Prop2gether's Act 1

Just setting up, been out of town, and have major event for next week. *muttering*

In 2012, I've read:

October

Rage (2012)
Flashback (2012 Halloween)
The Isle of Blood (2012 Halloween)
The Hive (2012, 1001)
First Love (2012)

September

Snow (2012, 1001)
White Knight (2012)
Small Favor
Turn Coat
The House of the Scorpion
Compulsion (2012)
The House in Paris (2012, 1001)
The Neruda Case (2012, ER)
Winter Journal (2012, ER)
White Jazz (2012)
Flesh and Bone (2012 Halloween)

August

Royal Flash (Flashman series) (2012)
The Namesake (2012, 1001)
Reveries of a Solitary Walker (2012, 1001)
Why Suicide (2012)
A House in the Uplands (2012, 1001)
Piercing
The History of the Siege of Lisbon (2012, 1001)
One of Thos Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
Popular Hits of the Showa Era
Journey to the Alcarria (2012, 1001)

July

Protector
The Water Wars
Divergent (2012)
N is for Noose
In the Miso Soup (2012)
Joining the United States Marine Corps (2012, ER)
The Marble Faun (2012, 1001)

June

The White Plague (2012)
The Baby Experiment (ER, 2012)
M is for Malice (20120
The Troubled Man (2012)
Dustlands: Blood Red Road
The Drowned Cities
The Black Arrow
Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch (2012)
Letters from Rifka
Terminator Salvation "Sands in the Gear"
Lady Chatterley's Lover (2012, 1001 Must Read)

May

The Mermaid's Mirror (2012)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2012)
The Power of Six
The Iron King
The Iron Daughter
The Iron Queen
The Iron Knight
A History of the World in 10-1/2 Chapters (LT, 2012)
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher (LT, 2012)

April

Looking for Alaska (LT, 2012)
Special Assignments (2012)
Murder at the Savoy (2012)
Dust & Decay
Golf's All-Time First, Most, and Leasts, and a Few Nevers (ER, 2012)
Burnt Shadows (LT, 2012)
The Everything Bridesmaid Book
Let Me In (aka Let the Right One In) (2012)
The Music of Chance (1001, 2012)
The Iron Heel (1001, 2012)
Clark Gable, In Pictures (ER, 2012)

March

Dressed for Death (2012)
The Alice Behind Wonderland (2012)
The Swarm
Unnatural Death (2012)
The Sunday of Life
What My Mother Doesn't Know
Rot & Ruin (2012)
The Invention of Everything Else (LT, 2012)
Annie's Ghosts (LT, 2012)
Ship Breaker! (2012)
Man Overboard! (ER, 2012)
Andrew Johnson (Presidents, 2012)
Silver Bats and Automobiles (ER, 2012)
Smile (2012)
Life, The Universe and Everything
The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived (LT, 2012)
The Tricking of Freya (LT, 2012)

February

Revolver (2012)
The Nine Lives of Chloe King (2012)
Please Ignore Vera Dietz (2012)
Pirates of the Levant (2012)
Underworld: Movie Trilogy
Finnkin of the Rock (2012)
The Mile High Club
The Carbon Diaries 2017 (2012)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
One and Only (ER, 2012)
Spies of Mississippi (2012)
Literary Brooklyn (ER, 2012)
Kill Shakespeare
Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty (2012)
The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus (2012)
Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451
Hold Me Closer, Neuromancer (2012)

January

Witness in Death (2012)
Spanking Watson (2012)
I Am Number Four (2012)
Clementine, Friend of the Week
Wendy Knits Lace
Crossing the Tracks (2012)
The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Trilogy, Book 2)
Monsters of Men (Chaos Trilogy, Book 3)
Exercises in Style (1001, 2012)
Judgment in Death
The Curse of the Wendigo
Erewhon (1001, 2012)

Since 2009, I have participated in the 999 Challenge (9 books * 9 categories) which was expanded in 2010 to 10 * 10 and then last year to 11 * 11 (or something like that). Since that time, I've read most of my lists, but have carryover every year (this year, it's 23 books), but now I just monitor in categories that are somewhat freeform. As I finish books, I'll enter them here.

Unfinished 999 Books 2009-2011
Snow by Orhan Pamuk (September)
The History of the Siege of Portugal by Jose Saramago (August)

1001-From My Stash
Erewhon by Samuel Butler (January)
The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthore (July)
The Iron Heel by Jack London (April)
The Music of Chance by Paul Auster (April)
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence (June)
Reveries of a Solitary Walker by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (August)
The Namesake by Jumpha Lahiri (August)

Books in Books
First Love by Ivan Turgenev (October)

Young Adult Completed in March
Revolver by Marcus Sedgewick (February)
Hold Me Closer, Neuromancer by Lish McBride (February)
Yummy: The Last Days of Southside Shorty by Neri/Duburke (February)
Smile by Raina Telgemeier (March)
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (March)
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King(February)
Spies of Mississippi by Rick Bowers (February)
Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber (January)
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta (February)

75er Recommendations
The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley (March)
The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt (March)
Annie's Ghosts by Steve Luxenberg (March)
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale (May)
The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived (March)
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie (April)

Presidents
Andrew Johnson by Annette Gordon-Reed (March)

Early Reviewer Completed in September
Literary Brooklyn:The Writers of Brooklyn and the Story of American City Life by Evan Hughes (February)
Winter Journal by Paul Auster (September)
One and Only: The Untold Story of On the Road by Gerald Nicosia & Anne Marie Santos (February)
Clark Gable, In Pictures by Chrystopher Spicer (April)
Man Overboard! by Curtis Parkinson (March)
Silver Bats and Automobiles by David L. Fleitz (March)
Golf's All-Time Firsts, Mosts, Leasts, and a Few Nevers by Al Barkow (April)
The Baby Experiment by Anne Dublin (June)
The Neruda Case by Roberto Ampuero (September)

Mysteries: Next-In-Series Completed June 2012
The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell (Kurt Wallender) (June)
Witness in Death by J. D. Robb (Eve Dallas) (January)
Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey) (March)
Murder at the Savoy by Maj Sjowall/Per Wahloo (Martin Beck) (April)
Pirates of the Levant by Arturo Perez-Reverte (Captain Alatriste) (February)
Dressed for Death by Donna Leon (Commissario Guido Brunetti) (March)
Spanking Watson by Kinky Friedman (Kinky Friedman) (January)
M is for Malice by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone) (June)
Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch by Nancy Atherton (Aunt Dimity) (June)

Strikes My Fancy Completed June 2012
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (January)
The Carbon Diaries 2017 by Saci Lloyd (February)
The Nine Lives of Chloe King (February)
The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus by Sonya Sones (February)
The Alice Behind Wonderland by Simon Winchester (March)
The Mermaid's Mirror by L. K. Madigan (May)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Shaffer/Barrows (May)
The White Plague by Frank Herbert (June)
The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson (June)

Potpourri Completed September 2012
Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau (1001 Must Read) (January)
Special Assignments by Boris Akunin (Erast Fandorin) (Mysteries N-I-S) (April)
Royal Flash by George MacDonald Fraser (Flashman) (August)
Why Suicide by Eric Marcus (August)
White Jazz (LA Quartet) by James Ellroy
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry (Teen / Zombie) (March)
Looking for Alaska by John Green (Teen Angst) (April)
Let Me In (aka Let the Right One In) by John Ajvide Lindqvist (LT Recommendation) (April)
In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami (Strikes My Fancy) (July)

1001 Must Read / Library
A House in the Uplands by Erskine Caldwell (1001) (August)
The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen (1001) (September)
Journey to the Alcarria by Camilo Jose Cela (1001) (August)
The Hive by Camilo Jose Cela (1001) (October)

Halloween Reads 2012
Flesh and Bone by Jonathan Maberry
The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey
Flashback by Dan Simmons

2012 - Plus Group Completed September
Compulson by Jonathan Kellerman (Alex Delaware) (September)
White Knight by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files) (September)
Divergent by Veronica Roth (July)
The History of the World in 10-1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes (May)

January 11, 2012: The new year is actually beginning today for me:

