Liz B's comments (member since Mar 14, 2008)

Liz B's comments from the 50 Books A Year group.

12. When the Duke Returns (James, historical romance)--Exactly what I want from a historical romance. It's not a love story that I fell in love with, but I sure did enjoy reading it.

Thanks, Mary! :)

11. How to Ditch Your Fairy (Larbalastier, YA fantasy)--Fun and cute. Not deep--we have it for book clubs, and I think it's not going to be a great discussion book, but I think the girls will love reading it.

10. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume (Quinn, historical romance)--I liked it; it's not as funny as the Quinn books I like the most, but it was still a fun read.

8. Tomorrow, When the War Began (Marsden, YA)--Great premise (kids fighting invaders) done well.

9. Blood Noir (Hamilton, horror/ romance)--Pretty typical installment in the Anita Blake series, and somewhat better than the recent ones. Maybe it's because Anita finally seems to be getting control of the ardeur.

Actually, I'm going for 100. My total for 2008 was...um...78? I'd have to go back and check.

So far I'm mostly on track, although I hit a slump halfway through January. I started about three different books that I didn't really like, which made me not really feel like reading. I think I'm back in the game, though!

So far in 2009:

January:

1. What I Saw and How I Lied (Blundell, YA historical fiction)--Excellent! I highly recommend it.

2. Austenland (Hale, cont. romance)--Great for those who love Jane Austen (& Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy).

3. Glitter Baby (Phillips, cont. romance)--Enjoyable

4. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (Lockhart, YA cont fict)--This one was just terrific. It seems to have a lot of buzz for various awards--I hope it starts to get some buzz among kids, too.

February:

5. Mr. Monk Goes to Germany (Goldberg, TV tie-in)--Tie in. 'Nuff said.

6. Fearless Fourteen (Evanovich, mystery/ romance)--Evanovich. 'Nuff said.

7. What I Did For Love (Phillips, cont romance)--Good if you like this sort of thing--Hollywood romance. I usually do, and I did enjoy it...however, I didn't like it nearly as much as most of her Chicago Stars books. Among her more recent books, it was better than Natural Born Charmer, but not as good as Match Me If You Can, and not nearly as good as Ain't She Sweet.

I have a LOT of books that I own but haven't read. I'm looking at the shelf right now...conservative estimate is 100. The problem is I love used bookstores and used book sales, so I end up picking up 10 books here, 15 books there, barely spending any money.

It would make sense if I read those first, wouldn't it! I do grab one off the shelf every now and then, but mostly lately I've been reading new YA fiction. I just went to a conference, so it got me all excited about the new books that are out there. And that's the way it works for me usually--I go through phases. About 2 years ago I went through a Georgette Heyer phase, so I now have about 10 of her books on my bought-but-haven't-read shelf. It's the same with lots of other authors...

I agree about the life is too short comment. (I usually say "life is too short to read bad books." With the understanding that "bad" is utterly subjective.

I also abandoned several books along the way (*counts*)--at LEAST 5. And there was at least one I shouldn't've bothered finishing.

I find I read faster overall when I abandon the bad books sooner. There was a month when I kept trying and trying to read Conquistador (which I still might pick up again sometime)--or rather, I kept avoiding and avoiding reading it. I think I read only 3 books that month.

#78. The Year of Living Biblically (Jacobs)--Very enjoyable memoir.

Technically, I finished #78 after midnight, but I'm counting it in 2008. After all, it's my list!

I loved Marley & Me, too--also to my surprise. I don't read dog books for all the reasons you mentioned. But Marley Me was different. I didn't feel like the author was using the dog's death to manipulate me. He was just telling his story.

(And I'm also leery of Edgar Sawtelle. My mom gave it to me and I really need to start it soon...)

Aaaand...the reason I originally posted was to say that I hope you stay with this group! I enjoy reading your reviews.

#76. Ender in Exile (Card)--He's such a good storyteller that even without a whole lot of story to tell, the book was still absolutely engagin.

#77. Dairy Queen--Great narrator. I'm starting to think that a good book is one that makes me immediately want to read more by the same person, and this one fits the bill.

For myself, I'd like to start a new thread altogether when we roll over to 2009. New year, fresh start, begin again at #1.

#75. Trickster's Choice (Pierce)--I really enjoyed the story of Aly the spy/slave. I read Alanna: The First Adventure a few years ago and thought it was fine, but not worth reading more of the series. This was much better. While I probably won't go out of my way to read Pierce's earlier quartets, I think I will read the sequel to this one (Trickster's Queen), and possibly future novels as well.

So I made 75...I doubt I can read 5 more in less than a week. Still, I'm happy with the progress I've made--and even happier with the great books I've been reading lately.

I'm going to stick with this group for next year, but I'm also going to aim for 100 books in 2009. We'll see!

#74. Dangerous Woman: A Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman (Rudahl)--SO interesting.

#70. Deadline (Crutcher)--Really loved it...everything I expect from Crutcher. While that makes it a teeny bit predictable, it's also still a darn good read.

#71. Speak (Andersen)--Another re-read, and well worth the time.

#72. The Plain Janes--A graphic novel. It was pretty good, but not unputdownable.

#73. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things (Mackler)--This one, in contrast, WAS unputdownable. I finished it in one day.

Looks like 75 is in reach before 12/31...so now my goal is 80. :)

Hooray for Christine joining!

*looks around*

Didn't Radu join, too?

#69. Beastly (Alex Flinn)--Another YA fantasy/ romance; this one is a modern retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," set in New York City. Enjoyable but not memorable.

#68. Impossible (Nancy Werlin)--This YA fantasy/ romance is beautifully written, with a really intriguing premise involving a pragmatic teenage girl, an accidental pregnancy, an evil elfin knight, and a riddle.

Let's see. It's December 12th--it's pretty unlikely that I'll make it to 75 by the end of the year, but I think 70 is within reach--so that's my new goal.

#64. The Misfits (James Howe)--Good YA fiction; funny, too

#65. Reserved for the Cat (Lackey)--I always enjoy Lackey, but still found this one only so-so.

#66. Saint (Dekker)--Ugh. This might have been good if he hadn't had to work in a salvation scene. Or maybe not.

#67. Whale Talk (Crutcher)--This was a re-read. It's one of my all-time favorites. It makes me laugh out loud, and I also never fail to cry at the end.

#63. Invasive Procedures (Aaron Johnston/ Orson Scott Card): Not terrible, but certainly not good.

#62. Memoirs of a Bookbat (Kathryn Lasky) YA fiction about reading, and how reading helps you learn to think for yourself.