Majkia's Warehouse 13 Artifacts Challenge - 3rd iteration

Warehouse 13 is a sci fi program on the US television network SyFy. It's about federal agents who track down and then store artifacts and gadgets that are, uhm, disruptive to the world. There have been 13 Warehouses and there are only ever one at a time. The current one is located in the middle of nowhere South Dakota.

My categories are based on some of the artifacts and gadgets stored in the facility.

To learn more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warehouse_13

http://warehouse13.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Artifacts_and_Gadgets

-------------------------Categories----------------------------

1. Minoan Trident - Thrillers

- Quite Ugly One Morning - Christopher Brookmyre
- A Drink Before the War - Dennis Lehane
- Hide and Seek - Ian Rankin
- Knots and Crosses - Ian Rankin
- The Art Forger - BA Shapiro
- Map of Bones - James Rollins
- White Rhino Hotel - Bartle Bull
- The Godwulf Manuscript - Robert B. Parker
- Don't Look Back - Karen Fossum
- Raven Black - Ann Cleeves
- Sandstorm - James Rollins
- The Poet - Michael Connolly
- Killing Floor - Lee Child

2. Edgar Allan Poe's Quill Pen - Period Mysteries and Thrillers

- Fleet Street Murders - Charles Finch
- The Yard - Alex Grecian
- House of Silk- Anthony Horowitz
- What Angels Fear - C. S. Harris
- The September Society - Charles Finch
- Still Life with Murder - P.B. Ryan
- After the Armistice Ball - Catriona McPherson
- And Only to Deceive - Tasha Alexander
- Death in the Stocks - Georgette Heyer
- Ragtime in Simla - Barbara Cleverly
- The Cater Street Hangman - Anne Perry
- The Crime at Black Dudley - Margery Allingham

3. Albert Einstein's Time Bridge Device - Sci Fi and HiTech, Steampunk

- God Save the Queen - Kate Locke
- Leviathan Wakes - James S.A. Corey
- Against the Tide of Years - S. R. Stirling
- Gateway - Frederik Pohl
- Engines of God - Jack McDevitt
- Redshirts - John Scalzi
- The Damnation Affair - Lilith SaintCrow
- A Talent for War - Jack McDevitt

4. Hannibal's Whip - Epic Tales

- Stormed Fortress - Janny Wurts
- The Small House at Allington - Anthony Trollope (#5 Barsetshire)
- Framley Parsonage - Anthony Trollope (#4 in the Barsetshire Chronicles)
- Peril's Gate - Janny Wurts ( #6 Wars of Light and Shadow)
- Fugitive Prince - Janny Wurts (#4 in the Wars of Light and Shadow)
- Doctor Thorne- - Anthony Trollope (#3 in the Barsetshire Chronicles)
- Can You Forgive Her? - Anthony Trollope (#1 in Palliser series)

5. Beatrix Potter's Tea Set - Fantasy

- Nine Princes in Amber - Roger Zelazny
- Traitor's Knot - Janny Wurts
- The Rook - Daniel O'Malley
- Grand Conspiracy - Janny Wurts
- Moon over Soho - Ben Aaronovitch

6. H.G. Wells' Time Machine - Ancient Times

- The Inimitable Jeeves - PG Wodehouse
- The Queen of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner
- The King of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner
- A Conspiracy of Kings - Megan Whalen Turner
- When Christ and His Saints Slept - Sharon Kay Penman
- These Old Shades - Georgette Heyer

7. The Amber Sphere and the Pearls of Wisdom - Spies/Espionage

- Zoo Station - David Downing
- The Unexpected Mrs Pollifax - Dorothy Gilman
- The Kill Artist - Daniel Silva
- Hamlet, Revenge! - Michael Innes
- Night Soldiers - Alan Furst
- A Call for the Dead - John Le Carre

8. Timothy Leary's Glasses - Altered States, Alternate History

- The Difference Engine - William Gibson
- Flashforward - Robert J. Sawyer
- The Spiritualist - Megan Chance
- Darwin's Radio - Greg Bear
- The Arctic Incident - Eoin Colfer
- The Cardinal's Blades - Pierre Pevel

9. Lenape Cave Artifacts - Magic and Magic Wielders

- Teckla - Steven Brust
- Whitefire Crossing - Courtney Schafer
- Yendi - Steven Brust
- Hexed - Kevin Hearne
- Hounded - Kevin Hearne
- The Innocent Mage - Karen Miller
- The Amulet of Samarkand - Jonathan Stroud

