And the Great Book Giveaway continues. These are supernatural fantasy books I’m giving away. Now let me warn you, these are books I’ve read, and didn’t particularly like, even though some of these books are highly rated.

Questions? Read the start of this post.
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I’m clearing space on the bookshelves, so I’m getting rid of books. Here’s the first group. If you are interested in any of these books either post a comment or e-mail me. If you’re taking a lot of books, my only request is that you pay for shipping.

I’ve got several series, and I’d prefer to give them away together instead of piecing them out, since that’s far more convenient for me.

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As of the writing of this post, I’ve read 129 books in 2008. Not my highest total, but not too bad, all things considered.

Here are some of the books I read this year that I really enjoyed. With one exception, I listed only the first book in a series, if I started and enjoyed a series this year. I have been reading a lot of supernatural fantasy, but I’ve read some other good stuff as well this year.

January:
Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
Supernatural fantasy. The latest installment in the Mercy Thompson series.

February:
Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
Mystery set in Venice. The first in her Inspector Guido Brunetti series. I spent much of the year reading the rest of this series.

The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson
Supernatural mystery. The first book in the Repairman Jack series. I’ve still got a couple books left in this series, but not many.

THUD by Terry Pratchett
Fantasy. Discworld. I really don’t need to say more, do I?

March:
Tithe by Holly Black
Young adult urban fantasy.

Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman & Yoshitaka Amano
Fantasy, graphic novel. This was a reread, because sometimes you just need a Neil Gaiman fix.

White Knight by Jim Butcher
Supernatural mystery. Installment in the Harry Dresden series.

April:
Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews
Supernatural fantasy. Sequel to Magic Bites.

May:
The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling
Fantasy anthology. Lots of folklore too.

June:
Fables Vol 10: The Good Prince by Bill Willingham et al.
Fantasy, graphic novel. You really need to be reading this series.

July:
Runaways: Dead End Kids by Joss Whedon et al.
Young adult graphic novel. Joss Whedon takes over Brian K. Vaughan’s Runaways series and does well.

Hellboy Vol 1: Seeds of Destruction by Mike Mignola
Supernatural fantasy, graphic novel. The start of the Hellboy series.

August:
Girl Genius Vol 7: Agatha Heterodyne and the The Voice of the Castle by Phil Foglio et al.
Young adult, steampunk, graphic novel. This is another series you need to be reading.

September:
Precious Dragon by Liz Williams
Fantasy mystery. The third book in the Detective Inspector Chen series.

October:
The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner
Fiction.

A Fistful of Sky by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Urban fantasy. Reread. Awesome.

November:
Territory by Emma Bull
Historical fantasy. The story that leads up to the shoot-out at the OK Corral.

City of Falling Angels by John Berendt
Non-fiction. The reconstruction of La Fenice in Venice as only John Berendt could tell it.

The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
Mystery. This is the first book in the Inspector Montalbano series, but not the best; I really started to like the series around book three.

December:
Why Mermaids Sing and Where Serpents Sleep by C.S. Harris
Historical mystery. Installments in the Sebastian St. Cyr series. I love these books.

Thirteen Orphans: Breaking the Wall by Jane Lindskold
Urban fantasy. Start of a new series.

…is to read as many books as possible. I’ve got up two reviews from books I just finished, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I got a stack of new books for Christmas, so my problem right now is going to be deciding what I want to read next. I’m thinking C.S. Harris‘ latest Sebastian St. Cyr mystery.

How frustrating.

I’ve reached the point I do every so often where I can’t find anything to read.

The problem is that I’ve just read a string of really good books, and want to read more of the same, but most everything I have I’m saving to read (the last paperback book out by Donna Leon, the last paperback book out by F. Paul Wilson) or don’t want to read because it’s hardback or I look at the book and wonder what on earth I was thinking when I picked that up, because it looks dreadful and what on earth was I thinking?

Mind you, most of those will turn out to be okay, they’re just not what I’m in the mood for.

I’m trying to read David Hewson’s Lucifer’s Shadow, and it’s interesting, but it’s not holding my attention (in fact I’ve fallen asleep twice in the past 24 hours trying to read it).

This means I’m at the point where nothing is appealing to me, but I feel somewhat guilty about going back to read old favorites, because I have all these books I haven’t read yet.

Of course I also think I’m fighting off a case of the blues, which means I really should go pick up an old comforting favorite

What was the last book you bought?
The last new book that came into the house was Fables Volume 11, by Bill Willingham et al.
My last Amazon order was The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri, Lucifer’s Shadow by David Hewson, Hellboy Vol. 8: Darkness Calls by Mike Mignola

Name a book you have read MORE than once
A book? Just one? Craziness! Here are some of the more frequently re-read: The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Hobbit by JRR Tolkein, The Phoenix Guard by Steven Brust, the Belgariad by David Eddings, Good Omens by Neil Gaiman. Plus there are a bunch of books I can’t wait to reread.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
Everything I read teaches me something new, and every time I learn, my life is changed.

How do you choose a book? (E.g. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews?)
Yes.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Yes.

What’s more important in a novel, beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Yes.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
Going back to my childhood, it’s probably a toss-up between Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple. Otherwise, it’s probably the character in the series I’m currently reading, or the last book I read that I loved.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Now, the books on my nightstand are way different from the books strewn throughout the house that I read throughout the day.
The Histories by Herodotus (I will finish this book), Healing Anger by the Dalai Lama, Faerie Tales ed Martin H. Greenberg, Latin American Folktales ed by John Bierhorst, Russian Folk Belief, A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong, The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, The Path to Tranquility by the Dalai Lama, Vellum by Hal Duncan.
Of course some of these I haven’t read in a year or more, but still they’re there.

