Did you know you could fly

#33 Ursula K. LeGuin, The Left Hand of Darkness, 320 pages.

First of all, I can't believe I got this far into my life as a geek without having read this seminal book. And it's not like people haven't recommended it to me before. It's not like I haven't sat in shame when I'm forced to tell other geeks that I've never read any LeGuin, no, not even Left Hand. It's just that hard sci-fi that makes you think is something I'm not often in the mood for. But finally I got around it it.

To be honest, while I can see why it's as well-regarded as it is it didn't bowl me over the way Roadside Picnic did. For one thing, the politics bored me. It was intellectually interesting from a philosophical point of view, but political intrigue has never really been my thing. The gender-stuff, while definitely the best part of the book, isn't nearly as groundbreaking to someone reading it in 2012 as it would have been to readers in 1969.

That said, it *is* a great book, and I'm glad to have read it. LeGuin is a wonderful writer (no surprise there) and I definitely need to make an effort to read more of her stuff.

#34 Rebecca York, New Moon (The Moon Series, Book 6), 336 pages.

Another book in the horrible werewolf porn series I'm addicted to. We've now graduated from werewolves to add psychics, magic-users, and shapeshifters from another dimension. They're like candy corn -- horrible, but addictive.

#35 Kimberley Pauley, Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (maybe), 304 pages.

I would have never believed anyone could do a unique teen vampire novel, but Pauley's pulled it off. Mina Hamilton's parents are blood-sucking fiends. Literally, not figuratively. Actually they're quite nice - they're just vampires. Mina's known for ages, but now the Vampire Council has found out and she has to decide if she will join her parents in undeath - or live a mortal life believing her parents are dead once the Council's mind-wipers are through with her.

#36 Amber McRee Turner, Sway, 320 pages.

Cass idolizes her mom, who does disaster recovery and travels a lot. Cass's life is marked by long stretches of time alone with her boring father in between mom's visits home. But when Mom comes home this time Cass immediately senses something's not right. Seems Mom's decided to get herself another family. Cass blames her father - maybe if he wasn't so boring, Mom would have stuck around. The last thing she wants to do is take a road trip in the beat-up RV her father's been restoring. But Dad's insistent. Cass wants to go convince her mom to come home, not spend time with her boring dad. Then again, maybe Dad's not as boring as she always thought. Enter M.B. McClean and his amazing magical historical soaps.

This is one of those sappy, feel-good books about kids dealing with difficult family issues and learning about what's really important in life. And it's a good one.

Progress toward goals: 102/366 = 27.9%

Books: 36/100 = 36.0%

Pages: 11517/30000 = 38.4%

2012 Book List

cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven

#27 Gail Carriger, Timeless (The Parasol Protectorate, No. 5), 416 pages.

A satisfying conclusion to the series, with a lot of nagging questions answered, but I'm very sad to say goodbye to this one.

#28 Celia Thomson, The Stolen (Nine Lives of Chloe King), 288 pages.
#29 Celia Thomson, The Chosen, 245 pages.

I think I really just had to get past the huge differences between the books and the TV show. Once I got over the whole different=bad thing there were definitely some things about the books I liked better than the show. Brian not being clueless and having a backbone being one of them. As was the Mai leaders not being . . . perfect. To say the least. Still cheesy teen-wish-fulfillment, but enjoyable cheesy teen-wish-fulfillment.

#30 Barbara Else, The Travelling Restaurant. Barbara Else, 300 pages.

I've definitely got some interesting things to say about this one. So much complexity in a deceptively simple package. One of the things being that it took me halfway through the book to suddenly have this brain flash: This is a dystopian novel! And it is, absolutely. That fact is just a little obscured by the fact that it's not actually a future dystopia -- the world of the Restaurant is not our world at all, but a typical high fantasy world suffering from The Accident in which all magic was lost from a world that depended on it - a loss that coincided with the loss of the rightful rulers leaving the land in the hands of a 'provisional' Queen with a penchant for giving sickly sweet speeches about how wonderful everything is under her benevolent rule and making sure that anyone who doesn't immediately agree and tell her how wonderful she is mysteriously disappears. Said Queen is also determined to remove that pesky 'Provisional' from her title by any means necessary. Enter Jasper, the twelver-year-old son of one of the the kingdom's most eminent scientists -- now permanently reassigned to brewing ever increasing dosages of the kingdom's version of Botox for the Queen. The Queen seems to have taken an unhealthy amount of interest in Jasper and his little sister Sibilla, and in the family's flight from the city Jasper is left behind. What follows is Jasper's quest to reunite with his family and to save his little sister from the clutches of the Evil Queen. As in all good quest narratives, along the way he meets a variety of helpers and antagonists, and some who seem to fit in both categories. Secrets are shared and pasts are revealed, but it's all secondary to the main objective -- get to Sibilla and protect her at all costs.