10. H.P. Lovecraft's Silver Key - Monsters, Dragons and Nightmares

- Sandman Slim - Richard Kadrey
- Reliquary - Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child
- Every Dead Thing - John Connolly
- The Keeper of Lost Causes - Jussi Adler-Olsen
- The Devil You Know - Mike Carey
- Relic - Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

11. Ferdinand Magellan's Astrolabe - Contemporary Mysteries

- Rest You Merry - Charlotte MacLeod
- Ratking - Michael Dibdin
- Case Histories - Kate Atkinson
- The Neon Rain - James Lee Burke
- Cold Granite - Stuart MacBride
- Bruno, Chief of Police - Martin Walker
- Death of a Cozy Writer - G. M. Malliet
- No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith
- Outsider in Amsterdam - Janwillem van de Wetering
- A Fatal Grace - Louise Penny
- In the Woods - Tana French
- The Various Haunts of Men - Susan Hill
- The Ice Princess - Camilla Lackberg

12. Abby Normal's Brain - Weird and Wild

- Black Order - James Rollins
- The Hunt for Atlantis - Andy McDermott
- Foreigner - C. J. Cherryh
- The Cardinal's Blades - Pierre Pavel
- Montmorency - Eleanor Updale
- The Map of Time - Felix J. Palma

13. Pandora's Box - Not Sure We Even Want to Open it! (Giveaways, Early Reviewers, Gifts)

- Mirage - Clive Cussler
- Initiate's Trial - Janny Wurts
- The Grim Company - Luke Scull
- Cast in Stones - Patrick W. Carr
- Wolfhound Century - Peter Higgins
- Vale of Stars - Sean O'Brien

Artifact: Minoan Trident - Artifact Zero, the very first artifact to be collected and the initial reason for the Warehouses' existence. Responsible for the destruction of the Minoan civilization and, consequently, the legend of the destruction of Atlantis, it causes massive volcanic eruptions when jammed into the ground three times. Described as the first weapon of mass destruction, and almost demonstrated as such by H.G. Wells. -

1. Thrillers

- Quite Ugly One Morning - Christopher Brookmyre
- A Drink Before the War - Dennis Lehane
- Hide and Seek - Ian Rankin
- Knots and Crosses - Ian Rankin
- The Art Forger - BA Shapiro
- Map of Bones - James Rollins
- The Godwulf Manuscript - Robert B. Parker
- Don't Look Back - Karen Fossum
- Raven Black - Ann Cleeves
- Sandstorm - James Rollins
- The Poet - Michael Connolly
- Killing Floor - Lee Child

Possibles:

Term Limits - Vince Flynn

Edgar Allan Poe's Quill Pen - Anything written by the pen becomes reality if read aloud.

2. Period Mysteries and Thrillers

- Fleet Street Murders - Charles Finch
- The Yard - Alex Grecian
- What Angels Fear - C.S. Harris
- The September Society - Charles Finch
- Still Life with Murder - P. B. Ryan
- After the Armistice Ball - Catriona McPherson
- And Only to Deceive - Tasha Alexander
- Death in the Stocks - Georgette Heyer
- Ragtime in Simla - Barbara Cleverly
- The Cater Street Hangman - Anne Perry
- The Crime at Black Dudley - Margery Allingham

Albert Einstein's Time Bridge Device - creates wormholes between itself and other time periods

3. Steampunk, Sci Fi and Hi Tech

- God Save the Queen - Kate Locke
- Against the Tide of Years - S. R. Stirling
- The Engines of God - Jack McDevitt
- Redshirts - John Scalzi
- The Damnation Affair - Lilith SaintCrow
- A Talent for War - Jack McDevitt
- Leviathan Wakes - James S A Corey

Possibles:

The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
The QuantumThief - Hannu Rajaniemi

Hannibal Barca of Carthage's Whip imbued with Hannibal's enduring will and leadership and converts it into an energy wave that can cut through anything.

4. Epic Tales

- Stormed Fortress - Janny Wurts
- The Small House at Allington - Anthony Trollope (#5 Barsetshire)
- Framley Parsonage - Anthony Trollope (#4 in Barsetshire Chronicles)
- Peril's Gate - Janny Wurts (#6 Wars of Light and Shadow)
- Fugitive Prince - Janny Wurts (#4 in the Wars of Light and Shadow series)
- Doctor Thorne - Anthony Trollope (#3 in Barsetshire Chronicles)

Beatrix Potter's Tea Set - serve tea made in the pot in the matching cups and the tea stimulates the imagination. The down side? Too much will bring your worst fears to life!

