mathgirl40's 2013 category challenge -- part 3

Time for a new thread! Here is the third and final part of my 2013 challenge. The previous threads can be found here:
Part 2
Part 1

I’m trying for a minimum of 8 books in each category. It’ll also be a priority for me to read books already owned or borrowed as of Dec. 31, 2012, so I’ll be keeping track of that here as well.

1. Short-story anthologies
2. Graphic novels
3. BookCrossing books
4. Dust Collectors
5. 1001 Books / Classics
6. Non-fiction
7. Around the World
8. Next in the series
9. 2013 award nominees
10. Mystery
11. SFF
12. Young adult
13. Everything else

Category 1: Short-story anthologies

1. Steampunk! edited by Kelly Link (Mar. 20)
2. The View from the Stars by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (Apr. 30)
3. Hugo nominees: short stories and novelettes (June 27)
4. One Good Story, That One by Thomas King (June 30)
5. The Regatta Mystery by Agatha Christie (Sept. 6)
6. Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link (Oct. 16)
7. Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link (Oct. 30)
8. Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam (Nov. 29)

Category 2: Graphic novels

1. The Sandman, Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman (Jan. 20)
2. The Sandman, Volume 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman (Feb. 15)
3. Digger, Volume 1 by Ursula Vernon (Feb. 28)
4. The Sandman, Volume 3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman (Mar. 4)
5. The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller (Apr. 10)
6. Asterix and Cleopatra by Goscinny and Uderzo (April 11)
7. The Sandman, Volume 4: Season of Mists (April 30)
8. The Sandman, Volume 5: A Game of You (May 26)
9. Digger, Vol. 2 by Ursula Vernon (June 6)
10. The Sandman, Volume 6: Fables and Reflections by Neil Gaiman (June 11)
11. Grandville Bete Noire by Bryan Talbot (July 8)
12. Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples (July 10)
13. Locke and Key, Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (July 16)
14. Saucer Country Vol. 1: Run by Paul Cornell and Ryan Kelly (July 21)
15. Locke and Key, Volume 2: Head Games by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (July 31)
16. Locke and Key, Volume 3: Crown of Shadows by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (Aug. 21)
17. The Sandman, Volume 7: Brief Lives by Neil Gaiman (Sept. 28)
18. Locke and Key, Volume 4: Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (Oct. 28)
19. The Sandman, Volume 8: Worlds' End by Neil Gaiman (Nov. 13)
20. The Sandman, Volume 9: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman (Nov. 30)
21. The Sandman, Volume 10: The Wake by Neil Gaiman (Dec. 5)

Category 3: BookCrossing books

1. Hyperion by Dan Simmons (Jan. 9)
2. Borkmann's Point by Håkan Nesser (Jan. 11)
3. The Postman by David Brin (Jan. 28)
4. Dust by Martha Grimes (Mar. 31)
5. Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay (Apr. 25)
6. Once was Lost by Sara Zarr (Aug. 20)
7. The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (Nov. 25)
8. Un Lun Dun by China Miéville (Dec. 21)

Category 4: Dust collectors

1. The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies (Mar. 6)
2. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Mar. 28)
3. The Giver by Lois Lowry (Apr. 16)
4. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History (May 23)
5. Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began (May 24)
6. Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey (June 3)
7. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (June 7)
8. The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle (Dec. 22)

Category 5: Classics and books from the 1001 list

1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Feb. 23)
2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (Apr. 27)
3. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (May 8)
4. An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (May 11)
5. Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare (May 30)
6. The Time Machine by H. G. Wells (July 17)
7. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy (August 2)
8. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (Sept. 11)
9. 20000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (Nov. 19)

Category 6: Non-fiction

1. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Mar. 29)
2. Eating Dirt by Charlotte Gill (Apr. 17)
3. The Influencing Machine by Brooke Gladstone (Apr. 27)
4. Chicks Dig Comics (July 4)
5. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson (Aug. 30)
6. Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah (Nov. 26)
7. Seriously ... I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres (Dec. 4)
8. The Sandman Companion by Hy Bender (Dec. 7)
9. A Feast of Ice and Fire by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel and Sariann Lehrer (Dec. 28)

Category 7: Around the World

1. Sidetracked by Henning Mankell (Jan. 13) -- Sweden
2. Death of a Celebrity by M. C. Beaton (Feb. 27) -- Scotland
3. Winter of the Lions by Jan Costin Wagner (Mar. 3) -- Finland
4. The Secret River by Kate Grenville (Mar. 12) -- Australia
5. Letters to a Young Gymnast by Nadia Comaneci (Apr. 8) -- Romania
6. Twilight is not Good for Maidens by Lou Allin (May 14) -- Canada
7. Tango in Madeira by Jim Williams (June 24) -- Madeira
8. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (July 9) -- U.S.A.
9. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo (Aug. 13) -- Zimbabwe
10. Belshazzar's Daughter by Barbara Nadel (Aug. 18) -- Turkey
11. Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw (Sept. 3) -- Singapore/Malaysia/China
12. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (Sept. 20) -- Russia
13. Intolerable by Kamal Al-Solaylee (Sept. 26) -- Yemen/Egypt
14. The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (Oct. 5) -- India/USA

Category 8: Next in the series

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth (Feb. 6)
2. The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö (Apr. 3)
3. A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold (Apr. 6)
4. Messenger by Lois Lowry (June 8)
5. Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston (June 19)
6. Scrivener's Moon by Philip Reeve (Sept. 14)
7. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin (Oct. 8)
8. Children of God by Mary Doria Russell (Nov. 6)
9. Allegiant by Veronica Roth (Nov. 28)
10. Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin (Dec. 11)
11. Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (Dec. 28)

Category 9: 2013 award nominees

1. Away by Jane Urquhart (Feb. 10)
2. Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese (Apr. 3)
3. Blackout by Mira Grant (June 17)
4. San Diego 2014 by Mira Grant (June 28)
5. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold (July 12)
6. 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson (July 22)
7. Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed (July 26)
8. The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson (July 27)
9. On a Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard (July 28)
10. After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress (July 29)
11. The Stars do not Lie by Jay Lake (July 31)
12. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (Aug. 9)
13. Up and Down by Terry Fallis (Aug. 13)
14. Tell it to the Trees by Anita Rau Badami (Aug. 22)
15. Harvest by Jim Crace (Aug. 29)
16. The Little Shadows by Marina Endicott (Sept. 17)
17. Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín (Oct. 7)
18. The Western Light by Susan Swan (Oct. 10)
19. The Deception of Livvy Higgs by Donna Morrissey (Oct. 18)

Category 10: Mystery

1. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (Jan. 26)
2. The Gallows Bird by Camilla Läckberg (Jan. 31)
3. The Fifth Woman by Henning Mankell (Feb. 18)
4. Police at the Funeral by Margery Allingham (Apr. 22)
5. The Fire Engine that Disappeared by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (Apr. 24)
6. The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (May 2)
7. Murder on Ice by Alina Adams (May 21)
8. One Step Behind by Henning Mankell (July 5)
9. Murder at the Savoy by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (Sept. 13)
10. Laura by Vera Caspary (Sept. 27)
11. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (Dec. 19)

