the best out there lol. It's only the second I've read, so don't have much to compare it too.

And reading the comics on my iPad is so much easier for me, being able to zoom in, I can catch more subtle details in the drawings that I might have missed in the smaller print format.

So I finished my last two books for January. Feel like I'm off to a good start for the year, seven books finished and three of them off the 1001 books list. Last year I only finished four off the list for the year, so definitely off to a good start there.



6. The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope ****
Genre: Fiction
Format: Audio download from Audible, 23 hours 3 minutes, read by Simon Vance

This is the fifth book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series. This one doesn't really take place in Barchester, but does feature some of the characters from the previous books as minor characters. This one centers around the Dale family; sisters, Lily & Bell, and their widowed mother who live in the small house on their uncle's property. It centers mainly around their romances and potential husbands. But there is more to the story than just trying to find husbands. I really enjoy this series. This was another great installment. Trollope's writing is great, I love his humor and also how he talks directly to the reader in his books. Normally, I'm not a fan of when the author specifically addresses his readers, but I think it works for Trollope. Simon Vance did a superb job with the reading of the audio edition. He has to be one of my favorite readers. Looking forward to finishing up this series.



7. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami ***1/2
Genre: Fiction
Format: Audio download from library, 26 hours 6 minutes, read by Rupert Degas

This is the story of Toru Okada, a 30 year old Japanese man. He just quit his job and his trying to figure out what he wants to do now. His wife is coming home later and later from work and the cat has disappeared. He starts to meet some interesting new people and things get weird. That's not a great description of this book, but I'm not good at that, I feel like I'm giving away too much info if I say too much. This was my first book by Murakami. It had me captivated in the beginning. I really like his writing style and the tone of the story. Then it started going too much into war descriptions and it lost me slightly there, for some reason, I do not enjoy reading things related to World War II, I am not sure why. But there was more going on in this story than I think I really understood. Overall, I liked it and I look forward to trying more by the author. Rupert Degas is a new reader for me on the audio, I enjoyed him, he had a pleasant voice and even though he seemed to talk a little on the slow side, I think it worked for this book.

No reason to feel bad about not being able to describe The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle's plot easily. It defies description!

Finished my first three books for February, and they were all pretty good. I'll be reading mostly fantasies this month for Fantasy Febrary. The sci fi was a carry over from January.



8. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder ****
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Audio download from Audible, read by Gabra Zackman, 10 hours 26 minutes

Yelena is offered the chance to avoid being executed if she agrees to become the Commander's food taster. She accepts this life and begins her training in how to recognize the different poisons with the Commander's head of security, Valek. She is poisoned herself, but is given the antidote daily as long as she does not try to escape. I really enjoyed this book. I've been wanting to read this one for a while now and am glad I finally got around to it. I enjoyed Snyder's writing and characters and look forward to reading more in the series.



9. Storm Front by Jim Butcher ***1/2
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format: Audio download from library, read by James Marsters, 8 hours 2 minutes

Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is the only practicing wizard around. He takes private cases and sometimes helps out the Chicago PD when they have a case that appears to involve the supernatural. He's recently taken on two jobs, a woman who's husband has appeared to have gone missing and a case with the police, a double murder that seems to involve black magic. This was a quick enjoyable read. This series has been on my radar for awhile and it was not exactly what I was expecting. For some reason i thought Harry was younger and that these were geared to a young adult audience. I enjoyed it for the most part. I liked the noirish feel to it and thought the narrator did a good job. I wasn't paying 100% attention to what I was listening to all the time, but I was able to follow the story for the most part. I'll probably read more.



10. The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester ****
Genre: Science Fiction
Format: Book, 250 pages

It's the 24th century. Some people now have telepathic abilities and make up a part of society known as Espers. Ben Reich is the head of Monarch Industries. He's decided he needs to kill the head of a rival comapny and thinks he has figured out a way to get away with it. Nobody has been able to get away with murder in years because of the Espers. If he's caught, he'll be forced to face demolition. Lincoln Powell is the prefect of police, an Esper, who is trying to find the evidence to convict Reich. I really enjoyed this book. It was the winner of the first Hugo Award back in the 1950s. I thought the Esper concept was quite interesting. I really enjoyed Bester's writing, the story flowed at a quick pace. I was slightly surprised by the ending . Overall, it was a good read.