5. Fantasy

- Nine Princes in Amber - Roger Zelazny
- Traitor's Knot - Janny Wurts
- The Rook - Daniel O'Malley
- Grand Conspiracy - Janny Wurts
- Moon Over Soho - Ben Aaronovitch

Possibles:

Ysabel - Guy Gavriel Kay
Little, Big - John Crawley
Best Served Cold - Joe Abercrombie

H.G. Wells' Time Machine Did you know that H.G. Wells was a girl? Yup. She used her useless brother to cover for her. Oh, and she was/is a Warehouse Agent. Although she might now be dead. Well, maybe...

6. Ancient Times

The Inimitable Jeeves - PG Wodehouse
The Queen of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner
The King of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner
A Conspiracy of Kings - Megan Whalen Turner
When Christ and His Saints Slept - Sharon Kay Penman
These Old Shades - Georgette Heyer

Possibles:

Roman Blood - Steven Saylor
Anything by Bernard Cornwell
Emperor series - Conn Iggulden

The Amber Sphere and the Pearls of Wisdom - The Amber Sphere allows one to travel through the subconscious of a person being controlled by the Pearls of Wisdom. Sounds like a handy device for:

7. Spies!

- Zoo Station - David Downing
- The Unexpected Mrs Pollifax - Dorothy Gilman
- The Kill Artist - Daniel Silva
- Hamlet, Revenge! - Michael Innes
- Night Soldiers - Alan Furst
- Call for the Dead - John le Carre

Possibles:

A Spy in the House - Y. S. Lee
Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson

Timothy Leary's Glasses - All those LSD experiments were good for something! The glasses let you see what others can't - which may or may not be real!

8. Altered States

- The Difference Engine - William Gibson
- Flashforward - Robert J. Sawyer
- The Spiritualist - Megan Chance
- Darwin's Radio - Greg Bear
- The Arctic Incident - Eoin Colfer
- The Cardinal's Blades - Pierre Pevel

Possibles:

The Fallen Blade - Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Spin State - Chris Moriarty

Lenape Cave Artifacts - A sacred underground cave beneath New York City, supposedly the birthplace of all creation. It houses four Native American objects, each one attuned to a primal force of Nature.

9. Magic and Magic Wielders

Teckla - Steven Brust
Whitefire Crossing - Courtney Schafer
Hexed - Kevin Hearne
Hounded - Kevin Hearne
Innocent Mage - Karen Miller
The Amulet of Samarkand - Jonathan Stroud

Possibles:

The Way of Shadows - Brent Weeks
Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
The Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks

H.P. Lovecraft's Silver Key He called it the Key to Dreams. Only if you touch the key, everyone else sees you as a many-tentacled monster!

10. Monsters, Dragons and Nightmares

- Sandman Slim - Richard Kadrey
- Reliquary - Preston/Child
- Every Dead Thing - John Connolly
- The Keeper of Lost Causes - Jussi Adler-Olsen
- The Devil You Know - Mike Carey
- Relic - Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Possibles:

The Adamantine Palace - Stephen Deas
The Dragonbone Chair - Tad Williams
The Summoner - Gail Z Martin

Ferdinand Magellan's Astrolabe - It erases the last 24 hours as if they'd never been. Of course, it also releases 'a great evil' on the world, but what the heck.

11. Contemporary Mysteries and Puzzle Solvers

- Rest You Merry - Charlotte MacLeod
- Ratking - Michael Dibdin
- The Neon Rain - James Lee Burke
- Cold Granite - Stuart MacBride
- Bruno, Chief of Police - Martin Walker
- Death of a Cozy Writer - G.M. Malliet
- No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith
- Outsider in Amsterdam - Janwillem van de Wetering
- A Fatal Grace- Louise Penny
- In the Woods - Tana French
- The Various Haunts of Men - Susan Hill
- The Ice Princess - Camilla Lackberg

Possibles:

Henning Mankell mysteries
The Black Echo - Michael Connelly
Karin Fossum series

Abby Normal's Brain - a brain in a glass jar. Effects unknown. One of the agents referred to it as "Abby Normal's" which is a reference to Young Frankenstein.

I have no idea what I'm going to put in here but surely I'll find at least one novel ranking high on:

12. Weirdness, Wildness, Alternate

Black Order - James Rollins
The Hunt for Atlantis - Andy McDermott
Foreigner - C.J. Cherryh
Montmorency - Eleanor Updale
The Map of Time - Felix J Palma
The Cardinal's Blades - Pierre Pavel

Possibles:

Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett
Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly

Pandora's Box - You know, even given all the warnings, you just have to peek!