Category 11: Science fiction, fantasy and other speculative fiction

1. Aurorarama by Jean-Christophe Valtat (Jan. 23)
2. Zoo City by Lauren Beukes (Feb. 22)
3. Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow (Mar. 22)
4. Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold (Apr. 12)
5. Feed by Mira Grant (May 4)
6. vN by Madeline Ashby (May 22)
7. Neuromancer by William Gibson (June 4)
8. Son by Lois Lowry (June 9)
9. Deadline by Mira Grant (June 13)
10. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (June 22)
11. Dreadnought by Cherie Priest (June 24)
12. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (Aug. 31)
13. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (Sept. 22)
14. Triggers by Robert Sawyer (Oct. 1)
15. Fledgling by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Oct. 14)
16. Spartan Planet by Bertram Chandler (Nov. 1)
17. Carousel Tides by Sharon Lee (Dec. 25)

Category 12: Young-adult books

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth (Jan. 4)
2. Son of Interflux by Gordon Korman (Feb. 13)
3. The Geomancer's Compass by Melissa Hardy (Feb. 26)
4. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen (Mar. 19)
5. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (Apr. 13)
6. Type by Alicia Hendley (Aug. 3)
7. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (Sept. 24)
8. Smokescreen by Nancy Hartry (Oct. 3)
9. Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield (Oct. 4)
10. Tag Along by Tom Ryan (Oct. 22)
11. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Oct. 25)
12. This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel (Oct. 27)
13. 47 by Walter Mosley (Dec. 14)

Category 13: Everything else

1. A Mercy by Toni Morrison (Jan. 30)
2. Winterfair Gifts by Lois McMaster Bujold (Apr. 7)
3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (May 17)
4. Farthing by Jo Walton (June 29)
5. MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood (Oct. 20)
6. Death of a King by Andrew H. Vanderwal (Nov. 15)
7. The Runner and the Wizard by Dave Duncan (Dec. 3)
8. A Highland Christmas by M. C. Beaton (Dec. 10)
9. The Hedge Knight by G. R. R. Martin (Dec. 20)
10. The Sworn Sword by G. R. R. Martin (Dec. 22)

117. Intolerable by Kamal Al-Solaylee (4 stars)
Category: Around the World (Yemen/Egypt)

This memoir from journalist and university professor Al-Solaylee is on the 2013 Ontario Library Association's Evergreen list and is about his experiences growing up in the Middle East. He documents the stark contrast between the liberal and cosmopolitan society of his childhood, where women were comfortable wearing bikinis and Western films were popular, and the oppressive environment that developed as the religious fundamentalists took control.

In this well-paced and very readable memoir, the author talks honestly about his experiences and feelings, and in particular, the fears and frustrations related to his being a homosexual in a country where this could result in imprisonment or even execution. He acknowledges that the situation is even more difficult for his sisters, whose freedoms had been curtailed even more drastically.

Al-Solaylee describes how he escaped Yemen, continued his education in England and eventually settled in Canada. My favourite line in the book is the following. On contemplating his lack of material wealth during his first years in Canada, he writes, "I could live well as a poor man in Toronto because my life was enriched by many other things: from public libraries to public broadcasting to the many parks and free art galleries." Many of us who grew up in North America never lacked such things and take them for granted. Al-Solaylee, who did not have these riches and freedoms in his youth, reminds me of how lucky we are.

What lives some of us on this globe have to live. Again, this is essentially why we all read, isn't it, to get a glimpse into a life, fictional or not, that we couldn't access via our own experiences. Great review - thumbing.

Migrating over to your new thread, Paulina! Great review for Intolerable.

Happy new thread! That line you quoted is so true.

>16 -Eva-:: So very true, Eva, and thanks for the thumb. :)

>17 lkernagh:: Thanks, Lori!

>18 rabbitprincess:: Yes, I agree, and it is true of many cities in North America. However, I'll also say that I love Toronto because of its multicultural nature, so while Toronto has been good to Al-Solaylee, its immigrant population has been good to the city as well.

118. Laura by Vera Caspary (4 stars)
Category: Mystery

I almost didn't get to read this classic mystery for the September group read because I had a hard time finding it. It wasn't available at any of my local libraries, there was no ePUB version available for purchase in Canada, and I didn't want to wait weeks for a delivery from another country. However, en route to a friend's cottage for the weekend, I happened to stop by a used bookstore that, incredibly enough, had it, and I walked away with a fragile, musty copy retrieved from the cellar!

I found the novel very suspenseful, and I also recommend the movie which I'd watched years ago and rewatched very recently. The movie follows the plot fairly closely, but there are some differences. For example, I liked the fact that the novel is told from the points of views of several of the main characters in turn. There is also a deeper exploration of the complex relationships between Laura and each of the men in her life: Waldo, Mark and Shelby. Without giving away anything, I'll just say there are a couple of very surprising moments in the story. I haven't read much in the noir and hard-boiled genres, having avoided it for the most part in the past, but I think I need to explore further. Maybe this will be a good category for the 2014 challenge?

I love the movie Laura. I'll have to try the book sometime!

Laura sounds like the perfect winter read for me. On the used bookstore list it goes! Noir and hard-boiled crimes would be a great category for the 2014 challenge. I have a category for tartan noir, which is Scottish noir fictions because, like you, I tend to avoid these types of books. I know this group has a number of members that would be able to offer you with some book suggestions for your noir category, should you decide to add it to your 2014 challenge!

I having been eyeing Laura after its got good reviews from the group read. Dorothy B Hughes wrote about the same time if you want more of that setting, her later stuff is good.

>21 cbl_tn:: I hope you enjoy the book. Even if you know how it ends (as I did) from seeing the movie, it is still a suspenseful read.

>22 lkernagh:: I'd not heard of "tartan noir" as a subgenre, but it sounds totally worth checking out! Actually, I have read and enjoyed Ian Rankin, so maybe I will try some of the other authors in 2014.

>23 clfisha:: Thanks for the recommendation. With all these suggestions, I'll definitely have to include a noir/hard-boiled category for 2014!

119. Sandman, Volume 7: Brief Lives by Neil Gaiman (5 stars)
Category: Graphic Novels

This is one of my favourite volumes of the Sandman series so far. There is a mostly linear storyline which follows Delirium and Dream’s journey to find their brother Destruction, but this volume also fills in the back story for various members of the Endless. Recurring themes are mortality, as the title suggests, and family ties.

I found this volume to be extremely complex. There are so many references to past characters and events, as well as plays upon the themes, that I’m certain I will be rereading this book again at a later date. Unlike my experience with The Master and Margarita that I described in my Part 2 thread, I did not feel befuddled while reading the story. I was able to thoroughly enjoy this volume while still realizing there is much to re-explore at a later time. I thought that Delirium and Destruction were wonderfully portrayed, and Barnabas the dog is one character I’d like to get to know better!

Isn't Barnabas just fantastic!! :)

>26 -Eva-:: Definitely! There are so many great characters in the Sandman series that I'd have a hard time choosing a favourite.

120. Witch and Wizard by James Patterson (2.5 stars)
Category: Graphic Novels

One of the families in our parent/child book club chose this manga, as they thought it would be good for our club to discuss a graphic novel for a change. While I totally agree with this sentiment, I can't help but think that there are so many better choices. This volume is actually the manga version of a full-length novel, and I wonder if the latter is a better read.

