Reading and running up the mountain

[readmuchrunfar]

This is my second year going for the summit of Mt. Ararat. I made it with a couple of weeks to spare this year, so I hope to duplicate the feat in 2014 and maybe even get over 50. Cheers!

[Bev]

Cheers to you! Good luck with your new route up Mt. Ararat.

[readmuchrunfar]

1. A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson): finished January 6

Quick snapshot of Science. I'm pretty sick of Bill Bryson's travel writing, but his style is a little more laidback here, just a bit of snark at times. And he is undeniably great at explaining complicated things.

[readmuchrunfar]

2. Again to Carthage (John L. Parker, Jr.): finished January 13

I'm not sure this would be of interest to anyone who is not a runner and who hasn't read Once a Runner. But if that's you, it was pretty good. It was draggy for the first half, but picked up as Cassidy's training for the Olympic trials picks up, and the last couple of chapters are riveting.

[readmuchrunfar]

3. A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent (Marie Brennan): finished January 19

The newest addition to Mt. TBR. Lots of fun! I was interested in being a naturalist as a kid, was a bit of a tomboy, and I've always loved dragons, so I related to the main character in more ways than one.

[readmuchrunfar]

4. Ella Enchanted (Gail Carson Levine): finished January 21

Very enjoyable take on the Cinderella story and a very clever twist on the idea that young ladies should always do as they are told. I never cared much for Cinderella, but Ella is a heroine to cheer for!

[[deleted user]]

I've read lots of Bryson's books, but that one you read isn't on my list yet . Maybe someday I'll give it a shot . He's such a good writer he can make almost anything interesting .
I have his newest one on my Kindle from a few months back. Maybe this year ?

[readmuchrunfar]

I definitely recommend A Short History. I seem to enjoy his books on language/history and this one on science the most. I'm also interested in the one he wrote a couple of years ago, At Home, but I haven't added it to my list yet.

[readmuchrunfar]

5. Sunshine (Robin McKinley): finished January 28

Another gem from Robin McKinley. I think this would draw comparisons to Twilight, so I should point out that this predates Twilight and I'm actually really curious to know whether Twilight's author has read Sunshine. Not knocking Twilight fans, but if you do like Twilight, I can't recommend this book enough--I think it might help you see some of Twilight's issues. If you don't like Twilight, I also recommend this book because it might redeem vampires for you. Anyway, Rae is a great character and I really enjoyed her unique voice.

[Karen]

Five TBR books in a month? Well done.

Your review of Sunshine caught my attention. I read that several years ago and I really liked it. In fact I kept looking to see if there was a sequel (I don't know if there ever was). I would certainly rate it much higher than Twilight

I just remembered that A Short History is on my bookshelf, as yet unread. Maybe I can get to it this year.

[readmuchrunfar]

Oh yes, Sunshine is absolutely better than Twilight! I hated Twilight, but I know some people like it. Rae > Bella a million times over. I wish the people who like Twilight so much would read Sunshine instead.

I'm trying to get off to a good start, but my library holds list just threw up all over me. :)

[readmuchrunfar]

6. The Luminaries (Eleanor Catton): finished January 30

I've been reading this since December, but had less than a third done at the beginning of January, so I can count it for this year. It took me a while to get into this, but once I did, I truly enjoyed it. The structure and plotting were very intricate. Challenging but rewarding read.

[Bev]

Six down! You've made a great start.

[readmuchrunfar]

7. Fire from Heaven (Mary Renault): finished March 3

Having heard so many great things about the historical fiction of Mary Renault, I actually had a hard time with this. It didn't grab me like I hoped it would. I have the other two Alexander books that she wrote, and I think I'll put them aside until another time...maybe if I read them while in a different frame of mind I'll have more luck.

[Bev]

The only book I've read by Renault is The Praise Singer....I didn't rate it nearly as high as most people in GoodReads did. Definitely not a gripping story.

[readmuchrunfar]

8. The Fourth Bear (Jasper Fforde): finished July 21

Well, I sure fell off the wagon. Life got in the way and I just didn't manage to pick up a book for the past few months. But I finally finished this one and it was clever and funny as the first in the series. I still like the Thursday Next books more, but these are good fun.

[readmuchrunfar]

9. NOS4A2 (Joe Hill): finished July 27

I liked this a lot more than Horns (by the same author). Lots of creepy moments that made me literally shudder. Did you ever think Christmas could be creepy? Well, it CAN. This is actually the perfect thing to read around the 4th of July. This was an audiobook and the reading by Kate Mulgrew was very good.

[C. (Comment, never msg).]

I didn't know Kate Mulgrew does audio readings. She brings happy memories of one of my most favourite shows.

[readmuchrunfar]

I didn't either! It was a treat to hear Captain Janeway read me a story. :)

[C. (Comment, never msg).]

Full speed ahead. :)

[readmuchrunfar]

Going over my list, I realized I have a few more that count for this challenge (had them on the shelf since before the start of the year):

10. The Hedge Knight (George R.R. Martin)
11. The Sworn Sword (George R.R. Martin)

Martin's first two Dunk and Egg tales, which are a good way to pass the time during the interminable wait for the next ASOIAF installment.

12. The Fourth Bear (Jasper Fforde)

Clever and delightful, just as good as the first in the series. Answers such age-old questions as why in the heck did the three bears' porridge have different temperatures if they'd been sitting out for the same amount of time?!

[readmuchrunfar]

13. (The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. Le Guin, finished August 3)

Although it took me a long time to read it, I found this wonderfully thought-provoking and moving. The future, though presented as a fairly bleak thing in many ways, is at the same time irresistibly hopeful.

[readmuchrunfar]

14. (Emma, by Jane Austen, finished August 5)

Usually I like an underdog character a lot more than one with all the advantages Emma has. But I was drawn to her because she starts out pretty annoyingly and actually grows through her mistakes. The evolution is compelling.

[readmuchrunfar]

15. (The Word for World Is Forest, by Ursula K. Le Guin, finished August 14)

Really pretty heartbreaking and bleak story of the future of Earth people and the damage they can inflict on other planets and peoples. The plot is similar in many ways to the movie "Avatar" (although this book of course was written many years before and I would be interested to know if James Cameron has ever read this).

[readmuchrunfar]

16. (A Wizard Abroad, by Diane Duane, finished August 20)

A little meh for me. Just didn't like it as much as I did the first three in this series, and especially the first. Maybe it's just getting repetitive.

[readmuchrunfar]

17. (Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen, finished August 22)

I started out inclined to like Fanny Price because she's an underdog, then began to find her boring, and then came around again to liking her for her unshakable convictions. A different kind of Austen heroine, but just as good a character.

[readmuchrunfar]

18. (Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen, August 29)

One more step on my quest to read all six Austen novels. This is probably my least liked one so far, but I did still enjoy it quite a bit and it was so short that it didn't overstay its welcome.

[readmuchrunfar]

19. (The Telling, by Ursula K. Le Guin, finished August 29)

Sometimes I get a very bleak feeling after a Hainish novel, but this one ended on a more hopeful note for me. Like people were actually seeing how extremism in any direction can be harmful, and were willing to face that truth. It's a start!

[readmuchrunfar]

20. (Persuasion, by Jane Austen, finished September 2)

I think this was in fact my favorite Austen other than P&P. The maturity of it appealed to me, and the idea that "old" people can have passionate romances too. I liked that the plot was not wrapped up quite as neatly as it could have been, and the love story, while given the happy ending I knew it would get, will never escape a tinge of regret for lost time.

[readmuchrunfar]

21. (The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne Valente, finished September 7)

This was delightful. Clever, poignant, and the writing was delicious.

[readmuchrunfar]

22. (The Wizard's Dilemma, by Diane Duane, finished September 8)

This was a very worthy entry in this series. Characters dealing with real loss, powerlessness, and growing up, all done in a way that had a "real"-ness to it despite the fantastic trappings. Bittersweet.

[readmuchrunfar]

23. (A Wizard Alone, by Diane Duane, finished September 12)

This one features an autistic character, something that I appreciate both for diversity's sake and because it's a risk. I know very little about autism, but the ending really struck me as being off. It just left a bad taste. Can't go into why without spoiling it. Still, I appreciated it and enjoyed most of it.

[readmuchrunfar]

24. (The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, by Catherynne Valente, finished September 18)

These books are just delightful. It's hard to describe; it's sad and funny and beautiful all at the same time.

[readmuchrunfar]

25. (Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell, finished September 21)

Almost impossible to put down and with a heroine as compelling as she is unlikable. I enjoyed this so much despite the, well, uncomfortable racial overtones. This book fully deserves all the accolades it's received!