13. Early Review books, gifts, surprises

- Mirage - Clive Cussler
- Initiate's Trial - janny Wurts
- The Grim Company - Luke Scull
- Cast of Stones - Patrick W. Carr
- Wolfhound Century - Peter Higgins
- Vale of Stars - Sean O'Brien

Love the shiny new thread, Jean!

:)

Dropping a comment so I don't miss out on anything!

  

76. The Inimitable Jeeves - PG Wodehouse - The Jeeves books are every bit as amusing as the TV series was, but I wish Stephen Fry had read it. :)

77. The Art Forger - BA Shapiro - This was very different from what I expected. Not the usual viewpoint by insurance agents or art detectives, but instead from the forger’s point of view. Complex enough to keep me guessing and intriguing details on how forgery is done.

Both are 13 in 13 (Cat 6 (ancient times) for Jeeves, Cat 1 (thriller) For The Art Forger) and both are TIOLI. Jeeves is an AlphaCAT.

Congrats on reaching 75 and happy new thread!

Can't imagine anyone other than Stephen Fry reading Jeeves! Have to read more Wodehouse soon. Also happy new thread!

Don't know if I mentioned it before, but I do love your categories!

78. Nine Princes in Amber - Roger Zelazny




First in the Amber series, I’ve read this many times. Intriguing and different magical system, with brilliant presentation of the information through the eyes of a player whose memory has been erased.

Category 5 - fantasy

79. Stormed Fortress by Janny Wurts




8th book in the Wars of Light and Shadow series.

This book represents all the things I love about reading a series as opposed to individual works. Change, based on learning, experience and exposure to events, the world deepening and revealing  before unknown depths, the characters having to survive mistakes and the vagaries of plans gone awry because of things not understood or known, or simply because neither people nor plans are perfect.

Wonderful ending to this arc. Looking forward to finding out where in the universe the rest of the series goes I have no idea! And that’s brilliant.

Category 4 - Epic Tales

80. The Various Haunts of Men - Susan Hill



The first in her current day mystery series.  Even so, the book is oddly gothic for a modern day story, with lots of atmosphere and terrific settings.

Told from a surprising POV and with creepy effectiveness.

Will definitely continue this series.

Placed in category 11 - Contemporary Mysteries

81. The Ice Princess - Camilla Lackberg



The first of a series. I doubt I’ll be continuing this series as I wasn’t impressed with the main character, although I did like the male police officer.

Good mystery though and effective and different setting.

Category 11 - Contemporary Mysteries

82. Against the Tide of Years - S. M. Stirling




The second in the Nantucket Event series.

What happens when an island is somehow transported from present day to the bronze age?  

The Nantucket people have begun exploring their new world and are reaching out to the existing civilizations of the times. And, trying to clean up the mess they’ve already caused.

And, of course, with modern tech (even if it is limited) they’ve already drastically changed ‘history’.

Category 3 - Alternate History

Since I won't finish another book before midnight, here's my summary for the month:

7 books read

2 fantasy
3 mystery
1 alt history
1 historical fiction

4 female authors
3 male authors

Best book of the month: Stormed Fortress by Janny Wurts although I also loved The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill, for entirely different reasons.

I've finished my 13 in 13 but am adding books to the challenge still.
I've read a total of 78 books so have completed my 75 book challenge.
I've read 59 ROOTS total, 3 this month.

Currently Reading:

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson which is terrific
Initiate's Trial by Janny Wurts which I've only just begun but which has already sucked me in.

->24 majkia:
I've only read the first one so far, and liked it enough to want to continue (probably because I know the area in which it takes place), but I have been informed that the style continues throughout the series, so if you didn't enjoy this one, you can happily give up on the rest, I think.

83. Initiate's Trial - Janny Wurts





I received this book through the Early Reviewer program. I decided not to just pick it up and read it but instead decided to read the entire series in order first. I'm very glad I did. This is not the sort of series you can jump around in. Each book builds upon the previous one, with consequences from earlier actions affecting not only the individuals but the overall course of the plot.

The characters are multi-layered and complex. They grow, they evolve, they make a LOT of mistakes, and then they have to live with those mistakes and, where possible, right wrongs done or at least try to mitigate the unfortunate fallout. But that isn't always possible. Sometimes you just have to accept.

The world is well-drawn and with many hidden, or little-understood or long-forgotten complexities. It's a fantasy world, but one with tightly drawn rules and when something surprises you, you can remember, far back in a previous book, there was a hint of this to come.

If you love fantasy, love your characters tricksy and smart, determined, sometimes nefarious, and you love a world you have to work at to get a grasp on, then this is a series for you.

Me, I'm loving it.
---

Placed in Category 13 - Pandora's Box

Great grand kid Kai. I still HATE those headbands!

