Today’s Deal off the Day on Amazon was “”Ed McBain’s “87th Precinct Series,” $0.99 Each”

Conveniently, Amazon decided to send me individual emails for each one, so I could feel like a complete book glutton, and ridiculously guilty.

Oddly, I read no “plain” fantasy published in 2011. I read several books that came out in paperback in 2011, but had initially been published in hardback in 2010. (I find hardback books uncomfortable to read, so with the Kindle will probably buy few–if any–hardback books again.)

Fantasy, however, is the category that has the “re-reads”, my comfort books.

RE-READS:

Ellen Kushner

Swordspoint (1987) Review

The falling snow made it hard for him to see. The fight hadn’t winded him, but he was hot and sweaty, and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He ignored it, making for Riverside, where no one was likely to follow him.

He could have stayed, if he’d wanted to. The swordfight had been very impressive, and the party guests and its outcome would be talked about for weeks. But if he stayed, the swordsman knew that he would be offered wine, and rich pastry, and asked boring questions about his technique, and difficult questions about who had arranged the fight. He ran on.

Under his cloak, his shirt was spattered with blood, and the Watch would want to know what he was doing up on the Hill at this hour. It was their right to know; but his profession forbade him to answer, so he dodged around corners and caught his breath in doorways until he’d left the splendors of the Hill behind, working his way down through the city.

Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agness Nutter, Witch (1990) Review

(24) So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life…
25 And the Lord spake unto the Angel that guarded the eastern gate, saying Where is the flaming sword which was given unto thee?
26 And the Angel said, I had it here only a moment ago, I must have put it down some where, forget my own head next.
27 And the Lord did not ask him again.

Terry Pratchett

Men at Arms (1993) (Discworld) Review

…(W)hen you hit your thumb with an eight-pound hammer it’s nice to be able to blaspheme. It takes a very special and strong-minded kind of atheist to jump up and down with their hand clasped under their other armpit and shout, ‘Oh, random-fluccuations-in-the-space-time-continuum!’ or ‘Aaargh, primitive-and-outmoded-concept on a crutch!’

Sergei Lukyanenko, translated by Andrew Bromfield

Night Watch (2006) Review; Day Watch (2006) Review; Twilight Watch (2007) Review; Last Watch (2009) Review

Anton Gorodetsky is an low-level Other: a human with the ability to slip into different levels of reality and perform feats of magic. Anton is also a member of the Night Watch: a group of Light Magicians who keep an eye on the Dark others, to make sure they follow the Treaty and do not take advantage. Before he became an other he was a computer programmer, so as an other, he has done similar work, only now Gesar (his boss) has decided Anton needs to do field work, and so has sent him out to keep an eye on the Dark Others.

Each book contains three self-contained stories, all building upon what has happened previously, but complete in and of themselves.

New Reads

Charles de Lint

Muse and Reverie (2009) Review

Charles de Lint is an author I can rely on to write books that I love from page one, and his short story collections set in Newford are always my favorite reads. Although urban fantasy, his works rely upon the creatures of folklore–Coyote, Crow Girls, the narrow places that allow you to move between the worlds. He writes elegant stories of redemption and love that remind me that the fantastic may be possible and that the world of dreams is sometimes real.

Liz Williams

The Iron Khan 2010 (Detective Inspector Chen) Review

Detective Inspector Chen is a Snake Agent. A policeman in Singapore who deals with supernatural crimes. Zhu Irzh is a demon from Hell who is sent to Singapore Three to work with Chen. These book often focus on Heaven and Hell and the relationship between the two, but this is not a Western afterlife but a thoroughly Chinese one, with bureaucracy and even communication with the dead.

Once a week he took the tram out to Bharulay to see his elderly father , and they went for long, silent walks along the canal. His mother, the shrill quarrelsome Mrs Roche, had long since passed into one of the more pleasant neighborhoods of Hell, if that wasn’t a contradiction in terms. She sometimes telephoned, a tinny distant voice in her son’s ear, demanding to know why he was still unwed.

Alternate History:

Guy Gavriel Kay

Under Heaven 2010 Review

Guy Gavriel Kay spends years researching the past to help him create the worlds in which he sets his books, and is able to create marvelous and magical cities and people that never existed, yet are amazingly alive and real. I have yet to read a Guy Gavriel Kay book I didn’t love, yet Under Heaven may somehow have managed to become my favorite.

Barry Hughart

Bridge of Birds 1984 Review; The Story of the Stone 1988 Review; Eight Skilled Gentlemen 1991 Review (Master Li and Number Ten Ox)

Old P’i-pao-ku, “Leatherbag Bone,” was Mrs. Wu’s grandmother, and she was waiting at the confectioner’s to get hard sugar decorations of the five poisonous insects (centipede, scorpion, lizard, toad, snake) to spread over top of her wu tu po po cake, which she would purposely make as inedible as possible without being actually deadly. Every family member eats a slice on the fifth day of the fifth moon, and sickness demons stare at people capable of eating stuff like that and go elsewhere.

Elizabeth Bear

The White City 2010 (Abby Irene) Review

Vampires. North America still colonized by Britain and France and Spain in 1899. Middle aged female magicians who are also Detective Crown Inspectors. It’s steampunk and alternate history and magic all piled into a single book.

Anthologies:

Masked 2010 edited by Lou Anders Review

Superhero stories with the focus less on the daring do and more on the lives in between the heroics–or even long after the heroics have ended.

The Secret History of Fantasy 2010 edited by Peter S. Beagle Review

Maureen F. McHugh. Gregory Maguire. Patricia A. McKillip. T.C. Boyle. Steve Millhauser. Steven King. Francesca Lia Block. Jeffery Ford. Susanna Clarke. Robert Holdstock. Kij Johnson. Every story in here is good, even the ones that I didn’t like.

