Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic 50 Book Challenge 2012/What I've Read in 2012

17) Out of the Dark by David Weber --- Great post-apocalyptic story until the last chapter. Then he brings in vampires.
18) The Alien Years by Robert Silverberg---Great story.
19) Elvenborn by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey --- Fantasy but too much fantasy for my taste. I couldn't get into this one.
20) Innocent by Harlen Coben.

N6. Emma - Jane Austen [English]

Loved it. It's thanks to Pride and Prejudice that I've been set on reading more Jane Austen, and Emma has a lot in common with it; particularly the strong heroine, which is an element I missed in Mansfield Park (the other book of hers I've already read); I like a book that revolves around an active character much better than one where the main character is constantly sitting somewhere and simply observing. Emma is a character I loved reading about: she's beautiful but haughty; intelligent but not always right; good-hearted but quick to judge; and her imperfections and contrasts make her all the more interesting.

Jane Austen's writing in Emma is exquisite as always - I have no clue how she has managed to write such engaging books by describing the common, everyday life! And I love reading about that era, even though some of its aspects are annoying - at some point near the end I got so annoyed at the importance of social standing in choosing a spouse, but I realize that's how it was back then, and the character thinking of that was justified for a number of additional reasons, so I persevered. Not to mention, the end was what I had wished for from the beginning, so that gave me a good feeling too

I have two more books of hers I haven't read, and will probably be picking them up soon enough.

#4: Morality for Beautiful Girls - Alexander McCall Smith.
#5: The Kalahari Typing School for Men - Alexander McCall Smith.

Both part of the no1 Ladies Detective agency series. Good fun!

#4 - Let the right one in - John Ajvide Lindqvist

I saw the swedish movie a while back and liked it. The book sheds light on many things that weren't clear and builds rich characters.

R7. Le Maître de forges (The Ironmaster) - Georges Ohnet [Greek]

A re-read of one of my top two favourite books, which I had in fact re-read only a few months ago. I found it at a book bazaar and bought it as a present for my friend who has an upcoming birthday - but I couldn't resist reading it myself first, to see how I liked it under this translation!

I like mine better. I can't judge if I'd like it the same if I had read this one first, because I'm very used to the other one. I think it was a bit "smarter" at times - and it's older, so it has more of a book-y and "old times" feeling, which fits perfectly, because the book takes place in 1880.

As for my opinion on the book? As I said, one of my two favourites. A wonderful romance story that's got it all - and if you don't fall in love with the ironmaster, you've got no soul. I must add that I've lent it to several friends, with varying tastes in books, and they've all loved it. Highly recommended if you can find it.

Mind Prey - John Sandford
Sudden Prey
Secret Prey
Certain Prey
Easy Prey

The Cat Who Lived High - Lilian Braun

Cinnamon Roll Murder - Joanne Fluke

That makes 35 so far this year!

The Lost Duke of Wyndham
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume
The Secret Diaries of Miranda Cheever
- All by Julia Quinn

Just re-reading a bit of what's on my bookshelves.

Dissolution
Dark Fire
Sovereign (Re-read)
Revelation
Heartstone

All by C J Sansom.

As far as historical fiction goes, I’m much more interested in the biography genre than the murder mystery genre. But there are some exceptions to that rule and Sansom’s series of mysteries set in Tudor England with his hunchback lawyer sleuth, Matthew Shardlake, is one of them. I have a great fondness for Matthew.

Partly, I guess, because I find the period interesting and partly because Shardlake is such an appealing character. Full of human foibles, never perfect, often harsh, grumpy and afflicted with other vices, yet in the end good-hearted at the core.

I also love the no holds barred descriptions of medieval life and the way that the author drops in little tidbits here and there which show how the people of the time make sense of their lives, without the knowledge of how the world works that we have in modern times. So you have sailors talking about the strange, colourless drink they discovered on a trading voyage with the Polacks – wodky. <g> Or the black liquid with the terrifying ability to set things on fire that so appals and mystifies our characters in Dark Fire – petroleum. And I just loved the inn that proudly displays the huge thigh bone (obviously a dinosaur fossil) ‘of a giant’ that was washed up on shore one day just yards away.

I re-read Sovereign – it was the first of these I encountered, a while back, but turned out to be in the middle of the series, so I figured it was worth reading again to cement the timeline and bridge the gap between the first two and last two.

All in all, I've had an enjoyable time working my way through the series and it's going to be something of a wrench dragging myself out of Tudor England...

LabRat

#9 The Death Cure by James Dashner Last in a triology starting with The Maze Runner. I thought it fell short in some places but my son loved it.

Joan

21) The Jungle by Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul. Good action/adventure story.