That's a lot of pink!!!

I would think that blue would help highlight those gorgeous eyes.

What a sweetie-pie, and those eyes!! Swoon ...

I think she hates those headbands too - they have to strap her down and give her a binky to take a picture of her wearing it? j/k

She is a cutie - she doesn't need to wear pink to be pretty.

I'm with you on the headbands. But the bebe is adorable!

What a beautiful little one. You must be very proud.

Someday she will look at this picture and ask her mom "What's with the huge bow?"

84. Black Order - James Rollins





The third in Rollin’s Sigma series – scientists with guns – starts out with two seemingly harmless assignments. Gray Pierce is in Copenhagen looking into some weirdness regarding sales of expensive scientific treatises and a Darwin Bible. Meanwhile, Painter Crowe heads off to a Buddhist retreat where Gray had spent some time, when the head of the monastery asked for help regarding some mysterious illness and mysterious lights.

It isn’t long before both of them are under ferocious attacks by folks tattooed with runic characters.

Another compelling Sigma Force entry with lots of twists, turns and quantum physics.

Added to Cat 12 - Weird and Wild

Oh no.... Another series I want to try. :) Looks like a lot of fun, though!

Eva, I resisted this series for a long time since I thought it would me more military thriller than I'd like, but Rollins pays a lot of attention to setting up some off the wall science to spark these books. I'm really enjoying them.

I've read and quite enjoyed the first and really should try and get round to at least the next in the series at some point.

85. Mirage - Clive Cussler



This book was received through Penguin First Reads Program.

Mirage is the ninth book of The Oregon Files series. A military thriller detailing the operations undertaken by a heavily camouflaged ship that looks like a beat up old merchant ship but is in fact a heavily fortified and heavily armed ship that contracts out to the CIA.

This book concentrates on a mysterious new weapon which has already destroyed several ships and nearly takes out the Oregon itself. What is it, who is using it and what is their plan?

Not much by way of character development, but intriguing and fast-action tale that holds your interest.

Adding to Category 13 Pandora's Box

86. Leviathan Wakes - James S.A. Corey




Fast plot and intriguing characterization.

The future isn’t all that terrific as humanity is stuck in our own star system, not having found an FTL solution as yet.

A faint SOS beacon brings a response from a passing transport ship, and when its shuttle  reaches the disabled ship, the crew watches in horror as a cloaked warship blows away their transport. Now stranded and hiding from this unknown enemy, they struggle to find a place to go, how to get there, and what to do then. They find some evidence that the culprits in attacking their ship are from the Mars federation. The disclosure of that evidence starts a shooting war between the Belters and Mars. Earth remains surprisingly quiescent. But how long will that last?

Two POVs which you know will mesh up eventually. Lots of action, interesting trying to piece together what the heck is going on.

Great read!

Placed in Category 3, SciFi and HighTech

October roundup:

A fairly slow month of reading for me: total of 5 books finished and I'm still listening to Cryptonomicon.

I did read two longies, one 750 pages, the other 600, even so.

Total pages read: 2474

2 female authors, 3 males.

2 fantasy, 2 thrillers, one science fiction.

4 books were ROOTS, one I got from Penguin to review.

Best of the month: Janny Wurts's Initiate's Trial closely followed by Leviathan Wakes. Although I truthfully enjoyed every one I read this month.

November plans :

My numbers for November will no doubt be dismal as I am doing NaNoWriMo. So we shall see. At the moment I plan to read:

God Save the Queen - Kate Locke - steampunk
Can You Forgive her? - Anthony Trollope
Knots and Crosses - Ian Rankin - Scottish Noir
Sandman Slim - Richard Kadrey - fantasy.

We'll see how far i get with those before I commit to any others.

Yay, NaNoWriMo! You can do it!!!

Have fun with NaNoWriMo and enjoy the Rankin book!

NaNoWriMo scares the begeezes out of me so I have high esteem for anyone who embarks on that journey. Good luck!

We're RVing at Grayton Beach State Park in the Florida Panhandle. Our campsite and a picture of some driftwood I found interesting.

Pretty! Looks like nice weather, too! *knocks on wood* How warm is it? We might get our first dusting of snow tomorrow. Brrrr . . .

We've had a few cool nights, getting down into the mid 40s, but the highs during the day are perfect: 70s. Tomorrow night though, we're due to get down around freezing

87. Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer
FANTASY: First of the Shattered Sigil series. An intriguing beginning to a series. Lots of mountain climbing details, interesting magical system, complex world building. I'll definitely be reading more of this series. Placed in CAT 11: magic and magic wielders.