This story, about a brother-and-sister witch-and-wizard pair on the run from those seeking to eliminate their kind, seems shallow and full of cliches. There's not much in terms of back story nor is there any character development. There's plenty of action, though. The thing that annoyed me the most was that the story started with a scene from the present. Then the story leading up to that scene is told in flashbacks, but by the end of the book, I still have no idea how that first scene came about! I guess it will be revealed in a later book but I have no inclination to continue the series.

Here is a summary of my September reading, a little bit late:

Books read: 13 from 9 categories (120 in all)
Books off my shelves: 1 (35 for the year)
Favourite book: Sandman, Volume 7: Brief Lives by Neil Gaiman
Least favourite book: Witch and Wizard (manga version) by James Patternson

I did well with my Around the World category, visiting Russia in one book, China/Malaysia/Singapore in another and Yemen/Egypt in a third. However, I did dismally in reading books off my shelves, and I'm not doing any better this month. I'm going to have to make this a priority in November and December!

Laura is one of my favorite movies, and I've yet to read the book! I watch the film every couple of months.

I love noir and would recommend you also try and track down something by Cornel Woolrich who has written some excellent noir. He did a lot of screen-writing in the 1940's adapting both his books and others to the big screen.

>30 LauraBrook:, 31: I'm sure I'll be doing a re-watch of the film myself at a later date, but I wouldn't mind seeing other noir films from that era. Thanks for the Cornel Woolrich recommendation, Judy! Now I'm getting pretty excited about including a noir category for next year, and perhaps going for novel/film pairs.

121. Triggers by Robert Sawyer (3 stars)
Category: Science-fiction

I've been reading through the Ontario Library Association's 2013 Evergreen list, and this is my 7th book from the list of 10. In this story, a bomb goes off as the US president recovers from an assassination attempt in a hospital where a researcher is doing experiments related to people's memories. The blast causes his equipment to malfunction, and the result is that each of 21 people including the president is able to access the memories of one other person.

I really seem to have a love-hate relationship with Sawyer's books. I find fault with all of them, but I can't stop reading them. At least I now know what to expect from Sawyer: a fast-paced page turner with interesting ideas and limited depth. The premise of this novel is intriguing if improbable, and Sawyer is good at making it seem at least somewhat feasible. There are loads of characters with varying points of views, but little development in any of them throughout the book. The ending is just ... strange. Still, reading this wasn't a bad way to kill a few hours.

122. Smokescreen by Nancy Hartry (3 stars)
Category: Young Adult

This new young-adult novel is set in the northern woods of Ontario and follows two teenage girls working at a fire-fighting camp. There is a mystery underlying the story, as the girls try to figure out who is deliberately setting the forest fires. The novel started off well, with a good premise, but I found the characters one-dimensional and the dialogue awkward and unnatural. What saves the novel is the interesting and unusual setting which sets it apart from the typical young-adult adventure story.

123. Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield (3 stars)
Category: Young adult

I’m getting pretty tired of young-adult dystopian/paranormal/romantic fiction, but yet another one was chosen for our parent-child book club. Coincidentally, I started reading this right after finishing Triggers by Robert Sawyer, which I’d reviewed in an earlier post. Both books feature characters who can get into the minds of others, recalling memories in one case and sharing thoughts in the other.

In this novel, a teenage girl and her mother are in hiding from a government that fears and wants to eliminate all those with paranormal abilities. The characters were mostly one-dimensional, the plot was full of cliches, and there were several long and tedious angsty scenes. Yet, it wasn’t a terrible read, as the author succeeded in creating some truly suspenseful moments and exciting fast-paced scenes. There wasn’t a full resolution at the end, but if a sequel appears, I think I’ll pass on it.

124. The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (4 stars)
Category: Around the World (India/USA)

I had really enjoyed Lahiri’s The Namesake, so I was looking forward to The Lowland, especially after finding out that it had made it onto the Booker shortlist this year. For some reason, which I’m not sure I can name accurately, this novel did not grab me the same way as her earlier one. Perhaps it was the fact that the chapters jumped frequently between time periods and points of view, making it more difficult to embrace any of the characters fully as I did Gogol in The Namesake. Still, The Lowland is a skillfully written novel and it allowed me to learn more about Indian politics in the 60’s. I also enjoyed the portions of the book set in Rhode Island and seen mainly through Subhash’s eyes. I’d visited this beautiful state briefly once, but I believe this is the first time I’ve read a book set there.

By the way, I can't believe this novel has such an incredibly boring cover. This is a book by an established author that features characters transitioning between two countries and cultures, as well as a violent uprising, and this is the best the publishers can do to convey that?

You're right about that cover. A cover using just graphic text can work (see Zadie Smith's NW), but usually it doesn't (like There But For The by Ali Smith, which wasn't terrible, but wasn't good). Maybe it's meant to say that it's an important, award-nominated book? And the people reading it are beyond such petty considerations as pretty covers?

>37 RidgewayGirl:: I guess I'm not beyond such petty considerations myself. :) Harvest was nominated for the same award, and I really liked its cover, which had mostly graphic text but enough of an illustration to evoke a sense of the setting.

125. Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín (4 stars)
Category: 2013 Award Nominee

This 2013 Booker nominee is a compact but memorable story. It describes the final days of Jesus Christ and the consequences of his crucifixion from the point-of-view of his mother Mary. I was struck by the realistic tone of the narrative, even as Mary is describing the miracles that her son had performed. He is not shown as a prophet or martyr but as a son estranged from his mother who still cares a great deal about him and is frustrated by his choices and actions. This is a different take on a well-known story and Tóibín presents it skillfully.

126. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (4 stars)
Category: Next in the Series

As with the first book, I found this second book in the Song of Fire and Ice series to be a totally engrossing read. However, it felt very much like a "middle book" to me. Even though the first book left as many loose ends, I felt at least a momentary sense of completion at the end, but I didn't get that satisfying feeling with this book. There seemed to be too little resolution of the numerous storylines. Of course, this only makes me want to read the third book more! My favourite chapters were the ones featuring Tyrion, as he is such a multi-faceted character. Theon also plays a major role in this book and his story would have been more interesting to me if he did not have such a contemptible personality.

I'm currently reading A Feast for Crows and it's just full speed ahead like the others, although about half of the characters are not narrating and will apparently show up in the next one instead. So, so many characters, so few(...!?) pages. :)

How do the books compare to the show? My SO and I are watching the second season now and are having a hard time not just watching one more episode, no matter how late it is and how early we have to get up the next day. I'm not going to read 'em, but my SO might like them.

>41 -Eva-:: I heard that the final two volumes will be real doorstops. I'm trying to not read the books too quickly, so I won't have a huge wait between #5 and #6. I've been trying to catch up to the Leigh Butler's re-read on Tor. She's near the end of book #3 right now. Once I catch up, I'll try to read a chapter or two a week, as she does, but I'm not sure I'll be able to resist moving ahead.

>42 RidgewayGirl:: I'm deliberately avoiding the show until I finish the books, or at least have caught up to where they are in the show. I've heard from other people that the show follows the book quite closely.

