bluesalamanders 2014.1

Forum75 Books Challenge for 2014

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bluesalamanders 2014.1

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1bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Dez. 27, 2013, 5:31 pm

50 book challenge: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
75 book challenge: 2011.1, 2011.2, 2012.1, 2012.2, 2013.1, 2013.2

Welcome to my first thread of 2014! Happy New Year!

I mainly read science fiction and fantasy, including a lot of young adult books, a handful of non-genre fiction, and very little non-fiction. I love conversation about the books I've read and recommendations for future reading.

Based on what I've read the past couple of years, I've lowered my goals somewhat. It's better to surpass a goal than to miss it, right? Regardless, numbers subject to change without notice, management makes no guarantees, etc, etc.

Total books: 130
Pages: 25,000 (and some amount of audiobooks)
New-to-me books: 60
Non-fiction books: 2

2bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Okt. 21, 2014, 7:19 am

I don't want to join yet another highly active group, but I like the idea of the ROOT/TBR challenges, so I went through my TBR books and gathered a few that I hope to read this year. Some are books that have been sitting on the TBR shelf for a while, some are books I've been meaning to reread, some are loans from friends that I eventually need to get back to them, one is an ER I need to finish up.

1. Doctor Who in Time and Space by Gillian Leitch (I'm marking this one read even though I didn't finish it, because I read as much as I'm going to read and then gave the book away.)
2. What you really really want by Jaclyn Friedman
3. The Unicorn Sonata by Peter S. Beagle
4. Neuromancer by William Gibson
5. The Truth by Terry Pratchett
6. The girl who soared over Fairyland and cut the Moon in two by Cathrynne Valente
7. The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner
8. The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany
9. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
10. Alias: Sister Spy by Laura Roberts
11. Star Trek: The Romulan Way by Diane Duane
12. Star Trek: Intellivore by Diane Duane
13. Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr.
14. A Cup of Normal by Devon Monk
15. The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
16. The House in November by Keith Laumer

3drneutron
Dez. 26, 2013, 7:02 pm

Welcome back!

4bluesalamanders
Dez. 26, 2013, 7:10 pm

Thanks!

5_Zoe_
Dez. 27, 2013, 8:24 am

I was also thinking that I want to read a lot more TBR books this year, but I don't know whether I can keep up with the ROOT group. The TBR Challenge at least is tiny, but I think I'll also list my intended reads in my thread here for more motivation.

6bluesalamanders
Dez. 27, 2013, 10:27 am

My main motivation - or reminder, really - is that I grouped the books together on a shelf where they're very visible, so hopefully I'll see them when I'm looking for the next thing to read. I'm really bad at planning my reading in advance, though, so I have no idea if it'll do any good.

7_Zoe_
Dez. 27, 2013, 10:47 am

Physical grouping is a good idea too; I should try that. I think I'm much more likely to pick up a book if I actually see it sitting there on the shelf.

8kgodey
Dez. 27, 2013, 12:12 pm

Hi blue! I lost track of you last year, but hopefully I'll be able to do better this year. Your TBR pile looks great. I'm especially interested in your reviews of the Duane Star Trek books – I bought myself Rihannsu at a library sale this year, but haven't read it yet. (I can also vouch for the Valente book and Neuromancer – they're both great!)

9bluesalamanders
Dez. 27, 2013, 5:29 pm

Hi, kgodey! I loved the first two Fairyland books, so I expect I'll love the third as well :)

I have read a couple of Duane's Star Trek books before, Doctor's Orders and My enemy, my ally, and they were both fantastic. I was impressed particularly by her characterization of the aliens, and thought the books were both surprisingly good for tv tie-ins. Although I expected nothing less from Duane, honestly.

10norabelle414
Dez. 31, 2013, 3:45 pm

Hi blue!

11bluesalamanders
Dez. 31, 2013, 11:37 pm

Hey norabelle :)

12foggidawn
Jan. 1, 2014, 12:17 am

Happy new thread!

13PaulCranswick
Jan. 1, 2014, 12:51 am

Have a wonderful and bookfilled 2014, Blue.

14bluesalamanders
Jan. 1, 2014, 9:35 am

Thanks, foggi, Paul :) Happy new year!

15MickyFine
Jan. 1, 2014, 4:06 pm

Happy New Year, Blue! :)

16bluesalamanders
Jan. 1, 2014, 6:40 pm

Same to you, Micky! :)

17humouress
Jan. 2, 2014, 11:07 am

Hi, Blue. Dropping by to wish you and your family the best of health and happiness for the New Year.

18xymon81
Jan. 2, 2014, 11:19 am

The Doctor who book sounds really interseting. Your going to have to tell me how it comes out.I have a large tbr list from my library. It isa ll next to my bed on the floor. As i finish one i pick the next one up. Unfortunatly lately I keep getting more before my stack is finished. Yesterday I finally got them in order so I knew which ines had to be completed first to get them back on time.

19bluesalamanders
Jan. 2, 2014, 12:14 pm

humouress - Thanks! Same to you. Happy new year!

xymon81 - It's a little dull, to be honest, which is why I got stuck halfway through and haven't finished it yet. I didn't expect it to be quite as academic as it is. Although from some other reviews, it does look like the later essays might be more interesting (to me, at least).

20leahbird
Jan. 2, 2014, 12:51 pm

Happy New Year and new thread!

21Kassilem
Jan. 2, 2014, 3:49 pm

Happy new years! Looking forward to seeing what you read in 2014.

22hairballsrus
Jan. 2, 2014, 5:59 pm

Happy New Year! I eagerly await all the books you'll read this year. You are my Book Goddess. I am always amazed by how many you get through.

23beserene
Jan. 2, 2014, 6:29 pm

Happy New Year, blue. Hope all is well. :)

24bluesalamanders
Jan. 2, 2014, 8:56 pm

Happy New Year, Leah, Kassilem, hairballsrus, beserene! hairballsrus, I don't really know what to say to that. Thanks? :)

25bluesalamanders
Jan. 4, 2014, 8:22 am

Finished Book 1: The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner
Riverside, book 2
New read, Adult, Fantasy: historical, Dead tree: 459p

Katherine’s wealthy and “mad” uncle decides to foster her in the city and turn her into, not a lady, but a swordsman.

Despite being book two in the Riverside trilogy, The Privilege of the Sword is easily a standalone novel. I enjoyed reading about Katherine learning swordplay, her frustration with her uncle’s oddity, and the gradual way she grew to understand and even come to enjoy the new life she was throw into.

There are a lot of things I liked about this book; there were also things I did not like. I didn’t care for the way the second half of the plot depended on one of the main characters being raped and several other major characters being or having been prostitutes. I also found the frequent switch from Katherine’s first-person perspective to the third-person perspective around other characters jarring.

26dk_phoenix
Jan. 4, 2014, 8:56 am

Ooh I am intrigued by the list you've posted above! Less so by your first book for 2014. Er, here's hoping the rest of them are better...

27bluesalamanders
Jan. 4, 2014, 10:11 am

Yeah, that one was disappointing. On the up side, it's done and now I get to pick something new to read :)

28beserene
Jan. 5, 2014, 4:01 pm

The Riverside books are on audio now, I think, and the production is supposed to be delightful. Perhaps PoS would have been better that way.

29bluesalamanders
Jan. 5, 2014, 4:11 pm

That may help with the odd perspectives, but my main issue was the rape.

30beserene
Jan. 5, 2014, 4:17 pm

Yeah, that seems like a trope that needs to die. I haven't read the books myself, yet, so I can't offer an informed judgement. I have worked with Ellen Kushner a bit though, and I know her to be a thoughtful author, so I'm surprised that she would write such a thing without good use and reason. That's really too bad.

31bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Jan. 15, 2014, 10:17 pm

Finished Book 2: The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany
New read, Adult, Fantasy: classic, Dead tree: 242p

The council of Erl gather and speak and decide that they want their next lord to be magical. They tell their ruler this, and he sends his son to Elfland to find and marry the King of Elfland’s daughter.

I was surprised that the prince managed to find and marry the princess within the first chapter. That meant that the rest of the book had to be about - other things. It is a slow and meandering tale, with intricate and poetic language and not a lot of action. Sometimes I found the style and speed distracting, but generally I enjoyed it.

I thought I first heard of this book in a preface or afterward in one of Robin McKinley’s novels, though I can’t find it now. It makes sense, though; I can see the influence of this book’s style and language and characters throughout her work.

I'm glad I read it, but I'll be honest: it's not a book I'm planning to read again, and I wouldn't recommend it to most people.

32xymon81
Jan. 16, 2014, 9:45 am

I have heard of that book before but have not actually run across it anywhere. I dont mind the meandering reads as long as it keeps my interest. I would consider my current read Winter's Tale to be like that. Good but very long winded.

33bluesalamanders
Jan. 16, 2014, 9:06 pm

xymon - It took several years of having it on my TBR list before I actually found it in a used bookstore. I don't know if it's in print or not, actually; I never looked for it new.

If you like a meandering, long-winded story, then it might be one for you after all :)

34ronincats
Bearbeitet: Jan. 16, 2014, 10:23 pm

I think I read that back in my teens, one of those books regarded as classic fantasy in the days when most of it hadn't been written yet!

ETA along with E. R. Eddison's The Worm Ouroboros.

35hairballsrus
Jan. 18, 2014, 7:51 am

I've heard of it, but never tackled it. You go girl! Doesn't sound like my kind of thing, since McKinley is so hit or miss with me.

36bluesalamanders
Jan. 23, 2014, 7:18 am

Finished Book 3: The Unicorn Sonata by Peter S. Beagle
New Read, Young Adult, Fantasy, Dead Tree: 154

Joey takes a walk one night and stumbles into a magical world full of satyrs and unicorns and all kinds of creatures.

Other stuff happens, but it is kind of a meandering story. The art is lovely, though, as of course is the language.

Currently reading: The Kingdom of Gods by NK Jemisin

37xymon81
Jan. 23, 2014, 8:39 am

I really liked the whole Hundred Thousand Kingdoms series. I really liked how she potrayed Sieh in this book. I think this was the best of the trilogy.

38bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Jan. 23, 2014, 8:51 pm

I adore Kingdom of Gods so far. It's incredible. I love the whole series, but, just, wow. And for the record, I pretty much don't like epic fantasy.

39bluesalamanders
Jan. 28, 2014, 10:09 am

Finished Book 4: The Kingdom of Gods by N. K. Jemisin
The Inheritance Trilogy, book 3
New Read, Adult, Fantasy: Epic, Dead Tree: 548p

I absolutely love this trilogy and Kingdom of Gods may well be the best book of the three.

40_Zoe_
Jan. 28, 2014, 10:28 am

Wow, that is a strong recommendation. I've had those books vaguely on my radar for ages now, but maybe I should think about actually reading them.

41bluesalamanders
Jan. 28, 2014, 10:42 am

I feel strongly about these books! They're fantastic. I hope you like them when you get to them.

42drneutron
Jan. 29, 2014, 8:23 am

A certain Secret Santa of mine sent me The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms last year, and it's at the top of the list for Fantasy February!

43bluesalamanders
Jan. 29, 2014, 9:22 pm

Woo! I love that so many people are reading it. I hope you enjoy it, too.

44ronincats
Jan. 29, 2014, 9:57 pm

I read the series several years ago and enjoyed it a lot.

45dk_phoenix
Jan. 30, 2014, 9:23 am

Ooh, I have the first book and I've heard only good things about it. Great to know the trilogy finishes on a strong note.

46bluesalamanders
Jan. 30, 2014, 6:42 pm

It does! I can't wait to hear what you all think of it :)

Currently reading:
The Truth by Terry Pratchett
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

Both of these are rereads, but it's been so many years since I last read them that I remember almost nothing except that I liked them.

47bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Feb. 4, 2014, 6:08 am

(Belated) January Round-Up

Overview:
4 finished books totaling 1403 pages and 0d 0h 0m

Adult/YA:
1 YA, 3 Adult

Genre:
4 Fantasy, 0 Science Fiction
0 Fiction, 0 Non-Fiction

Format:
4 Dead Tree, 0 Graphic Novel
0 Audiobook, 0 eBook

Author/Editor gender:
2 female, 2 male

New or Old:
4 new reads, 0 rereads

Series:
2 in series, 2 standalone

48bluesalamanders
Feb. 4, 2014, 6:07 am

Finished Book 5: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, read by Mark Oshiro
Enchanted, Book 1
New Read, Young Adult, Fantasy: Fairy Tale, Audiobook: 5h34m

Ella is cursed with obedience and must obey every order she is given.

I hadn’t read this before. It turned out to be a charming (heh) and entertaining story, and certainly among the better fairy tale retellings I’ve read.

5 / 130 books. 4% done.
5 / 60 *new books. 8% done.
0 / 2 ^non-fiction. 0% done.
1403 / 25,000 pages. 6% done.
Audiobooks: 0d5h34m

Mark is reading Dealing with Dragons! It's not one of his main books, so it's youtube, not his blog, but he's having a great time and it's amazing to see someone come to those books with no idea what's going to happen. And at the end of the month he's starting Terrier! Oh man. This is just too much fun.

49MickyFine
Feb. 4, 2014, 4:21 pm

>48 bluesalamanders: I've only seen the film and not read the book (bad bibliophile!). Glad you enjoyed it. :)

50foggidawn
Feb. 4, 2014, 5:04 pm

#49 -- Ooh, that was a particularly heinous film adaptation. Definitely don't judge that book by its movie. :-)

51MickyFine
Feb. 4, 2014, 5:11 pm

I actually like it (no one said my film tastes were the best out there). ;)

52foggidawn
Feb. 4, 2014, 6:48 pm

Well, maybe not having the book in your mind for comparison helped.

53MickyFine
Feb. 4, 2014, 7:14 pm

Probably. Also my tremendous girl crush on Anne Hathaway. Also also Hugh Dancy. :D

54quinaquisset
Feb. 4, 2014, 7:22 pm

I really liked Ella Enchanted too. Her other fairy tale, Fairest, was an interesting take on Snow White. I haven't read any of her other books.

55bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Feb. 4, 2014, 8:02 pm

49 Micky - I recommend the book, if you like fairy tale retellings. It might be interesting to compare the two from that angle, actually. I'm tempted to watch the movie (Hugh Dancy is yummy) but I've heard such awful things about it...plus I just finished the book. Maybe some other time.

54 quinaquisset - I actually didn't care for Fairest, which is why I haven't made it a priority to read any of her other books. I don't know what I would have thought of Ella Enchanted if I'd read it myself, but listening to Mark read it was a lot of fun.

56dk_phoenix
Feb. 5, 2014, 8:01 am

I've read quite a few Gail Carson Levine books, and "charming" really is the right way to describe them! She has a number of very short retellings too, which I really enjoyed.

57norabelle414
Feb. 5, 2014, 10:47 am

I love both the movie AND the book of Ella Enchanted, for totally different reasons.

58bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Feb. 19, 2014, 5:37 am

Finished Book 6: Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, read by Mark Oshiro
Enchanted Forest Chronicles, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 5h

It is utterly charming to see Mark read these books with absolutely no knowledge of what they’re about or what is going to happen. He gets so excited about everything! Also, I enjoy his reading much better than the official audiobook I tried to listen to, which I didn’t like at all.

59bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Feb. 19, 2014, 5:42 am

Finished Book 7: Trickster’s Queen by Tamora Pierce, read by Mark Oshiro
Trickster duology, book 2
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 13h56m

I listened to Mark read the Trickster books out of curiosity. I don’t like them much; they are without question my least favorite Tortall books. Aly is obnoxious, patronizing, and annoyingly precocious (she is, among other things, a master of codebreaking, knife fighting, knows a dozen languages, can pick locks and rifle through belongings without anyone knowing she was there, has a super special unusual magic ability that just happens to be exactly what’s needed, and never makes mistakes. She makes two whole mistakes in the entire duology, which both turn out to be have useful results, so they don’t count. She's also sixteen years old.).

Aly annoys me. Obviously. She didn’t annoy me any less this time around. I was curious what the effect of listening to Mark get all excited about the books might be - when he got all excited about the Immortals quartet, it made me like it more than I had previously. This time? Nope. I still don’t like Aly and don't like the books.

60bluesalamanders
Feb. 19, 2014, 5:44 am

Finished Book 8: The Truth by Terry Pratchett
Discworld, book 25
Reread, Adult, Fantasy: satire, Dead tree: 336p

Entertaining and amusing, as expected, with multiple laugh-out-loud moments. I enjoyed the variety of characters. It would have been nice to have a few more women make appearances, though to be fair I think many of the important characters were already established Discworld personalities.

61bluesalamanders
Feb. 19, 2014, 5:48 am

Currently reading:
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, which I think is going to take a long time because I don't actually feel like reading it much these days.
Perchance to Dream ed. by Denise Little, which I can only read during the daytime because creepy dream stories are not something to read right before I go to bed.

Clearly I need to pick another book to read now too. Hm.

62foggidawn
Feb. 19, 2014, 7:36 am

#58 -- I didn't like the Full Cast Audio version. Maybe I would prefer Mark's reading of it, too. I enjoyed Mark Reads Twilight, but I haven't kept up with what he's done since.

63bluesalamanders
Feb. 19, 2014, 8:15 am

There's a Full Cast Audio of Dealing with Dragons? Huh. I am pretty sure the one I had only had one reader. I usually like FCA, I may have to look for that.

I stopped following Mark at one point because he was watching or reading something that I didn't like and I couldn't deal with his reactions ( I don't remember what it even was). I started again when I heard he was reading Tamora Pierce and now I just ignore anything he's doing that I'm not interested in (right now I'm ignoring more than I'm watching, actually!).

64bluesalamanders
Mrz. 11, 2014, 2:42 pm

Finished Book 9: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
Old Man’s War, book 1
Reread, Adult, Science Fiction, Dead tree: 313p

Finished Book 10: The Last Colony by John Scalzi
Old Man’s War, book 3
Reread, Adult, Science Fiction, Dead tree: 316p

I skipped The Ghost Brigades because it’s really my least favorite of the series. I like it, but not as much as the first and third. On the other hand, it’s hard not to immediately grab Zoe’s Tale after reading these, since that fills in many of the gaps left in The Last Colony and is also from the perspective of one of my favorite characters in this book.

10 / 130 books. 8% done.
5 / 60 *new books. 8% done.
0 / 2 ^non-fiction. 0% done.
2368 / 25,000 pages. 9% done.
Audiobooks: 1d0h30m

65bluesalamanders
Mrz. 11, 2014, 2:43 pm

Finished Book 11: Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, read by Mark Oshiro
Enchanted Forest Chronicles, book 2
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 5h58m

I love this series and it’s a lot of fun to listen to Mark read and reach to them. I’m looking forward to him starting the 3rd book.

66bluesalamanders
Mrz. 12, 2014, 9:10 am

Finished Book 12: Alias: Sister Spy by Laura Peyton Roberts
Alias tv tie-in, book 4
New read, Young adult, Fiction, Dead tree: 218p

The one sort of good thing in this book is the way it shows how Francie and Sydney’s friendship is becoming strained as more of Syd’s life is devoted to SD-6. Otherwise, it suffers from many of the same problems of the other books: Sydney is sent on a mission with almost no intel or support. When she asks for help, her handler gives vague statements instead of clear advice or orders. As a seasoned agent in the tv show, that sometimes works, but in this book she’s younger and still in training.

67dk_phoenix
Mrz. 12, 2014, 5:57 pm

>60 bluesalamanders:: The Truth is one of my favorite Discworld novels! Tons of fun. Glad you're still enjoying the Wrede series too!

68bluesalamanders
Mrz. 20, 2014, 6:12 am

Finished Book 13: Half-Off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire
InCryptid, book 3
New read, Adult, Fantasy: Urban, Dead tree: 346p

Half-Off Ragnarok is focused not on Verity Price but on her brother Alex, who by day works in the Reptile House at the Columbus Zoo and by night (or in his off-hours, anyway) studies the mating habits of basilisks and frickins. And in between, tries to find time to spend with his family and his girlfriend. And then bad stuff happens. Because they’re Prices, and bad stuff always happens.

Definitely a lot of fun. There were some laugh-out-loud moments, as expected in this series, and there were also lots more details about both the cryptids and the Prices, which is almost as interesting as the story itself.

69bluesalamanders
Mrz. 23, 2014, 3:26 pm

Finished Book 14: Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Graceling, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Dead tree: 471p

One thing I like about this series is that it includes two main characters who choose, in so many words and for different reasons, not to have children. Katsa simply has no interest in having children and Fire has a dominant genetic trait that she doesn’t want to pass on.

And they don’t change their minds. It’s so rare for characters in books (or tv or movies) to make that choice, and even more rare for them to make that choice and keep it.

There are lots of other things I like about these books, but that’s one thing that struck me as I read Graceling this time.

70bluesalamanders
Mrz. 23, 2014, 3:31 pm

Finished Book 15: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
Graceling, book 3
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Dead tree: 539p

I really like this book. Some bad things happen and it’s about the aftermath of even more horrible things, but even though many of the characters are action types (some recognizable from Graceling), the story is actually about thinking and talking. And feeling. It’s about Bitterblue figuring out who she can trust and who is betraying her. About her figuring out what questions to ask - and, perhaps just as importantly, what questions not to ask.

For anyone interested in reading this, it should have trigger warnings attached: there is some pretty disturbing imagery in this book, including references to physical, psychological, and sexual abuses that happened during Leck’s reign.

15 / 130 books. 11% done.
7 / 60 new books. 11% done.
0 / 2 non-fiction. 0% done.
3942 / 25,000 pages. 16% done.
Audiobooks: 1d6h28m

71ronincats
Mrz. 23, 2014, 9:01 pm

You remind me that I need to read Fire and Bitterblue still, since I enjoyed Graceling.

I liked Half-Off Ragnarok too; I'm warming up to this series.

72bluesalamanders
Mrz. 23, 2014, 9:49 pm

I think Fire is my favorite, but I really love all three.

The InCryptid books are so much fun! It's great to read books that are just unabashedly fun. they're not morbid or depressing like so many series these days. I mean, I love apocalyptic stories, but sometimes...

73bluesalamanders
Mrz. 29, 2014, 11:20 am

Finished Book 16: Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey
Harper Hall, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, 176p

Finished Book 17: Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey
Harper Hall, book 2
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, 240p

I have mixed feelings about these books. I’ve never been a big fan of McCaffrey’s writing, and as time goes by I have more and more issues with the story, the worldbuilding, the characters...basically, everything. And yet, there’s so much potential! There are such interesting ideas! I just don’t think they’re handled particularly well, in these or any of the Pern books I've read.

Obviously there is still enough that I like in these books that I’ll still read them occasionally, but I think most of that can be summed up in two words: fire lizards.