Marker for books found on 75er threads (or otherwise 75er recommended)
I read a number of books from this list, and didn’t get through as many threads in 2011 as I would have liked, but somehow this list never gets shorter! You all read so many great books!
(and, BDB, for the record, while I finished quite a few Stephen King books in 2010, not only does he keep publishing, and I did start a couple of novels, but got waylaid in 2011)

alcottacre: My Wars are Laid Away in Books
blackdogbooks: all the rest of Stephen King
Rage (as Bachman) (October)
The Dead Zone (October)
TadAD: Random Harvest
TheTortoise: Who Moved My Blackberry?
mamachunk: Triangle
alcottacre: The Climb
ThePam: Now the Drum of War
TheTortoise: Heavy Weather
dfreeman2809: Click.....
missylc: Book of Lost Things
aethercowboy: The Mac is Not a Typewriter
Severn: Dancing in a Distant Place
LisaLynne: The Spanish Bow
Cait86: Hitler's Willing Executioners
fannyprice: The Anglo Files
TadAD: Three Day Road
nancywhite: The Elegance of the Hedgehog
kiwidoc: The Grass Arena
kiwidoc: Kate's Klassics
mlake: Never Heave Your Bosum in a Front Hook Bra
ronicats: Speed of Dark
paghababian: The Lost Painting
TadAd via drneutron: Holmes on the Range
rebeccanyc: The Book of Chameleons
porch_reader: A Thread of Grace
drneutron: Ending an Ending
drneutron: The Gun Seller
TheTortoise via kiwidoc: Oscar's Books
fannyprice: The Female Malady
Kat32: The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even
Awilkins: Brighton Rock
fantasia655: A Girl of the Lumberlost
kiwidoc via kidzdoc: A Journey Round My Skull
LisaLynne: Down to a Sunless Sea
lindsacl: The Road Home
Kat32: Real Vampires Have Curves
Kat32: High Stakes
gregtmills: The Ayatollah Begs to Differ
sanddancer: The Boy Who Kicked Pigs
rebeccanyc: Freedom From Fear
kethonna: Luna
enheduanna: Thus Was Adonis Murdered
kidzdoc: Mishima's Sword
Pummzie: The Mischief
cjji955: The House on the Strand
shewhowearsred: Predictably Irrational
mckait: Society of S
mckait: The Tricking of Freya (March)
mckait: Skeletons at the Feast
drneutron: Let the Right One In (April)
drneutron: The Various Haunts of Men
LT 75: Looking for Alaska (April)
gregtmills: Catapult: Harry and I ....
tokyoadam: The Forever War
seasonsof love: Dying by the Sword
Deedledee: Every Man Dies Alone
RebeccaAnn: The Lies of Locke Lamora
amarie: The Box...
Trystorp: Pandora's Star
kiwidoc: The Great Crash
browngirl: Annie's Ghosts (March)
kidzdoc: Golpes Bajos
kidzdoc: Burnt Shadows (April)
kidzdoc: The Fat Man and Infinity
kidzdoc: The Invention of Everything Else (March)
kidzdoc: Plants Don't Drink Coffee
laytonwoman3d: In the Fall
meanderer: If Pirate I Must Be
FlossieT: The Gone-Away World
TadAD: Cooking with Fernat Branca
tututhefirst: Plato and a Platypus Walk...
LT: Mistress of the Art of Death
Bridget770: The Plague of Doves
TadAD: Battle Cry of Freedom
dihiba: The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher (May)
whisper: The Adoration of Jenny Fox
aquascum: The Very Bloody History of Britain
sjmcreary: Code Black
avaitakh: Bloodtide
SqueakyChu: What the Deaf-Mute Heard
Landshark5: Red Thunder
laytonwoman3rd: The Hero's Walk
tiffin: Georgiana....
loriephillips: Little Bee
mamachunk: Our Guys
davidw: Epileptic
saraslibrary: While You're Down There
sgtbigg via petermc: Wolf of the Deep
porch_reader: The Rope Walk
saraslibrary: Frankenstein Moved in on the Fourth Floor
RebeccaAnn: Captain Francis Crozier
daddygoth: The Infected
gregtmills: An Utterly Impartial History of Britain
TheTortoise: Lincoln's Melancholy
drneutron: Johannes Cabal the Necromancer
Banoo: Salmonella Men on Planet Porno
whisper1: The Day the Falls Stood Still
booksontrial: The Brain That Changes Itself
boekenwijs: Never Hit a Jellyfish With a Spade
kiwidoc: Skating to Antarctica
laytonwoman3rd: Jenny Wren
torontoc: Galore
drneutron: The Book of William
alaskabookworm: The Magicians
alaskabookworm: Emily's Ghost
Loosha: Dancing With Rose
Banoo: Magnetic Fields
booksontrial: Losing My Virginity
suslyn: Gremlins Go Home
laytonwoman3rd: The Bird Artist
avatiakh: Dear Alison
judylou: The Year of the Flood
marise: The Incredible Charlie Crewe
snat: The Order of Odd Fish
judylou: After the Fire, A Small Voice
cyderra: His Majesty's Dragon
womansheart: The Earth Hums in B Flat
avatiakh: Tender Morsels
girlunderglass: Dawn of the Dumb
cushla: The Dark Room
TadAD: Children of the New World
TadAD: The Ivankiad
lbucci3: Wolf Hall
jbeast: The Phoenix and the Carpet
jbeast: Miss Happiness and Miss Flower
arubabookwoman: History of the World in 10-1/2 Chapters (May)
beeg: The Warded Man
beserene: The Sorceress of Karressc
ALK982: Tough Guide to Fantasyland
stanleybalsky: The Boy Who Would be Shakespeare
bohannon: Majestie:....
susanj67: Wedlock . . .
tututhefirst: Room
drneutron: Atlantic: The Biography
TadAD: From the Land of the Moon
TadAD: Dogs of the Perimeter
TadAD: Richard Kadrey series
TadAD: Saving Savannah
TadAD: Dervish House
TadAD: Autumn Rounds

Glad to see that you are back (kind of anyway), Laurie!

Welcome back!

Well, my association's annual big dinner was Tuesday, and I can begin to breathe for the year. Last year ended (this year started?) with some family histrionics, and I ended up leaving my 2012 calendar and my continuing book diary in St. Louis, in a situation where I cannot retrieve them. *sigh* So it's rather difficult to actually end my 2011 thread, but I can certainly restart this year:

Witness in Death by J. D. Robb (2012)
Spanking Watson by Kinky Friedman (2012)
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (2012)
Clementine, Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker
Wendy Knits Lace by Wendy D. Johnson
Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber (2012)

Witness in Death by J. D. Robb features Lieutenant Eve Dallas, homicide detective in NYC, who is in the audience with her husband, Roarke (who owns the theatre and produced the play) watching a production of Witness for the Prosecution. It's opening night and Leonard Vole (well, the actor playing him) is actually killed on stage. Eve must solve the mystery. I like this series because it's a blend of actual serial mysteries and hot romance between Eve and Roarke. This was fun, because I like Witness for the Prosecution, and was in a high school production (one of the jurors).

Spanking Watson by Kinky Friedman is the next-in-order of this non-pc NYC detective, who decides to test all his "Watson" accomplices by setting up a murder threat of his upstairs neighbor. The prank turns real, however, and Kinky must solve the problem.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore is another teen fantasy series, in this case an actual alien who is accompanied by a guardian. They are one of the nine sets of child and guardian who landed on Earth, chased by bad aliens (who destroy planets for fun). It's fast, it's fun, and, except for the opening scenes of the film, more interesting than the film (although I did enjoy the film version).

Clementine, Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker with pictures by Marla Frazee, is the next-in-order of the adventures of a third grader who draws well, cannot sit still, and is named for a fruit. In this one, Clementine has been selected as the classroom's "friend of the week" and is looking forward to receiving her book of memories at the end of the week. However, she has a fight with her best friend and disaster strikes. It is a charming series and this is another lovely read.

Wendy Knits Lace by Wendy D. Johnson is a knitting book discussing and with patterns, of, well, lace items. It's instructional pages are very easy to understand and the patterns look interesting. I'm just not sure I have the patience for the more complicated patterns.

Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber is the first of the 9 books I selected to read from the ALA (American Library Association) teen award lists. I have not been disappointed, and this novel, by a first-time writer was a page turner. Beginning in 1916 at the viewing of her mother's body, and fast-forwarding to 1926, Iris finds that her father has arranged for her to work the summer for a doctor and his aging mother in another town. Iris's father is planning to open a new shoe store in the nearby Kansas City, but he plans to do so with the assistance of his lady friend. Iris spends the summer learning to bloom as well as some dark secrets about neighbors and her father. Not very long, it was a page turner.

Now, on to the seminar I'm co-chairing, the ad hoc exploratory committee I got myself harnessed to, and planning for----my son's July wedding.

Hello, I was pleased to see one of my recommendations on your list!

You're off to a good start for the year, and I like the sound of Crossing the Tracks.

susanj, I enjoyed Crossing the Tracks very much, but there isn't a "big" story here--it's a gently told story of a young girl learning about herself. And, frankly, after way too much vampire/apocalyptic teen fiction, it was a very nice change of pace. Hope you enjoy it.

Finished books 2 and 3 of the Chaos Walking trilogy, a teen romance/dystopian/fantasy by Patrick Ness:

The Knife of Never Letting Go
The Ask and the Answer
Monsters of Men

Set on a somewhat newly settled planet in the sometime future, the reader is introduced in The Knife of Never Letting Go to Todd and his "parents" in Prentisstown. All the inhabitants of Prentisstown are male and all are part of the Noise, a situation in which every, and I mean EVERY, thought is broadcast to any other person in the vicinity. An undescribed rite of passage is nearing for Todd and his parents try to send him away to avoid the rite. He is given a book written by his mother, and, because he is quite adamant about staying, eventually he is told a history of Prentisstown which is decidedly unpleasant. The original settlers (Todd is among the first human generation born on the planet) found the men developing the Noise and the women remaining unvoiced. Todd is told the women were killed by a group led by the current mayor, Prentiss, who also co-opted the town's name. Todd does run, finding an injured Viola, who crashed with her parents in a scout ship for the next group of settlers. He nurses her and ends up killing a native of the planet, called the Spackle by humans. Todd tells the first book and the print style is interesting. His narrative is in one font while "noise" is in a bold crackly font. Noise is often exaggerated by print size for effect. At the end of the first book, Todd is heading directly for the nearest town, Haven, because Viola has been seriously wounded fleeing from Mayor Prentiss's army.