Tyrion can't possibly be more awesome in the book than he is in the show. Just sayin'.

@40, glad you're still enjoying the GoT reads. Pretty soon you'll be like the rest of us in waiting for the next volume to arrive.

41, Yes the next book starts on the same timeline as that one but does catch up and merge/continue the storylines of the characters.

42, I think the TV producers have done an excellent job of adapting the basic story to the small screen. There's no way they can convey everything that goes on in the books but generally it's still telling the same story. Will be interesting to see what happens when they reach the point where GRRM himself is up to in the story.

I've seen the first two seasons and I have to say the TV producers have done a fantastic job! You, obviously, get more "extra" stuff in the books, but they've managed to be surprisingly faithful to the books.

->44 RidgewayGirl:
I'll have to give it to Peter Dinklage - he has channeled Tyrion perfectly. Basically, in the books, you'll get the extra snarkiness that they haven't been able to fit in the TV series. :)

>44 RidgewayGirl:, 45, 46: I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the TV series eventually, and it sounds like Tyrion is just as awesome on the screen as he is in the books!

127. The Western Light by Susan Swan (4.5 stars)
Category: 2013 Award Nominees

This beautifully written novel was nominated for the 2013 Ontario Library Association’s Evergreen award and is a prequel to The Wives of Bath. The novel explores the relationship between 12-year-old Mouse Bradford and former hockey star John Pilkie, imprisoned for the murder of his wife and child. It’s a suspenseful and well-plotted story, as the author keeps us guessing about Pilkie’s motives, but more interesting is Swan’s examination of good and evil. We see not just the kindness in one that everyone has labelled as evil but also the unintentional cruelty in Mouse’s father, a man that everyone has labelled as good.

One aspect that I found interesting was Pilkie’s defense that repeated concussions had led to his temporary insanity. Earlier this year, Hockey Canada banned body-checking for hockey players 12 and under, and the decision caused some amount of controversy. Personally, I am appalled by the risks that young hockey players take, but sadly, many people insist that body-checking and brawls are "part of the game".

By the way, I really love the cover of this book. It has a Group of Seven feel to it.

128. Fledgling by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (4 stars)
Category: Science Fiction and Fantasy

I'm a fan of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series and I'd heard people say that Vorkosigan fans would probably enjoy the Liaden series as well. So I downloaded the free copy of Fledgling offered by Baen Books here. Warning: there were a couple of spots in the first part of the e-book where it seemed like a page or two were missing. This was disconcerting but didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book, and well, one can't complain too much when the book is free.

This is a fairly late book in the series but the first of four with Theo Waitley as a main character and can be read as a stand-alone. The book does have some characteristics in common with the Vorkosigan books but it has more of a young-adult feel, though it does contain the complexity I'd expect from a novel for adults. It was completely enjoyable with interesting characters that I definitely want to get to know better. I'm glad that there are so many more Liaden books to discover!

Since Vorkosigan was mentioned ... we're planning to do a group read of the Vorkosigan series in 2014. If you're interested, you can sign up here!

129. Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link (4 stars)
Category: Short Stories

I finally got around to reading this short-story collection that I'd acquired through the first Humble E-book Bundle. It's hard to categorize this collection. There are fantastical elements, horror and magical realism, but the stories are really quite different from one another and from others in these genres. Kelly Link is extremely skilled at evoking a magical and atmospheric scene. Some of the stories had limited plots; the setups were good but they did not always develop fully. Some stories were just plain weird, but somehow that added to the appeal. I wouldn't recommend this collection to everyone, but if you're looking for something offbeat, it's worth giving a try.

130. The Deception of Livvy Higgs by Donna Morrissey (4 stars)
Category: 2013 Award Nominees

This historical novel, set in 1930's Newfoundland and war-time Halifax, is another selection from the Ontario Library Association’s 2013 Evergreen list. There are two storylines, one in the present as Livvy Higgs nears the end of her life, and one in the past as Livvy is recalling it. The plot is complex and suspenseful, as Livvy works out her family’s dark secrets. This novel was skillfully written and I’d generally recommend it, but somehow I wasn’t as enthused about it as I thought I’d be. Maybe I’m just getting a little tired of this kind of CanLit historical novel.

131. MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood (4.5 stars)
Category: Miscellaneous

Margaret Atwood never disappoints me. MaddAddam joins together the characters and narratives of Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood, and brings everything to a satisfying, even hopeful, conclusion in this damaged, post-apocalyptic world. After having read so many mediocre dystopian novels and generic CanLit books recently, it was refreshing to immerse myself in Atwood’s crazy but believable world and enjoy her wicked sense of humor. This trilogy isn’t her best work, but it’s definitely worth reading, and I would recommend doing so in order, as MaddAddam doesn’t work as a standalone novel.

132. Tag Along by Tom Ryan (3.5 stars)
Category: Young Adult

Tom Ryan is a promising new Canadian author, and this is his second book after Way to Go. Tag Along is a charming story about four teens thrown unexpectedly together on prom night. In a single evening, they all learn much about one another and themselves. The book has some weaknesses, such as unconvincing dialogue and situations, but overall, it is a fun book that teaches about tolerance and overcoming prejudices with a good dose of humour.

Ooh, I can't wait to read MaddAddam! Well, technically I can because I want to own it but prefer paperbacks. But yay! Glad to hear it's good.

I am waiting for next year's Atwood month to read it. I'm so happy to hear you liked it.

>54 rabbitprincess:: I prefer paperbacks too. I hope you'll like MaddAddam as much as I did when you read it!

>55 mamzel:: I couldn't wait to read to read MaddAddam, but I'm saving The Robber Bride for next year's Atwood group read.

133. The Hidden Child by Camilla Läckberg (3.5 stars)
Category: Mystery

This was another enjoyable installment in the continuing Erica Falck & Patrik Hedström series. This time, Erica finds herself deeply involved in the mystery surrounding the murder of a local historian, as she discovers secrets from her mother’s past. Patrik, in the meantime, is on paternity leave but can’t seem to stay away from the investigation himself. As a mystery, this one is not exceptional and seems less suspenseful than the previous in the series, and there are weaknesses in the writing. However, I am now sufficiently involved in the lives of Erica, Patrik, and their colleagues, family and friends that I can’t stop reading books in this series.

134. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (5 stars)
Category: Young adult

Our turn to host our parent-child book club is coming up, and this is the book that my daughter really wanted to use. Well, what can I say about this book that hasn’t already been said? Yes, it really does live up to all the hype. This is certainly the funniest, most enjoyable book about people dying from cancer that I’ve ever read. It’s rather annoying to recognize how skillfully Green is manipulating my emotions but even with that awareness, to totally fall for it all the same. I’d listened to this book on audiobook, which was superbly narrated by Kate Rudd. It included an interview with John Green, which I found both interesting and enlightening.

135. This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel (4 stars)
Category: Young adult
Challenges: RandomCAT and AwardCAT

This is the first book in a series meant to be a prequel to Mary's Shelley's Frankenstein. I've not read Shelley's classic so I can't compare the two books or comment on whether Oppel's take on the character is a plausible one. I can say that the story is suspenseful, has a gothic feel to it, and features a fascinating main character that shows both admirable and unpleasant qualities. Oppel's Airborn series is one of my favourite young-adult series. This one seems weaker in comparison but is still worth reading, as Oppel's writing is superior to that of many current YA authors.

