Fog-struck's 2008 Reading List

Hello! I'm not sure if I'll read 75 books this year, but it's an admirable goal.

So far I've read:

1. The Unnatural History of the Sea by Callum Roberts
2. The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente
3. The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice by Catherynne M. Valente
4. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
5. Kitchen Literacy: How We Lost Knowledge of Where Food Comes from and Why We Need to Get It Back by Ann Vileisis
6. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
7. Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein
8. The Door into Fire by Diane Duane
9. Steps through the Mist by Zoran Zivkovic (translated by Alice Copple-Tosic)
10. The Door into Shadow by Diane Duane
11. The Door into Sunset by Diane Duane
12. For the Prevention of Cruelty: The History and Legacy of Animal Rights Activism in the United States by Diane L. Beers
13. Fugitives of Chaos by John C. Wright
14. Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard
15. Titans of Chaos by John C. Wright
16. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
17. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
18. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
19. Lyra's Oxford by Philip Pullman
20. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
21. The Fantasy Writer's Assistant and Other Stories by Jeffery Ford
22. The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
23. Seven Touches of Music by Zoran Zivkovic (translated by Alice Copple-Tosic)
24. The Torturer's Apprentice: Stories by John Biguenet
25. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
26. The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History by Katherine Ashenburg
27. Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin
28. Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
29. Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge
30. Aegypt by John Crowley
31. Escape from Childhood: The Needs and rights of Children by John Holt
32. Freedom and Beyond by John Holt

Looks like a pretty good start!

What did you think about Ender's Game?

To be blunt, I hated it. I found the writing crude, the characters overly simplistic, and the plot unengaging.

Okay!!!! I didn't care for it either, though I didn't have quite the same strong reaction. I found it flat and I found Card much too impressed with his own cleverness in constructing the details of Ender's world. It seemed like setting things up wasn't enough, he had to go into unnecessary detail in telling the story.

I did not go on to other Ender stories.

I'm glad to know not everyone was enthralled by it!

Another title on your list caught my eye. The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin. How did you find it? I have read The Boys from Brazil and enjoyed it a great deal. Though, speaking of it caused me to go to my shelves and discover I have lost my copy of it!!

The Stepford Wives was a chilling psychological horror story (and I imagine it's original audience would have found it even more effective than I did), but I was greatly bothered by the lack of attention paid to a decision I thought crucial to the plot.

33. 1700: Scenes from London Life by Maureen Waller
34. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron

Diane Duane's Door Into... series is a favorite of mine--I hope you enjoyed them. I have been bogged down 1/3 of the way into The Amber Spyglass since last summer--is it worth persevering?

I definitely think The Amber Spyglass is worth the read. However, people seem to either love The Golden Compass and not much care for it's sequels, or feel rather indifferent towards The Golden Compass and end up loving The Amber Spyglass. I fall firmly in later category.

interesting, I didn't love The Golden Compass and never bothered with the sequels, I might give it a try.

What did you think of Your Inner Fish? I got it out the library at work a while ago and keep meaning to read it, but haven't quite got around to it (I'm afraid I always lack motivation a bit when reading non-fiction, I don't know why).

I, too, lack motivation when reading non-fiction.

Your Inner Fish contains some fascinating information presented in a dull and repetitive way. It's short, though, so probably worth the read.

35. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
36. Andorra by Peter Cameron

Thanks - shall give it a go next (before the expiry date runs out!)

How about The Count Of Monte Cristo? I think it's probably one of my favourite books, just for the sheer page-turner-ness of it!

Agreed.......The Count is on my top ten of all times list also!!!!!

Oh, I adored it! There's not much I can say that wouldn't quickly descend into gushing hyperbole, but The Count of Monte Cristo is definitely one of the best books I've read this year.

37. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
38. Perfume: The story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind (translated by John E. Woods)
39. Illness as Metaphor by Susan Sontag
40. The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar

...and what about the Good Faries of New York? I read this recently and very much enjoyed it (mostly just because it was so absurd) - although not quite Count status ;)

I've heard a lot of people say that Perfume is extremely good, but every time I pick it up to buy, I get a bit put off by the blurb I read - do you have any thoughts on it?

I enjoyed the absurdity of The Good Fairies of New York as well, but it wasn't a particularly notable read for me.