In The Ask and the Answer, things start to complicate seriously. Both Todd and Viola, who have been separated, are narrators. Again, the fonts are used to differentiate between the storytellers. Todd's old nemesis, Mayor Prentiss, has created the office of President for himself, while Viola finds herself in a house of healing, first to heal and then to learn the art. The two young people keep trying to get together, and the story picks up action as the Spackle become an integral part of the plot. Todd finds himself in a quandry of despising the Mayor (can't get around to calling him "President") but sometimes admiring the man as well. Viola is in a similar situation with Mistress Nicola Coyle, the lead healer. There are horrific events relating to the Spackle and then to the women of Haven (now New Prentisstown), and eventually a war involving men, woman, the Spackle, and a newly-arrived scout ship which is waiting for the scheduled settler ship.

Monsters of Men is the conclusion and now there are three narrators: Todd, Viola, and 1017/also called the Return (occasionally there is a fourth narrator, a native called the Sky). This is war in all its ugly permutations: men versus women, settlers versus natives; powerful versus the weak, and prospect of peace definitions for each of the groups.

I enjoyed the trilogy, and it was an extremely fast read, partly because the narrators are explicitly identified each time and a different font is used for each. It is not something I will probably re-read, but I do recommend it for teen readers and those who like the topics which are used in the storyline.

Closing out January:

Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau
Judgment in Death by J. D. Robb
The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey
Erewhon by Samuel Butler

Jumping out of order here, Judgment in Death is the next-in-order for the Eve Dallas mysteries. This one is an interesting twist on a series of cop killings, but I had more fun with Witness in Death a couple of weeks ago. Nonetheless, I enjoy this series and will continue to read it.

The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey is the sequel to The Monstrumologist and the story of the man who hunts monsters for a living. These are sold in the teen sections (paranormal and romance)--go figure. They are true horror novels, well-written and extremely scary. This one introduces more background to the monstrumologist, and a new creature which may or may not be real--the wendigo, which is a sort of vampire. Warning: Not for the faint of heart!

Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau is a 1001 Must Read (and ha! not under fiction because it's not considered a novel by librarians). Basically, it's a writing exercise: take a simple story and tell in as many writing styles (in this case nearly 100) as you can. A man on a bus has an argument with another man. The first man takes an empty seat on the bus. Later that man is seen talking about a button on his coat with someone on the street. I loved it--some of the versions are totally unreadable, but some are quite touching or funny (I thought the "valley speak" version was hysterical--Queneau would have no knowledge of Southern California high school styles). Some were personal, some were poetical--I wasn't bored with any of them.

Erewhon is a short satire about a man who sets off looking for a hidden land, finds it, spends time learning about its "backward" culture, and then escapes in a balloon. Some of it was tedious retelling of histories in a country where illness is crime and machines are an abomination. There's a fascinating discussion of how machines can be considered living, and how dual banking procedures allow everyone to sing. I enjoyed the beginning and the ending chapters, but sloughed through the middle sections. Ah well, it is also on the 1001 Must Read list.

February beckons. . . .

Well, here you are! Apologies for my tardiness, but it's ever so delightful to see you again.

The Patrick Ness trilogy has been on my TBR stack for quite a while now -- thanks for reminding me to get to it. The Rick Yancey series intrigues me... though I'm such a chicken, it might be too much for me. :)

Hi there! I have to mark your thread in this year's run. You always have intriguing books.

The Patrick Ness trilogy was an interesting presentation, and it covered just about every teen topic around (parents, government, war, peace, men, women, first love) but was nicely done. The Monstrumologist series is also well written--and it's definitely on the scary side of horror writing for anyone. I wasn't reading either of these novels at night. The second book is much lighter on the graphic detail, but that may simply be that this monster is not as prolific as the one in the first book. There's a third book due out this year and I will be looking for it.

Two more books for February:

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
The Nine Lives of Chloe King by Liz Braswell

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick is the second novel of his I've read. I like his style and I especially liked this short novel. A young boy living in the far north discovers his father's dead body on the ice. While his stepmother and sister go to town for help, he stays with the body. A stranger appears demanding his share of the gold. Sig has no idea what gold is missing, because he and his family have always lived on the edge of desperation in the middle of a gold rush. The story alternates between the present with Sig and the stranger, and ten years earlier when the stranger insists the "arrangement" was made. The revolver is a nearly antique gun which Sig knows is hidden in the pantry. The language is spare and the story telling very lean, but I really enjoyed reading this ALA teen recommended book. It's on my 2012 reading list along with 8 others drawn from those lists, which I am looking forward to this year.

The Nine Lives of Chloe King by Liz Braswell--was a disappointment. This volume combines three volumes of Chloe's life, starting with the day before her sixteenth birthday when she falls from Coit Tower in San Francisco and survives. Turns out she's a member of a race of cat people (hence, nine lives), royalty within the group, with passionate friends, enemies, and stepmother. Unfortunately, there was not a breath of a fresh thought or approach to this work. You won't read any plot twist you couldn't see coming and you may wonder at times how Chloe can be so totally dense. I liked the cover, which only goes to prove that you really can't judge a book by its cover.

Currently working through The History of the Siege of Lisbon, Pirates of the Levant (a Captain Alatriste adventure), and Please Ignore Vera Dietz (also on the ALA Teen list). Somewhere in there is The Count of Monte Cristo in all its unabridged glory as well.

>13 Prop2gether:: Hmmm, I kind of forgot about Captain Alatriste. I know I have the next one in the series around here somewhere...

This Captain Alatriste adventure is somewhat tamer in that he and Inigo are soldier/pirates in the Mediterranean. I love the historical detail in Perez-Reverte's work, and this is no exception. It's definitely fun finding references to Elizabeth I of England from a Spanish perspective. Inigo is growing up; he's now seventeen and sure of himself as only a teenager can be. There's lots of piracy and politics, and I enjoy riding along.

What's a Captain Alatriste? There are pirates? I feel like this is something I should be reading! :)

Captain Alatriste is a swordsman in the Spain of Cervantes and Velazquez. His companion/narrator is Inigo Balboa, the son of a Basque who fought by Alatriste's side and died. The novels are the story of Inigo's growing up while working with, learning from, and being mentored in life and love and war by the Captain. The first book in the series is Captain Alatriste and there are five additional volumes in English. They should be read in order to fully capture the wonderful swordsmanship, the ugly politics, the ongoing wars, and the gentleman cavalier who lives life hard but well. I really enjoy the series, and have read most of Perez-Reverte's other works which have been translated into English, which are also recommended.

So finished three books yesterday:

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King
Pirates of the Levant by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Underworld: Movie Trilogy by various authors

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King is another from the ALA Teen recommended books and it was a great choice. Vera is in high school, having spent much of her life projecting "please ignore Vera Dietz" so she won't be noticed by all the groups in school. Her best friend died in suspicious circumstances and is haunting her to tell the truth she knows so he can rest. Her dad is trying to understand the daughter he's raised since her mother left them. Vera tells most of the story, with interspersed narratives from her dad, Charlie, and the pagoda which has been a scenic landmark for quite some time (yes, a building talks). While working through her personal angst and mourning, Vera is also trying to figure out her relationship with her father. I very much enjoyed this novel.

Pirates of the Levant by Arturo Perez-Reverte is the next-in-order of the Captain Alatriste series. Inigo is now seventeen, and he and the Captain are working their way around the Mediterranean as soldiers onboard various galleys and ships sailing the sea. This novel is slower paced than the last, but Inigo is definitely growing up under the Captain's tutelege. I really enjoy this writer and this series.

Underworld: Movie Trilogy by various writers and artists is a graphic compilation of the the movies about vampires versus lycans. Because each "film" was separately adapted and then illustrated by different artists, it is an interesting study in how graphic artists approach a story. I wasn't impressed with all the versions, but the total effect was generally positive.

Now to finish The History of the Siege of Lisbon and Literary Brooklyn--one from my perennial 999/1001 Must Read lists and the other an Early Reviewer history.

Holy Toledo, Batman!!! I've been out for a good while here! There was the conference, the sick cat, the bout with sinusitis which led to a lovely round of vertigo, but really---this is my shelter against the psychic storms. Where was I? LOL!!

Well, I finished February with the following:

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
The Mile High Club by Kinky Friedman
The Carbon Diaries 2017 by Saci Lloyd
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. One by Alan Moore and others
One and Only: The Untold Story of On the Road by Gerald Nicosia and Anne Marie Santos
Spies of Mississippi by Rick Bowers
Literary Brooklyn by Evan Hughes
Yummy: The Last Days of Southside Shorty by G. Neri
The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus by Sonya Sones
Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation by Ray Bradbury and others
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

So onto reviews in another message. . . .