Next up, I've started listening to The Black Company by Glen Cook and I'm reading the print book Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb. Enjoying both so far.

#16: I'm another Trollope fan, Staci! I have The Last Chronicle of Barset and The Way We Live Now on my list for this year. (If I keep writing them down, I may actually get to them). I hope you have a great fantasy February. I don't read a lot of it but I'm always looking at recommendations.

Finished three more books for February. All enjoyable. I have to say, so far this year I've enjoyed everything I've been reading. No dissappointments.


11. The Black Company by Glen Cook ***1/2
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Audio download from Audible.com, 10 hours 54 minutes, read by Marc Vietor

This is the first book in the series. The Black Company is a group of mercenaries working for the lady in her fight against the rebels. The story is told from Croaker's point of view. He is the company's physician as well as annalist, chronicling thier actions. I really enjoyed this. It is somewhat gritty and violent, but it works here and Cook really gets you to feel for these soldiers. I will definitely be continuing with this series.


12. Artemis Fowl: the Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer ***1/2
Genre: YA fantasy
Format: Audio download from the library, 7 hours 39 minutes, read by Nathaniel Parker

This is the eight book in the series and apparantly the last. Artemis is up against his nemesis, Opal Koboi, again. She's plotting to destroy humanity. These books are just a lot of fun. it's an easy quick listen. Colfer has created some great characters with Artemis and the rest of the gang. I highly reccomend these in audio format. Nathaniel Parker does an excellent job with the reading.



13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling ****
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Audio CD, 26 hours 24 minutes, read by Jim Dale

Book five in the series. This is my first read through of the books and I'm thoroughly enjoying them. Harry's starting his fifth year at Hogwarts. The ministry of magic is trying to have a bigger presence at the school and Harry learns more about his parents and Dumbledore's motives. There isn't much to say about these books that hasn't already been said. I'm enjoying Harry's growth as a person and wizard and look forward to seeing what happens next year.

All the talk on the Fantasy February thread about Jaspar Fforde has encouraged me to get the next book in the Thursday Next series, so I'll be starting Lost in a Good Book sometime soon. I'm also working on Eric by Terry Pratchett in my continued reread of the Discworld books in publication order. Although this is a first read for me of this one. And I'm still slowly making my way through Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb. Slow, only because it's a paper book, not because of the story.

Finished one last book for Fantasy February. Looking forward to Mystery March now.



14. Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde ****
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Audio download from Audible.com, 12 horus 59 minutes, read by Emily Gray

This is book two in the Thursday Next series. In this installment, Thursday's husband, Landen, is eradicated by the Goliath Corporation. She has to get back into the Book World to try to bring him back. Once there, she becomes part of their Jurisdiction where she is put with Miss Havisham from Great Expectations to learn the ropes. These books are so much fun. Thursday is a great character. Can't wait to see what happens next.

I had a lot of fun with Fantasy Febrauary. Discovered some great new authors and continued with some great series. I have two books that I'm still working on, Eric by Terry Pratchett and Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb. I should be finishing up Eric pretty soon, I'm reading that one on my iPad. The Hobb will probably take me a while yet, that one's an actual paper book, those take me a while to finish lately.

I have a few books from Audible that I'll be starting off Mystery March with, Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs and Sovereign by C. J. Sansom.

So, I've already gotten behind in my posting. Finished quite a few books this month and had my first abandoned book of the year.

15. Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs ****
Genre: Mystery
Format: Audio download from library, 16 hours 3 minutes, read by Barbara Rosenblatt

This is the first book in the Tempe Brennan forensic anthropologist series. I've read a few out of order, so wanted to start back at the beginning. I enjoyed this one. I love the fact that some of these take place in Québec.

16. Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri ****
Genre: Myster
Format: Audio download from library, 5 hours 17 minutes, read by Grover Gardner

This is book 4 in the Commissario Montalbano series that takes place in Sicily. I am really enjoying this series. They are quick entertaining listens. Will be continuing.

17. The Walking Dead Vol. 13 by Robert Kirkman ***1/2
Genre: Horror/zombies
Format: ebook read on iPad, 134 pages

I'm really enjoying these comics, but this one was a little slow moving. Not as good as some of the other volumes. Hopefully things will pick up in the next volume.

18. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley ****
Genre: Mystery
Format: Audio download from library, 7 hours 24 minutes, read by Jayne Entwistle

This is book 4 in the Flavia deLuce series. I really enjoy these books. This one takes place at Christmas and a film crew comes to the house to make a movie. Flavia is such a great character. Looking forward to seeing what she gets up to next.