And this is where I think this book really shines. It definitely falls into the category of 'kid has to save the day because the adults can't be trusted to do it right'. But all the adults in this book are *realistically* flawed. They're not stupid, or naive, but they are all damaged, with emotional and mental wounds that often impair their better judgement. Reading this, you're constantly reminded that the adults *remember* a time when things were good. There is a certain overwhelmed helplessness to their actions - you get the feeling they are constantly looking around in bewilderment -- how did we go from normal to *this*?

For the children, this *is* normal. There's anger, absolutely, but there's none of that paralyzing disbelief and denial. It is this very acceptance -- this almost protective attitude toward the adults -- that is most heartbreaking. I was struck particularly by the scene in which Jasper almost tells his aunt that the man she loves - who she believes is dead - was instead captured alive. He starts to say something, then catches himself. The man was captured. He's going to be dead soon anyway. No need for her to grieve twice. No twelve-year-old should have to think like that.

From my description at this point you're probably imagining some dark depressing narrative along the lines of The Hunger Games. That couldn't be further from the truth. The genius of this book is that the story, in all its dystopian anguish, is told in a straight-forward, fairy-tale style narration that, much like Jasper himself, downplays the darker events in favour of focusing on the next step toward achieving the goal. And, of course, there's quite a bit of humour sprinkled in for some much needed comic relief.

#31 Kate Coombs, The Runaway Princess, 288 pages.

Princess Margaret is incensed. Her father has offered half the Kingdom and her hand in marriage to the prince who defeats the dragon, withers the witch, and beats down the bandits who are 'terrorising' the Kingdom. Honestly, the dragon hasn't eaten anyone since Margaret's great-aunt, the witch is mostly harmless -- good luck charms and love spells and the occasional metamorphosis into a frog, but only for those who really deserve it. And Meg can't help but admire the bandits' whole 'rob from the rich to give to the poor' schtick. Meg doesn't even want to marry a prince -- they're all so boring -- and as a final indignity she is to be 'sequestered' in the highest tower of the castle until the contest is won. As if! However, warning the witch, defending the dragon, and backing the bandits is harder than Meg thought it would be with all those princes in the way, not to mention having to maintain the illusion of her presence in the tower, with only a garden boy, a maid, and an over-eager junior guardsman as accomplices. And then things get *really* complicated . . .


Progress toward goals: 86/366 = 23.5%

Books: 31/100 = 31.0%

Pages: 10013/30000 = 33.4%

2012 Book List

cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven

#23 Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl (new cover), 304 pages.

I'm still trying to decide what I think of this. It's definitely different. It's strange to have a protagonist that is so very ruthless. I am looking forward to reading more of the series though. One thing that really did bother me the whole way through was his name -- Artemis is a *female* name god(dess) damn it!

Progress toward goals: 73/366 = 19.9%

Books: 23/100 = 23.0%

Pages: 7424/30000 = 24.7%

2012 Book List

cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven

Books read in 2012:

#1 -- Donny Bailey Seagraves, Gone From these Woods, 192 pages, 6/10.
#2 -- Sara Ryan, Empress of the World, 224 pages, 7/10.
#3 -- Margo Lanagan, Black Juice, 208 pages, 10/10
#4 -- Lynn Jonell, The Secret of Zoom, 320 pages, 5/10.
#5 -- Rebecca York, Killing Moon, 352 pages, 6/10.
#6 -- Rebecca York, Edge of the Moon, 336 pages, 6/10.
#7 -- Rebecca York, Witching Moon, 352 pages, 6/10.
#8 -- Rebecca York, Crimson Moon, 352 pages, 6/10.
#9 -- Rebecca York, Shadow of the Moon, 352 pages, 6/10.
#10 -- Steig Larsson, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, 672 pages, 8/10.
#11 -- Gail Carriger, Soulless, 384 pages, 9/10.
#12 -- Gail Carriger, Changeless, 400 pages, 8/10.
#13 -- Gail Carriger, Blameless, 384 pages, 8/10.
#14 -- Anna Myers, Time of the Witches, 208 pages, 7/10.
#15 -- Kate Thompson, Creatures of the Night, 256 pages, 8/10.
#16 -- G. M. Malliet, The Death of a Cozy Writer, 312 pages, 6/10.
#17 -- Jennifer Knight, Blood on the Moon, 400 pages, 7/10.
#18 -- Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, 384 pages, 9/10.
#19 -- Celia Thomson, The Fallen, 256 pages, 5/10.
#20 -- Max Lüthi, The European Folktale: Form and Nature, 200 pages, 8/10.
#21 -- Melissa Kantor, If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince?, 320 pages, 7/10.
#22 -- Shana Norris, Something to Blog About, 256 pages, 7/10.
#23 -- Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl, 304 pages, 8/10.
#24 -- Ann Finnin, The Sorcerer of Sainte Felice, 360 pages, 9/10.
#25 -- Eoin Colfer, The Arctic Incident, 292 pages, 8/10.
#26 -- Gail Carriger, Heartless, 400 pages, 8/10.
#27 -- Gail Carriger, Timeless, 416 pages, 9/10.
#28 -- Celia Thomson, The Stolen, 288 pages, 7/10.
#29 -- Celia Thomson, The Chosen, 245 pages, 7/10.
#30 -- Barbara Else, The Travelling Restaurant, 300 pages, 10/10
#31 -- Kate Coombs, The Runaway Princess, 288 pages, 9/10.
#32 -- Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, The Roadside Picnic, 224 pages, 9/10.
#33 -- Ursula K. LeGuin, The Left Hand of Darkness, 320 pages, 8/10.
#34 -- Rebecca York, New Moon, 336 pages, 6/10.
#35 -- Kimberley Pauley, Sucks to Be Me, 304 pages, 7/10.
#36 -- Amber McRee Turner, Sway, 320 pages, 7/10.