Young Adult:

I noticed in recent years that some of the best fantasy out there is sitting in the young adult section of the book store.

Suzanne Collins

Hunger Games 2008 (Hunger Games)
Review

I’ll be surprised if anyone the slightest bit conversant with fantasy books has not already heard of and/or read this. I actually have not read the following two, simply because they are very dark and I can only take darkness (no matter the quality) in small doses.

Patricia Wrede

A Matter of Magic (2010) Review

Patricia C. Wrede is another young adult author who should really be read by anyone who loves a good fantasy story. Although A Matter of Magic starts with the trope of a young girl passing as a boy, it soon discards that to move onto the real story–instead of being the focus of the tale, it is simply an explanation of how a girl could survive on the streets as a thief and not be forced into a house of ill repute.

Megan Whalen Turner

The Thief 1996; The Queen of Attolia 2000; The King of Attolia 2006 (The Queen’s Thief) Review

Instead of Three Wishes (2006) Review

This year I discovered that Megan Whalen Turner–hiding in that young adult section–is writing some of the best fantasy around, regardless of the age for which it was written. And unlike much of the current fantasy, her books stand alone on their own merit. No cliffhangers. No plot points dragging on unresolved for years. Just good solid writing the kind of which you wish there was more of.

I have several authors of comics, supernatural fantasy, and mystery on pre-order, but since supernatural fantasy tends to come out first in mass market paperback rather than hardback, those are the books I read immediately upon publication. Several of these were mentioned in my discussion of my favorite books published in 2011, so I’ll only list those books here.

Blackout (Cal Leandros) Rob Thurman
One Salt Sea, Late Eclipses (October Daye) Seanan McGuire
Eye of the Tempest, Tempest’s Legacy (Jane True) Nicole Peeler
Mercy Blade (Jane Yellowrock) Faith Hunter
Magic Slays (Kate Daniels), Fate’s Edge (The Edge) Ilona Andrews

Now onto the books that were not first published in 2011.

Richard Kadrey

Kill the Dead (2010) (Sandman Slim) Review

Stark got sent to Hell by some friends, but he escaped and needs revenge. That’s the synopsis of the first book. In the second book, Stark is at loose ends, and ends up having to deal with zombies. Lots of zombies.

I hate zombies. Yet I liked the book.

If you didn’t read Sandman Slim, Stark is an American cross between Simon R. Green’s John Taylor and Mike Carey’s Felix Castor. All three are powerful magicians and right bastards, but the usually end up doing the right thing, bitching about it the whole damned way.

Lish McBride

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (2010) Review; Necromancer: A Novella (2011)

Sam is at loose ends. College didn’t work for him, so he’s doing the menial food service thing for awhile till he figures out what he wants to do with himself. Unfortunately, events lead to Sam discover that he is a necromancer–and a very powerful one at that, and that the current Power That Be do not want a loose necromancer in town.

Sam is very likable, his reactions to events are realistic, and his friends are awesome. The novella “Necromancer” is set in the same world, only Ash (the avatar of death) is the secondary character, and her friend Matt is the primary character, so you can read either with no knowledge of the other.

This is a young adult book, and although there is some boinking, it’s off screen.

Patricia Briggs

Silver Bourne (2010) (Mercy Thompson) Review

I love Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series. Mercy is a lone shape-shifter in a world where werewolves and vampires exist, and are all contemplating coming out of the closet. Because her mother didn’t know what to do with her, she was raised by the Marroc, the head of the American werewolf clans, so she learned to hunt and and become a predator, however, unlike the werewolves, she must rely upon cunning rather than brute strength and magical healing. Her advantage is that the process of changing is natural for her, albeit one that she cannot share with others.

Mercy is also an auto mechanic and fully capable of rescuing herself if the need arises. As the series has progressed she has gained a love interest, but the romance has not taken over the series.

Jeaniene Frost

First Drop of Crimson (2010) (Night Huntress World) Review

This book exists in the same world as the Night Huntress, and Cat and Bones make an appearance, but the main characters are Cat’s friend Denise, and Bones mate Spade.

First things first, all these books are FULL of boinking. Lots and lots of boinking. And yet, I really like this series, this world, and these characters. The female characters are strong and capable and not idiots. The world is fascinating, and I really like the way she deals with vampire abilities.

I also like how the characters deal with the romances like grown-ups. For the most part anyway. Things happen, and the deal with them and go on.

Full Moon City edited by Darrell Schweitzer & Martin H Greenberg (2010) Review

I love short stories, so of course I love anthologies. This is a collection of supernatural stories, primarily were-creatures. This collection has some stories by some of my favorite authors: Peter S. Beagle. Carrie Vaughan. Holly Black. Mike Resnick. Gregory Frost. Pretty much a full complement of great authors, and even the stories I didn’t like were good (just not to my taste). But if you’re unsure, Peter S. Beagle’s story, La Lune T’Attend is worth the price of the entire book.

Vampires: The Recent Undead edited by Paula Guran (2001) Review

Another anthology with another complement of great authors: Holly Black. Charles de Lint. Kelly Armstrong. Tannith Lee. Emma Bull. Carrie Vaughan.

This collection is (obviously) about vampires. But each author’s take is slightly different from what the others have written or common folklore. And it is those differences can be fascinating. There are several excellent stories in this collection, and although a couple of the stories (Carrie Vaughan and Charles de Lint’s for two) are found in other collections, it’s still a very good collection.

I was going to make a single post about some of my favorite books I read this year, but realized I read so much I’d be better served breaking this up into multiple posts. I’m going to have one post for supernatural fantasy, one post for general fantasy, and this post is for everything else. These books are ones I rated an 8 or higher when I read/reviewed them.

Comics

Several of these I mentioned in my post on books from 2011, so I’ll just list them here.