19. Eric by Terry Pratchett ***1/2
Genre: Fantasy
Format: ebook read on iPad, 197 pages

This is book 9 in the Discworld series. This one centers around Rincewind. Eric, a teenager from Ankh-Morpork tries to summon a demon, but gets Rincewind the wizard instead. I've been working on rereading the series in publication order. This wasn't one of my favorites, but it still had it's laugh out loud moments.

20. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart ***1/2
Genre: children's mystery
Format: Audio dowload from library, 12 hours 59 minutes, read by Del Roy

This is the second in the series. These are fun kids books. A group of super smart kids are put together by Mr. Benedict to help him solve mysteries. This time around, he gets kidnapped, so the kids take it upon themselves to try to rescue him.

21. E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton ***1/2
Genre: Mystery
Format: Audio download from library, 6 hours 19 minutes, read by Mary Peiffer

This is next in the Kinsey Milhone privite detective series. These is are quick entertaining books. This is another one that takes place around Christmas. Kinsey is working on a case involving an old friend from school.

Abandoned book: The White Lioness by Henning Mankell
Genre: Mystery
Format: Audio download from library, 17 hours 2 minutes, read by Dick Hill

This is the fourth book in the Kurt Wallender Swedish detective series. I've enjoyed the first two books in this series, but for some reason, this one just didn't grab me. I found my mind wandering while I was listening and had to go back several times. Finally I decided to put it aside.

Now I'm working on Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley, a mystery that takes place in Botswana. This was a recent Kindle daily deal and is pretty good so far. Not sure what my next audio book will be, possibley Sovereign by C. J. Sansom

22. Sovereign by C. J. Sansom ****
Genre: Historical Mystery
Format: Audible download, 21 hours 4 minutes, read by Steven Crossley

This is the third book in the Matthew Shardlake series taking place in Tudor England. Shardlake is sent by the Archbishop to York to meet the King's progress and look after a prisoner. He becomes entangled with conspirators who are trying to bring down the King. I'm really enjoying these books. Sansom has created a great cast of characters and seems to capture the time period really well. Even though this was a pretty long audio version, it didn't take long to finish at all. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

I'm a big Jasper Fforde fan myself, and I'm glad you are enjoying the Thursday Next books.

One more abandoned book:
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths. This is the first in the Ruth Galloway mystery series. I thought I would enjoy this because of the archeological aspect, but I just could not get into it. I did not like her writing style or any of the characters.

So I've decided to focus on books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list for April. So far this year, I've finished three, bringing my total up to 143, so I wanted to add to that this month. The first one for the month was a quick, good one.



23. Chocky by John Wyndham
Genre: Fiction
Format: Audio download from Audible, 4 hours 16 minutes, read by Daniel Wayman

This is about a young boy named Matthew. He's a typical 11 years old but his parents are getting worried because it looks like he has an imaginary friend, Chocky. They've already gone through this with his younger sister, but Chocky is different. Matthew is asking unusual questions and behaving strangely. Who or what is this Chocky? I really enjoyed this one. It was super quick, I finished listening in one evening. This is my second by this authoer, also read The Day of the Triffids which I thought was good as well.

I've gotten behind in my posting again. I only finished three more books for my 1001 books April self challenge, but they were all good ones.

24. Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor ****
Genre: Fiction/Short Stories
Format: Audio dowload from the library, 9 hours 6 minutes, read by multiple narrators

This was my first short story collection that I've actually listened to in audio format and I think it worked out well. There were multiple narrators for different stories and they all did a good job. I really enjoyed these stories. They all had themes dealing with the South, family, prejudices and faith. I look forward to reading more by this author.

25. The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope ****
Genre: Fiction
Format: Audio download from the library, 30 hours 34 minutes, read by Simon Vance

As the title says, this is the last in Trollope's Chronicles of Barsetshire series. It was quite a long listen, which is probably why I only got through four books this month, but well worth the time. I'm sad to see the end of the series. I thoroughly enjoyed these books and this one was no exception. I was hoping for a different outcome to at least one of the plot aspects here, but overall, I think it was a great ending to the series. I never would have discovered Trollope if not for the 1001 books list and I look forward to reading more of his works.

26. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper ***1/2
Genre: Historical fiction/Classics
Format: Audio download from the library, 14 hours 47 minutes, read by Robertson Dean

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I had never read anything by this author and wasn't sure what to expect, but I did enjoy it for the most part. I think I did let my mind wander a bit during some parts of my listening, so may have missed something, but I got the overall gist of the story. This is the secnod book chronologically in the series, but published before the first. I'm not sure if it would have been better to start with The Deerslayer, but I will definitely read that one next.

No plans for what I want to read in May, just whatever piques my interest. I finished one book so far.

27. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann ***1/2
Genre: Steampunk
Format: Audio download from Audible, 9 hours 4 minutes, read by Simon Taylor

This is the first in the Victorian steampunk series featuring Sir Maurice Newbury, agent to the Queen, and his new assistant Miss Veronica Hobbes. They are charged with investigating a suspicious airship crash. There is also a series of murders that seem to be committed by a glowing policeman and the city is suffering from a plague of revenants. I haven't read a lot of steampunks, but I'm starting to enjoy it more and more. I thought this was good. I liked the characters and the alternate London that Mann has created here. I will be continuing with the series.

Not sure what my next audio book will be. Going to take a browse through my library wish list to see what catches my eye. In ebook, i'm still working on Death of the Mantis. Hope to have it finished this week.

Finally finished Death of the Mantis, took me longer than I thought. Not too crzazy about it. Decided to start Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George as my next ebook. Only about six chapters in so far, but really enjoying it.



28. Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley ***
Genre: Mystery
Format: Kindle ebook, 448 pages

I thought this was the first book, but apparantly it's the third in a mystery series that takes place in Botswana featuring Assistant Superintendent David (Kubu) Bengu. I picked this up when it was a Kindle daily deal one day, thought it would be interesting to read something that takes place in Africa. Kubu is investigating a series of deaths that have happened in the Kalahari where the suspects seem to be the usually peaceful, indigenous Bushmen. I liked the main character of Kubu and the setting, but felt the writing was not very good. I almost gave up on it, but had gotten far enough into that I wanted to see how it worked out. I don't think I'll be reading more of these.

So, I haven't gotten much posting done in the past couple months. I've had a lot going on at home with my roommates, my home computer was broken for a few weeks and I got a promotion at work. The new job has been great, but it's at a new office which is an hour commute for me (I used to be able to walk to my old office). So getting used to the commute has been a challenge. I also don't have as much down time with the new job, I used to do most of my LT reading & posting from work, but don't have time to do that now. One of the advantages of the longer commutes is that it gives me a chance to listen to some audio books on the drive when I don't feel like listening to my roommate's radio shows that he likes. (We commute to work together and he does the driving & controls the radio). So I have still been reading and feel like I'm definitely on track to hit 75 books this year and may even make it to 100 for the first time. We'll see how things go. So, I'm just going to list the books I've read so far since my last post in a new message.

Books I've read since my last post in May:

29. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (fairy tale) ***1/2
30. The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi (sci fi) ***1/2
31. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell (historical fiction) ****
32. The Walking Dead Vol. 14 by Robert Kirkman (zombies) ***1/2
33. Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson (nonfiction) ***1/2
34. The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe (fantasy) ***1/2
35. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (ghost story) ***
36. The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch (mystery) ****
37. Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix (YA) ***1/2
38. The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (mystery) ***1/2
39. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory (historical) ****
40. Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh (sci fi) ***1/2
41. Y: the Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned by Brian K. Vaughn (graphic novel) ***1/2
42. The Centurion's Wife by Davis Bunn & Janette Oke (historical fiction) ***1/2
43. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (sci fi) ****
44. A Question of Upbringing by Anthony Powell (fiction) ***
45. Yendi by Stephen Brust (fantasy) ****
46. The Buyer's Market by Anthony Powell (fiction) ***
47. The Acceptance World by Anthony Powell (fiction) ***
48. Honolulu by Alan Brennert (historical fiction) ****
49. A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving (fiction) ****1/2
50. Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer (sci fi) ****
51. Thirty Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill (mystery) ***1/2
52. The Moon and the Sun by Vonda McIntyre (fantasy) ***1/2

Some stand outs in the group:
A Prayer for Owen Meany, I was pleasantly surprised by this, I had no clue what to expect from this, just knew it was off the 1001 list and thoroughly enjoyed it. There were some really good historical fiction books that I enjoyed, Honolulu, The Red Queen and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. And of course, some good sci fi with Snow Crash and fantasy with Yendi. I'm really enjoying Brust's Vlad Taltos series, looking forward to the rest of them. One slight disappointment was Penny's latest Inspector Gamache book, The Beautiful Mystery, I missed Three Pines.