88. God Save the Queen - Kate Locke
STEAMPUNK: First of the Immortal Empire series. Quite a complex steampunk world with some surprises. I found it a bit slow going at first, but it picked up after the first 3rd of the book. I've got book two on the TBR. Placed in CAT 3: steampunk

89. Ratking - Michael Dibdin
MYSTERY: First in the Aurelio Zen series, I found it a bit hard to understand the complex politically charged world of a policeman in Italy, but once the actual mystery got going, I really enjoyed it. I'll read more of this series as well. Placed in CAT 11: contemporary mysteries.

Glad to see those 3.5 stars forGod Save The Queen. It was a Daily Deal yesterday so I have added it to my Kindle collection.

oh good, I think you'll enjoy it. :)

Yay, glad to hear that Ratking worked out well for you! Hope you continue to enjoy the series. My favourite is the second book, Vendetta. And the all-too-short TV series starring Rufus Sewell is a very nice adaptation.

I have Ratking on my tbr shelves so it's good to hear you enjoyed it enough to want to continue the series.

Yes, Ratking was different, which is why I enjoyed it. Hope you enjoy it Wolfy.

90. Can You Forgive Her? - Anthony Trollope



The first in Trollope's The Palliser Chronicles, examines the plight of women of the upper classes and how much freedom, or lack thereof, they have.

The title refers, according to Trollope, to Alice Vavasur, but can even more easily be asked with regard to Glencora McCluskey who at the beginning of the book is affianced to Plantagenet Palliser, a member of the House of Commons and heir to a dukedom.

This is a many times re-read for me. I adored the series when it was on Public Television in the 70s. Washington D.C. came to a stop on Monday nights, as everyone was glued to the TV, and the lives of these British Aristocrats.

After seeing the series I, of course, had to read the books. I re-read this as part of a group read for the 75rs and 2013 Category Challenge.

My second great greatgrandaughter arrived a few minutes ago. Say hello to Hartley:

Hello, Hartley!!!
Welcome to LibraryThing!

Hi Hartley! Welcome to the world!

So precious! Congratulations!

Congratulations!!

congratulations!

Hello and welcome, little one!

She's beautiful, Jean. Welcome Hartley!

New babies are exciting!

What a sweetie! Hello Hartley!

Thanks everyone. :) Happy to report Mom (Kerra) and Hartley are doing well. Dad (Randall) is exhausted. How typical...

They should get released from stir (okay, the hospital) today.

91. The Yard - Alex Grecian

An interesting look at The Yard attempting to rebuild itself and regain a city's trust in the wake of its failure to capture Jack the Ripper.

It also depicts the rise of forensic science and the first movement toward modern policing and murder investigations.

It's gory and gritty and depicts the miseries of the poor in London, but I found it fascinating. I enjoyed the noir flavor, and found the characters well, and deeply, drawn.

I listened to the audio version and thought the narrator, Toby Leonard Moore, did an excellent job.

Placing it in CAT 2: Period mysteries and thrillers.

I've been thinking of getting The Yard and I'll go ahead and put it on the Audible wishlist - can't resist a great reader!

92. Knots and Crosses - Ian Rankin



Finally read the first book in the Rebus series and I've got to say I was definitely not impressed. Firstly, I disliked Rebus intensely. He's a self-righteous judgmental ass. And definitely not all that bright. Does he improve later on?

I also found the reason for the killings and kidnappings a stretch. And again judgmental.

I found the constant reference to Rebus's religion annoying as hell, since he'd immediately turn around and do something he'd then term sinful.

I did love the descriptions of the city and the atmosphere was nicely noir.

Not at all sure I want to continue the series.

Sticking it in Cat 1 - thrillers. Also an AlphaCAT.

Please do not judge the Rebus-series on Knots and Crosses - it's by far the least good in the series!

I seem to recall reading that even Ian Rankin is not overly fond of that one.

93. Sandman Slim - Richard Kadrey


A young man who can do real magic, is sent down to hell by the members of his circle. He survives (alive) for 10 years and figures out a way to escape. His arrival back on Earth is focused on revenge - on those who sent him to hell, and murdered his girlfriend.

I found the book a bit hard to get into at first, but once I got over the whole, 'god' 'the devil' 'hell' 'angel' and 'heaven' thing, I found it intriguing. Especially once the worlds began to coalesce and you saw that those words, while common, are used for quite different things than you assume.

Fast paced, noir, brutal at times, the main character is hard to like. But he grows and evolves and more importantly grows up.

I'll certainly be continuing this series.

94. Hide and Seek - Ian Rankin


Marginally better than the first book of the series, the author seems to still be attempting to define Rebus, and currently using most of the usual tropes to do so.