136. Locke & Key, Volume 4: Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (4.5 stars)
Category: Graphic novels
Challenges: AwardCAT

This was another excellent installment in the continuing Locke & Key series. I particularly liked how the characters developed throughout this volume, and I enjoyed the larger roles played by the detective Mutuku and Ellie's son Rufus. The final chapter of this volume was so suspenseful and gripping, I simply could not put the book down until it was finished. I do wonder, though, if there is a finite number of keys in this house, or whether the number will continue to grow until Hill's imagination reaches its limit!

137. Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link (4 stars)
Category: Short stories
Challenges: AwardCAT

After finishing Stranger Things Happen, I decided to follow up with Kelly Link's second volume of short stories, Magic for Beginners. These stories are just as bizarre and mind-bending as those in the first volume. I've decided that Link’s short stories are great in small doses. After continuously reading several in a row, I was aching for a mostly-linear plot with some normal characters. It's probably best to enjoy one story at a time and let the images sink in for a while before going onto another. In this collection, I particularly liked "The Faery Handbag" and "Stone Animals".

Wow, some great reading here! You got me with The Dark Endeavor, even though I also haven't 'read' Shelley's Frankenstein..... mention of gothic gets me every time. Nice to see Locke & Key continues to be an excellent read!

I have a few of the Locke & Keys waiting for me and I'm hoping the holidays will give me time for them - they look great!

>62 lkernagh:, 63: I can certainly recommend the Locke & Key series, as long as you're not bothered by graphic violence, of which there is a fair amount. I've got volume 5 on hand now, and I'm torn between starting it immediately and holding off a bit, so it's not such a long wait before volume 6, which is to be published early next year.

Here is a quick October summary:

Number of books read: 17 (137 in all)
Number of books off the shelf: 4 (39 in all)
Favourite book: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Least favourite book: Smokescreen by Nancy Hartry

In October, I'd read an awful lot of recently published books, including 2 Booker nominees and 3 Evergreen award nominees from the current year, as well as a couple of Early Reviewers book. It's all good ... until I think about the books languishing on my shelf. In November and December, I need to make a better effort at attacking those dust collectors!

138. Spartan Planet (3 stars)
Category: Science Fiction

This novel from the late 60's is set on a planet solely inhabited by men, with a culture based on the ideals of ancient Sparta. Their world changes when a spaceship carrying both men and women arrive. It was not a bad story, but it had more than a few eye-rolling moments. Overall, the novel feels very dated. As I was reading it, I kept envisioning the planets that Kirk and Spock explored in old Star Trek episodes. I wonder if the references to homosexual activity on the planet were controversial in its time.

Hi Paulina, nice reviews and some BB: I'm sure Intolerable will be a great point of view on the change happening in the middle east, Laura should fit right in the July MysteryCAT. You remind me of La Princesse des glaces for the April MysteryCAT, thanks ! Locke & Key seems like a well-loved series ...

Just catching up, nice to see another Kelly Link fan :-)

>67 electrice:: Thanks for stopping by, electice! I'm looking forward to next year's CATs as well and thinking about possible selections to fill them.

>68 psutto:: Yes, I do like Link's writing. She has a unique style and I would love to see what she might do with a novella or novel-length story.

I've been rather consumed by NaNoWriMo this past month, but it'll be over in a week, and I hope to finally do more reading as well as catch up with everybody else's threads! I also have a backlog of reviews to write.

139. Children of God by Mary Doria Russell (4 stars)
Category: Next in the Series

Children of God is the sequel to the award-winning science-fiction novel The Sparrow. It is a very good story and as thought-provoking as its predecessor but for me, it did not have the same impact as The Sparrow did. I would not recommend reading it as a stand-alone because there are so many references to the earlier storylines and characters. As a sequel, it is quite satisfying as it resolves a number of questions that were left open at the end of the first book. There is an interesting and varied cast of characters that includes a mix of old ones and new ones.

NaNoWriMo consumed much of my spare time in November. I managed to write 50000 words so it was a success in that sense. The quality is not very good, but I enjoyed writing for the process and won't worry too much about the final product. :)

I still got through a fair number of books but am way behind on my reviews, and I've not had a chance to visit other people's threads much, but I hope to make up for lost time in December!

Excellent work! :)

140. Sandman, Volume 8: World’s End by Neil Gaiman (4 stars)
Category: Graphic Novels

This was a nice collection of stories, narrated by visitors to the inn at World's End. I really enjoyed the whole story-within-a-story concept that Gaiman plays with in this collection. There are some standouts in the artwork too, especially the double-page spread of the mourners in the final story. One interesting item to note is that the woman at the end of "A Tale of Two Cities" is not Dream's sister. I had thought she was Death, but according to Bender's The Sandman Companion, Gaiman did not mean for the woman to look so much like her.

141. Death of a King by Andrew H. Vanderwal (3 stars)
Category: Miscellaneous

I had really wanted to like this Early Reviewers book I had received. It had a lot going for it: a promising cast of characters and a mix of historical fiction and fantasy, involving a quite interesting period of history to boot. However, the plot had so many unbelievable moments. The time travel already stretches one's imagination, but there are too many other implausible scenarios. The plot was just one event after another and didn’t feel cohesive. Still, I think this kind of adventure yarn might appeal to some.

142. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (3.5 stars)
Category: Classic/1001

The crew of the Nautilus does not actually go 20000 leagues directly beneath the sea, which I found a little disappointing as it was this idea that I had initially found so intriguing. Rather, this is a round-the-world trip of 20000 leagues in a submarine. The final third of the book was great. It was suspenseful, tense and character-revealing. Unfortunately, the first two-thirds read like a lengthy geography lesson.

143. The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (5 stars)
Category: BookCrossing Books

This novel, about a student who travels back to the time of the Black Plague, is the perfect blend of science-fiction and historical fiction. What surprised me was how much I cared about the characters, in both eras. I guess that really was what Connie Willis was trying to convey -- each individual is important, and not just a mere statistic or entry in a history book. I found this novel totally engrossing, and I'm quite sure that I will want to reread it at a later date.

I’d read another book in the Oxford time-travellers series, To Say Nothing of the Dog, and that one was equally enjoyable, though very different in tone. I’m saving the other two volumes of this series, Blackout and All Clear for the Connie Willis group read in December 2014. It’s nice knowing I have these to look forward to at the end of the year.

Well done! I crashed and burned spectacularly this year.

@ 71 -- Congratulations on winning NaNoWriMo! I most definitely did not, so I'm very impressed! :)

@ 75 -- Your comment about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea made me laugh. I'm pretty sure that they don't actually get to the center of the earth in Journey to the Center of the Earth either. Apparently Jules Verne was a liar!

@ 76 -- The first Connie Willis books I read were To Say Nothing of the Dog and Bellwether, so I picked up Doomsday Book expecting it to be equally light and funny. Yeah...not so much. :) Hope you enjoy Blackout and All Clear when you get to them!

>72 rabbitprincess:: Thanks, rabbitprincess!