Edie Ernst – USO Singer: Allied Spy (9 Chickweed Lane) Brooke McElowney
Fables Vol 15: Rose Red (Fables) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Inaki Miranda, Andrew Pepoy, Dan Green
Girl Genius Vol 10: Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse (Girl Genius) Phil & Kaja Foglio
Madame Xanadu Vol 4: Extra-Sensory (Madame Xanadu) Matt Wagner, Marley Zarcone, Laurenn McCubbin, Chrissie Zullo, Celia Calle, Marian Churchland

The Rabbi’s Cat (2005) by Joann Sfar
Review

When a Rabbi’s cat eat his parrot, the cat gains the power of speech, and then goes on to question everything and everyone. This is a philosophical work, but it’s also hilarious. Take the following exchange between the cat and the Rabbi:

And then he tells me that the Greeks believed the dog to be the epitome of the philosophical animal. The dog, not the cat.

I reply that the Greeks destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem and if a rabbi ends up calling on them for help, it means he’s run out of arguments.

If you find that passage at all amusing, I recommend you check out The Rabbi’s Cat. It is an absolutely wonderful book.

Collections

Folk Tales from the Russian (1903) collected by Verra Xenophontovna Kalamatiano de Blumenthal
Review

I love folktales, but didn’t have particularly high expectations for this freebie collection for the Kindle. I was very pleasantly surprised.

In addition to the stories, there are notes on the terms, that (since this is an ebook) are accessible with a click. So I quite enjoyed learning about ‘boyars’ and ‘moujiks’.

Is this for everyone? Probably not, but if you love folktales the way I do, it’s hard to turn down a good collection that is also FREE!

Under Her Skin (2009) Ilona Andrews, Jeaniene Frost, Meljean Brook
Review

This is an anthology of three paranormal romance short stories about shapeshifters. Neither Ilona Andrews nor Jeaniene Frost’s stories are set in their existing world with existing characters. As I expect with the authors, the stories feature strong female characters who work to save themselves. It was only $3 for the collection; a buck a story doesn’t seem too much to support some favorite authors.

History

David McCullough

The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge (1972) Review

I tend to read non-fiction before bed, because I can’t go to sleep without reading, but fiction tends to draw me into the story too deeply. I find history work well, not because it’s boring (it isn’t) but because I generally know what’s going to happen, so it doesn’t keep me awake.

This was an absolutely fascinating book. Bridges are interesting, but I had never previously considered the engineering required to make one–especially when one is overcoming unique difficulties. But this book also talks of the social and political intrigues of the time in addition to the engineering feats, as all these things were integral to the construction of the bridge.

Plus, I learned the “the bends” was first called “Cassion disease” and discovered during bridge building. I love learning tidbits like that.

Romance

I’m relatively new to reading romance, as I’ve never been fond of kissing books. But I discovered that there are some fabulous stories out there that happen to have HEAs as part of the tale. As long as I know going in I’m going to be reading a kissing book, I discovered I’m OK with it.

Lucia St. Clair Robson

The Tokaido Road (1991) Review

I came across this book on Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and loved the cover so much I decided to see if the book was something I’d like reading.

OMG yes.

Kat’s father was forced to kill himself as a result of political intrigue, so to support her mother, and to give herself time to plan her vengeance against Kira, the man who caused her father’s downfall, Kat goes to work in a pleasure house.

First and foremost, although this is a romance, Kat continually rescues herself. Secondly, the research and historical facts are amazing. I loved reading all the little details about what life was like, and the little quirks that you might not think of from a modern vantage (no shocks in palanquins).

This is a fabulous story that I highly recommend.

Sharon Shinn

Quatrain (2009) Review

Quatrain is four separate romance novellas set in four of Sharon Shinn’s fantasy worlds. If you have not read anything by Sharon Shinn before, this book would be a good introduction to her writing, and the variety of worlds and characters she creates.

Although these are romances, for me, the romance takes a back seat to the incredible world building, story telling, and characters.

Mystery

Robert Crais

The First Rule (2010) (Elvis Cole) Review

I started reading Robert Crais’ Elvis Cole mysteries last summer when I broke my ankle, and quickly read through the series. The First Rule came out this year in paperback, so I snatched it up once it was available.

Although Elvis makes an appearance, this is a Joe Pike story, which means the feel of the story is very different, since Pike is such a dark and conflicted character. Interestingly, although we learn more about Joe’s past in this story, he remains an enigma, and although he tries to do good, one never gets the feeling his a good guy.

Ian Rankin

Let it Bleed (1996) Review
Black and Blue (1997) Review
The Hanging Garden (1998) Review
The Falls (2000) Review
Resurrection Men (2002) Review
The Naming of the Dead (2006) Review

I read a lot of Ian Rankin this year.

John Rebus is a Detective Inspector in the Edinburgh police force, and although he is a very good cop, he is not necessarily a very good person. And he is really bad about getting along with his superiors and doing what is political instead of doing what is right. Also, you’d totally never want him to date one of your friends. Rebus smokes. He’s an alcoholic. He’s a lousy father. He walks a very fine line sometimes when it comes to what is legal. But he always does what he believes is right.

I have one Inspector Rebus mystery left to read, and I keep putting it off, because once I read it, the series is over. Done. No more Rebus. And I don’t WANT that. So the book sits on my shelf, waiting.

You may or may not be aware that I have a book blog. It’s not hidden or secret (See! Links! Over there in the sidebar!) it’s just separate from here for organization purposes. It exists primarily to help me keep track of what I’ve read and the publication order of stories.

I don’t want to recreate the material from my reading blog, but I would like do an overview of what I read, and give you a quick idea of what I think about that book or series.

This first post is a look at books published in 2011. You’ll notice that the overwhelming majority of these books are a part of a series. Luckily, almost all can be read as stand alone books and there are no cliffhangers involved.