The mystery was all over the place, with Rebus chasing shadows rather than bothering to think things through.

Character development is minimal.

I read Hide and Seek so soon due to the urging above. I'm still not impressed but not as negative as I was regarding the first book.

November Round Up:

I'm not going to finish the book I'm reading currently so here's the monthly totals and breakouts:

Heavy on the Lads this month: 6 vs only 1 by a lady.

The Yard - Alex Grecian - ROOT, Audio, 13 in 13
Knots and Crosses- Ian Rankin - TIOLI 6, AlphaCAT, Audio, 13 in 13
Sandman Slim - Richard Kadrey ROOT, AlphaCAT, 13 in 13
Ratking - Michael Dibdin - ROOT, 13 in 13
Can You Forgive Her? - Anthony Trollope - TIOLI 2, Group Read, 13 in 13
Hide and Seek - Ian Rankin - 13 in 13

God Save the Queen - Kate Locke - TIOLI 4, ROOT, AlphaCAT, 13 in 13

So that's 4 ROOTS, with one that I can't honestly count because I'm sure I'll re-read the Pallisers again some time.

1 historical, 4 mystery, 1 steampunk, 1 urban fantasy.

Biggest disappointment: Knots and Crosses. It was horrible and I didn't want to finish it, but I did. Then because folks kept saying not to judge the series on that book, I jumped right into the second of the series Hide and Seek. It was better. Nothing to write home about, I'm afraid, but better. I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series.

Most enjoyable: The Yard which was very reminiscent of The Alienist . Just up my street, those two.

I'm currently about halfway through a second steampunk, Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine but won't get it done by midnight.

I think I did pretty good since I also wrote north of 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo.

"I think I did pretty good since I also wrote north of 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo"

Nope, you didn't do good, you did brilliantly!! Congrats!

Wow, that's a lot of writing! Congratulations! Excellent work.

Congratulations on your NaNoWriMo writing.... that is hugely impressive!

Congratulations on your novel writing! I hope you're pleased with it.

Congrats on winning NaNoWriMo! I did not, but such is life. It's a huge accomplishment that you wrote a novel AND read 7 books in November!

95. The Man With a Load of Mischief - Martha Grimes

A many time re-read for me. Christmas in a fairytale town. With corpses.

96. The Fleet Street Murders - Charles Finch


More murder at Christmas time. Not as good as other Charles Lenox mysteries, primarily because after reading Trollope I know way too much about electioneering so found that part of the book rather annoying.

97. Phoenix Rising - Pip Ballantine


Steampunk. World building is very intriguing, and the characters are well drawn, but the book is badly in need of an editor!

98. A Drink Before the War - Dennis Lehane

Excellent noir, gritty mystery set in Boston. The characterization is excellent. Will definitely read more of this series.

99. Zoo Station - David Downing


John Russell is an English reporter living in Germany as Hitler rises to power. He observes the signs but like his neighbors closes his eyes to the worst of things. Until he finds himself drawn in and recruited for spy duty.

Very reminiscent of Alan Furst. Interesting viewpoint with lots of detail regarding the times in Germany.

Thanks everyone for the kind thoughts and words!

I've really enjoyed the couple of Alan Furst books that I've read so far so will have to think about adding David Downing to the tbr shelves too.

100. Jar City - Arnuldur Indidason - Category 11 Astrolabe - contemporary mysteries


First of the Erlindur series, police procedural set in Iceland. Interesting setting, and quite noir.

101. Blackcollar - Timopthy Zahn - Category 3 - Albert's Time Bridge - scifi and high tech

First of the Blackcollar series, science fiction. Aliens have conquered Earth and its planets and the novel depicts the beginnings of the first successful terrorist action against the by Earthers. Very fast paced and enjoyable.

102. On the Oceans of Eternity - S.M. Stirling - Category 8 - Timothy Leary's Glasses - alt history

The last book of the Nantucket Event trilogy. The island of Nantucket has been somehow transported to the far distant past. The trilogy depicts how the people there adapted and how they've changed Earth's history as a result. Complex plot, with interesting technological aspects as to how the bronze age would change if someone showed up with modern ideas, if not the most modern of weapons.

103. The Cruellest Month - Louise Penny - Category 11 Astrolabe - Contemporary Mysteries

Third in the Gamache mystery series, Gamache once again finds himself in Three Pines with a murder to solve. The town is as ever interesting, the inhabitants intriguing. Gamache finally begins to see the plot against him in the Quebec police forces.