>77 RidgewayGirl:: That happened to me last year. This time around, I managed to hit 50000 on Nov. 29. I was so happy to do no writing on the weekend and to just catch up on my reading instead!

>78 christina_reads:: Thanks, Christina! Aww, Verne doesn't get to the centre of the Earth either? I had thought that book might be more promising.

144. Falling Leaves: the Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah (4 stars)
Category: Non-fiction

I had read the young-adult version of this book, Chinese Cinderella, a few years ago. I enjoyed this version more, as it included much more information about the political and cultural landscape. Adeline Yen Mah tells her story well. It is gripping and believable, but it is ultimately a very sad story, though it is inspiring to see how she has managed to overcome the challenges she had faced and make a good life for herself.

145. Allegiant by Veronica Roth (2 stars)
Category: Next in the Series

I had liked the first book of the Divergent trilogy very much. I found the concept of the factions in that book intriguing and Roth was good at creating suspense. However, once the world-building was done, the sequels didn’t seem to hold my interest. I found the second book Insurgent disappointing and I thought about abandoning the series, but there was so much hype about Allegiant these past months that I thought I’d miss out if I didn’t finish it. So I struggled through this last book.

I found the convoluted politics, dull characters and overused tropes tiresome, and the plot just became stranger and more unbelievable as it moved along. It’s too bad, as I had found the first book at least somewhat plausible. Perhaps I’m being too harsh on this novel, as I’ve certainly read worse, but it’s the most overrated novel I’ve read in a long time. People compare it to The Hunger Games but it isn't anywhere close in quality. My 14-year-old daughter was equally disappointed by Allegiant, though she liked the fact that the ending had some unexpected twists. I didn't mind the surprise ending either; it was the journey to that point that was painful.

Shame about Allegiant. Even though the 2nd book in the series was inferior to the 1st, I was still holding out hope for a decent conclusion. Unfortunately, I'll still probably pick it up at some point just so I don't have it hanging over me.

>82 AHS-Wolfy:: I know how you feel. I had to finish the book too, just for the sake of completeness. I'll be interested in hearing what you think. Reviews have been mixed. Some people did enjoy the book very much.

#75 Here's what I wrote about that Verne book: "Well, obviously, I have no idea what a league is because I was under the impression that they would go to a depth of twenty thousand leagues but they actually travel twenty thousand leagues *while* under the sea. "

>84 paruline:: Nice to know that I wasn't the only one who was misled by the title!

146. Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam (4.5 stars)
Category: Short Stories

I really enjoyed this collection of well-crafted stories about the lives of three doctors working in a Toronto hospital. This collection had won the Scotiabank Giller Prize, a very prestigious Canadian literary award, and is based on the author's own experiences as a doctor.

These stories felt complete and had satisfying conclusions. They were not just glimpses or slices of life as so many short stories tend to be. I found the story about the SARS epidemic especially interesting. Lam is very skilled at conveying the urgency of a doctor’s life, and I can see how this book spawned a successful TV series.

Maybe it's the juxtaposition of "league" with "under" that is misleading! I definitely thought he meant leagues as a measurement of depth, too.

Just for fun I used the Google calculator to do some conversion, and 20,000 leagues = 111,120 km. So that would have to be a pretty deep ocean if leagues were used to measure depth (not sure if this is scientifically valid, but anyway...)! Meanwhile, 20,000 fathoms is 36.576 km, which is a more feasible measurement ;)

My favourite part of Leagues is Ned Land, because he is Canadian! Also, I envied Nemo his library.

>87 rabbitprincess:: I loved Verne's portrayal of Ned Land too. There were some stereotypical elements but he was an appealing character. The library sounded wonderful, but if I owned one like that, I don't think I'd want to keep it all to myself hidden in a submarine.

147. Sandman, Volume 9: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman (4.5 stars)
Category: Graphic Novels

This was an excellent volume, but somewhat overwhelming too, with its length and number of story lines. The common thread was The Kindly Ones working toward their vengeance, but many characters from the earlier volumes are brought back and their stories continued or concluded.

Mark Hempel was the primary penciller for this volume and I found his artwork striking, but I also enjoyed seeing how the various characters were depicted by the other artists who had also contributed to this volume. Perhaps it’s because Hempel’s work is so different from the others’ that the contrasts caught my eye more than they did in any other volume.

Again, I am grateful to the Sandman Companion for bringing to my attention some items I’d missed on first reading, such as the common theme in the first panel of each issue. Even with the help of this book, I’m sure there is much that I’d missed. Certainly, this is one of the volumes that will merit a reread in the future.

Here's my November summary:

Books read: 10 (147 in all)
Books off my shelf: 2 (41 in all)
Favourite book: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Least favourite book: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

I am close to finishing up my challenge ... just a few more to go! I'm trying hard not to get too distracted by 2014 planning until I finish up my 2013 reading, but it's difficult to do.

Cheering you on to the finish of your challenge!

I enjoyed The Sandman year long read this year. Some of the stories read better than others but most installments built upon the last and The Kindly Ones really brought it all together in such an exceptional way. I will reread series because I know I only scratched the surface on this first read.

I did not read the Sandman Companion. Do you recommend it?

>91 luvamystery65:: Thanks, Roberta! If you do reread the series, I highly recommend The Sandman Companion. (I'm just finishing it up now and will add a review in a few days.) The interviews with Gaiman are enlightening, and Bender points out all sorts of interesting things that made me take a second look because I'd missed them the first time around.

148. The Runner and the Wizard by Dave Duncan (4 stars)
Category: Miscellaneous

This was a good well-paced story with very appealing characters, set in ancient Scotland. It's more of a novella than a novel, and seems to be setting up for the rest of the series, which I look forward to reading. This is not an outstanding read but it is certainly an enjoyable one. Dave Duncan writes with charm. I am embarrassed to say that I had never heard of Dave Duncan, but I have discovered since getting this Early Reviewers book that he is a fellow Canadian and has a long list of publications that have been well-received.

149. Seriously, I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres (3 stars)
Category: Non-fiction

This collection of short humorous essays from actress, talk-show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres is not the kind of book I normally choose to read, but it was selected by one of the families in our parent-child book club. It's very light, fast to read, and mildly entertaining. For a book of humour, I didn’t find it all that funny. However, I could imagine the essays would be much funnier delivered as monologues. These writings really need the facial expressions and body language to go with them. I’ve never actually seen any of Ellen DeGeneres's shows, so I can’t compare, but a lot of people seem to love her.

150. Sandman, Volume 10: The Wake by Neil Gaiman (4.5 stars)
Category: Graphic Novels

This volume ends the Sandman series, and I really enjoyed participating in the year-long group read. These episodes felt like an anti-climax, after the previous volume, The Kindly Ones, but there were some memorable aspects of this volume as well. I loved the conclusion of Hob Gadling's story and especially his conversation with Death. "The Tempest" was another brilliant story; it and "Midsummer Night's Dream" were standouts in this series.

I had a hard time adjusting to the style of artwork and it initially did not appeal to me as much as that of earlier volumes, but again, the Sandman Companion gave me a better appreciation of it. I read, through Gaiman's interviews, why he had chosen the artwork to be done in this way. I also enjoyed looking for familiar faces among the mourners at the wake, though I had to go back to find Alice Cooper only after seeing his name mentioned in Bender's book.