Now I'm working on a couple off the 1001 list: Emma by Jane Austen and Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor.

Two more books down to finish out July:

53. Emma by Jane Austen ***
Genre: Classics
Format: Audio download from the library, 15 hours 17 minutes

54. Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett ***1/2
Gemre: Fantasy
Format: Audio CD read by Nigel Planer

I enjoyed both of the books, but they didn't really stand out compared to other books by the authors I've read. I was glad to check another off the 1001 list with Emma. Moving Pictures was a reread for me in my journey to read the Discworld books in order. I didn't remember much about it from my first time reading it. The wizards are not my favorite characters in Discworld books.

August is turning out to be a slow month for me for some reason. Finished my first book so far:

55. Sunshine by Robin McKinley ***1/2
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Vampire
Format: Audible download read by Laural Merlington

Sunshine wants to live a simple life, she's content baking cinnamon rolls in the family coffee house. But after she is kidnapped by vampires and manages to escape, her life is turned upside down. I'm not a huge fan of vampire books, but I've heard nothihng but good things about this one and I've enjoyed the other book by McKinley that I've read, so figured I'd give this one a try. I thought it was Ok. I enjoyed McKinley's writing. There was something about the character, Sunshine, that I found slightly annoying, not exactly sure what it was. Overall, it was enjoyable and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Well, I've fallen behind in my posting again. August was a slow month, only finished 4 more books. But September has been great so far, I've finished 11 already. I'm just going to list them:

56. Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson (fantasy) ****
57. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (urban fantasy) ****
58. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey (fantasy) ****
59. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (sci fi) ***1/2
SEPTEMBER
60. Bloody Jack: Being the Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L. A. Meyer (YA/historical) ****
61. The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory (historical) ****1/2
62. The Alleluia Files by Sharon Shinn (fantasy) ***
63. Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor (fiction) ***
64. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold (sci fi) ****1/2
65. The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis (fantasy) ***1/2
66. Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett (fantasy) ****
67. F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton (mystery) ***1/2
68. Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik (fantasy) ****
69. Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson (sci fi) ***
70. Rabbit, Run by John Updike (fiction) ***

Some stand outs in the bunch, The Lady of the Rivers. This is the third in the Cousins' War series about the Wars of the Roses. Each book is just as good as the one before. I'm looking forward to watching the series. Also fun to get back into the Vorkosigan universe with Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, I really enjoyed seeing Ivan's perspective in this one. Some fun surprises, Rosemary and Rue, I don't read a lot in this gentre, but was pleasantly surprised by this one, will continue on in this series. And Bloody Jack, someone in the group had mentioned this one and it was just a fun read. Will continue with this series as well.
I've been reading series for September, but haven't posted over in that thread. I'm currenlty working on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on audio and Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon in ebook. This is the first in the series, but I have already read a few of the later ones, so wanted to go back and see how it all began.

71. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling ****
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Audio download from the library, read by Jim Dale, 18 hours 34 minutes

Finished off September with a good one. This is the sixth book in the series. This is my first read through of the series and I've been thoroughly enjoying it. Jim Dale does an excellent job with the audio narration. Looking forward to see how it all ends in the last book.

Finished my first few books for October. I plan to do some Halloween themed reading this month.

72. The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade ***
Genre: YA/steam punk
Format: Audio download from the library, 7 hours 15 minutes, read by Jayne Entwistle

This was a carry over from September. Not sure where I heard about this, but it had been sitting in my library wish list for a while. It was a quick, enjoyable listen. Modo is a deformed hunchback with a unique ability discovered as a young child and rasised by the mysterious Mr. Socrates to become a spy in a steam punk version of 19th century London. The narration by Jayne Entwisle was great on the audio. I'll probably continue with the series if my library has more.

73. The Dark Worlds of H. P. Lovecraft by H. P. Lovecraft ****
Genre: Horror/short stories
Format: Audio download from the library, 3 hours 30 minutes, read by Wayne June

This was described as a collection of two of Lovecraft's best known stories, The Dunwich Horror and Call of Cthulhu. This was my first experience with Lovecraft and it will not be my last. I enjoyed both of the stories. I thought it was a great way to ease into my October reading. I thought Wayne June's narration definitely fit the feel and tone of the stories.

