2013 Reading List (As of March)
Been a while since I’ve updated my reading list!
September, 2012
Very highly rated YA distopia. I didn’t get further than about halfway through before I turned away. Not that it was bad … just that it was very predictable, with evil villains and an obviously flawed world order that was clearly going to be overthrown as part of the book, whose plot seemed to revolve mostly around the characters figuring out just how screwed up the society was. Not my cup of tea.
No rating
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvator
Another highly rated book, this one about an island with man-eating horses and a very important race. I love horses, and therefore I loved a large portion of this book.
I did not love multiple PoVs in first-person present tense, and although the final bit of epilogue was BEAUTIFUL, the pacing was weird to me and some of the moral issues brought up in the book were brushed aside. The prose was undeniably beautiful and the author clearly did her homework with regards to horses and racing … but it still ended up falling a little flat for me.
A heartbroken 6 out of 10
Well Witched by Frances Hardinge
I am now a Frances Hardinge fangirl, and I’m not ashamed.
This is the story of three kids who steal some coins from a wishing well and end up unwitting pawns for the well guardian.
Fun, well-written, featuring non-perfect and believable characters, with excitement and magic. Very good book.
An eager-to-read-more 8 out of 10
October 2012
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
Memoir from someone with a talent for turning the absurd into the hilarious. She talks about things like anxiety and depression and the issues she deals with on a daily basis, and I would be lying if I didn’t say I found some of it sad and uncomfortable even with her humor added to it. I am very glad I read this book.
A laughingly pensive 9 out of 10
Novella featuring a main character with multiple personalities in a very fascinating and unique way. One of my favorite reads of the year, hands down.
A fascinated 9 out of 10
November 2012
How To Tell If Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You by The Oatmeal
Exactly as funny as expected.
A smile-filled 6 out of 10
December 2012
This was a re-read for me. Fantasy novel about a witch and her quest to avenge the death of her teacher … except the witch is under a curse that makes her crave human flesh. Also, her companion is a demonic, bloodthirsty duck.
Good, but not great in the pacing/plotting department.
An entertaining 7 out of 10
January 2013
Gregor the Overlander (the entire series) by Suzanne Collins
Reviewed in great detail here.
MG/YA fantasy series about a boy who finds a hidden world populated with strange humans, giant bats, rats, centipedes, and more. Adventures galore.
LOVED. Gobbled up each book with glee.
A thrilling 9 out of 10
February 2013
A woman opens her bruised eyes in the rain, surrounded by dead bodies and with no memory. She finds in her pocket a letter written to her by her past self, instructing her on how to hide and survive, and of the choice she must make. Run and find a quiet life somewhere, or take up her old life and try to figure out who is trying to kill her.
SUCH an incredible hook. One of the best openings I’ve read, ever. An interesting take on the nature vs nurture question, and a well-written romp that spends half its time in the life of the new personality and half its time in the letters written by the very different old personality.
I enjoyed the read to the end, and though I had some quibbles with certain aspects of the book, my overall experience was very positive.
A reserved 8 out of 10
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
MG/YA fairy tale retelling … sort of. More a smooshing of several fairy tales in the old style, where people were beheaded all the time and there was lots of blood. Omniscient narrator with a fantastic sense of humor throughout. Dark, but not serious.
I liked. Fun.
A dark 8 out of 10
March 2013
In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz
Unsurprisingly related to A Tale Dark and Grimm and a worthy companion novel.
A bloody 8 out of 10
Fantasy novel in a world where children are bound to a darkbeast and grow to maturity with their creepy animal companion, who gives them advice and who “takes” their negative qualities away. If a child is spiteful, she is told to “take it to your darkbeast”. When the child reaches maturity, there is a ceremony where they kill the beast. In Darkbeast, the main character chooses not to kill her raven darkbeast, and the rest of the story follows her flight from the law trying to bring her to justice for this rebellion.
At the quarter mark, all of the setup had been done and the girl set off on her adventure. Good pacing up to that point, but then it gets a little muddled and turned into a watery version of “the adventures of darkbeast girl” where she continually ignores the darkbeast’s good advice and learns things about a theater troop. The ending is abrupt and the moral of the story seemed to be “why should we have to kill our darkbeasts?” … which was. Well, it was anticlimactic to say the least.
No vibrant characters, weird pacing, and left-field climax took what started out as a good book down to an unsatisfying finale. (note: the series continues, but I won’t be reading further).
A disappointed 5 out of 10
The Inmates are Running the Asylum by Alan Cooper
A nonfiction book on interaction design that examines some of the problems with the current software development system, and suggests tools needed to fix them.
Easy to read. (noteworthy in nonfiction!)
An intrigued 8 out of 10
Urban fantasy. Heroine gets drafted into a fae war. Some romance. Lots of music (band-style). Great characters.
I found it a little tedious until the main character stopped struggling against her situation, but the moment she started creating alliances, I was hooked.
(I’ve just read too many novels where the main character spends a few chapters disbelieving in magic for that to be cute anymore, no matter how realistic it might be).
More Emma Bull is definitely in my future.
A delighted 8 out of 10
Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia Wrede
Fairy tale retelling by an author I love. Unfortunately, despite my love for the fairy tale and author, I did not enjoy this book. The author went to great pains to simulate period language, which distanced me from the book, and the plot wove between a good half dozen point of views, none of which were emotionally close in the way that I enjoy. Also, there were two “John”s and one “Joan” and I found that jarring.
End result, a dry, rambling tale with unimportant details, distant characters, and unfamiliar language.
A sadfaced 4 out of 10
Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede
Another swing and miss from Wrede for me, which makes me glum. Interesting concept — alternate history set in old west times with magic. Main character is the 7th daughter of a 7th son, twin to the 7th son of a 7th son. Her twin is considered uber-magician, and she is the 13th child, which makes her evil and unlucky according to some.
Plays out a bit like Little House on the Prairie but with magic, which is fun for a while, but … well, the book is mostly watching her grow up as things happen around her which she observes. The finale has her taking an active role and actually doing something, but the majority of the book is her overhearing conversations or noticing the actions of everyone around her.
The first in a series, but one that didn’t entice me enough to keep going.
A disheartened 4 out of 10
The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson
Another novella by this author, again gifted to me by Perry, who is making solid inroads into my giving the author’s novels another shot.
I love novellas. They don’t have the rushed (or surreal) feel of short stories, but they’re not as much of a time investment as a full novel.
This novella was a real treat, although I will admit it took a few chapters before I was grounded enough in the story to weed through the jargon. I’m also not a fan of the alternate-PoV first chapter, but these are known personal peeves of mine.
The novella itself was a gem. A “Forger” (uses magic to transmute items under a specific ruleset) is imprisoned and due for execution but finds her sentence lifted when an assassination attempt on the emperor nearly succeeds, leaving his body an empty shell due to brain damage.
She is tasked with the monumental request that she break the law again, this time to forge a soul for the emperor so that he can remain in power.
The magic system is fascinating (one of Sanderson’s skills, I’m told) and the characters are rich and believable. I won’t ruin any more of the story, but for those who have read the story, know that I cherished the window scene, and I absolutely adored the plot’s resolution.
A glorious 9 out of 10
Related posts:
2012 Reading List (as of August)
2012 Reading List (as of April)
Reading, For Writers
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