In the meantime, in March so far, I've finished:

Dressed for Death by Donna Leon (Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery)
The Alice Behind Wonderland by Simon Winchester
The Swarm by Arthur Herzog
Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery)
The Sunday of Life by Raymond Queneau
What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt
Annie's Ghosts by Steve Luxenberg
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Man Overboard! by Curtis Parkinson

Whew! More reviews, because just finishing a couple of others. . . .

Okay, the first part of my February reads:

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta is a selection from the ALA list of recommendations for young adult readers. I’ve enjoyed Marchetta’s Jellicoe Road and others, but this is a change of pace for her—a fantasy adventure, the first of a series, in which young Finnikin must prove his worth and save the day. In Marchetta’s hands, it’s more than that and a lively introduction to a series I look forward to completing.

The Mile High Club by Kinky Friedman is yet another in the estimable escapades of Kinky as investigator. This was more interesting as a story than the last, but they are all just mind candy.

The Carbon Diaries 2017 by Saci Lloyd is the second novel about living in a world where carbon units (and your use or abuse of them) governs your life in all respects. Our heroine is older, but only slightly wiser, and becomes a recruit to the “loyal opposition” and its policies. The first novel was a refreshing journal introduction to a prospective world lifestyle forced by excessive carbon emissions. This novel, on the other hand, seems forced and strident, and more like a running news account than a girl’s personal diary. I recommend Carbon Diaries 2015, but the sequel is not nearly as entertaining or compelling.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. One by Alan Moore and others is the graphic novel original of the not-so-appreciated film version featuring Sean Connery. I liked the film and thought it was something of a romp. The novel seems more forced and confused. It also just stops. Okay, I realize the cover says “Vol. 1,” but really? Sometimes you need a cliffhanger. I actually liked the short written story at the end better than the graphic portion because it seemed completed.

One and Only: The Untold Story of On the Road by Gerald Nicosia and Anne Marie Santos was an Early Reviewers novel I apparently requested on CD. I had some trouble with the first disk, and must have missed some of the introductory text, but basically it is the story of Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady, as told by Lu Anne Henderson (Cassady’s wife) and their adventures which became the Beat Generation’s ideal. Told by two readers (Vanessa Hart and Stephen Bowlby), I eventually found the Henderson story losing ground to the overall summary of the events narrated by Bowlby. Interesting, and I had no problem with the pictures on the disk (some ER reviewers commented they had some issues), but probably not something I would have chosen as a read.

But there's more!

and for part 2:

Spies of Mississippi by Rick Bowers is a young adult history, again drawn from the ALA recommended lists, and is the story of the complex system set up by the State of Mississippi during the Civil Rights movement, designed to make sure the State controlled the events which were steamrolling their way into Mississippi. Written for high school, it is concise and direct and poses some thoughtful comments on the history we may think we know.

Literary Brooklyn by Evan Hughes is an Early Reviewer history of writers who have lived at some time in Brooklyn, starting with Walt Whitman. The subtitle claims to a history of a city, but the history is only part of the stories of the writers. Having lived in areas where some of these writers lived (and my daughter is currently in Red Hook, where various residences are identified), it was fascinating to see how many, and how varied, the writers who chose to live in Brooklyn are: Marianne Moore, Walt Whitman, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Arthur Miller, Thomas Wolfe—the list goes on. Some grew up in neighborhoods and some lived briefly in Brooklyn, but Hughes neatly outlines how life in Brooklyn affected their works. Hughes adds a few personal asides which were irritating, but, in general, this was a fascinating read.

Yummy: The Last Days of Southside Shorty by G. Neri is a graphic novel, once again drawn from the ALA recommended young adult lists, and is based on a true story of a young gangbanger who accidentally shot a classmate on the street. Told by a fictional friend of Yummy, it follows the incidents leading to the shooting, then the aftermath when Yummy has to hide from both the police and his own gang. Powerful, short, and graphic—no wonder it ended up on the list.

And then there's part 3 coming. . . .

Wow, lots of catching up to do! Looks like you've had some good reads there.

And part 3:

The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus by Sonya Sones is a delightful read. Sones is a poet who publishes stories written in chapters by poem. Her young adult books such What My Mother Doesn’t Know have been very well received, and this was her first adult foray. What a romp! Each poem is a small slice of a day or an hour of pure feeling and, if you ever thought you couldn’t follow a story in poetic form—this is the book to convince you otherwise.

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation by Ray Bradbury and others is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel version of Bradbury’s most famous novel. It makes me want to read the original just to fill in any gaps, especially since it is much easier to “see” the characters. Oh yeah, I’ve seen the film and it’s okay, but Oskar Werner should have been put on a leash. Just saying.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride is also from the ALA young adult reader lists, and tells the opening story (all of these YA are series in the works) of a young man who discovers he has special abilities. Sam’s pretty reasonable life and afterschool job are thrown way off track when a prank with a customer goes seriously awry. Unlike The Nine Lives of Chloe King, this lead character was self-aware but confused (as opposed to confused throughout the novel), and as he develops his skills, you are along for the ride.

And that ends February's reading. Now I have to catch up on March's reading so far.

And the first part of March's reading:

Dressed for Death by Donna Leon (Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery) is the next-in-order for these delightful mysteries set in Venice, Italy. It’s been a long while since I’ve read a Brunetti mystery and this was a lovely return to the series for me.

The Alice Behind Wonderland by Simon Winchester is an interesting short study of Dodgson and his camera obsession. Winchester does not pretend to present any definition to the controversy surrounding some of Dodgson’s photographs of young children, but selects one of “the” Alice which is a crucial turning point in the skills of a photographer setting up his picture. Alice is dressed as a beggar girl and it is the only picture in the book. That forces the narrative to describe other pictures, but draws the reader into the one picture which we are allowed to view.

The Swarm by Arthur Herzog is a horror novel about really nasty African bees developing unnecessary skills and threatening mankind. It’s well written and was fun to read.

Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery) is the next-in-series for me, and someone in LT promised me that Lord Peter becomes less officious as the series progresses. Thank you! This installment was clean and fun and I’m beginning to appreciate Lord Peter and all his fellows who solve the murders.

The Sunday of Life by Raymond Queneau was my selection after reading Queneau’s Exercises in Style. It’s a fascinating work—a French 30ish widow sets her sights on a young Army officer in years between world wars. They wed; he has no ambitions; she has a shop; and pretty much that’s it—just like any other Sunday. However, Queneau plays with language and you discover by the end, that actually quite a bit has happened to the characters because of their circumstances. I wasn’t sure I’d finish this, but I am glad I did—because it was a remarkable read.

And I still have a few to go. . . .

Just a note about my reading choices so far--

I start each year with an expanded list of recommended reading from this group; I check the 1001 Must Read list; I review my never completed 111 (which is a 122 list this year, I think); and see which U.S. presidents I haven't read about lately. I look at the stacks and stacks around me at home, and I just plow in. There was an interesting item in the AARP magazine this month about how some of the best current reading is on the Young Adult shelves, and I concur. Of course, anything that I see in lurking through other lists, comes from the library, and that's the non-method involved.

That's why there's such a mishmash of authors, styles, and genres.

Lovely mishmash -- I like it. And welcome back!

Just catching up on your thread and you remind me that I should read more of the Captain Alatriste books, I've only read one and loved it. I've read most of the YA novels you've listed but not the Rot and Ruin one, what did you think of that. I find that the cover draws me in but isn't it a zombie novel?

#27--Thanks for welcome back--I really miss this group when I stay away too long.

#28--I love Captain Alatriste. There were a couple of mid-series books that were slightly off the mark, but he's back in good form again. Rot and Ruin is indeed a zombie novel, by the author of Patient Zero, an adult novel about zombies. I haven't read Patient Zero, but I greatly enjoyed Rot and Ruin--and I, too, was drawn by the cover first. I was doubly unsure, first it's about zombies and second, the last YA I read because of the cover was awful (The Nine Lives of Chloe King), but I really enjoyed this take on the theme. The world was hit with an unknown virus (?) which causes nearly all dead people (no pets or other animals) to resurrect as zombies. By the time survivors figured out to "tame" or kill the zombies, communities had evolved which protect themselves in various ways. Our hero, about to turn 16 and forced to choose an occupation before his rations are halved, tries out several before he takes up his half-brother's offer to apprentice as a zombie hunter. Only our hero isn't sure what his brother does, because he tells no tales like "real" zombie hunters in town. The novel is mostly his initial training in the field and it was well told. So this zombie story I recommend. Which reminds me, my son recommended "Zombieland" to me because I find "Shaun of the Dead" funny, and I enjoyed it--so I guess zombies aren't entirely out of my entertainment sphere.

I'll be back with reviews this week. . . .

Okay today, for the first batch at least. . .

What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones is a book of poems telling the coming of age of a young teen girl. Sones manages to convey so much emotion and plot detail in her poetry that I am not surprised at the awards she receives nor the fact that several of her books have been blacklisted for their content. I enjoy her work very much and heartily recommend it.

