Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic 50 Book Challenge 2013/What I've Read In 2013

#23 Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors and Other True Cases by Ann Rule

I generally like Ann Rule but the shorter cases weren't capturing my attention as well.

#24 Austenland by Shannon Hale

A Jane Austin fan gets a fantasy vacation set in Regency England. Lots of fun.


Joan

The Secret Gift by Ted Gup.
"In hard economic times like these, readers will find bestselling author Ted Gup's unique book uplifting as well as captivating. Inside a suitcase kept in his mother's attic, Gup discovered letters written to his grandfather in response to an ad placed in a Canton, Ohio, newspaper in 1933 that offered cash to seventy-five families facing a devastating Christmas. The author travels coast to coast to unveil the lives behind the letters, describing a range of hardships and recreating in his research the hopes and suffering of Depression-era Americans, even as he uncovers the secret life led by the grandfather he thought he knew."

The Swords of Night and Day - David Gemmell

I adored this one. Gemmell's strength is definitely in his wonderful characters.

I always begin one of his books feeling sad because we've taken a vast jump forward in time and the characters I love are dead and gone and don't transfer from book to book.

But then Gemmell tosses in a whole bunch of new characters and I fall in love all over again.
(Although in this case three of the main characters did transfer over because they were Reborns).

LabRat

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee.

The author is an oncologist who mixes in case reports of his patients with historical notes about the diagnosis and treatment of cancer through the ages. Herodotus mentions Atossa, the Queen of Persia, who had her breast cut off because of a tumor - and this was back in 500 BC or thereabouts. Then in the 19th century, "weisses blut" ("white blood" or leukemia) was described. Mukherjee talks about the "Jimmy Fund" in Boston and how the original "Jimmy" (Einar Gustafson) was still alive at the time of writing - one of the few kids who survived leukemia.

From early treatments of surgery, primitive chemotherapy, and burning radiation, to today's more-targeted therapies of receptor antibodies and hormone therapy, the history of cancer is described. Fascinating reading.

Out of curiosity, do self-help books count?? I've been reading a lot of those lately...

(I'm currently in the process of trying to change this: )

#25 Fly Away by Kristen Hannah

A sequel to Firefly Lane. Engaging story about friends coping with the loss of a loved one.

#26 To Space and Back by Mark Goddard

As a Lost in Space fan, I had to read this. When I noticed it was only 125 pages, I had a feeling it wouldn't be that great. It wasn't. I've read more about LIS from magazine articles and TV show interviews over the years than the single chapter in this book. There was lots of name dropping about his heyday in the 60s but an overall lack of substance. You'd think switching gears midlife from acting to teaching would be more inspirational. This wasn't conveyed in this book. He either had a poor ghost writer or he isn't very deep.

Mouse - I think self help books count!

Joan

Mouse, if that's what you're reading...go for it.

LabRat :-)

#27 Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

A reporter returns home to look into the murder of two little girls. This author always delivers interesting (and disturbing) twists.

Joan

#28 Mugged by Anne Coulter

Joan

7. The Mysterious Benedtict Society - By Trenton Lee Stewart

The world has become a very dark place and the only people who can stop a crazy man from taking over the world are 4 orphaned and highly intelligent kids.

My daughter *loved* this book. I found it a bit predictable in places, but the plot and characters are very intriguing. NOTE: It's very long. (2" thick)


8. Superfudge - By Judy Blume

The next book in the Fudge / 'Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing' series. Fudge and Peter's family gets a new baby and they move to Princeton, NJ for a year.

My son *loved* this book. Judy Blume did a re-write of this recently to update it to modern day (the items the kids wanted for Christmas, that sort of thing), which surprised me. If you read enough of the classics to kids, they are pretty adaptable if you explain that the book was written back in an earlier era (1970s, originally, because the Hatchers go and watch Superman in the cinema, hence the title). It also lets you talk to them about toys you (or your parents) wanted when you were kids. WARNING: this book may cause your children to question how babies are made (phew, luckily my kids haven't asked that one yet), and if Santa really exists. (I used selective editing to make it through that passage).