Haven't posted my book list in ages, which doesn't mean I haven't been reading. In fact, what with now taking the T to work, I have more time to read than ever. So, without further ado, the last month or so's worth of reading:

Book #69 -- Will Shetterly, Nevernever, 240 pages.

Continuing my re-read of the Bordertown series. I'd forgotten most of this one, honestly, and surprised myself with how much the ending affected me. Ambiguously happy never felt so sad.

Book #70 -- Isobel Carmody, Little Fur #1: The Legend Begins, 224 pages.

The first in a series for kids, this is an adorable adventure book with an eco-friendly message that refrains from being *too* dogmatic.

Book #71 -- Ying Chang Compestine, A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts: A Collection of Deliciously Frightening Tales, 192 pages.

This is an amazing collection of short ghost stories focused around food, with recipes to accompany each story. Absolutely wonderful.

Book #72 -- Keith McGowan,The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children, 192 pages.

Quirky retelling of "Hansel and Gretel".

Book #73 -- Susanne Selfors, To Catch a Mermaid, 272 pages.

Typical, but still fun, example of the children-dealing-with-death-of-one-parent-and-grief-of-the-other-discover-something-remarkable-that-helps-heal-family genre.

Book #74 -- Amy Gordon, Magic by Heart, 197 pages.

In one of those alternate realities in which magical abilities are rare but not unheard of a young girl with her own budding abilities brings together a family long separated by fear and resentment.

Book #75 -- Jane Lindskold, Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls, 288 pages.

Pretty impressive for an early novel with an amazing portrayal of a mentally ill protagonist trying to survive in a dystopian society.

Book #76 -- Barry Hughart, Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was, 288 pages.

How the hell did I manage to miss this one for so long? Based on a Chinese folktale, this novel has that indescribable *something* I associate with the 1980s fantasy of my childhood - something both simpler and deeper than today's polished, 'sparkly' fantasy.

Book #77 -- Megan Crewe, Give Up the Ghost, 256 pages.

Cass knows her parents are worried about her, but she wishes they wouldn't bother. With her dad always off in his own world and her mother always on the road, Cass has been taking care of herself since her older sister died. Not that death has stopped her from poking her nose into Cass's business. Besides, Cass has friends, they're just . . . well, dead.

Book #78 -- Dean Hale, Shannon Hale, and Nathan Hale, Rapunzel's Revenge, 144 pages.

Graphic novel version of a kick-ass, braid-whipping Rapunzel.

Book #79 -- Kerry Hardie, The Bird Woman: A Novel, 384 pages.

This is exactly the sort of domestic strife novel I wouldn't usually buy, but picked up cause it was free at ALA and I'm very glad I did.

Progress toward goals: 305/365 = 83.6%

Books: 79/100 = 79.0%

Pages: 23945/30000 = 79.8%

2011 Books

cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven

Book #61 -- Joan Druett, She Captains: Heroines and Hellions of the Sea, 304 pages.

The title is a little misleading - this book isn't just about female ship captains but about the history of women's involvement in all maritime occupations. From young women who disguised themselves as men to work on whaling boats or warships to the wives and daughters who managed the household and raised the family alone while their men were at sea, this book chronicle's women's unsung contribution to the nautical world.

Book #62 -- Jackson Pearce, Sweetly, 320 pages.