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry is a YA zombie novel. Ha! Gotcha! It really is a YA novel written by the author of Patient Zero and it really is about zombies—from a teen’s perspective. Benny was a very small child when the “plague” first hit which causes all human corpses to turn into zombies shortly after death. He has vague memories of his mother screaming at his older half-brother to run with him, but he’s just reached the new age of majority when he must decided on a career or lose his half his ration quota. He and Tom, his brother, live in a community of survivors. Tom is a zombie hunter by profession, but Benny takes no pride in his brother’s profession because Tom just isn’t as brave and boastful of his deeds as other bounty hunting zombie killers. When Benny’s options are exhausted, he agrees to apprentice with his Tom—and the story begins as they go outside the fence.

The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt was originally found on kidzdoc’s list a while back. It’s an interesting tale of Nicola Tesla, the inventor, living in New York in a hotel, and the maid whose father is trying to travel in time, and their common interests in pigeons. Sounds somewhat farfetched in that line, but the old man, the young girl and her father, and the fact that there are many ways to perceive reality and justice made for an interesting read.

Annie's Ghosts by Steve Luxenberg was originally found on browngirl’s list several years ago. It is the true story, told in sequence, of Luxenberg’s search to find the sister his mother never acknowledged to her children or husband. Annie had spent her adult life with an ill-fitting artificial leg and mental illness. Fighting lost paperwork, the institutional systems which existed, and the various diagnoses his aunt received, Luxenberg asks various modern therapists and doctors how his aunt’s conditions would be treated today. I recommend this one.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi is another of the ALA’s recommended YA novels. Set in a future where Nailer is a scavenger for wire on abandoned ships, crawling through the systems to find and gather the precious wire for his team. His father is a drunk and pops pills, but is a mean, big man who regularly hires on as muscle for employers. Nailer dreams of the day he can ship out on the sailing schooners he can see in the bay. After a near-fatal accident while scavenging and a horrific storm, Nailer finds a schooner caught on rocks. It is the girl in the schooner, obviously a “swank” from her outfit and speech, who convinces him to help her get home. The action is not quite non-stop, and the characters of this work were interesting and convincing. As a teen dystopian novel, it is one of the better ones around.

Man Overboard! by Curtis Parkinson was an Early Reviewers YA novel about the steamship lines on the St. Lawrence River during WWII and Nazi spies discovered by the young protagonist. His friend gets kidnapped and he must rescue his friend, convince the captain that enemy spies are actually around, and win the girl. It’s a good adventure yarn for the middle school or reluctant high school reader.

And there's more to come.

OMG! I just saw when I last posted to this thread, and it's scary. I've been in and out, keeping my reading posts current, but haven't had time to write out my thoughts. I intend to correct that omission over the next week and catch myself up. See you all next week.

Glad to know all is well with you, and look forward to your posts.

And for March reading . . .

Andrew Johnson by Annette Gordon-Reid was a minimalist biography of the man who followed Lincoln into the presidency. Gordon-Reid has a specific agenda in her works about slavery and the various devices, legal and otherwise, which created and perpetuated the institution. While she attempts to be neutral in this work, it doesn’t always take, but the consequence was that I read a conflicted biography about a man who probably should never have been president. Thus, as an introductory work to first Johnson to become president, this was a satisfying read.

Silver Bats and Automobiles by David L. Fleitz was an Early Reviewer read about how the national baseball batting champion has been selected over the years. The narrative rambled through time and custom, so that if you are not already knowledgeable about the championship, it would be confusing to try to piece it out from this work. It is organized more by author themes than by chronology and, while, highly entertaining in sections, was not the clearest history of a sport championship.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier was one of my 2012 Young Adult/Children reads from the ALA list. It’s a “biographical” graphic novel about a young girl who is forced to endure long-term dental and pediadontal work when she loses front teeth through an accident. It was charming and highly entertaining. As a parent whose young son lost his lower two front teeth in an accident and, but for some improved techniques, might have had a similar life, this was a perfect little story.

Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams is the third book in the five-volume “trilogy” of the Hitchhiker’s Guide featuring Arthur Dent. I found this volume not nearly as entertaining as the previous two, and it has dampened my interest in reading the last two volumes. On the other hand, that disappointment may turn me to the Dirk Gently series.

The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived by Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan, and Jeremy Slater was on bnbookgirl’s list some time ago. The title was intriguing, and the premise—three friends got together and decided who they thought were the characters who have never existed but have influenced generations of people. It’s a strictly arbitrary list organized in general categories, and includes personal commentary (which is often irritating). However, it was fun to read who is included and who is not—especially when no one on the list ever actually existed.

The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley was fabulous. Found on mckait’s thread, it is the story of a young woman who explores her Icelandic and Canadian heritage. That tells you nothing more than the bare outline, but Freya, named for a goddess, is determined to find out her family heritage, and that determination carries her to a resolution which is not expected. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I, too, recommend it.

End of March (*groan*) (I can’t believe I let myself get soooooooo far behind!

April was a month of fewer reads, although there were several fascinating books in the group:

Looking for Alaska by John Green is one of my 2012 ALA Reading list choices, and it was a fabulous coming-of-age in boarding school novel. Miles “Pudge” Halter is a collector of last words, that is what famous people said just before they died. His roommate, the “Colonel” is a prankster extraordinaire, and their group includes Alaska, a young girl who feels intense guilt about her mother’s death. The book is in two parts, before Alaska and after Alaska, because of a major event sparked by a prank. It was well worth the read.

Special Assignments by Boris Akunin is the latest in series for me of the adventures of Erast Fandorin, detective extraordinaire in Czarist Russia. It is actually two novellas in which a character enters Fandorin’s sphere and then leaves it. As always, Fandorin is entertaining and the mysteries delightfully complex.

Murder at the Savoy by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo is the next in series for the Martin Beck series of mysteries. Ever evolving in both Beck’s life and the detective genre, these classics are still engrossing procedural novels.

Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry is a young adult zombie novel. And that said, I never would have believed that I would enjoy a zombie novel and look for the sequel as soon as I finished. In the near future, an unknown plague has driven humanity into survival mode. Anyone who dies resurrects as a zombie and zombies, while not capable of thought, are certainly capable of killing. Tom Imura is a zombie hunter, but not nearly as well known or notorious as the great zombie hunters—according to Tom’s younger brother, Benny. Benny has reached his majority and, with months left to choose a profession, finally decides, after several unsatisfying attempts at other jobs, to apprentice himself to his brother. That choice becomes a journey of growth and respect which Benny never anticipated.

Golf’s All-Time Firsts, Mosts, and Least, and a Few Nevers by Al Barkow was an Early Reviewer book (seems like I’m getting a lot of sports-related books, but who knows!) about, well, everything golf. It’s a fact compendium, full of fun facts, silly facts, important facts, and I enjoyed this book enough to purchase a copy as a gift for a speaker and to send my son the copy I had. Since he’s learned not to play Happy Gilmore-style, he’s enjoying golf these days and it just seemed like a logical choice to enhance his game.

Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie was a recommendation found on kidzdoc’s thread. Remarkably complex, extraordinarily readable, it is the story of a young Japanese woman in Nagasaki who falls in love with a German immigrant in 1945. The atomic bomb changes her life, emblazoning the pattern of her kimono on her back, and sending her to India to meet with Konrad’s half-sister. From that point, Hiroko’s story is intertwined with the Muslim world and partition, marriage, children, and the world changing around her life. Through five countries, and sixty years, the story is amazingly powerful.

Let the Right One In (aka Let Me In) by John Alvide Lindqvist is a vampire novel which I found on drneutron’s thread some time back. I missed the movie version, but the novel was chilling and fascinating in ways that seem to be almost plausible. I had trouble locating this one because the US version uses a different title, and for some reason, the author was listed as Alvide and not Lindqvist. It was unusual.

The Music of Chance by Paul Auster is a 1001 Must Read choice, and I’ve generally enjoyed Auster’s work (although the NYC trilogy was not my cuppa), and this was no exception. This is a novel of choices and characters. Jim Nashe, through tragic circumstances, has a lot of money and no plans for himself. In the last days of his driving through America, he meets a young gambler, Jack Pozzi, who claims to have the perfect poker game set up with two very eccentric millionaires. The game goes horribly wrong for Nashe and Pozzi, who must build a stone wall to satisfy the losses in the game. While this sounds ridiculous, Auster has set up circumstances which lead to hard personal choices.

The Iron Heel by Jack London is a 1001 Must Read novel, which I listened to as a Libravox recording read by Matt Soar. One of the most political of London’s writings, and one generally called science fiction or fantasy, it was very different from his other works I have read. Set in the future, a partial manuscript of historical significance has been found which the reader shares with you and offers occasionally commentary as well. Soar’s narration was spot-on and, while initially the story was extremely dry and didactic, it turned into an interesting societal perspective of London’s. This is not typical London and is not for everyone, but I am glad I read it.

Clark Gable, In Pictures by Chrystopher J. Spicer was an Early Reviewer book, ostensibly with new and previously unreleased photographs of Gable throughout his life. It was not what I expected. Spicer opted to batch photos by category, which meant you are not necessarily reading in order (learning about various wives out of sequence was unsettling). There is very little gossip in the book, which I suppose is good, but I could have done with a lot less historical data about the specific fighters Gable flew in during the war, and more about Gable himself. Short shrift is given to his marriages but there is a great section on Gable, the stage actor who learned his craft on what we now call “bus and truck” productions. This is not a book to purchase, but if your library has it, it is fun to look at the pictures.