I felt that the series reached perfection with The Kindly Ones and that volume 10 was more a final wrap-up, although it was nice to see so many familiar characters.

I agree with Judy about volume 10 of the Sandman. It felt like an epilogue. I'm excited about the prequel but I would like to see how Daniel made being Dream his own. Just in case someone has not read or finished this series yet. :)

>96 DeltaQueen50:, 97: Yes, the final volume did feel like an epilogue but I think it was needed. If I recall correctly, Gaiman was reported in the Sandman Companion as saying that he was often more interested in anticlimaxes than climaxes in his stories.

151. The Sandman Companion by Hy Bender (4.5 stars)
Category: Non-fiction

I've referred to this book many times in my reviews of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. I found that it greatly enhanced my enjoyment and understanding of the books. There is a chapter dedicated to each one of the 10 Sandman volumes, as well as additional material. Each chapter associated with a volume includes a brief plot summary, comments from Bender on aspects worth noticing, and interviews with Gaiman himself.

I particularly liked the "things worth noticing" sections because some of the items were very subtle, things that I had completely missed on first reading. I got into the habit of reading the volume first so as to avoid seeing spoilers, then I would read the relevant section in the companion, and after that, I would return to the volume for a second look. Of course, some of the fun would be in discovering these things on your own, but I would probably have needed a second, third or even fourth reading to catch them all. Actually, I know for sure that I will eventually reread this series, and I'm sure I'll be finding interesting elements I'd missed, even with the companion nearby.

152. A Highland Christmas by M.C. Beaton
Category: Mystery

This story is more of a novella than a novel. There is a small mystery element, involving a lost cat and stolen Christmas decorations. Mostly, it's a nice heartwarming story featuring Hamish Macbeth and our favourite characters from Lochdubh and its surroundings. There are a few new characters as well, including some that I suspect will come back in future installments of this series.

->91 luvamystery65: & 92
I'm seconding that recommendation - it has loads of commentary and some very interesting peripheral information.

I'm definitely going to grab The Sandman Companion for the next time I go through the series. I know I missed so much going though it the first time.

I can also see re-reading the Sandman series in the future, and I will also be looking for The Sandman Companion to help guide me along.

It sounds like I'm not the only one planning to do a Sandman reread! Dave and Judy, I hope you'll find the companion as useful as I had.

153. Storm of Swords (4.5 stars)
Category: Next in the Series

Wow, a lot happens in this book, much of which I could never have predicted. Martin likes to keep us on our toes. The ending was a stunner, but I won’t say anything more for fear of spoiling the story for others.

I was struck by how many unfortunate father-son relationships there are, where the son tries desperately to win the approval of a heartless and short-sighted father (e.g. Theon Greyjoy, Tyrion Lannister, Samwell Tarly). I would have liked to see Martin explore some mother-daughter relationships in the series, but I can't recall any that seemed particularly interesting or complex.

I’m going to try to follow along with Leigh Butler’s read-along on Tor for the fourth book, which she plans to start in January. This means one or two chapters a week. We’ll see how long I can keep that up without breaking down and reading ahead. On the upside, the read of that book won’t become all-consuming, as the third book had this past week.

Like many others, I've been enjoying the food descriptions and I've tried a few recipes (Black Beer Bread, Spiced Squash and Boiled Beef with Horseradish Sauce) from Inn at the Crossroads, the blog that A Feast of Ice and Fire is based on. The bread was particularly successful! I used Creemore Springs Urbock, from a local Ontario microbrewery.

just catching up - I did the same with Hy Bender's book as you did and think it did enhance the experience even though this was probably my fourth re-read of the series.

There's no way I could even think of just reading one or two chapters a week for a book in that series. Not with how GRRM usually leaves things on a knife edge for all our favourite characters. I need to know what happens to them next but then you have to read another six just to get round to their turn once again.

>106 psutto:: Nice to know that the Sandman series stands up to four (and possibly more) rereads!

>107 AHS-Wolfy:: Well, attempting to follow the Tor read will definitely be a test of my willpower. I find that it's actually easier to put the book down knowing that I won't find out what happens next to a character for several chapters. The constant switching from one storyline to another drove me crazy in the first book, but I'm used to it now.

154. 47 by Walter Mosley (3.5 stars)
Category: Young adult

This young-adult novel was chosen for our parent-child book club. It is an interesting mix of science-fiction and historical fiction, in which a space traveller calling himself Tall John and taking on the form of a plantation slave shows up on Earth. The science-fiction elements were weak; there were so many implausible aspects to Tall John’s story that they detracted from the story. This is unfortunate, because, as historical fiction, the novel worked well. I found the story of the main character, 47, the young slave boy who befriends Tall John, very compelling. The best parts of the story involved his interactions with his fellow slaves and the landowners. The parts about the war between the aliens and the peril to the human race I could have done without.

155. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (5 stars)
Category: Mystery

This ninth book in Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series is outstanding. There are two parallel storylines. The first involves the murder of a woman who was part of a set of quintuplets (inspired by the famous Dionne quintuplets). The other involves the continuing struggle of Gamache against Chief Superintendent Francoeur’s forces and his broken relationship with Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Both stories were complex and suspenseful, and Penny’s development of her characters is first-rate. In this novel, she ties up many loose ends from earlier books and does it in such a satisfying climax that I’m really not sure what she can possibly do next in this series. Actually, it would be wonderful if some of the secondary characters, such as Lacoste, Nicole, the Brunels or any one of the Three Pines inhabitants, could take on a main role in future books.

There were so many other small things I loved about this book: the Christmastime setting in a small Quebec village, the action in other locations in Montreal (such as the Champlain Bridge) very familiar to me, and the title which was inspired by one of my favourites, Leonard Cohen.

The only gripe I have is with the audiobook version. Ralph Cosham is a great narrator for the most part but I cringe when I hear him mangle some of the French-Canadian names. He says "Ouellet" like wee-lay, with the emphasis on the first syllable. I’ve never heard the name said that way before. What got me even more annoyed was his pronunciation of hockey legend Maurice (Rocket) Richard’s last name. He says "Richard" the English way, rich-ard, and not the French way, ree-shard. This is almost sacrilege to a Quebecer!

156. Un Lun Dun by China Miéville (3.5 stars)
Category: BookCrossing books

I’d read three of Miéville’s books before starting this one, and I thought they were all brilliant. This one I found a little bit disappointing, but perhaps I’m judging it too harshly as Un Lun Dun is written for a younger audience. As with all his novels, the world-building in this book was excellent, and there was a great amount of fun wordplay which I appreciated. There were a large number of fascinating characters, but possibly too many as I didn’t feel attached to any of them except the main character Deeba. The plot was fairly straightforward, which is definitely unlike Miéville’s other novels, and predictable in places. Overall, this was an entertaining novel but not one I will likely reread. The illustrations by Miéville himself deserve a mention, as they greatly enhanced my reading experience.