74. Syndrome E by Franck Thilliez ****
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Format: Audio download from the library, 13 hours 18 minutes, read by Gildard Jackson

I found this in last year's list of Halloween reading and I'm glad that I did. It was a fast paced thriller set mainly in France. Detective Lucie Hennebelle is investigating the mysterious blindness of a friend after he watched a disturbing short film. She teams up with a profiler, Franck Sharko, when it turns out the case he was working on, the discovery of five buried bodies with their skulls cut off, may be linked to the mysterious film.

I can't believe I'm almost at 75. I actually think I might make it to 100 this year if I can keep up this pace. That would be a first for me. I'm working on Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake now. I don't know much about it, but I've heard it described as gothic, so thought it would be a good choice for this month, plus it will be something to check off the 1001 Books list which is always a plus for me.

Some good books! I really enjoyed Syndrome E last year too.

Reaper Man is probably my favorite Death book in the Discworld series--always makes me laugh. And I love the Toby Daye series--glad you enjoyed the first. I have read two by Nalo Hopkinson but not that one--did you like it? And how about Leviathan Wakes? That one is in my tbr pile. And, of course, I am a BIG Bujold fan.

#36...Yeah, Reaper Man is a fun one in the series. I was definitely chuckling out loud with that one. I really enjoyed the Nalo Hopkinson. It was my first by her. I liked the Carribbean flavor that she uses in the story. I also enjoyed Leviathan Wakes, it was a good blend of sci fi & mystery.

75. Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake ***
Genre: Gothic/Fantasy
Format: Audio download from the library, 17 hours 27 minutes, read by Simon Vance

This is the first book in the Gormenghast series. I thought it would be good to read this month since it's considered a gothic story. The writing was great, but the story was a little confusing for me. I wasn't paying close enough attention to what I was listening, I think, and ended up missing a lot of what was going on. I might reread it in print format one day.

Thanks for the feedback--I'll move Leviathan Wakes up the tbr pile.

So even thought I didn't have a very good year here posting wise, it was a great reading year for me. I finally hit the 100 books read in a year mark with a grand total of 109 for the year. Most of the books that I read I really enjoyed as well. Only five abandoned books and one of those Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, I plan to try again maybe this year. I just wasn't in the mood for it at the time I started.

Here's the last bunch of books since the last time I posted:

76. Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman (horror) ****
77. Deadline by Mira Grant (zombies) ****.
78. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen (non fiction) ****
79. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (classics) ***1/2
80. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (horror) ***1/2
81. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon (mystery) ***1/2
82. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (classics) ***1/2
83. The Walking Dead Vol. 15 by Robert Kirkman (zombies) ***1/2
84. Salem's Lot by Stephen King (horror) ***1/2
85. The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga (zombies) ****
86. The Walking Dead Vol. 16 by Robert Kirkman (zombies) ***1/2
87. Classic Tales of the Paranormal (ghost stories) ***
88. Horns by Joe Hill (horror) ***1/2
89. The Terror by Dan Simmons (thriller) ***1/2
The Sandman #17: Caliope by Neil Gaiman (fantasy/comic) ****
90. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (mystery) ****
91. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler (mystery) ***1/2
92. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (fiction) ****1/2
93. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (fiction) ***1/2
94. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk (fiction) ****
95. Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace (historical fiction) ***
96. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (classics) ***1/2
97. The Anatomist's Apprentice by Tessa Harris (historical mystery) ****
98. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (mystery) ****
99. Carrie by Stephen King (horror) ***1/2
100. G is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton (mystery) ***1/2
101. Nemesis by Philip Roth (fiction) ***1/2
102. John Dies at the End by David Wong (fantasy) ***1/2
103. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (sci fi) *****
104. The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis (fantasy) ***1/2
105. Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb (fantasy) ****
106. The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory (historical) ****1/2
107. The Shining by Stephen King (horror) ***1/2
108. Clockwork Fairy Tales (steampunk short stories) ***1/2
109. At the Mountains of Madness by HP Lovecraft (horror) ***1/2

I haven't decided yet if I'll make a thread for 2014. I do plan to join the category challenge group so will be posting over there.