On to May . . . .

Glad you liked Let the Right One In. Lindqvist is a fave!

Doc, I'm not sure what exactly I expected (after the numerous teen-related vampire stuff around), but Let the Right One In was more intriguing than most. In some respects, it reminded me a bit of the movie, The Lost Boys, with the emphasis on the invitation to enter a household, but it was certainly a thriller to read.

Still have May and June entries to comment on, but I've officially finished 75 books as of yesterday. Whew! Just wanted to note the occasion.

Congrats!

Congrats on 75! Woo!

Okay, here's the May batch:

The Mermaid’s Mirror by L. K. Madigan is a small teen fantasy about a girl who discovers that her family history is not quite as she imagined it to be. The written images were beautiful and the story, while familiar (teenager discovers an “unique” parentage and goes forth into the unknown), it was original as well.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows has been on many, many “must read” lists, and I loved it. The epistolary style is a long-established literary form, but the characters who write the letters, notes, and warnings were great fun. The history of the Guernsey occupation was necessary, but almost secondary to the story of the islanders, and I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore is the sequel to I Am Number Four, a teen fantasy about aliens on earth. Continuing the story of the aliens who were left on earth with guardians, the sequel focuses on the now-teenaged children (some with and some without guardians) who are trying to find each other (thus creating strength in numbers) without alerting the villainous killers who are after them. Fun, but obviously a “filler” in a series.

The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen, and The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa are most of the history of fairy who can deal with iron—created with our modern society. A teen discovers her biological father is Oberon and is put on the cusp of a war between three fey forms: the Summer Court, the Winter Court, and the Iron Court. They are a series to be read in order, and are lightweight fantasy, pretty well-written and entertaining.

A History of the World in 10-1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes was found on arubabookwoman’s thread is, literally, a history of the world in 10-1/2 chapters, told by various characters, seemingly disparate, but intertwined, starting with an unrecorded passenger on Noah’s ark. It was hugely fun, and I enjoyed the puns, the twists, and the jumps through history.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale was found on dihiba’s thread is a history of a London detective and his most famous and infamous case. Detectives were a new form of policing and Mr. Whicher was one of the first detectives. Following his methodology in trying to solve a child’s murder is fascinating from this era, when television shows thrive on the newest techniques of crime solving. Dickens, Collins, and later writers were intrigued by Mr. Whicher and his crime-solving, and I, too, recommend this history.

Argh!! I have another month to get caught up. And my daughter got herself engaged, while in Paris for a friend's wedding. Nice.

Okay, here's part of my June reading . . .

The White Plague by Frank Herbert is another non-Dune, but this one I missed years ago. The plague of the title is created by a scientist who watched his wife and children get blown apart in a bomb attack in Ireland. It is a cunning plague, affecting women, which is released in Ireland, England (for oppressing the Irish), and Libya (for training terrorists). Hoping to sabotage any research for a cure, he returns to Ireland and finds himself in the company of three men: the man who triggered the bomb (although he doesn’t know this), a priest, and a mute young man whose family has been killed. In the interim, international quarantines prove to be ineffectual (as almost all quarantines do), religion and politics are drastically changed, and it turns out the plague itself is not as selective as it was designed to be. I enjoyed this very much.

The Baby Experiment by Anne Dublin was an Early Reviewer book aimed at young teen readers. Set in the 1700’s in Hamburg, Johanna is a Jewish girl who hires herself out to work at an orphanage where she must hide her religion. She realizes the orphanage is a front for experimentation and steals a baby, and sets out for Amsterdam where she has heard that Jews can live freely. There are mind-bending coincidences which propel the story through to its resolution, but a younger teen reader would not disturbed by how lucky Johanna is on her journey. This was an easy read, a bit of history wrapped up in an adventure, and probably better for middle school readers.

M is for Malice by Sue Grafton is the next-in-order for me of the Kinsey Millhone detective series. I love Kinsey Millhone and started reading her adventures again last year. This installment in the alphabet series was well-drafted and I enjoyed it.

The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell is the latest, and apparently, last, in the Kurt Wallender mystery series. Wallender’s daughter, Linda, has found someone she wants to live with, and, when her future father-in-law, a greatly admired Naval officer, disappears, Wallender unofficially works on the investigation. In his personal life, however, Wallender is disturbed by memory lapses. Highly recommended, but only if you read the Wallender mysteries in order.

Dustlands: Blood Red Road by Moira Young is the first in a teen fantasy trilogy set in a future where Saba, her brother Lugh, and her father must scavange from the wasteland around them in order to survive. Her brother is kidnapped and Saba goes on a trek to find him. Along the way, she becomes a leader in a revolt, meets a “nice young man” and learns some truths about herself. The jacket blurb read “better than Hunger Games,” but sorry, not for me. Entertaining, yes, derivative, also yes. The sequel will be out this fall.

The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi is the “companion” book to his Ship Breaker novel. There is a carryover character named Tool, but otherwise, this book can be read separate and apart from Ship Breaker with no continuity problem. Mahlia and Mouse survive as scavangers and assistants to a doctor in a story that is absolutely about war. War and its practice; war and its consequences; war in its definitions. When Mouse is kidnapped into a military unit, Mahlia decides to risk everything to help her friend. It’s a taut, tight fantasy.

There are a few more to add to the June list, then I'll almost be caught up.

And to complete June:

The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson is, according to the note in my copy, one of his “lesser works.” Set in the middle of the War of the Roses, Lancaster versus York, it has, among other curiosities, Richard III as a demi-hero (he still has a bad temper and worse reputation, but he’s good to our hero). Dick Shelton questions his loyalties to a deceptive master or the rogue known as the Black Arrow. There is a romance as well. The writing is a bit cumbersome for today’s reader, but the action is nonstop and the results very satisfying.

Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch by Nancy Atherton is the latest adventure for Lori Shepherd and the village of Finch. A new resident is raising suspicions about her nefarious search for relatives and the action ensues. This is a still a nicely cozy mystery series and the brown bread recipe looks heavenly.

Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse is a children’s book about a Jewish girl’s immigration to the U.S. It’s a long process, starting with a swift departure from home, separation from her family because of illness, and a period of time on Ellis Island. Rifka writes her letters to her cousin in the pages of a book of Pushkin’s poetry, which makes the letters a diary of her travels. This is a book suitable for older elementary or middle school readers, and it was a good read.

Terminator Salvation subtitled “Sands in the Gear” is a graphic novel released in conjunction with the film. Not enough story. That’s pretty much the book. It supposedly consists of a “prequel” to the movie and a short story, and was released in conjunction with the last Terminator film. See the film.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence is a 1001 Must Read novel. I’ve spent most of my life hearing about this novel, and how it was banned for language and content. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and, as I’ve read Silhouette Romance novels with more graphic descriptions of sex and sexual gratification, I know those newer books got their start with this novel. Nonetheless, Lawrence tells a taut story of a loveless marriage, a secret affair, and the consequences of crossing cultural divides. Highly recommended.

July will be interesting. I've completed Protector by Larry Niven and The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher, but am working through The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne,, Reveries of a Solitary Walker by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas.

Argh! So many book bullets, most especially The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher which looks too intriguing to resist.

And I love The Count of Monte Cristo. One of my absolute favorites! So, I will be eager to see your thoughts. :)

Laurie, you got me with the iron series, will have to check them out.

I read Count of Monte Cristo in January and realized that Dumas is one classic writer that I can handle (loved Three Musketeers and CoMC).

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher was a bit of a surprise for me because I seem to have read a lot of fictional detectives who were created about the time Whicher was a London detective. Since the fictional detectives were fascinating, it was fun to see how much the writers were intrigued by new investigative techniques of the "best of the best" at the time.

The Iron Fey series was an extremely fast read, but the characters and settings were consistent and fresh, and, man oh man, that Winter prince! Did I mention that Ariel is mixed up with this as well? Great fun.

The Count of Monte Cristo and I got bogged down a couple of months ago on an island episode I'd never read, seen, or heard about. It's a fun adjunct and explains a fair amount of motive, but it got long. So I have the book out on my table to pick up. Since I literally zipped through one-third of the unabridged version in about three weeks, I figure if I put my mind to it, I'll finish by the time of my son's honeymoon!

I've seen The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher mentioned before, but I'd never paid much attention to it. Your comments make me want to pick it up.

Now I know someone else who has read The Black Arrow and enjoyed it! :-D I have a fondness for those particular types of romances (a genre label that has a different meaning these days) ever since I read Schoonover's The Burnished Blade as a kid.

Thanks to all. I'll be dropping offline for about a month. My ex-husband committed suicide last Tuesday; our son gets married in less than two weeks; and our daughter got engaged three weeks ago. We are working to get through this.

Laurie, sorry to hear about the difficulties around what should be a happy time.
Try to stay positive.

Hugs and my best wishes for strength as your family faces both grief and joy.

Thank you all for your kind words. We have things to do dealing with Michael's death, but more importantly, this Saturday is Robert's wedding. That joy comes first and foremost and there will be a lot of family to send Robert and Ann on their new life together. Talk to you again soon.