When Gretchen was eight, she and her brother and her twin sister went looking for a witch in the woods. When they finally made their way home, Gretchen's sister had vanished. Haunted by the loss of their sister and plagued by nightmares of the yellow-eyed being who chased them, Gretchen and Ansel rely only on each other as first their mother, and then their father succumb to their grief. After being kicked out by their stepmother when Gretchen turns eighteen, the siblings travel cross-country looking for a new start. They find it in the small town of Live Oak, South Carolina, when their ancient car breaks down and local candy-maker Sophia takes them in. But something is not right in this small Southern town. Girls are disappearing and the locals blame Sophia, calling her a witch. Troubled by the similarity to her own childhood trauma, Gretchen is determined to find the truth about the disappearances and to vindicate Sophia, but as she digs deeper with the help of local outcast Samuel, she stumbles on more than she bargained for. This is a very interesting conflation of 'Hansel and Gretel' and 'Red Riding Hood' - the atmosphere is dark and perfect.

Progress toward goals: 236/365 = 64.7%

Books: 62/100 = 62.0%

Pages: 19469/30000 = 64.9%

2011 Book List

cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven

So this morning I checked the mail and this was in it:




And when I saw this, I did a little squee:




Cause I am awesome, and Ellen Datlow sends me packages.

Inside was this:



with this:




Let's get a close-up, shall we?




I can haz stories. Signed!!

Book #52 -- A. LaFaye, The Keening, 224 pages.

Lyza knows her father is a bit odd. When he's carving in his workshop, he often forgets to eat or sleep unless her mother makes him come in. His words don't always make sense, and it's sometimes like he sees a whole different world than the rest of them. But Lyza loves her father, and she wouldn't do anything to change him, no matter what the village kids say. But when Lyza's mother dies suddenly of an illness, Lyza's world is turned upside down. Without her mother there to ground him, Lyza's father seems to drift further away into that other world, and some of the people in the village are talking about sending him away to the workfarm where all the crazy people go. If Lyza wants to keep them together, she has to decipher the clues her mother left behind to protect her family. But that other world has its claws in Lyza too.

Book #53 -- Lilith Saintcrow, Night Shift (Jill Kismet, Hunter, Book 1), 352 pages.

This is pretty much just pure brain candy. It's your typical kick-ass chick fights the monsters that go bump in the night story. The style is a bit too cinematic - there's only so many times I need to read that Jill's trenchcoat swirls around her ankles as she turns or that the charms in her hair tinkle. Also, the action gets a little bogged down when the author stops to describe every single motion in some kick-ass martial arts move. Narrative quirks aside, it's still an enjoyable representation of the genre.

Progress toward goals: 200/365 = 54.8%

Books: 53/100 = 53.0%

Pages: 16982/30000 = 56.6%

2011 Book List

cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven

Book #42 -- Terri Windling, ed., Life On The Border (Borderlands), 368 pages.

More in my reexploration of my childhood stomping grounds. I'd forgotten how amazing this series is.

Book #43 -- Crissa-Jean Chappell, Total Constant Order, 280 pages.

An interesting book portraying a teen's struggle with OCD.

Book #44 - William R. Freudenburg and Robert Gramling, Blowout in the Gulf: The BP Oil Spill Disaster and the Future of Energy in America, 254 pages.

The title of this book is misleading, as it's more about the history of the energy industry and the implications of America's love affair with petroleum than specifically about the BP spill. Still has some interesting information.

Progress toward goals: 171/365 = 46.8%

Books: 44/100 = 44.0%

Pages: 14290/30000 = 47.6%

2011 Book List

cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven

Book #35 -- Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci, eds., Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, 432 pages.

From a tale of forbidden romance between a Klingon and a Jedi Knight to the poignant story of a teen whose role as Columbia in Rocky Horror allows her an escape from a difficult home life this short story collection is written by geeks, about geeks, for geeks.

Book #36 -- Laurie Faria Stolarz, Deadly Little Secret (A Touch Novel), 252 pages.

Ever since he pushed her out of the way of a car, Camelia can't help but be drawn to Ben. With all the rumours going around that Ben was somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's death, Camelia's friends warn her away from him, saying he's dangerous. Ben tells her she's in danger too, but not from him. Something is certainly going on, but how can Camelia prepare herself if she doesn't know who to trust?

Book #37 -- Stephen Alter, The Phantom Isles, 210 pages.

When three friends recite a passage from an old book in the library said to conjure up ghosts, they don't really expect it to work. And at first it seems like nothing happens. But the next morning the librarian notices something different about some of her books - they have images in them where none were before. Images of faces - that move.

Book #38 -- Daniel Kehlmann, Me and Kaminski (Vintage), 195 pages.

Art critic and biographer Sebastian Zollner travels to a remote village to interview reclusive painter Manuel Kaminski, rumored to be not long for this world. Zollner hopes a biography published in the immediate aftermath of the old man's death will bolster his flagging career. The mystery of the old man's past, however, is much more complicated than Zollner ever expected.


Progress toward goals: 140/365 = 38.4%

Books: 38/100 = 38.0%

Pages: 12521/30000 = 41.7%

2011 Book List

cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven