Challenge: 50 Books discussion
Finish Line 2009!
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Random's 50 for 2009
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70.
Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore"The netherworld is timeless and unchanging, and boring -- much like a doctor's waiting room."
71.
The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster BujoldA Miles book, which is always highly enjoyable. He is one of my all time favorite characters and always worth a read.
A re-read for book club discussion.
"Other people" Miles groaned, "get to hallucinate orgies and giant cicadas and things. What do I get? Relatives. I can see relatives when I'm conscious. It's not fair ..."
--
"I've never understood why these people won't clip their kids' tubes and turn them loose at age twelve to work out their own damnation, like sensible folk. You may as well try to stop a sandstorm with a windsock ..." She went off toward the library, muttering her favorite swear-word under her breath, "Barrayarans!"
72.
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick
73.
Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher MooreWelcome to Seattle Tacoma International Airport. The local time is 2:00am. The outside temperature is 63 degrees. There is a semi conscious hooker gurgling at your feet.
75.
The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore"What, you three got thirty years of college between you and not enough smarts to dial a phone without a blueprint?"
"Astute observation," Howard said.
"I ain't got no college," Catfish said.
"Well cheers to you for being just naturally stupid."
Random, I have to check your 50 books a year posts more often. You've read a lot of books this year that are on my radar. What did you think of Feast of Souls and Left Hand of Darkness? The only Le Guin that I've read was The Dispossessed, which I enjoyed but felt it was a little too hokey at times. I've yet to read anything by Friedman. Got any good female sci-fi/fantasy author recommendations?
I LOVED Feast of Souls. I highly recommend the series, though the 3rd book isn't out yet.Left Hand of Darkness is good. It's in the same series of books as The Dispossessed, though on a different world. It has a similar tone. I tend to prefer her short stories more.
I wholeheartedly recommend anything by C.S. Friedman. She's a great author and I've loved everything she's written. My personal favorite is This Alien Shore swiftly followed by the Magister Trilogy.
Other female SF/Fantasy authors I'd recommend are
Lois McMaster Bujold - Specifically the Vorkosigan series.
Elizabeth Moon - My favorites are Remnant Population and The Speed of Dark.
Catherine Asaro - Specifically her Skolian Empire books (starting with Primary Inversion). A bit of a mix between hard SF and Romance. An interesting combination that she pulls off very well.
Diane Duane - While it's YA, I really like her Young Wizard series (starting with So You Want to Be a Wizard).
76.
Pandora's Star by Peter F. HamiltonBook 1 of 2 of The Commonwealth
Big, very big on just about every level, including page count. :)
I'm really loving the story and can't wait to start the next. Its such a grand epic scale and so difficult to describe. The title is so very ironic.
My only complaint is that the scale was so big and there were so many characters that I had to flip back now and then to help remind myself who people were. :)
A solid 4, maybe 4.5 stars.
77.
The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold". . . am I reading too much into all that innuendo, or did you in fact just connive to assassinate Gregor in one breath, offer to cuckold him in the next, accuse your father of homosexuality, suggest a patricidal plot against him, and league yourself with Cavilo-what are you going to do for an encore?"
"Depends on the straight lines. I can hardly wait to find out."
Random, re Message #60, you have GREAT taste!If you are the person who recommended Elizabeth Moon to me a while back, THANK YOU! I've finished Remnant, and Speed of Dark and now working on Trading In Danger. Thanks for introducing me to a new author. I like her!
MB wrote: "If you are the person who recommended Elizabeth Moon to me a while back, THANK YOU! I've finished Remnant, and Speed of Dark and now working on Tra..."Yes, I did recommend her. Glad I could point out a new author. Remnant Population is one of my all time favorite books. The Speed of Dark isn't far behind. :)
78.
Judas Unchained by Peter F. HamiltonBook 2 of 2 of The Commonwealth
Averaging around 1100 pages a piece, I feel kind of cheated that this series only counts as two books. :) Everything about them is just so massive.
That said, I was pulled along through both and don't think I could have stopped if I had tried. Very good, interesting characters (which is quite a feat given the number of characters involved). Distilled down, its an overall simple plot but very well executed with a number of twists and turns to keep one sucked in.
Now I'm off to find something short, light, and preferably humorous.
79.
The Last Continent by Terry PratchettThis one is a reread, but after Hamilton I REALLY needed a break with something I could trust.
I admit to being a Discworld fan. I just love the characters, and they're light and humorous.
There's a certain type of manager who is known by his call of 'My door is always open' and it is probably a good idea to beat yourself to death with your own CV rather than work for him. In Ridcully's case, however, he meant, 'My door is always open because then, when I'm bored, I can fire my crossbow right across the hall and into the target just above the Bursar's desk.'
81.
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson"The Vickys have an elaborate code of morals and conduct. It grew out of the moral squalor of an earlier generation, just as the original Victorians were preceded by the Georgians and the Regency. The old guard believe in that code because they came to it the hard way. They raise their children to believe in that code – but their children believe it for entirely different reasons."
"They believe it," the Constable said, "because they have been indoctrinated to believe it."
"Yes. Some of them never challenge it – they grow up to be smallminded people, who can tell you what they believe but not why they believe it. Others become disillusioned by the hypocrisy of the society and rebel – as did Elizabeth Finkle-McGraw."
"Which path do you intend to take, Nell?" said the Constable, sounding very interested. "Conformity or rebellion?"
"Neither one. Both ways are simple-minded – they are only for people who cannot cope with contradiction and ambiguity."
Cetaganda by Lois McMaster BujoldNot sure if I should count this one. Its for a discussion group and I had already read it earlier this year.
One of my favorite books in the series. Miles is such a great character.
82.
Unseen Academicals by Terry PratchettThe latest in the Discworld series. As usual quite enjoyable.
"The female mind is certainly a devious one My Lord."
Vetrinari look at his secretary in suprise. "Well of course it is. It has to deal with the male one."
83.
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrauI don't read a lot of YA books. They're usually a bit more simplistic than I personally like. However, the premise of this book intrigued me enough that I finally gave in.
Verdict: Its pretty good. The adults weren't depicted as idiots, which is something that happens all too often in the genre, and the premise was well executed.
84.
The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau
85.
Hunting Party by Elizabeth MoonThe Serrano Legacy #1
I wasn't inspired enoug by the previous series to continue so I picked up a different one. I hadn't actually gotten around to reading this series by Elizabeth Moon and I'm so far glad I finally have.
86.
Sporting Chance by Elizabeth MoonThe Serrano Legacy #2
Fun read, interesting characters. Parts were quite gripping. Everything I expect from this author.
87.
Winning Colors by Elizabeth MoonThe Serrano Legacy #3 - The Terror of the Old Aunts
Well ok, that last bit was added by me and it isn't like it sounds but I could not help but keep thinking of a few of my own during this book. :)
88.
Once a Hero by Elizabeth MoonThe Serrano Legacy #4
A complete switch of characters, the main being a relatively minor character in the previous book. Not quite as good as the previous book, mostly because I think part of the start dragged a little more than it needed to. Still it was enjoyable overall.
89.
Rules of Engagement by Elizabeth MoonThe Serrano Legacy #5
90.
Change of Command by Elizabeth MoonThe Serrano Legacy #6
ARGH! I didn't realize there was one more book in the series and this one ended on a cliff hanger. Now I have to go hunt down the last book.
91.
Against the Odds by Elizabeth MoonThe Serrano Legacy #7
Last book in the series and it was fun. A good adventure and enjoyable.
Ebooks are so handy. I was able to purchase and start reading this last book while I was still at work. Yay!
Now on to something for Halloween. :)
Random - NPR had a book reviewer on the other afternoon and she reviewed three Hallowe'en books about (supernatural) houses that had a mind of their own. One was 'The Haunting of Hill House', which sounded kinda just gory, I don't remember the first one, but it kind of sounded mild, but the third one sounded like it would be rather interesting, called "The House of Leaves" about a family that returns from vacation and finds a closet in their old, big home that was where just a wall had been. They subsequently discover that the house seems to be growing, getting bigger on the inside while the outside seems to remain the same size. After awhile, there are many twists and turns in the corridors...and the whole thing sounds positively spooky. Maybe not a good idea to read something like this just before turning out the light to retire for the night. Myahhhaa-haa!
I tried House of Leaves last year and thought it was a bit of a mixed bag.There are a few levels of complexity.
Its about a guy who is going through the manuscripts of a second guy who seemed to have spent a significant portion of his life writing papers about a documentary of events that happened in a house. Only this documentary seems to have never existed.