9. Mind in the Making - By Ellen Galinsky

I wasn't sure if I should include this on my list or not because, technically, I never finished it. It was my reading assignment for parenting class. Most of the advice works better for parents of newborns through toddler age, and I didn't find it very applicable to my family. Moreover is was very dry. Basically, she takes 1000s of psychological studies done on babies from birth onwards and goes through them... ALL, listing when, where, and who did the study and summarized what they "discovered" from said study. (Come on, people, do you really need a study to see that kids will get bored if you chop up a Sesame Street skit and show it to them out of order so that it doesn't make sense? Or that if you leave the TV on in the back ground, they won't be able to concentrate as well than if you turn it off, even if it's a "boring game show"? Note to psychologists: kids LOVE game shows and NEVER find them boring.) It reads more like a college thesis than a self-help book. Several of the studies, I found, like the ones referenced above, went in assuming that kids are stupid automatons, and lo and behold the studies found that kids have brains. :rolleyes: I'd say that the best parenting books are intriguing and funny, this book failed in both those respects. You need to keep your audience awake and entertained or you'll loose us, because we'd much rather be reading a novel (or LnC fanFiction) and our free reading time is very limited. If you're a new parent (or soon to be parent) this would be a better match for you than it was for me and my classmates, who mostly have 5+ aged kids, as I do recall thinking at times, "Well, I wished I had known that when my kids were infants." Alas, I can't recall off the top of my head what any of that stuff was, though.

Ironhand's Daughter - David Gemmell
Legend - David Gemmell

Last of Gemmell for now until I can afford to buy more. Directing my funds at a DVD backlog for now.

LabRat :-)

Call The Midwife by Jennifer Worth.
The book that the current PBS series is based on. A memoir of a woman who was a midwife in the East End of the London in the 1950's. Due to a lack of effective contraception, women were constantly pregnant and the midwives were constantly employed. One woman mentioned in the book had had 25 (yes, twenty-five!) children.

#29 Twenty Something: Why do young adults seem stuck? by Robin and Samantha Henig

Mother/daughter team writing about new and not so new factors affecting people in their twenties.

Joan

#30 Family Pictures by Jane Green

A woman seems happily married but you know something's going to happen. And it's big... Interesting read about women surviving personal disasters.

Joan

#31 Zoo by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Animals aren't behaving normally. And they're starting to attack humans.

Joan

Huh. I think I missed a few. I thought I was keeping up on this. Oh well.

15. A Dance With Dragons - George RR Martin - This guy seriously needs to write faster!

The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris (aka the books that True Blood is based on)
16. Dead Until Dark
17. Living Dead in Dallas
18. Club Dead
19. Dead to the World
20. Dead as a Doornail
21. Definitely Dead
22. All Together Dead
23. From Dead to Worse
24. Dead and Gone
25. Dead in the Family
26. Dead Reckoning
27. Deadlocked
28. Dead Ever After

The last book just came out last month, so I thought I'd so a full series re-read before I read the last one. I was excited because I wanted to see who Sookie would end up with (#TeamSam). I'm all vampired-and-wered out for awhile. For anyone who's watched True Blood and is interested in the series, season 1 is almost exactly like book 1 as far as the main plot line goes, and then it veers off somewhere else. The books are all written in first person from Sookie's point of view (except for parts of the last book).

10. All-Star Superman, Vol 1 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely with Jamie Grant

Superman rescues scientists from dying when their spaceship is pulled into the sun. He's overexposed to the sun's super charging effects and told that his body cannot handle it and that he will die.

Artistically, I can't say I like how the characters were drawn. Superman looked downright scary in a few parts and Clark like a clod. Jimmy appeared deformed. Cat like a plastic doll. Only Lois looked good.

11. All-Star Superman, Vol 2 - Same authors as above

Conclusion of the above story. We discover if Superman lives and dies. Kind of, sort of, not really. I hope the ending of the All Star Superman (the movie) is more clear.

EDIT: I've moved my more in-depth thoughts on the story to an All Star Superman thread , because I'm interested in what others thought.

#32 Amped by Daniel H. Wilson

Interesting premise about a small device implanted in people's heads. First the implants are used to help with seizure disorders and help people coordinate the use of prothestic limbs. The public starts to object when the implants are used to boost intelligence.


Joan

20. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
21. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
22. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

These were a very easy read for me, and quite interesting. My MIL had asked if it would be appropriate for my 9yo nephew, but at the time I'd only seen the movie. I can say now that it's not quite appropriate, though it does depend on the kid. It's a bit darker than most YA novels, especially towards the end.