The Rain Wild Chronicles - Robin Hobb

I Dragon Keeper (re-read)
II Dragon Haven

Robin Hobb/Megan Lindholm has been at the top of my favourite fantasy authors list for a long time, so I finally decided to treat myself to book 2 of this latest series. Had to read book 1 first to bring myself back up to speed as it's been a while.

I think I enjoyed book 2 even more than book 1, if that's possible. Excellent human characters, love the arrogant, wilful dragons and lots of twists and turns. I'll be looking forward to book 3.

LabRat

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

This is outside of my usual genre. A group of friends is doing an online book club, and this was this month's book. Nick Hornby also wrote High Fidelity, the book that the John Cusack movie was based on. Annie lives with Duncan, who is completely obsessed with a singer, Tucker Crowe, who hung up his microphone years ago and disappeared from the limelight. When a new album of Tucker's is released, a raw version of his biggest album titled Juliet, Naked, Duncan loves it, but Annie doesn't. They both write reviews and post it on a fan site... and then Annie receives an email from the retired singer. It was an okay read with semi-interesting characters, but the ending left me unsatisfied.

5) Voices Of Hope - by David Feintuch
My least favorite of this series, it's almost not even worth reading. Set decades after Fisherman's Hope and told through the eyes of street children and Seafort's own strange son, it's very hard to follow and suffers in that it veers away from Seafort's character--the reason I read these books.

6) Patriarch's Hope - by David Feintuch
This one goes back to the style of the first books, told through Seafort's eyes now that he's become leader of the United Nations and faces the treason of his beloved Navy. As good as the first ones with a great love story for a change!

7) Children Of Hope - by David Feintuch
This one is told through the eyes of a child too, but it's much better done, showing how Seafort inspires everyone who meets him. It also brings back the enemies from the first books with a decidedly intriguing twist!

8) Quatrain - by Sharon Shinn
Wow. That's my first response to this book. Sharon Shinn is definitely in my top three favorite authors, and these four novellas set each in a different one of her worlds illustrates why. Her descriptiveness and emotive power just blows me away. These were excellently done, bringing her beloved worlds to mind without ruining their impact, and each containing a story that stands on its own. Amazing!

9) Talk To The Hand - by Lynne Truss
This is a hilarious book, as funny as her first one, that details the decline of manners and politeness. So funny I was seriously wiping away tears for about half the book.

R8. Ninet - Georges Sari [Greek]

Although this is a children's book, it's very enjoyable - and has actually won a national award for Best Children's Literature Book. The story is an almost-biography of the author's eldest sister, from her birth till the day she got married. It's very exciting to read about all the different places she visited and lived - the language is very immediate and descriptive, and Ninet herself is a lively, mischievous girl you just love to read about.

Soldier Son Trilogy – Robin Hobb

I Shaman’s Crossing (re-read)
II Forest Mage
III Renegade’s Magic

This trilogy is the one disappointment I’ve encountered from Robin Hobb. I read the first book some years back and although it was an okay read, never felt the need to go any further. I felt there was too little fantasy in the book and that it might as well have been called Tom Brown’s Schooldays, being a tale of a young noble destined to be trained as a soldier in a barely fictionalised Old American West.

But since I had all three books on my Kindle, I figured I’d give it a go. My opinion didn’t change regarding book one. Book two was much of the same and unfortunately book three was largely set in a part of the world, among characters that I didn’t care about and wasn’t much interested in, not to mention very repetitive. But I remained invested enough in wanting a happy ending for the characters, particularly our hero, that I made it to the end. And that ending did leave me with a smile – but, hoo boy, it was a heck of a long, boring slog to get there. Very disappointing.

LabRat

#5 - Stardust - Neil Gaiman

Not sure which I like the most, the movie or the book. They're distinct in some aspects and the movie brings the happy ever after conclusion, but I liked them both in their own way.

#10 Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

It took a while to get into this new world. Interesting premise with good characters.

Joan

#6 - Wyrd Sisters - Terry Pratchett

So far, this has been my favorite book in the Discworld series. The parody around Macbeth and other plays by Shakespeare, the unexpected references to Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin, the whole group of characters were great and turned into a good book where even the strangest happenings appear natural. I don't know what I liked the most, because there wasn't anything that wasn't great.

The Kingkiller Chronicle - Patrick Rothfuss

I The Name of the Wind (Re-read)
II A Wise Man's Fear

Thanks to my failing memory I had to re-read part one, which I read last year, because I was shaky on some of the fine details. It wasn't a chore. This is still, for my money, one of the best new fantasy trilogies in recent years.

Book two was much of the same - Kvothe continues to relate his story to Chronicler, with interludes at his inn in the present day. Full of complex characters, witty banter (Bast in particular is just a delight) and an intriguing story, I can't wait for book three to arrive.

LabRat

Oh I'm so behind!

#6: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
#7: The Help - Kathryn Stockett

Enjoyed them both.