Things have finally settled down for me--a bit. We burried Michael and then had to deal with a very minor estate he left that has all sorts of conditions attached to it. However, my children were able to pull some friends into helping us conduct an estate sale that, mercifully, managed to nearly reimburse them for the costs of the travel involved for two trips to St. Louis (from Wisconsin and New York and Los Angeles). We are juggling several items for sale to specialized markets to pay for the burial expenses, but it appears that may happen as long as everyone is patient.

I am getting back into the swing of everyday stuff again, and my favorite website. I'll be back again next week.

I also loved The Black Arrow when I read it as a teen.

I am glad that things have settled down to some degree. I'm happy your kids were able to cope and to hopefully appreciate the positive changes in their lives, and that most of the responsibilities attached to your ex-husband's death are past. {{{{hugs}}}}

Welcome back. I too am glad that things are calming down -- that is an awful thing to go through for all your family -- and I hope a bit of normalcy, or something like it, brings you all some comfort. Hugs from me as well.

Thank you very much for all your kind words. Robert and Ann are settling into married life, which is not quite what either thought it would be. (There's a surprise--not!) Katy and Brett are checking out wedding locations for next year and she is dealing with the triannual political war in her office. I'm seriously trying to clear out "stuff" now. Dealing with a houseful (3 bedrooms, etc., plus full basement) of things has thoroughly reformed my goals as to what I need to keep, pass on, or donate.

In the meantime, I'm reading, and this list since my last report is:

In July (I had lots of flight time):

Protector by Larry Niven
The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher
Divergent by Veronica Roth
N is for Noose by Sue Grafton
In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami (2012)
Joining the United States Marine Corps by Snow Wildsmith (Early Reviewer, 2012)
The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1001, 2012)

August reading (more flight time):

Royal Flash by George MacDonald (2012)
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahini (1001, 2012)
Reveries of a Solitary Walker by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1001, 2012)
Why Suicide by Eric Marcus
A House in the Uplands by Erkine Caldwell (1001, 2012)
Piercing by Ryu Murakami
The History of the Siege of Lisbon by Jose Saramago (1001, 2012)
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
Popular Hits of the Showa Era by Ryu Murakami
Journey to the Alcarria by Camilo Jose Cela (1001, 2012)

And September, so far:

Snow by Orhan Pamuk (1001, 2012)
White Knight by Jim Butcher (2012)

I find myself once again reverting to shorter or faster-read books right now. My attention to such works is much easier to maintain.

Protector by Larry Niven is a novel I’ve missed reading when I was on one of my Niven and his collaborators reading phases. While I don’t enjoy his solo writings as much as his collaborations, Niven is nothing if not inventive in his visions. In this novel, a Pak (a species of “protector”) has journeyed to our star system seeking information about why the Tree-of-Life which sustains all Pak failed in an earlier exploratory flight. Pak are totally involved in protecting the young of their species, which are quite similar to humans. The Pak and a human meet; the human eats of the Tree-of-Life; one kills the other; and the first half of the story ends with the survivor telling his story. The second half of the story is hundreds of years later and a Pak invasion force is on its way to destroy Earth and humans. The mix of theories about origins, self-preservation, and space, always prevalent in Niven’s writing, is intriguing and I’m glad I read this novel.

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher is yet another teen dystopian novel, based on the serious lack of water in the future. Kai, a teen water diviner, forms friendships with a teen girl and her family, and when he is abducted, she sets out to find him. The story would have been much better with actual character development, something more than slapdash action every other page, and some reality checks. It’s the first in a series (what isn’t in teen adventure these days?) and I’m not sure I’ll look for the sequel.

Divergent by Veronica Roth, on the other hand, was an excellent read—going the coming of age ceremony known as the Choosing at age 15 into one of five factions: 1. Candor (the honest) 2. Erudite (the intelligent) 3. Amity (the peaceful) 4. Dauntless (the fearless) 5. Abnegation (the selfless). Beatrice (Tris) and her brother Caleb were raised in Abnegation. To choose a faction other than your childhood group is risky. Every faction has an initiation and some initiates do not make it into the faction, making them the world’s homeless population. In pretesting, Tris is told that she had abnormal results which were modified by her examiner and she opts to join Dauntless. Her brother joins Erudite. And the story moves through the often brutal initiation process, a bit of romance is introduced, friends and enemies, all are parts of the story of those who don’t fit the norm, who are “divergent.” I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

N is for Noose by Sue Grafton is the next-in-series Kinsey Millhone mystery. It’s nice to catch up with an old friend, and I’ve always like the alphabet mysteries, even for the few that got derivative. This one is back in line with the best. This series, however, needs to be read in order to fully enjoy the characters.

In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami (2012) was a great surprise to me. I knew Murakami was on the 1001 Music Read list, but I couldn’t remember which book and picked this one up. He’s a modern thriller writer and hugely popular with young Japanese fans. His mysteries/thrillers are chilling to the bone, and yet plausible in the same way many of Hitchcock’s films are for viewers. This novel is narrated by a young man who provides guided tours for tourists to the sexual offerings of Tokyo. As the story begins, newspapers are reporting a possible serial killer loose on the Tokyo streets. Warning: this book is very graphic and not for the faint of heart. However, it is highly readable and satisfying as a book of its genre.

Joining the United States Marine Corps by Snow Wildsmith (Early Reviewer, 2012) was an Early Reviewer book which I signed up for because my daughter works with the Marine Corps for various events. It’s part of a series written by Wildsmith, a high school guidance counselor, for students who are considering the various military branches (and their families). It’s basically an organized set of questions and answers about the military in general, the specific service (here, it’s the Marines), and it’s direct and easy to read. Good for its proposed audience and function.

The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1001, 2012) is the last of Hawthorne’s novels in the various 1001 Must Read lists. It’s the story of four friends (three artists in various media and an Italian count) and how they deal with the consequences of a murder. Hawthorne spends a lot of time introducing the various characters before the murder happens, so that how it affects each character is not a particular surprise to the reader. This novel has undercurrents of Hawthorne’s world view (surprisingly open in many ways, and unsurprisingly restrictive in others, i.e., religious aspects). However, it was interesting as another view which could be compared to Crime and Punishment or The Stranger where guilt becomes a major theme. The language is pure 19th century, so expect to spend some time luxuriating in vivid descriptive prose, but I did enjoy the work.

Tomorrow or Wednesday--August reading. . .

Wow! It has been a long time since I have checked your thread out. I hope everything is well with you these days, Laurie.

I am adding The Water Wars to the BlackHole. It looks right up my alley!

>56 Prop2gether:: Hi Laurie. Boy, it's been years since I thought about the early Niven works. I enjoyed them...although I was more partial to his linked short stories (e.g., Beowulf Shaeffer) than his novels. His later stuff didn't do it so much for me.

Not sure about the Murakami. The part about being hugely popular with Japanese fans sounds intriguing but the description no so much. :-D I'll have to think about that one.

Hi Tad--I love Niven's works with Jerry Pournelle, and I enjoy their collaborative writing better than either of them alone.

Murakami's writing is stark, direct, and chilling in the extreme. It's short as well--a perfect kind of horror novel for Halloween!

As for about half of my August reads:

Royal Flash by George MacDonald (2012) is the second adventure in the Flashman series. Rousing, so politically incorrect, funny, and enjoyable. There are more to come.

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahini (1001, 2012) is the story of a young man whose parents are Bengali immigrants to the U.S. His father survived a horrific train crash, due in part, to his having a copy of one of Gogol’s works with him. When their son is born, they are awaiting his “true” as opposed to his family name from his grandmother, but it is, literally, lost in the mail. His father names him Gogol. As Gogol grows, he becomes disenchanted with his name, and much of the cultural activities his parents have insisted on having a part in, in this new world. The novel is about family, cultural adaptation, and, ultimately, love. It was a gently told story, and I greatly enjoyed it.

Reveries of a Solitary Walker by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1001, 2012) is not, strictly speaking, a novel belonging to the 1001 Must Read list, because it is a series of essays written by Rousseau late in his life, in which he attempts to explain his choices. Ostensibly told after or during his “solitary walks,” Rousseau is often lyrical about his life, the world around him, and his views of events. It falls into the fictional side, however, because Rousseau sometimes reinvents situations or circumstances or even his reasons for acting as he did. It is a fascinating study by a man prone to very deep depressions in a time when such problems were, for the most part, ignored.

Why Suicide by Eric Marcus. My ex-husband committed suicide on July 10, approximately two and a half weeks after our daughter got engaged and 18 days before our son’s wedding. He left behind a world of hurt and a tangle of family. This book is not by an expert in the field who studies statistics or reports, but is the rewritten version of an earlier book by a man whose father committed suicide. It was and is a grace note for me to get through those days when I hate him for what he did and those when I realize what a world of pain he was suffering through. Nothing is easy, and getting my children through this event is a priority. The book is organized by topics and includes anecdotal stories by survivors (like my children and me) of suicides. Set up as questions and answers, it has been good for me.