Urban/Supernatural Fantasy Series

Rob Thurman

Blackout (Cal Leandros) (Review: 10)

Cal is half-monster, but thanks to his brother Niko, he remains human. Although this is a supernatural fantasy series, with lots of monsters and ass-kicking, at its core it is the story of the love Cal and Niko have for each other, and the lengths to which they will go to protect one another. Only, you know, not mushy with terms like love but instead with manly ass-kickings and rude remarks and big guns.

If you have not read previous books in the series, you can readily start here, though if you do, you don’t want to miss out on the awesomeness that is the past books.

Carrie Vaughn

Kitty’s Greatest Hits (Review: 9)
Kitty’s Big Trouble (Review: 7)

Kitty is a public radio DJ and also a werewolf who was–against her will–outed to the public mid series, and following that outing, the world has been scrambling to come to terms with the existence of were-wolves and wondering what other creatures they thought were imaginary are really out there.

Kitty’s Greatest Hits collects the various Kitty short stories that were published in various anthologies. If you’d like an introduction to Kitty, I’d read the first couple stories in the series, but then go back and start at book one. Although you can read the stories independently of the series, you’ll learn of some important things without the background of how those things happened. As I love short stories, it was good to get this collection, for the stories that I missed in their original anthologies.

Kitty’s Big Trouble takes Kitty out to discover whether certain historical figures were actually werewolves (or even undead).

Seanan McGuire

One Salt Sea (Review: 9)
Late Eclipses (Review: 8)

October Daye is a changeling knight for the Faerie court who worked for years as a private investigator, however, an attack removes her from the world for thirteen years, and when she returns, her mortal life is lost to her.

Although each story are is complete within each book, each successive story builds upon the history of the previous books, so you’d probably want to start at the beginning and read forward.

Lish McBride

Necromancer: A Novella (Review: 8.5)

This has been available as a free eNovella, and I highly recommend it. It’s a story that’s tied into the book Hold Me Closer Necromancer, which was published last year, and which I really like.

Check out the novella (it’s a free Kindle book after all) and that’ll give you an idea of whether you want to read the full length book. What I particularly liked was that the novella did not require any knowledge of the other book, and in fact the main character in the novella doesn’t appear in the book.

Nicole Peeler

Eye of the Tempest (Review: 8.5)
Tempest’s Legacy (Review: 8.5)

The Jane True series is a lot of fun. It also contains a lot of boinking and talking and thinking about boiking, but I love how the main character has a sense of humor about everything and she usually feels real. Take the following passage.

…I wiped my nose on his shirt. I was snotty from crying and he was already filthy. It wasn’t ideal but he was holding me so tight I couldn’t move my arms.

“Did you just wipe your nose on me?” he asked, finally. His voice was tight with various emotions, but “oh no you didn’t” had clawed it’s way to the top of the list.

“Maybe,” I mumbled, peering up at him.

That just made me fall in love with the heroine.

This is another series where–although each book is a self-contained story arc–there is so much story and character development over the course of the series, you’ll want to start at the beginning and move your way forward.

Ilona Andrews

Fate’s Edge (The Edge) (Review: 8.5)
Magic Slays (Kate Daniels) (Review: 8)

Although both of these books are written by Ilona Andrews, they are set in two very different worlds.

The Kate Daniels story takes place in our future, where magic comes and goes in waves, and has destroyed much of the technology upon which the modern world was based. It also allowed monsters like vampires and weres to become visible and take positions of power (of some sort) in the world. These story has been running longer (five books) and is an adventure with some elements of romance.

The books in the Edge series are first and foremost romances, but the world building has not been neglected. Here, magic realms exist simultaneously with the modern world, but for the most part magical realms are unreachable to ordinary people, and those with strong magic cannot reach the ordinary realms. Those who can go back and forth tend to live on the Edge–lands between the two worlds.

The Kate Daniels books should probably be read in order, although (as is my preference) each book contains a complete story arc. But Kate’s growth through the series, and the changes in her world make starting from the beginning a good idea.

The Edge series are also self contained, and each book focuses on a different set of characters. Although characters appear in each others books, knowing the past of one character isn’t required to read another character’s story.

Faith Hunter

Mercy Blade (Jane Yellowrock) (Review: 8)

This is another post apocalyptic series, where mages and werewolves and vampires are now public figures. Jane Yellowrock hunts and destroys rogue vampires. She also has an extremely secret past that will probably get her killed if anyone finds out about it. I particularly like the physics and biology of shape shifting. Although each book is a self-contained story, this is another series where you should start at the beginning and work your way forward.

Mark del Franco

Uncertain Allies (Connor Grey) (Review: 7)

This is the fifth book in Mark del Franco’s Connor Grey series. Faerie has invaded the modern world, and druids and other fae creatures and monsters have to learn to get along with the humans who had all forgotten their existence. Connor was a powerful druid until an attack leaves him unable to use most of his powers. This series looks at how he deals with those losses, the friends he’s made in the interim, and how the world deal with the return of faerie.

Don’t start here–way to much has gone on in previous books to sum up neatly this far into the series.

Jeaniene Frost

This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress) (Review: 7)

I actually have the next book in this series sitting on a shelf waiting to be read. These books are definitely boiking books, but they’re also about a lasting love and commitment between the two characters, despite everything that befalls them. As the series progresses and the characters become an item, they actually deal with the the issues any couple in a long term relationship would have. Except, of course, usually people are trying to kill them.

Cat was born a half-vampire, and wants nothing more than to destroy the very creatures who made her what she is. Bones is a century old vampire whose job it is to remove rogue vampires who are acting in a way that may expose the existence of ghouls and vampires to the world.

As with almost all the series I read, each book is self contained, but this is another where you’ll probably want to start at the beginning and move your way forward.

Kiss Me, Kill Me: A Paranormal Anthology (Review: 6)

A $0.99 eBook. Not bad for the price, but there were some particularly bad stories in with the good.