74ronincats
Mrz. 29, 2014, 1:24 pm

Oh, I do like these Menolly books, blue. Sentimental of me, perhaps, but I think they are great books for young girls to discover science fiction, and I love the world-building. These two and the first three of the main series, through The White Dragon, are the Pern books I would put as must reads--the rest can definitely be optional.

75bluesalamanders
Apr. 1, 2014, 8:47 pm

Finished Book 18: Daja’s Book by Tamora Pierce, read by Full Cast Audio
Circle of Magic, book 3
Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 5h20m

76bluesalamanders
Apr. 1, 2014, 9:01 pm

February/March Round-Up

Overview:
14 finished books totaling 2852 pages and 1d 11h 48m

Adult/YA:
10 YA, 4 Adult

Genre:
11 Fantasy, 2 Science Fiction
1 Fiction, 0 Non-Fiction

Format:
9 Dead Tree, 0 Graphic Novel
5 Audiobook, 0 eBook

Author/Editor gender:
11 female, 3 male

New or Old:
3 new reads, 11 rereads

Series:
14 in series, 0 standalone

77quinaquisset
Apr. 2, 2014, 7:27 am

Can I read Ragnarok if I haven't read Incryptid #2? I was just at the Columbus Zoo last summer.

78bluesalamanders
Apr. 2, 2014, 7:41 pm

I'm honestly not sure. There's one thing that will definitely be confusing (that isn't supposed to be, I mean) and at least a couple of major spoilers for book 2. But if you don't mind spoilers and just accept that the confusing thing has an explanation, it's probably ok?

79bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Apr. 4, 2014, 6:12 am

Finished Book 19: Shatterglass by Tamora Pierce
The Circle Opens, book 4
Young Adult, Fantasy, 357p

I have some problems with this book (the way things happen is very convenient for the plot; there are a few too many coincidences with no explanation or justification) but I enjoy the characters and (parts of) the story enough to overlook that most of the time.

80humouress
Bearbeitet: Apr. 7, 2014, 12:50 pm

>73 bluesalamanders: Dragonsinger was the first Anne McCaffrey book I read, and I went on to read the whole Pern series, which is quite high on my favourites list. Maybe this is one where we'll have to agree to disagree :0)

(It's also one of the reasons I never read books out of chronological sequence - if I can help it - anymore.)

81bluesalamanders
Apr. 7, 2014, 1:08 pm

>80 humouress: Well, yes :) I know a lot of people like the Pern books, but I never have.

I try to be careful about reading books in publication order (which is usually chronological), too. The first book I read in Diane Duane's Young Wizards series way back when turned out to be book 3, and although I loved it immediately, a lot of it was very confusing because I didn't have the background from the first two books.

It's hard to tell sometimes, though; I accidentally picked up the third book in one of Robin Hobb's trilogies when I wanted the 2nd (they weren't labeled! Why don't they label them??) and was spoiled for a major plot point before I realized it was the wrong book. So when I did read book 2, I spent the whole time waiting for (thing) to happen, which unfortunately for me didn't happen until right near the end. Sigh.

82bluesalamanders
Apr. 19, 2014, 8:40 am

Finished Book 20: Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, read by Mark Oshiro
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 6h 12m

Not my favorite of the series, but still a charming and enjoyable story.

20 / 130 books. 15% done.
7 / 60 new books. 11% done.
0 / 2 non-fiction. 0% done.
4715 / 25,000 pages. 18% done.
Audiobooks: 1d 18h 0m

83bluesalamanders
Apr. 19, 2014, 8:41 am

Finished Book 21: Summoning the Phoenix by Emily Jiang, read by Mark Oshiro
New read, Children’s, Non-fiction (and poetry), Audiobook: 25m

Summoning the Phoenix seems like several different books in one: it is a history of Chinese musical instruments, it is a picture book with gorgeous illustrations of people - mostly children, I think - playing or learning to play those instruments, it is a book of poetry about those instruments. I’d heard of maybe half the instruments, and it was fun to learn about all of them.

84bluesalamanders
Apr. 19, 2014, 8:42 am

Finished Book 22: Short & Tall Tales: Moose County Legends collected by James Mackintosh Qwilleran, by Lilian Jackson Braun
New read, Adult, Fiction, Dead tree: 176p

A silly book full of silly stories. Most of the stories are familiar from when Jim heard them during the events of various the Cat Who books, although I think a few were new. A fun, light read.

85bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Apr. 22, 2014, 7:53 pm

Finished Book 23: The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
Discworld, book 1
New Read, Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 6h 55m

I may have read this 10 or 15 years ago, but I didn’t remember it so I’m counting it as a new read. I enjoy the Discworld books a lot, but kind of in small quantities, so listening to Mark Reads a chapter or two at a time is perfect.

86bluesalamanders
Apr. 22, 2014, 7:53 pm

Finished Book 24: The girl who soared over Fairyland and cut the moon in two by Cathrynne Valente
Fairyland, book 3
New Read, Young Adult, Fantasy, Dead tree: 256p

The third book in the Valente’s Fairyland series is as whimsical and entertaining as the first two. September hitches a ride back into Fairyland, finds old friends, meets new ones, and makes some unexpected discoveries.

87MickyFine
Apr. 23, 2014, 12:45 pm

>86 bluesalamanders: It's out?! Drat my random reading goal this year. I want this one to shuffle to the top now!

88bluesalamanders
Apr. 23, 2014, 7:40 pm

It came out last year, I think. I really enjoyed it!

89MickyFine
Apr. 23, 2014, 10:05 pm

Maybe if I cross my fingers and bite my tongue the next time I run a shuffle on The List... ;)

90bluesalamanders
Mai 4, 2014, 10:04 am

Finished Book 25: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, read by Wil Wheaton
New Read, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Audiobook: 15h 46m

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the surface, it’s clever, moving, and a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the loads of geeky references, even the ones I didn’t necessarily understand. However, dig a little deeper and it’s full of old tropes and tired stereotypes that really weaken the overall impact of the story. For example, for the majority of the book, there is one female character, and although she’s a good character in her own right, it’s clear that she exists to be the love interest. She’s also the other “prize” that the main character “wins” at the end of the story (which is technically a spoiler, I guess, but seriously, tell me it wasn’t obvious from the very beginning). There had to be a better way to work that subplot.

25 / 130 books. 15% done.
12 / 60 new books. 11% done.
0 / 2 non-fiction. 0% done.
5147 / 25,000 pages. 18% done.
Audiobooks: 2d 17h 6m

91bluesalamanders
Mai 4, 2014, 10:06 am

Finished Book 26: Terrier by Tamora Pierce, read by Mark Oshiro
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 15h 3m

Love this book, really enjoyed Mark’s reactions to it.

92bluesalamanders
Mai 14, 2014, 8:24 pm

Finished Book 27: The Rook by Daniel O’Malley
New Read, Adult, fantasy, 512p

I was not wild about this book from the start. The main character is just so clearly a woman written by a man. Maybe there are some women who think about themselves that way - somewhere - maybe? But not any I know. And she is so dismissive of other women for much of the book - particularly Thomas, who was amazing. I actually liked Thomas better than Myfanwy, which is a little ironic, I guess.

Some of the other characters are better - Ingrid is fantastic and the American (whose name I can’t recall), for instance. The world is interesting. The plot is not terrible. Those are the things that convinced me to keep reading every time something Myfanwy said or thought made me cringe.

93bluesalamanders
Mai 14, 2014, 8:25 pm

Finished Book 28: Soulless by Gail Carriger, read by Emily Gray
Parasol Protectorate, book 1
Reread, Adult, Fantasy (steampunk), audiobook: 10h 48m

Fun audiobook to listen to on my (currently annoyingly long) commute to work.

94bluesalamanders
Mai 14, 2014, 8:27 pm

Finished Book 29: Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, read by Mark Oshiro
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 6h 38m

95bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Mai 14, 2014, 11:07 pm

Finished Book 30: Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire
New read, Adult, Fantasy (ghost stories), dead tree: 320p

Not what I was expecting, but a thoroughly enjoyable book.

30 / 130 books. 23% done.
14 / 60 new books. 23% done.
0 / 2 non-fiction. 0% done.
5979 / 25,000 pages. 23% done.
Audiobooks: 3d 15h 35m

I'm pretty far behind where I usually am by now - this time last year, and the year before, I was at 50 books. But I'm not actually as far behind as I thought I was, which is something, I guess.

96ronincats
Mai 14, 2014, 11:09 pm

Oh, I just bought that one today, blue! Maybe I'll go ahead and start it tonight...

97bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Mai 26, 2014, 8:22 am

Finished Book 31: Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde, read by Emily Gray
New Read, Adult, Fantasy, audiobook: 12h 27m

Not nearly as funny as the previous books, I’m sad to say. Also, stalkers are not really a joking matter, and Thursday’s “stalker” played a small enough role that it could easily have been something else (something less disturbing, preferably). I think this series may have run its course (for me, at least).

Finished Book 32: Sandry’s Book by Tamora Pierce, read by Full Cast Audio
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 5h 53m

Finished Book 33: Briar’s Book by Tamora Pierce, read by Full Cast Audio
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 6h 22m

Finished Book 34: The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
New read, Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 6h 59m

Finished Book 35: Street Magic by Tamora Pierce, read by Full Cast Audio
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 7h 13m

35 / 130 books. 27% done.
16 / 60 new books. 27% done.
1 / 2 non-fiction. 50% done.
5979 / 25,000 pages. 24% done.
Audiobooks: 5d 6h 29m

98bluesalamanders
Mai 26, 2014, 9:01 am

Finished Book 36: The Romulan Way by Diane Duane and Peter Morwood
Star Trek: Rihannsu, book 2
New Read, Adult, Science Fiction, Dead tree: 254p

99leahbird
Mai 26, 2014, 9:50 pm

The was definitely a slump there in the middle of the Thursday Next series but it gets better. Never as good as the beginning but certainly better than Something Rotten.

100bluesalamanders
Mai 26, 2014, 11:59 pm

You think? Well, I do already have the next audiobook on my ipod, and I may have another long commute in a week or two. Maybe I'll give it a chance.

101norabelle414
Mai 27, 2014, 8:54 am

Admittedly Something Rotten is my favorite Thursday Next (mostly because of Hamlet), but the books that follow it are definitely very different. For one thing, they jump forward in time more than 10 years, and also Fforde has said that he considers the subsequent books to be a different series. That's why the 5th book is called "First Among Sequels".

102bluesalamanders
Mai 27, 2014, 11:32 am

>101 norabelle414: Interesting! I didn't know any of that about the next book. Thanks.

103quinaquisset
Mai 31, 2014, 9:59 am

I'm curious how well the Thursday Next series translates to audio, there are certain bits that seem rather visual. (Footnoterphone for one, dialogue confusion for another.)

104bluesalamanders
Jun. 2, 2014, 9:08 am

It's definitely a different experience, but I like it. It's been a long time since I read any of them on paper, though, so I can't really give a proper comparison.

105bluesalamanders
Jun. 26, 2014, 7:18 am

Finished Book 37: The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce, read by Full Cast Audio
The Circle Reforged, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 15h30m

Finished Book 38: Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce, read by Full Cast Audio
The Circle Reforged, book 2
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 8h28m

Finished Book 39: Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce read by Full Cast Audio
The Immortals, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 7h54m

Finished Book 40: Swordhunt by Diane Duane
Star Trek: Rihannsu, book 3
New Read, Adult, Science Fiction, Dead tree: 229p

40 / 130 books. 31% done.
18 / 60 new books. 30% done.
1 / 2 non-fiction. 50% done.
6462 / 25,000 pages. 26% done.
Audiobooks: 6d 15h 23m

106bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Jun. 26, 2014, 7:25 am

Finished Book 41: Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones, read by Gerard Doyle
Chronicles of Chrestomanci, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook, 7h07m

Finished Book 42: The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones, read by Gerard Doyle
Chronicles of Chrestomanc, book 4
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook, 9h04m

Currently reading (among other things, whenever I feel like it):
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick
Neuromancer by William Gibson

I think part of the reason I've been gravitating to fanfic so much these days instead of books is because I've been trying too hard to force myself to read particular books, instead of going with what I felt like reading. I started rereading Sunshine a couple days ago and I finished a good chunk in an afternoon; I picked up Secret Diary at the bookstore yesterday and I'm a third of the way through it already.

So, down with lists, down with plans, from now on I read whatever I feel like reading.

107ronincats
Jun. 26, 2014, 11:54 am

Sounds like a great summer plan, blue!!

I'm a fan of Sunshine and all your Pierces and Joneses are rereads for me--enjoyable comfort reads.

108bluesalamanders
Jun. 26, 2014, 6:55 pm

Roni - Thanks! Those are all comfort reads for me as well - especially Sunshine, which is my favorite book, if any book is.

109bluesalamanders
Jun. 26, 2014, 6:58 pm

Finished Book 43: The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick
New Read, Young Adult, Fiction, Dead tree: 380p

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is a multimedia adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (mainly comprised of youtube videos) and Secret Diary delves deeper into that world, sometimes simply talking about what in the videos, but also expanding both story and characterization by discussing events that weren’t mentioned on camera.

Ok, that was a ton of fun. I love the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, so I was excited to hear about the book, and it didn’t disappoint. It is literally Lizzie’s diary for the duration of the videos, so it includes things like the text of Darcy’s letter, more detailed (and less theatrical) conversations with her family, descriptions of events that are only mentioned in passing in the videos, and so on. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I’m not sure it would make much sense to anyone who hasn’t watched the videos, but it would definitely be a fun read for anyone who has.

110humouress
Jun. 29, 2014, 4:56 pm

A lot of books on your list that I've been meaning to read ... sometime. The current TBR list needs (as ever) a bit of whittling, first.

111bluesalamanders
Aug. 6, 2014, 1:08 pm

Finished Book 44: Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
Discworld, book 3 (publication order)
Reread, Fantasy, audiobook: 7h 43m

Finished Book 45: First Test by Tamora Pierce
Protector of the Small, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 5h46m

45 / 130 books. 35% done.
19 / 60 new books. 32% done.
1 / 2 non-fiction. 50% done.
6842 / 25,000 pages. 27% done.
Audiobooks: 8d 03h 03m

112bluesalamanders
Aug. 6, 2014, 1:09 pm

Finished Book 46: Page by Tamora Pierce
Protector of the Small, book 2
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 6h28m

Finished Book 47: Squire by Tamora Pierce
Protector of the Small, book 3
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy: Medieval, Audiobook: 10h48m

Finished Book 48: Terrier by Tamora Pierce
Beka Cooper, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 15h 3m

Finished Book 49: Bloodshot by Cherie Priest
Cheshire Red Reports, book 1
Reread, Adult, Fantasy: Urban, Audiobook: 11h16m

113bluesalamanders
Aug. 6, 2014, 1:15 pm

Finished Book 50: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Imperial Radch, book 1
Early Reviewer
New Read, Adult, Science Fiction, Dead Tree: 384p

Some things in this review may constitute spoilers.

She isn’t human. She looks human. She used to be human, though she doesn’t remember it. But now she is an ancillary, the mobile units of the ship Justice of Toren. For all intents and purposes, she is the ship, alongside every other ancillary.

This story takes place in at least two alternating time periods. In the present, the main character is passing as human, dealing with the destruction of the rest of her ship and a mission she has taken upon herself. In the past, we learn what led up to the destruction of Justice of Torenand all its ancillaries and crew.

There were many things I loved about this book. The main character, with her multiple identities as the book progressed, was one. The way Justice of Toren and similar other ships were presented. The Radch language, which has no recognition for gender and as a result refers to everyone as “she” and “her” is another. Also, the relationships between various characters throughout the story, the variety of cultures and different cultural norms that were casually referenced, the way the main character tried (and sometimes failed) to pass as human.

There was only one thing I didn’t like; one character seemed to undergo a dramatic personality shift partway through the book. It’s possible that I missed the explanation for why this happened and when I reread it someday I’ll understand better. But as it is, that was the only sour note in an otherwise wonderful story.

Highly recommended. First in a planned trilogy; I am beyond excited for the sequels.

50 / 130 books. 38% done.
20 / 60 new books. 33% done.
1 / 2 non-fiction. 50% done.
7226 / 25,000 pages. 29% done.
Audiobooks: 9d 22h 38m

114norabelle414
Aug. 7, 2014, 9:34 am

>113 bluesalamanders: I'm reading that one soon! I heard tons of hype about it when it first came out and I'm sad it's taken me this long to pick it up.

115bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Aug. 8, 2014, 9:01 am

>114 norabelle414: It was recommended to me by a lot of people. I was so excited when I won it through ER! It was worth the wait, really; it is an excellent book.

116bluesalamanders
Aug. 25, 2014, 8:42 am

I sort of got on a role and reread one of my favorite series all in one go. Fitting, I suppose, since The Winter Long comes out next week.

Finished Book 51: Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, book 1
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, 346p

Finished Book 52: A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, book 2
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, 377p

Finished Book 53: An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, Book 3
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, 354p

Finished Book 54: Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, Book 4
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, 372p

Finished Book 55: One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, Book 5
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, 354p

55 / 130 books. 42% done.
20 / 60 new books. 33% done.
1 / 2 non-fiction. 50% done.
9029 / 25,000 pages. 36% done.
Audiobooks: 9d 22h 38m

117bluesalamanders
Aug. 25, 2014, 8:43 am

Finished Book 56: Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, book 6
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, 368p

Finished Book 57: Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, book 7
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, Dead Tree: 357p

118bluesalamanders
Aug. 25, 2014, 8:47 am

Finished Book 58: Bloodshot by Cherie Priest, read by Natalie Ross
Cheshire Red Reports, book 1
Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook, 11h16m

Finished Book 59: Blood Price by Tanya Huff
Blood series, Book 1
Adult, Fantasy: Urban, Dead Tree: 272p

119humouress
Aug. 25, 2014, 9:07 am

I see your knocking off your reads by series. I can never read two books in a series back to back, or it starts overlapping with real life for me. Weird, I know; not quite sure why I do it.

I'm still trying to track down Rosemary and Rue, since I've seen so many LT recommendations for the October Daye series.

120bluesalamanders
Aug. 25, 2014, 9:35 am

I often read whole series one right after another. I love it, actually, because I pick what to read by what I feel like, so if I feel like reading one of them, I generally feel like reading the next, and the next, and the next. The only down side is when I get so caught up in the world that I have trouble finding something to read when I'm done.

That said, I'm not sure I'm going to read the subsequent Blood books just yet. Don't think I feel like it. Hm.

I absolutely recommend Rosemary and Rue, it's great. I also recommend Discount Armageddon by the same author, if you're in the mood for something a bit lighter and funnier.

(And I just remembered that I forgot to list a book! Whoops!)

121bluesalamanders
Aug. 25, 2014, 9:45 am

Finished Book 60: The Aunt Paradox by Chris Dolley
LibraryThing Early Reviewers
New Read, science fiction: humor/steampunk, ebook: 169p

I found The Aunt Paradox reasonably well-written and somewhat entertaining. It wasn’t particularly my cup of tea, but I wouldn’t want to discourage anyone else from giving it a shot.

60 / 130 books. 46% done.
21 / 60 new books. 35% done.
1 / 2 non-fiction. 50% done.
10195 / 25,000 pages. 41% done.
Audiobooks: 10d 9h 54m

122ronincats
Aug. 25, 2014, 12:32 pm

Ah, yes, I've got September 2 on the calendar to pick up the new Seanan McGuire too!

123bluesalamanders
Sept. 2, 2014, 6:23 am

Finished Book 61:The Martian by Andy Weir, read by R. C. Bray
New Read, Science Fiction, audiobook: 10hr 53m

An astronaut is stranded when a manned mission to Mars is cut short.

I heard wonderful things about this book and not a one was exaggerated. It was wonderful. Incredibly stressful at times, but wonderful.

124bluesalamanders
Sept. 2, 2014, 6:26 am

I'm going to pick up The Winter Long on Saturday. Classes start today, in about an hour and a half in fact, so I need to not be too distracted this week. And that would definitely be a distraction.

Same with Lock In. Well, not quite the same. Scalzi's book tour has a stop not too far from me in a couple weeks, so I figure I'll wait until then and buy it from the indie store he'll be at.

125ronincats
Sept. 7, 2014, 6:06 pm

I waited until the weekend to read The Winter Long, not just out of fellowship with you but also because I had library books I needed to finish up. It's even greater than the previous books, and you will love it!

126bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Okt. 22, 2014, 6:10 pm

Finished Book 62: The Big Meow by Diane Duane
New Read, Adult, Fantasy, ebook: 397p

That was fun! I enjoyed the characters - I always love the cat characters, Duane writes them so well.

Finished Book 63: The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire
New Read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, dead tree: 358p

There were half a dozen very unexpected thing in this book - they made sense in retrospect, but I didn’t catch the foreshadowing, some of which started all the way back in the first book! Overall, I loved it; an excellent addition to a great series.

Finished Book 64: Lock In by John Scalzi
New Read, Adult, Science fiction: near future, dead tree: 334p

It’s been a while since I read this, so I don’t remember a lot of the specifics, but I do remember that it was a fantastic book, as expected from Scalzi.

Finished Book 65: Mastiff by Tamora Pierce, read by Mark Oshiro
Reread, Young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 20h 30m

I love this trilogy, so this was enjoyable as expected. Although there were a few times when I wished I could reach through the screen and give Mark a hug because wow, Pierce sure pulls out all the stops in this one and makes some truly awful things happen.

65 / 130 books. 50% done.
24 / 60 new books. 40% done.
1 / 2 non-fiction. 50% done.
11284 / 25,000 pages. 45% done.
Audiobooks: 11d 6h 24m

You know, I was in Mathcounts in middle school and because the things we did there were so difficult, we had a saying: 50% is commendable! So, I’ll say that passing the 50% mark in my goals is good. Yay!

127bluesalamanders
Okt. 21, 2014, 2:25 pm

Finished Book 66: Sourcery by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
New read, adult, fantasy: satire, audiobook: 7h 53m

Finished Book 67: First Test by Tamora Pierce
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 5h 46

Finished Book 68: Page by Tamora Pierce
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 6h 28m

Finished Book 69: Squire by Tamora Pierce
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 10h 48m

Squire still ranks as my favorite Tamora Pierce book to date.

Finished Book 70: The Venetian’s Wife by Nick Bantock
Reread, adult, fantasy, dead tree: 131p

This book is difficult to even explain. There isn’t actually a whole lot of plot - a museum restorer gets a strange job offer and goes on a few mild adventures. But something about the way it’s written, I’ve always really enjoyed it. It’s also simply a beautiful book, as most of Bantock’s are, with art incorporated into the story.

70 / 130 books. 54% done.
25 / 60 new books. 42% done.
1 / 2 non-fiction. 50% done.
11415 / 25,000 pages. 46% done.
Audiobooks: 12d 13h 20m

128bluesalamanders
Okt. 22, 2014, 5:40 am

Finished Book 71: Robopocalypse by Daniel Wilson
New read, science fiction, ebook: 432p

Wow, I didn’t actually realize it was that long while I was reading it. The ebook I had didn’t have a full page count. So, Robopocalyse was super creepy in a Skynet, robots-taking-over sort of way. I liked it but wow. Creepy.

Finished Book 72: Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 11h 13m

Finished Book 73: Changeless by Gail Carriger
Reread, fantasy: steampunk, audiobook: 10h 32m

Finished Book 74: Blameless by Gail Carriger
Reread, fantasy: steampunk, audiobook: 11h 59m

Finished Book 75: Heartless by Gail Carriger
Reread, fantasy: steampunk, audiobook: 11h 19m

75 / 130 books. 58% done.
26 / 60 new books. 43% done.
1 / 2 non-fiction. 50% done.
11847 / 25,000 pages. 47% done.
Audiobooks: 12d 10h 23m

129drneutron
Okt. 22, 2014, 10:27 am

Congrats on 75!

130quinaquisset
Okt. 22, 2014, 6:09 pm

The link to The Big Meow isn't going to a Diane Duane book. (And I don't think I've read it either.)
You're smoking through the audiobooks!

131bluesalamanders
Okt. 22, 2014, 6:30 pm

>129 drneutron: Thanks, newt!

>130 quinaquisset: Whoops, fixed. Thanks. I didn't even realize it was finished and available, which is odd considering how closely I follow her social media stuff. I remember when she was working on it, but...well. I must have been busy then.

132Kassilem
Okt. 22, 2014, 6:55 pm

Congrats on reaching 75 books! Looks like you've gone through a lot of audiobooks. I'm a little stuck on mine at the moment but hope to pick some more up soon.

133bluesalamanders
Okt. 22, 2014, 7:13 pm

>132 Kassilem: Thanks! I think I've been stressed from going back to school, I'm more likely to do audiobooks when I'm stressed or sick. And just like physical books, when I get tired of one or stuck, I switch to another. I'm in the middle of several right now that I keep borrowing over and over from the library because the time keeps running out before I finish them, and then I either get distracted or someone else has a hold.

134ronincats
Okt. 22, 2014, 10:54 pm

Congratulations on reaching the 75 book mark!

I was reading The Big Meow chapter by chapter while she was writing it, but then RL happened to her (I think her mother-in-law died) and I haven't been back to check on it for ages. I think I subscribed, so just sent an email to check.

135Kassilem
Okt. 22, 2014, 10:59 pm

>133 bluesalamanders: That's sort of where I'm at with the physical books too. I've got a new book The Broken Eye thats due next week and it's a billion pages. I really don't know if I'm gonna be able to finish it. I tried to get it on audio but I don't think it's even been published as audio yet, which is a bummer. i might just have to wait a few months and come back to it. It's something that I hate to do but... :)

136humouress
Okt. 24, 2014, 6:33 am

Congratulations on your 75!

And on your 50%s

137alcottacre
Okt. 24, 2014, 8:02 am

*waving* at Blue!

and




for making 75!

138bluesalamanders
Okt. 25, 2014, 9:44 am

>134 ronincats: Thanks roni! I had subscribed, but it's been so long that I'm pretty sure I don't have that e-mail address anymore. Luckily, a friend of mine also subscribed and she gave me a copy of the ebook.

>135 Kassilem: That's a problem I have with audiobooks, actually; a lot of books I want to listen to aren't available on audio. Or, alternately, they are but I can't get them for whatever reason.

But the most frustrating? The most frustrating is when I have a migraine right now and someone else has the book I want to listen to checked out. It's ridiculous that only one person at a time can check out audiobooks and ebooks.

>136 humouress: and >137 alcottacre: Thanks :)

139bluesalamanders
Okt. 27, 2014, 9:27 am

Finished Book 76: Timeless by Gail Carriger
Reread, fantasy: steampunk, audiobook: 11h 29m

These are thoroughly enjoyable fantasy steampunk romances. I like the fact that the romance doesn’t overshadow the rest of the plots. I also like the fact that there are multiple gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters throughout the stories. It does suffer somewhat from the exotification of foreigners, unfortunately. Nothing’s perfect, I guess.

Finished Book 77: Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Reread, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Dead tree: 405p

Still one of my favorite books.

140ronincats
Okt. 27, 2014, 12:19 pm

You remind me that I really wanted to get to a reread of Sunshine for my Halloween reads. Don't know if it is going to happen now...

141bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Okt. 27, 2014, 12:54 pm

Oh, you know, I usually read A Night in the Lonesome October. Maybe I should pull that out.

142ronincats
Bearbeitet: Okt. 31, 2014, 8:49 pm

So, I went by the library today and pulled A Night in the Lonesome October off the shelf. I've never read it--most of my Zelazny reading was in the 70s. My first was Lord of Light in 1967. I'm in October 7 now and loving it, so thanks for introducing it to me. Great Halloween reading! Love the Gahan Wilson illustrations!

ETA I finished my reread of Sunshine yesterday.

143bluesalamanders
Okt. 31, 2014, 9:08 pm

Oh, good! I'm so glad you like it! Isn't Snuff fantastic? All the animal interactions are just so much fun, and Snuff and Jack's relationship is great. I could go on about which characters I like, but I would end up listing half the cast. They're all such fun.

144ronincats
Nov. 1, 2014, 12:52 am

I loved it! That was so much fun indeed. Thank you SO much for introducing me to it. I can see it being a favorite October reread, along with The Face in the Frost and The Goblin Reservation and Sunshine.

145bluesalamanders
Nov. 9, 2014, 12:44 pm

Finished Book 78: Sandry’s Book by Tamora Pierce, read by Mark Oshiro
The Circle of Magic, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 5h51m

Finished Book 79: Daja’s Book by Tamora Pierce
The Circle of Magic, book 3
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook: 5h20m

Finished Book 80: Magic Steps by Tamora Pierce
The Circle Opens, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, Dead Tree: 5h16m

80 / 130 books. 62% done.
26 / 60 new books. 43% done.
1 / 2 non-fiction. 50% done.
12252 / 25,000 pages. 49% done.
Audiobooks: 13d 14h 19m

146bluesalamanders
Nov. 9, 2014, 1:20 pm

Finished Book 81: The Ghosts of Bourbon Street by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Ebook: 37p

Finished Book 82: We Both Go Down Together by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Ebook: 41p

Finished Book 83: The First Fall by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Ebook: 29p

Finished Book 84: Married in Green by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Ebook: 20p

Finished Book 85: Loch and Key by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Ebook: 35p

85 / 130 books. 65% done.
31 / 60 new books. 52% done.
1 / 2 non-fiction. 50% done.
12414 / 25,000 pages. 50% done.
Audiobooks: 13d 14h 19m

147bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Nov. 25, 2014, 8:44 pm

Finished Book 86: IM by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Ebook: 11p

Finished Book 87: Blocked by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Ebook: 20p

Finished Book 88: Black as Blood by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Ebook: 15p

Finished Book 89: One Hell of a Ride by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Ebook: 20p

Finished Book 90: In Sea-Salt Tears by Seanan McGuire
October Daye (short story)
New read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Ebook: 24p

90 / 130 books. 69% done.
36 / 60 new books. 60% done.
1 / 2 non-fiction. 50% done.
12504 / 25,000 pages. 50% done.
Audiobooks: 13d 14h 19m

148bluesalamanders
Nov. 24, 2014, 11:15 am

Finished Book 91: A Knot in the Grain by Robin McKinley
Reread, Fantasy anthology, dead tree: 192p

Finished Book 92: Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett, read by Mark Oshiro
New read, adult, fantasy: satire, audiobook: 10h33m

Finished Book 93: Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
New Read, adult, non-fiction, dead tree: 384p

Finished Book 94: Oh Pretty Bird by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Ebook: 42p

Finished Book 95: Bury Me in Satin by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Ebook: 23p

95 / 130 books. 73% done.
40 / 60 new books. 67% done.
2 / 2 non-fiction. 100% done. (Whee!)
13145 / 25,000 pages. 53% done.
Audiobooks: 14d 0h 52m

149bluesalamanders
Nov. 24, 2014, 11:18 am

Finished Book 96: Snakes and Ladders by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid (short story)
New read, Adult, Fantasy: urban, Ebook: 33p

It does feel a little weird, including these short stories as “books”. But they are separate ebooks, for one, and for two, I’ve read a ton of stuff this year that won’t get count here and has cut into my book-reading time (reading for school, for example) and this makes me feel less annoyed about missing out so badly on most of my goals.

150ronincats
Nov. 24, 2014, 12:48 pm

I need to know if any or all of these Seanan McGuire stories are worth their cost. Some feedback, please!

151bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Nov. 25, 2014, 8:46 pm

Absolutely! Most of them are free on her website, but even if they weren't, I would say yes - they're wonderful! They expand on things that are mentioned in the Incryptid books, revisit characters we got to know only a little, look back into the history of Verity's family, that sort of thing.

I think my favorites were IM, Blocked, and Black as Blood (and In Sea-Salt Tears, which is October Daye, not Incryptid), but I like them all.

152bluesalamanders
Bearbeitet: Dez. 10, 2014, 7:51 am

Finished Book 97: Chalice by Robin McKinley
Reread, Fantasy, Dead tree: 259p

Finished Book 98: Shadows by Robin McKinley
Reread, Young Adult, fantasy, Dead Tree: 356p

I am liking Chalice more as I reread it, and Shadows less. I do think the end of Chalice is rushed, but it doesn’t bother me that much. On the other hand, I still have trouble getting past the anti-science, anti-technology attitude of Shadows, and also how the whole thing feels like the beginning of a story with nothing even close to wrapped up at the end.

153bluesalamanders
Dez. 10, 2014, 7:56 am

Finished Book 99: Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede
Enchanted Forest, book 1
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 5h

Finished Book 100: Searching for Dragons by Patricia Wrede
Enchanted Forest, book 2
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 5h58m

It’s always good to revisit these childhood favorites.

100 / 130 books. 77% done.
41 / 60 new books. 68% done.
2 / 2 non-fiction. 100% done. (Whee!)
13793 / 25,000 pages. 55% done.
Audiobooks: 14d 11h 50m

154bluesalamanders
Dez. 10, 2014, 8:02 am

Finished Book 101: Calling on Dragons by Patricia Wrede
Enchanted Forest, book 3
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 6h12m

Finished Book 102: Talking to Dragons by Patricia Wrede
Enchanted Forest, book 3
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 6h38m

Finished Book 103: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Reread, Young Adult, Fantasy, 404p

I had forgotten a lot that happened in this book! Pretty much the entire second half, in fact. I still think it’s great, though.

Finished Book 104: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games, book 1
Reread, Young Adult, Science Fiction, audiobook: 11h 14m

Finished Book 105: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games, book 2
Reread, Young Adult, Science Fiction, audiobook: 11h 41m

105 / 130 books. 81% done.
41 / 60 new books. 68% done.
2 / 2 non-fiction. 100% done. (Whee!)
14197 / 25,000 pages. 57% done.
Audiobooks: 16d 14h 25m

155bluesalamanders
Dez. 10, 2014, 8:04 am

Finished Book 106: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games, book 3
Reread, Young Adult, Science Fiction, 11h 43m

156ronincats
Dez. 23, 2014, 11:47 pm

Blue, it's Chrismas Eve's eve, and so I am starting the rounds of wishing my 75er friends the merriest of Christmases or whatever the solstice celebration of their choice is.

I hope to see more of you here in 2015!

157Kassilem
Dez. 24, 2014, 2:15 pm

Happy Holidays!

158bluesalamanders
Dez. 27, 2014, 6:14 am

I haven't been on the computer for a while, I've been visiting my family.

Happy holidays, Roni! That is a ridiculous gif. Happy holidays, Kassilem!

159ronincats
Dez. 27, 2014, 3:03 pm

Hey, cats, San Diego beach, Christmas greetings--what more could you ask for?

Some class, you say? Really?

160bluesalamanders
Dez. 27, 2014, 4:13 pm

Class? Bah, who needs it? ;)

161bluesalamanders
Dez. 28, 2014, 8:58 am

Finished Book 107: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
New Read, young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 400p

I finally got to read The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, which was a SantaThing gift from...two years ago, I think, but I lost it (actually it was stolen, long story) and it took me a long time to find a new copy.

I really liked it! It had several twists and turns that I didn’t see coming (as well as several I did) and overall an enjoyable story and characters. Fun to read, definitely recommended to anyone who likes this kind of fairy tale-esque kind of book.

162bluesalamanders
Dez. 28, 2014, 9:01 am

Finished Book 108: Fire by Kristin Cashore
Reread, Young adult, fantasy, audiobook: 12h 40m

Reread. Honestly my favorite in the series.

Finished Book 109: Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
New read, young adult, dead tree: 599p

Westerfeld is a fantastic YA author and he uses an unusual style for Afterworlds. He alternates chapters of Darcy’s story with chapters of the novel she is revising over the course of the book. There are a lot more things I would like to say, but I'm having trouble figuring out how to word it. Suffice it to say that I really liked this book a lot and found it - both stories within it - gripping and difficult to tear myself away from. Highly recommended.

163bluesalamanders
Dez. 31, 2014, 8:16 pm

Finished Book 110: Legend by Marie Lu
Book 1 of Legend trilogy
New read, young adult, science fiction, dead tree: 305p

Finished Book 111: The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina
New read, young adult, fantasy, dead tree: 384p

I finished both of my SantaThing books already! They were fantastic, full marks, very good choices. Interestingly, they had similar plots: a post-apocalyptic future, a sharp divide between "good" and "bad" citizens, a rebel and a citizen work together against the government.

There is a lot that's different between the stories, though. Legend is science fiction while Ashala Wolf is a mixture of SF and fantasy elements. Both stories have their share of action, but Legend has more fighting and Ashala Wolf is more politicking (and magic-ish elements). And so on.

They're both exciting, well-written, and have really interesting characters.

Final numbers for 2014:

111 / 130 books. 85% done.
45 / 60 new books. 75% done.
2 / 2 non-fiction. 100% done. (Whee!)
15885 / 25,000 pages. 64% done.
Audiobooks: 17d 14h 48m

164ronincats
Dez. 31, 2014, 8:51 pm

Looks like it's been a good year, blue. See you on the other side!

165bluesalamanders
Jan. 2, 2015, 3:11 pm

2014 End-of-Year Roundup

Total books: 111 (last year: 130)
Total new books: 45 (last year: 45)
Total pages: 15885 (last year: 22828)
Total audiobook time: 17d 14h 48m (last year: 18d 0h 19m)

Fantasy: 91(last year: 94)
Science fiction: 14 (last year: 18)
Fiction: 4 (last year: 16)
Nonfiction: 2 (last year: 2)

Unique books: 101 (last year: 116)
Books read more than once during 2013: 10 (last year: 12)

Adult, YA/J, Children's:
55 Adult, 55 YA, 1 Children’s

Format:
46 Dead Tree, 1 Graphic Novel
50 Audiobook, 16 eBook

Author/Editor gender:
93 female, 20 male

Series:
97 in series, 14 standalone

I am interested in how many of the books I read this year were audiobooks (nearly half!) and also that I read an equal number of YA and Adult this year, when in the past I've tended to read much more YA.