157. The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle (3.5 stars)

Reading this book was a very enjoyable experience, mainly because I borrowed a friend’s leather-bound and gilt-edged version. It also took me a long time to get through, as I often do my reading "on the go" but was afraid to take this beautiful volume anywhere. Pyle’s stories, enhanced by his beautiful illustrations, are excellent adventure stories, but there were long passages where it seemed like just one bout between knights after another. I did like these stories enough that I hope to read some of Pyle’s other books in the future, and it is perhaps shameful that it’s taken me this long to read anything by this classic author.

The stories often gave the impression that most of the knights, while extremely valiant, were not very smart (e.g. completely unable to resist hitting a shield simply because it says on it, “Whoso smiteth this shield doeth so at his peril”). I can see where Monty Python got most of its material for The Holy Grail!

My challenge is done!

In the spirit of The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, my final book, I can now say, "So endeth my quest of 2013."

My original goal was to read a minimum of 8 books in each of my categories. I guess I should have expected that my final one would be in the "Dust Collectors" category, as that one is usually the hardest to complete. I keep getting distracted by new books and forgetting about the ones on my shelf.

I'll wait several days before posting my year-end review, as there are a few other books I'd like to finish off before moving on to my 2014 challenge.

Congrats on completing your challenge!

Congratulations on finishing your quest! ;)

Congrats on completing your challenge!

Congratulations on finishing your challenge!

Congratulations!

Great timing on completing your challenge! Congrats.

Congratulations on completing your challenge!

Merry Christmas Paulina!

Congratulations! Hurray!

Congratulations!

Thank you all for your congratulations!

 

158. and 159. The Hedge Knight and The Sworn Sword by G.R.R. Martin (4 stars)
Category: Miscellaneous

These are two novellas set in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, but several generations earlier. They are adventure stories featuring Dunk and Egg, two characters that do not appear but are mentioned in the main series. The first novella relates how Dunk and Egg meet and how Dunk fares at his first tourney, while the second has Dunk and Egg helping a lord protect his lands against an antagonistic neighbour.

Apart from the wonderful characters and plots that are typical of Martin’s works, fans of the ASOIF series will enjoy learning some of the backstory through these novellas. They also work well as standalone stories, and readers new to Martin could try one of these out before making the commitment to embark on the full series. The only thing missing from these stories was the graphic violence prevalent in the main series, and that was perfectly fine with me!

160. Carousel Tides by Sharon Lee (3.5 stars)
Category: Science Fiction and Fantasy

I’d read Sharon Lee and Steve Miller’s Fledgling, available from the Baen Free Library, recently and loved the Liaden Universe, so I was curious to see Lee’s solo work in urban fantasy. The first thing I noticed was that the writing could be more polished; better editing would have helped. However, Lee knows how to tell a good story. The folklore-inspired characters were appealing, as was the coastal Maine setting. Lee’s descriptions of the old-fashioned fun fair, the beaches and the seaside town in off-season made me feel like I was there. Actually, I’ve never been to Maine, but my in-laws live in a very similar bayside Ontario town, and Lee captures the atmosphere beautifully.

161. Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (4.5 stars)
Category: Next in the Series

The second book in the Leviathan trilogy, Behemoth continues Deryn and Alek’s adventures aboard the Leviathan and in Istambul. Like the first book in the series, this one is a very good story involving interesting characters with depth. These books are definitely superior to many of the YA SFF series out there. Westerfeld’s world building is excellent, and Keith Thompson’s illustrations help bring the story to life. I especially like Westerfeld’s set-up of the conflict between the Clankers, who rely on steam-powered machines, and the Darwinists, whose main technology involves fabricated animals. I’m looking forward to reading Goliath, the conclusion of this trilogy.

162. The Official Game of Thrones Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel and Sariann Lehrer (4 stars)
Category: Non-fiction

My family gave me this book for Christmas and we’ve already been making good use of it. Yesterday, we hosted a potluck medieval/Game-of-Thrones themed party (no costumes or props, as we were mainly interested in the food) for those of our friends who are also GOT/ASOIF fans and adventurous eaters. Of all the food that we’d made ourselves and that our friends had brought, the following came from this cookbook: lemonsweet, beer bread, leek soup, Sansa salad, buttered beets, pork pie, honey cakes, and fruit tarts. We also had beef stew with fennel and leeks, lamb shanks braised in ale, bacon and onion pie, and dates stuffed with almonds and cheese, but these recipes came from other sources. One guest did not care to cook anything but she brought ale, cider and mead, so her contribution was equally welcome!

The cookbook was well laid out, with photographs of all the dishes (even the honey-spiced locusts, which we left off our menu). The recipes were easy to follow, and there were both medieval and modern versions for many of the dishes. All the items were delicious, but most of the guests chose the pork pie, made with ginger, dried currants and dates, as their favourite. I really enjoyed the cooking and the meal itself, especially the fact that it involved mostly natural unprocessed ingredients. However, the amount of butter and egg yolks that went into the meal was mind-boggling. This is not the type of food I should indulge in on a regular basis, but it made for a fun evening!

This cookbook is perhaps not the one to choose if you’re mainly interested in authentic Medieval cookery, but if you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you’ll probably enjoy it very much. It includes an introduction from G. R. R. Martin himself and many quotes from his books. I’ve included below photos of the pork pie and fruit-and-custard tarts below.

 

Behemoth was a great fun read for me too. I absolutely loved the description of the library in Istanbul.... that and darling Bovril, of course! ;-)

Both the fruit and custard pie and the pork pie look delish.

Mmmm it all sounds yummy! I would want all the dishes involving beer.

That sounds like such a fun time!

Thanks for stopping by, Lori, rabbitprincess and mamzel! Yes, it was a lovely time. We enjoyed the themed dinner so much we thought it would be fun to do another one. My friends and I were thinking of doing a "film noir day" (to go with my Noir category for the 2014 challenge) but we're not sure what food would go with that theme. North American cuisine from the 40's and 50's is not exactly thrilling -- jello-and-vegetable molds, Campbells-soup inspired recipes ... ugh. On the other hand, I love a good meat loaf and pineapple upside-down cake!

Here is my December recap:

Books read: 15 (162 in all)
Books off my shelf: 2 (43 in all)
Favourite book: How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
Least favourite book: Seriously I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

December definitely had a Medieval theme, with The Runner and the Wizard, The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, and several works related to G. R. R. Martin’s epic A Song of Ice and Fire. I was happy to get in a couple of Christmas reads as well, with A Highland Christmas and How the Light Gets In.

And finally, here is my recap of the year:

Favourite Books of the Year:
The 10-volume Sandman series
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies
Maus I and Maus II by Art Spiegelman
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Song of Ice and Fire series by G. R. R. Martin

Biggest Disappointments:
Allegiant by Veronica Roth
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

All in all, it was a great year of reading. I would have liked to see more books taken off my shelf and will try harder to do that next year … but I keep succumbing to book bullets from other members of this group. However, several of my favourite books of the year came from my "Dust Collectors" category. The take-away lesson is that there are treasures to be found on my shelves, and I should give those neglected books more attention.

Thanks to all who had stopped by my thread in 2013. I loved having the encouragement and seeing all your comments and recommendations.

Now on to 2014!

Nice recap!

I have Doomsday book planned for 2014... Don't know if I can wait until December for the group read (answer: probably not).

See you on your 2014 thread!