Simon R. Green

Ghost of a Smile (Ghost Finders) (Review: 5)

I love Simon R. Green’s Nightside series, but I cannot for the life of me get into his other series (serieses?) My recommendation is to skip this series entirely, and read Nightside instead.

Steampunk

Cindy Spencer Pape

Steam & Sorcery (Review: 7)

This was a steampunk romance that wasn’t bad, but I can’t say it was one of my favorite books of the year.

Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris

Phoenix Rising (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences) (Review: 6)

Another Steampunk romance, this one is apparently the start of a series that I won’t be continuing.

Comics

Fables

Rose Red Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Inaki Miranda, Andrew Pepoy, Dan Green (Review: 8)

I have friends who don’t like or get Fables, but 15 volumes in I’m still loving the story.

If you’re not familiar with the series, I do not recommend starting here, but instead picking up 1001 Night of Snowfall, which is a stand alone book in the series.

Another option would be to pick up Peter & Max which is actually a Fables novel. Either of those should give you a good idea as to whether Fables is for you or not.

9 Chickweed Lane

Edie Ernst – USO Singer: Allied Spy Brooke McElowney (Review: 9.5)

If you read 9 Chickweed Lane, this collects the story arc in which Juliette and Edda discover that Gram (Juliette’s mother) was a USO spy during WWII. It’s also the story of how Edna met and fell in love with Juliette’s father.

You can read the story online if you want, but I highly recommend splurging for the book.

Madame Xanadu

Broken House of Cards Matt Wagner, Amy Reeder, Richard Friend, Joelle Jones (Review: 9)
Extra-Sensory Matt Wagner, Marley Zarcone, Laurenn McCubbin, Chrissie Zullo, Celia Calle, Marian Churchland (Review: 8)

I know little to nothing of the character of Madame Xanadu aside from what is contained in the volumes of her new series, but I have still very much enjoyed this series.

The first volume is pretty much a requirement, since it tells you Nimune’s past, but after that it shouldn’t matter as much if you read in order or not.

Girl Genius

Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse (Review: 8)
Agatha H and the Airship City by Phil and Kaja Foglio (Review: 7)

Phil and Kaja Foglio have spent years writing their on-line steampunk comic Girl Genius and then publishing volumes once they get enough material.

Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse is the latest volume in the graphic novel, while Agatha H and the Airship City is the first three volumes of the series as a novel.

I think I prefer the graphic novel, mostly because I am so fond of the Jagermonsters.

House of Mystery

Under New Management Matthew Sturges, Luca Rossi, Jose Marzan Jr (Review: 7)
Safe as Houses Matthew Sturges, Luca Rossi, Werther Dell Edera, Jose Marzain Jr (Review: 7)

I cannot decide how I feel about this series. I’ll most likely read the next volume, but will decide after that if I want to keep reading.

Mysteries

C.S. Harris

Where Shadows Dance (Sebastian St. Cyr) (Review: 7)

Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is a somewhat dissolute young noble who returned from the Napoleonic wars far more bitter than when he left. A prickly relationship with his father and a willingness to fight duels have not helped his reputation, but he doesn’t much seem to care.

“Those rumors I mentioned?” Christopher said in an undertone as he and Sebastian moved forward. “They say the last time Talbot fought a duel, he chose twenty-five paces, then turned and fired after twelve. Killed the man. Of course, Talbot and his second swore the distance had been settled at twelve paces all along.”

“And his rival’s second?”

“Shut up about it when Talbot threatened to call him out–for naming Talbot a liar.”

Sebastian gave his friend a slow smile. “Then if Talbot should have occasion to call you out for a similar reason, I suggest you choose swords.”

Do not try to start here. Entirely too much has happened in this series. And although this book was good, it was by far the weakest entry in the series so far, whereas every previous volume has been fabulous.

Mysterious paper sculptures in Edinburgh libraries.

via Neil Gaiman

There’s an ape for that: Orangutans love iPads.

If you haven’t seen this site yet, you really need to check it out.

Women Fighters in Reasonable Armour

And this one too!

NPR’s Top 100 SF/F Books

bold – I’ve read
italic – started and abandoned
* make my personal list of favorite books

* 1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien- This isn’t a favorite, in as much as it was a gateway series.

* 2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

* 3. Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card

4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert

5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin – Michael loved these.

6. 1984, by George Orwell – I own it, does that count?

7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury- I own it, does that count?

8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov

9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley- I own it, does that count?

* 10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman

* 11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan – I read the first book, saw how slowly he was writing, and said, “I’ll pick it up again when he’s done.” Pretty good decision in retrospect.

13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell- I own it, does that count?

14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson- I own it, does that count?

15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore – This falls into the category of very good, but I didn’t like it at all.

16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov

17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein

18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss- I own it, does that count?

19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley- I own it, does that count?

22. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick

* 23. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood – Should be required reading, but I won’t re-read it. Once was enough.

24. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King

25. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke

26. The Stand, by Stephen King

27. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson – I really need to go back to try to read this again.

28. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury

29. Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut- I own it, does that count?

* 30. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman

31. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess

32. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein

32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams

33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey – I loved her, until every series seemed to end in “twoo lurve and make babies to be happy”

34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein

35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller – I admit it. I don’t like dystopias.

36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells- I own it, does that count?

37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne- I own it, does that count?

38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys

39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells

40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny

* 41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings – This is one of my top series to grab for comfort reading

* 42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley

43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson- I own it, does that count?

44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven – Michael loved this.

45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin

46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien

47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White

48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman – Solely because I put it down and forgot to pick it back up. This will be remedied soon.

49. Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke

50. Contact, by Carl Sagan

51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons

* 52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

* 53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson

54. World War Z, by Max Brooks – I fucking hate zombies.

* 55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman

57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett – I love Terry Pratchett’s Discworld

58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson – Gag. Friends who love this but I couldn’t stand the main character.

59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold – I know, I know. It’s on my TBR list. I even have it on paper and as en eBook.

60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett – Did I mention how much I love Discworld? I love Discworld.

61. The Mote In God’s Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind – Michael has read/is reading/ continues to read this series.

63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke

65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson

66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist

67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks – I liked the first book, but then…. meh.

68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard

69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb

70. The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger

71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson

72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne

73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore

74. Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi

75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson- I own it, does that count?

76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke

77. The Kushiel’s Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey – I strongly disliked this series.

78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin

79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury

80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire

81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson

82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde

83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks

84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart- I own it, does that count?

85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson- I own it, does that count?

86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher

87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe

88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn

89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan

90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock- I own it, does that count?

91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury

92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley

93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge

94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov

95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson – Michael loved this series.

96. Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis

98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville – Another for the, it was really good, but I hated it group.

99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony – So, like many things he writes, the series starts off strong, but by the umpteenth book, I’ve completely lost interest. I have to have read the first 12 to 15 books however, so that should totally count. And I think the Incarnations of Immortality is better.

100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis

There you go. I’ve completed 24/100, read at least in part 36/100 and own and mean to read 16/100.

That’s just over 50%, which considering I don’t read SF at all, isn’t too bad.

OK, so wow. I didn’t mean to start something, but I like seeing what everyone else has read, so here are some more participants: Janiece, Nathan, David, Steve, Tom, Eric, Carol Elaine. Whew!

Janiece is ALSO having a summer reading program! So double your money!

OK, you don’t have to. But you should. And if you are anyway, then wander over to take part in Todd Wheeler’s Virtual Summer Reading Program!

(Was going to stitch these together, but computer is being pissy. I’m sure you can figure it would without being a single image.)
(more…)

I’ve had stranger assortments–but not MUCH stranger than this.

It’s time once again for the Great Book Giveaway!

Last year I had a lot of people who weren’t regular readers wandering by asking for books, so this time, I’m going to do something slightly different.

If you would like any of the books (as many as you want, no limit) you must make a donation to Doctors without Borders of whatever amount you think fair. You can also buy me something off my Amazon Wish List, because I totally won’t turn down free books, but I’d really like you to donate to Doctors without Borders first.

It’s of course the honor system–I have no way of knowing if you donate or not, but I figure, I’m doing something nice for you, the least you can do is make a small donation to a worthy cause.

If you are interested in any books, please make a note in the comments, and send me an e-mail to random@klishis.com listing the books you’d like, what category they fall under (I’ve got multiple boxes to root through), and your mailing address–please make sure to comment in the post, in case my spam filter eats your message–I can get your e-mail from your comment if need be.

First come, first served, and if you come upon this post and it’s long past Jan/Feb 2011–don’t bother to comment or e-mail me. I’ll cross books off the list as they are requested, but at some point any remaining books will most likely be given to the local literacy book sale.

Books are in the following categories: Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Science Fiction, Non-Fiction. Many of these books came from neurondoc and my grandmother, so unlike years past, in most cases I can’t tell you anything about the books. Except that some of the SF books have some MIGHTY horrific covers that I believe I need to scan and save for all eternity. Just because.

Great Book Giveaway 2011: Mystery (all books may not be pictured)

Please see the main post before requesting a book.

Muller & Pronzini , Beyond The Grave
Murder For Christmas Vol 2
Mary Allingham , The Crime At Black Dudley
Mary Allingham , Mr Campion And Others
Mary Allingham , Sweet Danger
Mary Allingham , Pearls Before Swine
Mary Allingham , More Work For The Undertaker
Mary Allingham , Flowers For The Judge
Mary Allingham , Mystery Mile
Mary Allingham , Police At The Funeral
Mary Allingham , Death Of A Ghost
Mary Allingham , Dancers In Mourning
MC Beaton , Death Of A Cad
Rita Mae Bown , Rest In Pieces
Christianna Brand , Green For Danger
Lillian Jackson Braun , The Cat Who Knew A Cardinal
Tony Brill , Date With A Dead Doctor
Mary Higgins Clark , Where Are You Now
Mary Higgins Clark , The Lottery Winner
Mary Higgins Clark , You Belong To Me
Carolyn Coker , The Other David
Carola Dunn , Fall Of A Philanderer
Carola Dunn , Dead In The Water
Earlene Fowler , Fools Puzzle
Laura Francos , St Oswald’s Niche
Joe Gores , 32 Cadillacs
Joe Gores , Gone No Forwarding
Michael Innes , From London Far
Michael Innes , Death By Water
Michael Innes , A Night Of Errors
Michael Innes , The Paper Thunderbolt
Michael Innes , The Secret Vanguard
Alice Kimberly , The Ghost In The Dead Mans Library
Alice Kimberly , The Ghost And Mrs. McClure
Alice Kimberly , The Ghost And The Dead Deb
J A Konrath , Whiskey Sour
Barbara Lee , Death In Still Waters
Sharyn Mccrumb , Sick Of Shadows
Sharyn Mccrumb , Highland Laddi Gone
Nancy Mehl , In The Dead Of Winter
Pery O’Shaughnessy , Case Of Lies
Robin Paige , Death At Rottingdean
Robin Paige , Death At Devils Bridge
Robin Paige , Death At Gallows Green
Robin Paige , Death At Bishops Keep
Robin Paige , Death At Daisy’s Folly
Anne Perry , Defend And Betray
Anne Perry , Cain His Brother
Anne Perry , A Breach Of Promise
Anne Perry , The Twisted Root
Anne Perry , The Sins Of The Wolf
Anne Perry , Funeral In Blue
Anne Perry , The Shifting Tide
Anne Perry , A Sudden Fearful Death
Anne Perry , Slaves Of Obsession
J D Robb , Vengeance In Death
Dorthy L Sayers , Whose Body
Alexander Mccall Smith , The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Mary Stanton , Defending Angels
Mary Stanton , Angel’s Advocate
Jeri Westerson , Veil Of Lies

(images can be enlarged)

Great Book Giveaway 2011: Fiction (all books may not be pictured)

Please see the main post before requesting a book.

Isabelle Allende , Daughter of Fortune
Amanda Armory , The Best Cat Ever
Maeve Binchy , Nights Of Rain And Stars
Janet Dailey , Greencalder Grass
Janet Dailey , Calder Promise
Lloyd C Douglas , The Big Fisherman
Charles Knickerbocker , Summer Doctor
Rosamunde Pilcher , The End Of Summer
Rosamunde Pilcher , Another View
Robin Pilcher , Starburst
Belva Plain , Looking Back
Belva Plain , Daybreak
Amanda Quick , The Paid Companion
Nicolas Sparks , The Guardian

Jeffrey Archer , As The Crow Flies
Jeffrey Archer , Sons Of Fortune
Jeffrey Archer , Twelve Red Herrings
David Baldacci , Split Second
David Brin , The Postman
Tom Clancy , Patriot Games
Michael Connelly , Angels Flight
Catherine Coulter , Eleventh Hour
Clive Cussler , Cyclops
Clive Cussler , Atlantis Found
John Grisham , The Summons
Thomas Harris , Red Dragon
Herman Wouk , City Boy

Great Book Giveaway 2011: Non-fiction

Please see the main post before requesting a book.

A To Z Guide To Countries Of The World (1993)
Sunset National Garden Book
Our Bodies, Ourselves For The New Centruy
Taylor Branch , Pillar Of Fire
Henry F Bringle , Theodore Roosevelt
Douglas Brinkley , The Unfinished Presidency
Tom Brokaw , The Greatest Generation
John A Cgarraty , 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About American History
Hellena Cronin , The Ant And The Peacock
John Dunn , The Cunning Of Unreason
Al Gore , An Inconvenient Truth
Steven Hawkings , The Theory Of Everything
Nat Hentoff , The War On The Bill Of Rights
R A Herrera , Reasons For Our Rhymes
John R Horner , Dinosaur Lives
Bruce Lansky , 15000+ Baby Names
Edward Lazarus , Closed Chambers
Kenneth R Miller , Finding Darwins God
Kelly Monaghan , The Other Orlando (4th Edition)
James Mosley , Starry Night
James Redfield , The Tenth Insight
James Redfield , The Celetine Prophecy
Charles Rembar , The Law Of The Land
Penelope J Ryan , Practicing Catholic
Ziaudin Sardar , Introducing Chaos
Brian Sykes , The Seven Daugters Of Eve
Trinh Xuan Thuan , Chaos And Harmony

Great Book Giveaway 2011: Fantasy (all books may not be pictured)

Please see the main post before requesting a book.

Lyn Benedict , Sins And Shadows
Jim Butcher , Summer Knight
David B Coe , Seeds Of Betrayal
David B Coe , Shapers Of Darkness
David B Coe , Bonds Of Vengeance
Carole Nelson Douglas , Dancing With Werewolves
Carole Nelson Douglas , Brimstone Kiss
Carole Nelson Douglas , Vampires Sunrise
Jennifer Estep , Spider’s Bite
Brabara Hambly , Dragons Shadow
Laurell K Hamilton , Club Vampyre
Mercedes Lackey , The Shadow Of The Lion
Mercedes Lackey , The Fire Rose
Mercedes Lackey , A Cast Of Corbies
Mercedes Lackey , The Robin & The Kestrel
Mercedes Lackey , Bardic Voices
Mercedes Lackey , Fiddler Fair
Richard A Lupoff , Sword Of The Demon
Anne Mccaffrey , Damia
China Mieville , Perdido Street Station
Vicki Peterson , The Scent Of Shadows
T A Pratt , Dead Reign
Jeanne C Stein , The Becoming
Jeanne C Stein , Blood Drive

Comics:

Fables , Cinderella , Chris Roberson
Jack Of Fables , Jack Of Hearts , Bill Willingham
Jack Of Fables , The (Nearly Great) Escape , Bill Willingham

Great Book Giveaway 2011: Science Fiction (all books may not be pictured)

Please see the main post before requesting a book.

A Treasury Of Great Science Fiction Vol 1
A Treasury Of Great Science Fiction Vol 2
Fifty Years Of The Best Science Fiction From Analog
Terry A Adams , The Master Of Chaos
Terry A Adams , Sentience
Poole Anderson , World Without Starts
Issac Asimov , The End Of Eternity
Marian Zimmer Bradley , Darkover Landfall
Marian Zimmer Bradley , The Heritage Of Hastur
Fredric Brown , What Mad Universe
Fredric Brown , Paradise Lost
F M Busby , Rissa And Tregare
F M Busby , Rebels Seed
F M Busby , The Alien Debt
F M Busby , Star Rebel
F M Busby , The Long View
F M Busby , Young Rissa
A Bertram Chandler , Spartan Planet
C J Cherryh , Chanur’s Venture
John Christopher , The Long Winter
Gerard F Conway , The Midnight Dancers
Stephen R Donaldson , Chaos And Order
Stephen R Donaldson , A Dark And Hungry God Arrises
Stephen R Donaldson , Forbidden Knowledge
Stephen R Donaldson , This Day All Gods Die
Gordan Eklund , Lord Tedric
Philip Jose Farmer , Dare
C S Friedman , The Madness Season
W Michael Gear , The Web Of Spider
W Michael Gear , The Warriors Of Spider
W Michael Gear , The Way Of Spider
Ron Goulard , A Whiff Of Madness
Roland Green , Warriors Ride
J Hunter Holey , Th Dark Planet
Leo P Kelley , Mythmaster
Julian May , The Manycolored Land
Anne Mccaffrey , Dinosaur Planet
Anne Mccaffrey , Dinosaur Planet Survivors
Kenneth Mckenney , The Fire Cloud
Andrey Norton , The Year Of The Unicorn
Andrey Norton , Huon Of The Horn
Andrey Norton , Dark Piper
Andrey Norton , Witch World
Andrey Norton , Stormover Warlock
Andrey Norton , The X Factor
Andrey Norton , Sorceress Of The Witch World
Andrey Norton , Galactic Derelict
H Beam Piper , Little Fuzy
Frederik Pohl , Wolfbane
Kim Stanley Robinson , Th Martians
Charles Sheffield , Sight Of Proteus
Clifford D Simak , Time Is The Simplest Thing
Clifford D Simak , Time And Again
Kristine Smith , Rules Of Conflict
George Sylvester Viereck , My Fist Two Thousand Years
Margaret Weis , Ghost Legion
Margaret Weis , Kings Sacrafice
Margaret Weis , Kings Test
Margaret Weis , The Lost King
Shawn Williams , The Prodigal Sun Evergence
Robert Wilson , Tentacles Of Dawn
Robert Charles Wilson , Spin
Robert Charles Wilson , The Harvest
Timothy Zahn , The Blackcollar
Timothy Zahn , Worlds Of Weird

(click for a larger image)

Long time readers will recognize what this means…

That’s right, Great Book Giveaway 2011 will be coming up after I figure out what the hell is in all these boxes anyway.

This year I’ve got Grandmom books AND books generously foisted off on my by neruondoc, so there will be quite a variety.

I… err…. No. I don’t think so.

I read 132 books in 2010, an average of 11 books per month.

Unsurprisingly, the peak was June, where I read 23 books when I was working half days after breaking my ankle.

Interestingly, I felt like I was reading less at times, primarily because for the first time in years we traveled quite a bit AND had visitors, which cut into my reading time.

But I am not complaining.

If you read my book blog, you’ll notice that towards the end of the year I got real lax on my reviews, and in many cases simply posted the book information and my rating. This was partially due to travel and partially due to laziness. At some point I could go back and add real reviews–depending upon how much free time I have. (HA!) We’ll see what happens there.

In 2010 I read a mixture of old and new books, and my big discovery was finally reading Georgette Heyer.

I had friends in high school who read bodice rippers, and for years, the bits of those books perused in boredom were what I thought the entire category of romance was. Then I stumbled upon Smart Bitches Who Read Trashy Books (for the bad covers) and slowly came to discover that maybe my notions about Romance were not completely right. And when you consider my love of historical mysteries, this really should not have come as so much of a surprise.

Mind you, I am still not a fan of boinking books, and I can’t see myself ever being interested in bodice rippers, but I discovered there was a whole spectrum of books out there that I might like, just waiting to be discovered. So although I definitely would not classify myself as a huge fan of romance yet, there are some authors I really do like.

Georgette Heyer: Fredericka, Devil’s Cub, Cotillion, Faro’s Daughter, These Old Shades, The Grand Sophy, The Masqueraders

I read some good comics this year, and some that weren’t quite as good.

Brian K. Vaughan’s Ex Machina series seems to have come to and end, and I still can’t decided how I feel about it.

The other big disappointment was Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale, written by Zack Whedon. Entirely too short for what the character deserved, and I don’t buy the explanation of the events in the episode “Safe” as explained by this back story.

There were a couple Fables additions out. Sadly (and surprisingly) I didn’t care for all of them. Volume 13: The Great Fables Crossover was a mashup between the Jack and Fables lines, and I really do not like Jack, so that made this volume disappointing. Cinderella, written by someone other than Bill Willingham, was an even greater disappointment, and I have to admit I pretty much hated it. Luckily, Volume 14, Witches, came out at the end of the year, and restored my love of the Fables storyline and characters.

I also read a good deal of Hellboy, which is always good, if odd.

There were several anthologies this year, some of which had actually been published in 2010 (as opposed to anthologies I picked up that languished upon my shelves waiting for “the right time” to be read. Of the 2010 anthologies, Running with the Pack and Dark and Stormy Knights, despite my dissatisfaction with the final story in Running with the Pack.

Some of my favorite books from this year: Roadkill in the Cal Leandros series, The Grimrose Path in the Trickster seires and Chimera, all by Rob Thurman, Thicker than Water and The Naming of the Beasts, the books that wrap up the Asmodeus story line in Mike Carey’s Felix Castor series. I also read Sandman Slim and Butcher Bird by Richard Kadrey, which I thought were fabulous.

In the mysteries line, I discovered Robert Crais‘ Elvis Cole, who is along the lines of Spenser, but quickly develops his own persona (plus, Joe Pike is most definitely NOT Hawk.)

I also got additions to Donna Leon‘s Inspector Brunetti series, Christopher Fowler‘s Bryant and May series, Dana Stabenow‘s Kate Shugak series, and Andrea Camilleri‘s Inspector Montalbano series.

Aside from the urban/supernatural sub-genre, I’ve actually read very little fantasy–just haven’t been in the mood. Plus, so many fantasy series are multi-volume tomes I am unwilling to commit to.

The big surprise at the end of 2010 was that Michael and I both received eReaders for Christmas, so it’ll be interesting to see if and how that affects my reading. Most of what I’ve downloaded so far are “classics” or books I should have read in school, but didn’t for some reason. We’ll see if I actually enjoy them.

But all in all, 2010 was a good year for reading, and there are plenty of books scheduled to come out in 2011 that I am looking forward to.

Happy Reading in 2011!

I’m not going to pretend that anyone reading this hasn’t also spent a significant portion of their childhood reading Greek myths.

Can you guess what those plans are?

Books I just finished, am reading, or was thinking about reading.