104. London Falling - Paul Cornell - Category 10 Lovecraftian Nightmares

Very noir, gritty and scary urban fantasy with a police procedural setup. Four London Police officers, involved in a rather mundane longterm operation against a drug dealer, suddenly find themselves with the Sight, and no longer chasing a drug dealer, but rather someone not merely ugly, but evil, and supernatural as well. What a great read!

And I can't quite believe I've read 100 books in one year, having never come close to this many in one year before! (104 for the challenge as I started last year on the 13th of December).

Happy Solstice!
Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season, whatever you celebrate.

Looks like you've had a good December, reading-wise! London Falling is on my TBR list and I concur with your assessments of Jar City and The Cruellest Month.

Pretty picture. Happy Holidays to you as well. At this point, I feel like I survive the holidays more than celebrate them. LOL.

Nantucket Event series is now on my radar.

Belated Happy Solstice Jean! That's a beautiful graphic.

I received some great books this year:

From the XMas Swap: (thanks qebo!)

Among Others
Ready Player One
To Say Nothing of the Dog

From SantaThing: (thanks thornton3781 !)
A Lesson in Dying
Mr Timothy
Belshazzar's Daughter
Iron House

I'm so excited about reading every one of them!

What great books to receive!

Nice! Book hauls are such fun.

105. Teckla - Steven Brust
Book 3 of Vlad Taltos, the assassins story. Brust as his usual funny, sardonic self, with Vlad and his familiar getting into a mess and stepping into an uprising against the regime.

I do love these books. Placed in Category 9 Lenape Cave Artifacts - Magic and Magic Wielders

106. Quite Ugly One Morning - Christopher Brookmyre

Tartan noir. Pain in the ass newspaper reporter on the trail of a murderer. With lots of jaw-droppingly gross scenes yet darkly amusing. I'll be continuing this series. Sigh. Not like I'm involved in enough of them already...
Placed in Category 1 - Minoan Trident - Thrillers

107. Rest You Merry - Charlotte MacLeod
A fusty professor finds a dead body in his living room. And a missing marble. Thus begins his quest to find a killer. Enjoyable if not amazingly so. Still quite a nice cozy.
Placed in Category 11 Ferdinand Magellan's Astrolabe - Contemporary Mystery

That concludes 2013 for me! See you on my 2014 thread:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/158134

December Stats:

Wow, I got a lot of reading done in December:

107. Rest You Merry - Charlotte MacLeod
106. Quite Ugly One Morning - Christopher Brookmyre
105. Teckla - Steven Brust
104. London Falling - Paul Cornell
103. The Cruellest Month - Louise Penny
102. On the Oceans of Eternity - S.M. Stirling
101. Blackcollar - Timothy Zahn
100. Jar City - Arnaldur Indridason
99. Zoo Station - David Downing
98. A Drink Before the War - Dennis Lehane
97. Phoenix Rising - Pip Ballantine
96. The Fleet Street Murders - Charles Finch
95. The Man With a Load of Mischief - Martha Grimes

4 female authors, 9 males (darn, I prefer keeping that more balanced)

6 audiobooks, 7 ebooks, 2872 pages

6 mysteries, 3 thrillers (one Scottish NOIR!), 1 sci fi, 1 steampunk, 1 fantasy, 1 alt history.

A fairly good mix for me.

Category totals:

Cat 1 - Minoan Trident (thrillers) - 11
Cat 2 - Poe's Quill Pen - (period mysteries) - 12
Cat 3- Einstein's Time Bridge (sci fi) - 10
Cat 4 - Hannibal's Whip (epic tales) - 7
Cat 5 - Beatrix Potter's Tea Set (fantasy) - 5
Cat 6 - H.G. Wells's Time Machine (ancient times) - 6
Cat 7 - Amber Sphere and Pearls of Wisdom (spies) - 6
Cat 8 - Timothy Leary's Glasses (altered states) - 7
Cat 9 - Lenape Cave Arifiacts (magic) - 7
Cat 10 - H.P. Lovecraft's Key (monsters, nightmares) - 6
Cat 11 - Magellan's Astrolabe (contemporary mysteries) - 14
Cat 12 - Abby Normal's Brain (weird) - 6
Cat 13 - Pandora's Box (gifts and ERs) - 6

I still can't believe I read 103 books over the year (107 for this challenge). Yay me!

Glad you enjoyed your first taste of Christopher Brookmyre. He became a favourite of mine a couple of years ago and I've enjoyed almost all of his work immensely. Congrats on hitting 103, that's quite a mark.

Brookmyre is definitely on my to be read more list. I liked his weirdness and odd way of looking at things :)

103 books! Great accomplishment!