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
Today I finished The City of Falling Angels by John Brendt and Hellboy 8 Darkness Calls by Mike Mignola.

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
Repeatedly. But I’ll also finish a book out of sheer stubbornness (see Herodotus).

(via Janiece)

for erin:

gravid \GRAV-id\ adjective
*1 : pregnant
2 : distended with or full of eggs

Did you know?
“Gravid” comes from Latin “gravis,” meaning “heavy.” It can refer to a female who is literally pregnant, and it also has the figurative meanings of “pregnant”: “full or teeming” and “meaningful.” Thus, a writer may be gravid with ideas as she sits down to write; a cloud may be gravid with rain; or a speaker may make a gravid pause before announcing his remarkable findings.

So, as previously mentioned, I read a lot while I was sick. Eleven books in a week, in fact.

Of course, even though I’ve returned to work, we haven’t gone back to the gym, so I’ve got more time in the evenings to read.

So what have I been reading? A little of this and a little of that.

I’m finishing up Donna Leon’s Commisario Guido Brunetti series. I’ve really enjoyed this series, particularly spending time in Venice. Brunetti loves Venice, so I enjoy it when he’ll suddenly stop and look and the beauty of the city around him. And of course crime, justice, and politics in Italy are so different from what you read about in American police mysteries.

I’ve also been reading Hellboy and B.P.R.D. comics. Of the two, I prefer the Hellboy comics, although both are good. I really enjoy Hellboy’s attitude towards life. And with both comics, I tend to prefer Mike Mignola’s collection of stories rather than the volumes that are a single contained story. This may in part be due to my natural love of short stories, but I think that in some ways the shorter format makes the stories a little tighter. Regardless, they’re a lot of fun.

I also read (and re-read) several books by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. I adore her characters and her writing. She write a lot about teenage characters and coming of age stories, but don’t let that keep you away from her writing, because her stories are solid, and although her young adults can be a bit angsty, its usually with a good dose of humor.

And I read some other books, but you can wander over to my book blog and check those out for yourself if you’re curious.

Now you must excuse me, but I’m in the middle of and Emma Bull book, and would like to return to it.

And maybe take a nap as well.

Yup, I’ve finally reached the hundred book point for the year–the only good thing about being home sick.

I’ve read an average of ten books a month this year, with the 18 books in October offsetting September’s pitiful showing of only 4 books. Still behind my reading as compared to 2005 and 2006, but there’s been a lot going on since the summer of 2006, and I haven’t always had the time I’d like to read.

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Main Entry: canoodle
Pronunciation: \k?-?nü-d?l\
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s): ca·noo·dled; ca·noo·dling Listen to the pronunciation of canoodling Listen to the pronunciation of canoodling \-?nü-dli?, -?nü-d?l-i?\
Etymology: perhaps from English dialect canoodle, noun, donkey, fool, foolish lover
Date: 1859

I’ve chosen the winner for the short story contest!

Here is the winning entry:

I was trapped by the fiend and I had to get moving again.

I tried pleading with him:
“Come on, just let me go. Please! I swear it’s in your best interest to let me go.”

He was unmoved.

I tried defiance:
“You can’t keep me here forever, you know. Someone is going to come looking for me. They’re going to notice I’m not at work. My friends will rescue me, you’ll see!”

He looked at me with that level gaze, imperturbable as ever.

I tried threatening:
“I’ll get out of this chair, I swear! And when I do, you’ll be sorry.”

He knew I lied. It wasn’t chains that held me immobile.

He yawned, showing white fangs of unnerving sharpness, but in the odor that emerged, revealed a weakness — bad breath.

I pounced. “Phew! Don’t you ever brush? What have you been eating? Nevermind, I can tell.”

When he remained unruffled by my jibes, I sagged against the chair. He was immune to insults as well, the bastard.

Somewhere in the distance, I could hear the phone ringing. Someone wanted to talk to me. What did they want? I’d never know. Would I ever be permitted to move again?

As the last ring faded into silence, my captor got bored and rose. He jumped off my lap and stretched luxuriously, first the front half, then the back.

Looking back at me slyly, he twitched his whiskers and moved on.

I was free to get the laundry, or that snack I’d wanted half an hour ago.

I was free!

For now.

He’d be back.

And now that I have checked the logs, the winner is ANNE! Congratulations Anne!

Anne has won a copy of The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner. If I can get moving, I’ll try to get it in the mail today, otherwise you’ll have to wait until Saturday.

I have to say that I really liked not knowing who wrote what, and that I was wrong in my guesses as to who wrote what story. If you all would like to out yourselves, let me know. :)

ADDENDUM the First:
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A request has been made to extend the contest deadline through the weekend.

As I am taking a vacation day Monday, I’ll extend the deadline through 11:55 PM Sunday.

So that should make Slacker #1 happy.

Don’t forget to enter my contest!

You’ve got through Saturday to come up with something good!

I occasionally am sent books to review for my book blog, and this time the publisher gave me one book to review and another book to give away.

So, a contest!

Seeing as how I love short short stories, you can submit one or more stories, and the story I like best wins.

Although you don’t have to, it would be nice if you posted the story anonymously or under a pseudonym that I can’t guess, so I won’t have any preconceived notions when I read the story. Just put your real e-mail address in so I can declare the winner and not have everyone claim to have written the story. (I won’t peek until the contest has been decided.)

You’ll have a week. The contest will end Saturday the 11th at 11:59 PM.

Kibitzing is not only allowed, it’s encouraged.

The only restriction is please keep it to a PG-13 rating.

If you’d like an idea of what I like, here is one of my all time favorite short short stories. And I know there are plenty of you out there who read but don’t comment. Since it can be completely anonymous, I fully expect everyone to participate. Got it?