And to end August:

A House in the Uplands by Erkine Caldwell (1001, 2012) is a story of its time, and dreadfully dated by today’s standards. It’s on the 1001 Must Read list and while many modern readers will be appalled by the story, it is interesting in its own history. It is a story by a Southern writer, published in the late 1940s, which involves a bored young housewife stuck in a plantation house with an overbearing mother-in-law, a brother-in-law attorney who defends Negroes (nearly unheard of for the time), and a husband who drinks and gambles heavily, and is involved with one of the women in the shacks where the field workers live. The overseer and his family stay as far from the owners as possible. It’s the backside of “happy” plantation life at a time when certain realities (such as the end of WWII) were starting to affect race relations. As a historical piece, it is interesting. As a modern read, it overblown, bloated, and entirely predictable.

Piercing by Ryu Murakami was my second reading of a Murakami thriller. This one starts with a father who stands over his newborn’s crib with an ice pick in hand, wondering if he’ll plunge into his baby. The man works out an elaborate scheme to rid himself of really, really bad memories of his childhood—he plans to kill someone. Only maybe he picked the wrong victim. Murakami is a hard read because of the intense feelings of the characters and their often repugnant plans, but he is inventive in his stories, and he will give you a thriller you will not easily forget.

The History of the Siege of Lisbon by Jose Saramago (1001, 2012) has taken me four attempts over four or five years to finish. Much of that is due to Saramago’s style of writing, which is so stream of consciousness that he leaves Hemingway and Gertrude Stein in the dust. There are two stories which interweave themselves: a proofreader makes a minor change to a history of the siege of Lisbon which changes the event itself from a win to a loss. The change is caught, and the proofreader and a publisher begin a courting of each other. He is invited to write the true history of the siege, and proceeds to do so. This is a novel which you either love of dislike intensely. It flips back and forth between the storylines, and you must adapt to Saramago’s writing style—he concedes nothing to the reader. I greatly enjoyed Blindness when I read it years ago, but until I got past the opening third of the novel, it was difficult for me to be engaged with the characters. Once I got there, however, it was a fun read.

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones is another of Sones’ novels for teens told in poetry. Ruby Millikin is forced to move to California to live with her father, famous movie star Whip Logan, when her mother dies. She is angry, bored, feels abandoned by her aunt and friends, and the entire story is told in blank verse with occasional emails between Ruby and her friends. I am delighted with Sones’ work and heartily recommend it.

Popular Hits of the Showa Era by Ryu Murakami is yet another thriller from Japan. In this one, a band of boys (okay, they are young adults, but they act like idiotic middleschoolers) declares a vendetta against a group of women (barely more grown-up in attitude) when one of the guys kills one of the woman, and, is, in turn, killed himself. In one sense, this is a much lighter version of the other works I’ve read by Murakami because of what the groups plot against each other and how they achieve their goals. In another sense, it’s a scary commentary on a generation which is basically without goals or any sense of propriety.

Journey to the Alcarria by Camilo Jose Cela (1001, 2012) is another biographical work spun into fiction for the 1001 Must Read list. Cela, a Spanish author who worked for Franco, won the Nobel Prize for Literature, and managed to antagonize many of his contemporaries and politicians. This travelogue is considered fiction because Cela chose to use the fictional character “Traveler” to describe his planned trip through the Alcarria region of Spain. By foot, by wagon, by train, by bus, over the course of about a fortnight, Cela traveled from town to town describing the countryside, the people he meets, and a little history of the area as well. Easy to read and intriguing because of the vivid language which Cela uses, it is recommended.

I'm almost current!

About half of my September reads:

Snow by Orhan Pamuk is a 1001 Must Read and was remarkable in many respects. I’ve had the book in my stacks for a couple of years and I highly recommend it. Ostensibly the story of a poet, Ka, who made a trip to his home town in Turkey, it is a study of religion, politics, language, and cultures. Ka is a self-exiled poet who fled Turkey to Germany. He’s moderately successful but desperately wants to reconnect with his roots because he cannot write poetry. He goes to his home town, where a snowstorm literally locks the town away from the rest of the world. All the imagery is couched in snow, from the physical to the literal. Ka finds himself in the middle of a political battle over “head scarf” girls, meets his one true love, and suddenly discovers his poetic voice again, and, once the snow is melting, flees again to Germany. The entire story takes place over a week, told by a friend who has returned four years afterward. The friend wants to find out what happened to Ka that so profoundly changed the poet’s life.

White Knight, Small Favor, and Turncoat by Jim Butcher are the next-in-series of the Dresden Files, and I love Harry Dresden. Harry’s world in Chicago and with his fey friends and relations, his vampire half-brother, and the evils of crimedom, are delightful thriller/mysteries to just read.

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Fisher caught my eye in the teen fantasy section. Wow! It is a fascinating story of a future where a separate country exists between Mexico and the U.S., run by cartels which consider the drug business is “business as usual.” In this “world,” cloning is considered evil because clones are “harvested” and not “born,” and yet, the most senior cartel boss has a clone which his people must educate and keep safe from harm. Matteo is introduced as a boy of six, living with Celia. Matteo longs to go out of his house, and the temptation when children are in his yard proves overwhelming. His life takes an unexpected turn and his education is more expansive than his benefactor might have wished. It is quite a tale and it is a nice twist on the standard cloning story.

Compulsion is the next-in-series Alex Delaware mystery is the next-in-series for me where the psychologist and the homicide detective work out who the murderer is—in this case, driving expensive black cars. There are several subplots as usual. This was a better read than Obsession, and not as predictable as several of the series I read last year.

There are several more to follow for last month. This month I am heavily into the October Read.

En of September:

The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen is a 1001 Must Read and is a classic of its time—a story set between WWI and WWII, in Paris, and stylistic in presentation. There are three sections to the novel, the first and third being “The Present” which bookends “The Past.” Two children, Henrietta and Leopold, meet in the house. For Henrietta, the stop is simply part of a longer journey to see her grandmother. For Leopold, the stop is more life-shaping—he is waiting to meet his mother. The children meet Miss Fisher, and later, her mother, Mme. Fisher (who owns the house). The middle section tells the history of Leopold’s parents and the third section closes the story. It is a static story (even the middle section which involves a significant amount of family and travel) and can be tedious. The novel was very highly praised when it was published, but it is a much slower story than many modern readers would enjoy. Several of Bowen’s novels are in versions of the 1001 Must Read lists and I did enjoy this one, but it is not for everyone.

The Neruda Case by Roberto Ampuero was an Early Reviewers and is the first of Ampuero’s novels featuring the detective Cayetano Brule to be published in English. It is not the first novel of Brule’s work, but it is the “beginning” of his career. A Cuban by birth, married to a Chilean and living in Chile during the Allende years, Brule is a man who never achieved his goals and happens to meet the elder Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, at a party. Neruda hires Brule to find the answer to a question. That question, its convolutions, and its answer (?) carry Brule through Cuba, East Germany, and back to Chile and the Pinochet coup. The opening and closing are bookends: Brule is reminiscing about his first case while waiting to meet with clients on a new case; and later, the meeting with the clients is a twist on his discoveries while working for Neruda. The politics of the time are nicely backgrounded for the mystery of Neruda’s question. Recommended.

Winter Journal by Paul Auster was an Early Reviewers memoir by one of my more favorite modern writers. I love some of Auster’s work and I find others just not appealing. I enjoyed this memoir, which is circular, as are many memoirs. Reviewers have griped about the lists of things past that Auster employs extensively throughout the work, but being of the age, I like the lists. They remind me, too, of times and places. I laughed through the list of all his homes. My mother kept a list of all the addresses she ever lived at as an adult in the back pages of her address book. I find I’ve done the same. It provides a nice place to start with memories. I really did enjoy this book.

White Jazz by James Ellroy is the closing novel in Ellroy’s LA Quartet series (beginning with The Black Dahlia. It wraps up loose story lines, but I found Ellroy’s famed writing staccato writing style extremely distracting here. The first three novels were easier to follow, but this novel reads like Ellroy was attempting to push the envelope in this work. However, once the action hit the road, it was a satisfying end to the quartet—and for several characters.

Flesh and Bone by Jonathan Maberry is the third in the Benny Imura teen series about a future with zombies. In this, Benny and his friends at in the Ruin, finding there’s more to fight than just zombies and bounty hunters in this “new” world. A bit of romance, lots of action, and a very nice zombie development.

Now on to this month. . . and the Halloween reads.

Good work getting caught up to October. Looks like you're getting a lot of reading done.

Yep. Usually I'm knitting like mad at this point, but this year's events have weirded my calendar and I revert to my favorite activity--reading.

I'm glad to see your review of The Neruda Case. I put in for it on ER but got something else and was waiting around to see if it was worth getting on my own. I read The House of the Scorpion a few years ago when my son had to read it in school. I was following along on his reading so that I could talk about the books with him. I agree, a good version of the cloning story.

Tad, from the author's note at the end of The House of the Scorpion, she is planning a sequel, but I'm not sure I really want the story to continue. It was nicely complete as written and I did enjoy it.

I enjoyed The Neruda Case and it will be interesting to see if the other novels are translated into English. My Spanish is simply not strong enough to read through novels, but I have enjoyed the other South American writers I've read.

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I want to wish you a glorious celebration of that time of year when we all try to unite around a desire for Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward All. Merry Christmas, Laurie!

Here's to a great new year ahead, Laurie!

Thank you!!!