The portion with the house was very well done and wonderfully spooky. It gave me the willies more than once and I had a horrible time being indoors. :)
Then you have weird things happening to the first guy while he's reading all of the papers from the second guy. That was a bit more confusing and didn't seem to have as much of a point.
The structure of the book itself is very non traditional. Text can go multiple directions, you end up flipping back and forth a lot, turning the book upside down, codes to solve, etc. Some people find this annoying but I found it fun.
I've considered being a little lazy and curling up with some Poe or Lovecraft but they seem a little tame to me at times. I still have a day to decide though. I plan on curling up with a book, a kitty, a fire in the fireplace, and all the lights off. :D
92.
by Peter WattsI really enjoyed this book. Hard SF with a fascinating premise. I especially loved the narrating character who, due to a biological condition, had to have one side of his brain removed in childhood and replaced with a computer. The result is something like a functioning sociopath.
The only downside is due to the character's emotionally muted tone I found the book lulling even though I was immersed in what all was going on. It wasn't boring, the tone would just manage to relax me. An odd experience.
I'd give this a solid 4.5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who likes some intellectual depth to their fiction.
93.
Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor
94.
Girl in Landscape by Jonathan LethemI feel kind of bad about the last two books. I just haven't been inspired to write anything about them. They were decent books, they just didn't inspire me one way or the other.
95.
Demon Ex Machina by Julie KennerEveryone has to toss in a junk book now and then, and this one is mine. Imagine Buffy has retired, gown older, married, had kids, house in the suburbs, mini van, soccer mom, etc. Now imagine the vampires (only in this case demons) burst into her kitchen and start attacking while she's preparing for a dinner party.
We're not talking high quality here, but they can be fun and the soppy love triangle portions are somewhat limited (though it was a bit heavier than I would prefer in this one).
I gave it three mostly because it was fun to read.
96.
The Engines of God by Jack McDevittBook 1 of the Academy series
A story of scientists, discovery of the new, and exploration of the unknown. I found it quite enjoyable. It's a difficult one to rate though. I'd say a 3.5 - 4.
97.
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon SandersonAt 10-12 I would have loved this book. As an adult I find it snarky and humorous. Sanderson manages to take shots at a good number of books out there and I can't help but laugh and agree with his thoughts. :)
98.
Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster BujoldReread for a book club. As usual for a Miles book, it was fun. Finished it a few days ago but forgot to post. :)
99.
Remnant Population by Elizabeth MoonReread for a book club. This was my first book by this author and it is still one of my all time favorites.
This month has been crazy. Its almost over and I've just now managed to finish my first read of the month. I thought I'd hit 100 before the end of the year but with only 3 days left I'm not so sure.
Maybe I'll be able to squeeze some time tonight and see if I can get further on The Wilding.
100.
The Stolen Throne by David GaiderA day late but given there were a few books I never counted this year I'm allowing myself to fudge. :)
Book was fun, though deffinately a game tie in. Given the game is one of the reasons my reading suffered for the month of December, I thought it was a good choice. :D
Well that's it for the year. Don't know if I will continue for 2010. I'm not one for lists and catalogs and the like and it all started getting tedious to me by August. Last thing I want is to mix tedious with my reading. :)
Random wrote: "100. The Stolen Throne by David GaiderA day late but given there were a few books I never counted this year I'm allowing myself to fudge. :)
Book was fun,..."
Why not commit to something and just go at your own pace? I don't think the point is to whip ourselves. Pushing myself to read will probably mean that I miss something in the reading, because my attention won't be on enjoying it, it will be on just finishing. The blog title is 50 Books A Year but many of the people who post don't do 50. Just read for the joy of it...
Carol wrote: "Why not commit to something and just go at your own pace? I don't think the point is to whip ourselves. Pushing myself to read will probably"Its not the amount being read, its the tracking and cataloging of everything that I found tedious. :)
Challenge: 50 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Stolen Throne (other topics)The Stolen Throne (other topics)
Remnant Population (other topics)
Brothers in Arms (other topics)
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Catherine Asaro (other topics)Lois McMaster Bujold (other topics)
Diane Duane (other topics)
Elizabeth Moon (other topics)
Eh, not bad but I wasn't exactly moved enough to bother writing a review.