Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic 50-Book Challenge 2009

Updating with:

#73 Brian Keene - Dark Hollow
#74 Michael Marshall - Dark Things
#75 Robert Goddard - Days Without Number
#76 Stephen King - Skeleton Crew
#77 Terry Pratchett - The Truth
#78 John Connolly - Nocturnes
#79 Lisa Gardner - The Next Accident
#80 Lisa Gardner - The Survivor's Club
#81 Lisa Gardner - The Killing Hour

#82 Dodie Smith - 101 Dalmatians
#83 Dodie Smith - The Starlight Barking

No idea why I woke up one morning with the sudden urge to revisit these old childhood classics, but the charm and delight of them hasn't diminished any with the years.

Tad Williams - Memory, Sorrow and Thorne Series:

#84 The Dragonbone Chair
#85 The Stone of Farewell
#86 To Green Angel Tower: Siege

#87 Brian Sanderson - The Final Empire

I bought this out of curiosity, purely because Sanderson was given the contract to complete Jordan's Wheel of Time series and I wanted to find out if his writing style appealed to me. I enjoyed it, found it okay but not startling, but by the last few pages had become fond of the characters, so I'll be reading the rest.

One truly puzzling thing, though is why the hardback edition of book 3 costs £27+ on Amazon. Frankly, there's no way I'd pay that for a fantasy novel! And as the paperback edition, out this time in 2010 is averagely priced at £6+, I'm mystified as to why they think they can get away with it.

Okay, off to start the final book in TW's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series, which I'm enjoying quite a lot.

LabRat

Updating with:

#88 Nothing To Lose - Lee Child
#89 Gone Tomorrow - Lee Child

It seems like an appallingly long time since I've read a new Jack Reacher adventure, so I thoroughly enjoyed these two. Had some more good news today when I realised that there's a new one out soon, too.

#90 The Dragon Keeper - Robin Hobb

I had been disappointed with the author's last trilogy, so I really wasn't expecting much out of this. Especially as my least favourite section of the Liveships Trilogy before this was the stuff with Tintaglia. But I adored this. I was hooked right from the get go - a whole new host of wonderful characters, dragon, human and strange things inbetween to root for. Cannot wait for book two to be released!

#91 Faith of the Fallen - Terry Goodkind

Well, he worked his strange, bizarre magic on me again. It all went to a very familiar pattern. I was bored by the first part (I'm tending to find Richard and Kahlan very boring characters when they're together) and then Nicci came along and I was swept along to an enjoyable end. I'm baffled as to how Goodkind does this. I've ordered the next book in the series.

#92 Memory, Sorrow & Thorn Series: To Green Angel Tower - Storm - Tad Williams

This book illustrates perfectly the love/hate relationship I often have with Tad William's work. OTOH, it was full of wonderful characters that I grew to have great affection for (I thought the end scenes of the court with it's Arthurian overtones of a wise king and a host of Companions was wonderful and it left me with a warm glow). But OTOH, he does have a liking for filling page after page after page with unnecessary, boring detail. Every time one of the characters went on a journey it was the cue for chapter upon chapter of boredom. Simon in the tunnels was excruciatingly long.

LabRat

The next six books are part of the Petaybee series by Anne McCaffrey.

50. Powers That Be
61. Power Lines
62. Power Play
63. Changelings
64. Maelstrom
65. Deluge

I am currently reading The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. I've had the book (as well as Supremacy and Ultimatum) for years now, but haven't gotten around to reading it until now. I've seen all three movies though, and loved them, even though I had to see the first one twice before I really understood what was going on. The other two were easier to follow the first time, after having seen and understood the first.

I didn't get anywhere near my personal goal this year. I hadn't been reading as much, sadly. I finally got to the point where I was reading during my lunch break again, but not always any other time. It doesn't help when people in the break room insist on trying to talk to me despite my nose obviously being in my book!

52. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
53. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
54. Interview With A Vampire - Anne Rice
55. Winter's Heart - Robert Jordan
56. Crossroads of Twilight - Robert Jordan
57. Heat Wave - Richard Castle

I picked up the last few of the Wheel of TIme books so I could read the latest. I finally finished Knife of Dreams, but since I finished that on the 1st, I'm going to add it to my 2010 list.

The Richard Castle book is a tie-in to the tv show Castle, the book that he was writing in the series. It's nowhere near the size it is in the show, but it's an entertaining read. Though I still say that the guy in the book is nowhere near the way Castle would write him.

All right, everyone, it's a new year, so you have to post on the new thread!

Well, I officially ended 2009 with 66 books (I finished The Bourne Identity, but only started The Bourne Supremacy before New Year's). I haven't finished a book for the new year yet, but when I do, I'll be sure to post in the new thread for 2010.