Perfume is very good. It's also very gruesome, and centers around an antisocial and utterly amoral character (my favorite kind!)-- so I can see why one might find it disturbing.

I really enjoyed The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I thought it was a very original children's story in its format. What did you think?

I found Hugo Cabret's multimedia approach compelling. The story, on the other hand, wasn't terribly original or captivating (though it was sweet).

41. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
42. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
43. The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye: Five Fairy Stories by A.S. Byatt
44. The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls by Joan Jacobs Brumberg
45. Where Memories Lie by Deborah Crombie
46. Swordspoint: A Melodrama of Manners by Ellen Kushner
47. The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner

48. The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits: Stories by Emma Donoghue
49. Changeling by Delia Sherman

Ooh I just adored The Orphan's Tales and I have the second one waiting to be read also. Such beautiful writing - inspired me to buy my own editions of Arabian Nights, which are also waiting to be read, as I've never read either collection before.

What did you think of The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye? I liked the first four stories a lot, but really felt that the last could have been cut in half quite successfully...

Heh, The Arabian Nights is sitting in my to-read stack, also thanks to The Orphan's Tales.
I loved, loved, loved The Orphan's Tales. They’ve taken their place amongst my all time favorite books.

I enjoyed “The Tale of the Eldest Princess”, but didn’t much care for any of the other stories. They seemed somehow incomplete, and, in the case of the title story, too verbose.

Yes, the last one just, well, waffled. It went on and on and on - and the main character wasn't engaging enough for me to care really.

I really was thinking 'oh, just get on with it!'

50. Conjunctions 39: The New Wave Fabulists edited by Bradford Morrow
51. In the Forest of Forgetting by Theodora Goss
52. The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber
53. The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander
54. My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
55. Statue of Liberty Adventure by Ellen Kushner
56. Best American Fantasy edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer

Hi
This is the second post I've seen in a few days re. The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber. What did you think of this book?

Also, I read The Kitchen Boy a few months ago and really enjoyed it. I also read Robert Alexander's Rasputin's Daughter but did not care for this one at all.

I adored The Thirteen Clocks! A very charming and witty tale. It's the first piece of Thurber's that I've managed to get my hands on (it just came back into print, which is probably why you've been seeing it around), and I will now definitely try harder to find the rest of his work.

I wasn't impressed by The Kitchen Boy. The plot plodded along right up until after the inevitable murders, and the twist ending seemed predictable and unnecessary.

57. Elmer and the Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
58. The Dragons of Blueland by Ruth Stiles Gannett
59. Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman
60. The Fairy Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
61. The White Deer by James Thurber
62. A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz
63. The Fair Folk: Six Tales of the Fey edited by Marvin Kaye

64. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
65. The Wonderful O by James Thurber
66. New Amsterdam by Elizabeth Bear
67. Firebirds: An Anthology of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction edited by Sharyn November

Hi Fog-struck
Thanks for posting The 13 clocks and responding to my inquiry. This past weekend I read the book and truly enjoyed it. It was also on Flissp's list and if not for your posts, I would not have read this one.

I note book #61 is another of Thurber's works that you read. Can you take a minute and tell me a bit about this book.

I'm glad you enjoyed The Thirteen Clocks!

The White Deer's plot is unremarkable as far as fairy tales go-- a king and his three sons are pursuing a deer in the middle of an enchanted forest, when the deer suddenly transforms into a beautiful princess; the princess then gives each of the princes a quest to complete in order to win her hand in marriage-- but like The Thirteen Clocks, the attraction is in the inventive wordplay. I highly recommend it.

Thanks for your response re. The White Deer I'll see if my local library has this. I really like Thurber's writing style.

68. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
69. The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by A. N. Roquelaure
70. The Porcelain Dove, or, Constancy's Reward by Delia Sherman
71. Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
72. Firebirds Rising: An Anthology of Original Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Sharyn November
73. Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale
74. Love and Sleep by John Crowley
75. Through a Brazen Mirror: The Famous Flower of Servingmen by Delia Sherman

Now let's see if I can reach 100.

Congratulations Fog-struck! I hope you reach your goal of 100.

congratulations on reaching 75 Fog-struck, on to 100!

Please add my well wishes to the list of other friendly LT folk who support you in reaching the goal.

Whisper--both of the Thurber books, The Wonderful O and Thirteen Clocks appeared on the 1001 Must Read list. They are delightful, but I have to say my favorite was the The Wonderful O wherein a pirate king decides he doesn't like the letter "o" and orders it eliminated from the language. The complications which ensue are both predictable and delightfully handled by Thurber. I've been reminded to look up more of his work again, since I think my last prior reading involved The Unicorn in the Garden and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Thanks.
I ordered a Thurber book from bookcloseouts.com and I'm anxious to receive it. I'm not sure which one I ordered, but if it isn't The Wonderful O, I'll get this one and read it.

I wish I had a solid month wherein I didn't have to work and could simply read.

#42 Whisper: I wish I had a solid month wherein I didn't have to work and could simply read. The problem with that is once you have had one solid month to read, then you want another, and another . . .

True Stasia...VERY true.

I think of all the happy memories of my childhood when I had time to read.

A few weeks ago I visited the library of my childhood. It brought back so many good memoires, I had tears in my eyes.

Truly, if I ever get a chunk of money, I am sending a large check there in memory of Miss Alice Blake, an elderly librarian who patiently helped to develop my love of reading and of books.

#44: You could always donate books to that library in her memory. I am sure that the gesture would be appreciated and you would not have to come into a "chunk of money" to be able to do it.

Thanks for your suggestion. I like it!

Hmm-that month to read. Actually, I had an entire school year to do that around second grade. Was in bed with a viral infection (oh, plus bronchitis and pneumonia and a few other choice bronchial things). That's when I first started reading all the time, and I never lost the habit. When you can't move (I wasn't allowed to walk anywhere), and the television had no remote--you start relishing all those other worlds you can visit. My favorite of the time was about The Little Lame Prince, and my parents ordered a children's series of books, but I also got to read more advanced stuff as my vocabulary built.

I try to repay the libraries around me by donating books, especially texts in common things (math and so forth) that don't change with the wind. I also buy books at school book fairs for favorite teachers of my children. It's a little payback, but every bit helps.

76. Wizards, Inc. edited by Martin H. Greenburg and Loren L. Coleman
77. Feeling Very Strange: The Slipstream Anthology edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel
78. Different Loving: The World of Sexual Dominance and Submission by Gloria G. Brame, William D. Brame, and Jon Jacobs
79. Misfortune by Wesley Stace
80. Interfictions: An Anthology of Interstitial Writing edited by Delia Sherman and Theodora Goss,
81. Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link

Hey fog-struck! Interesting list. I really liked Your Inner Fish. The firsts 75 pages or so were stressful because he was pedantic and I was afraid I wouldn't like it, but I persevered. His writing improved, in my opinion, and I really appreciated his ideas. His proofs and logic are elegant.

Perfume still bothers me sometimes but I'm glad I read it.

I love James Thurber. I'm remembering a story called The Night The Bed Fell, and I LOVE his cartoons. I have 7 books by or about him and two of my favorites are The Thurber Carnival and Men, Women, and Dogs. I also recently snagged a 1959 copy of The Years with Ross at our local Friends of the Library sale and am including it in my 999 Challenge.

I have the series by A. N. Roquelaure.... did you know that that's a pen name of Anne Rice?

edited to add The Years with Ross

Message #49
karenmarie....
Please tell me more about Perfume and why it bothered you.

Thank you, karenmarie!

The Thurber Carnival is sitting somewhere towards the bottom of my to-read pile. I’ll have to move it up!

Yep, I knew A. N. Roquelaure was a pen name of Anne Rice’s. The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty was actually the first book of hers I've read, and I was sorely (erm, pun intended, I suppose) disappointed.
Anything combining BDSM and fairy tale retellings should have been right up my alley, but this book had no character development and very little plot. After 75 pages of tedious spanking scenes, I actually fell asleep.

82. The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones

So...
I read 82 books, or 29,779 pages in 2008. 68 of the books were fiction, and 14 were nonfiction.

Sounds like a very nice reading year for you, Fog-struck. I hope 2009 is just as good!

Fog-struck
Happy New Year of reading. Your list in 2008 was very impressive!