Maya's Menagerie (200 Book Challenge)

[Maya]

Here's my start. I might die. Hopefully, I won't - and will have cleared my floor and gotten some books read!

[Maya]

Since I'm new to the group, here are the ones that I've already read through this year:


The Eyre Affair

Life After Life

Make Something Up: Stories You Can't Unread

To Hold the Bridge

Ask the Dark

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever?

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation

A Christmas Carol

[Alicia]

that's a really good start to the year, good luck with your goal.

[Maya]

Thanks! :D

[Aurora]

Welcome to the group and good luck with your goal Maya! :)

[Maya]

Thank you so much! And thanks for being my new Goodreads friend :D

[Aurora]

Thanks for being mine! Have you read the whole Abhorsen series?

[Maya]

I have! I absolutely LOVE Garth Nix. I've got a standalone of his on my to-read list for this year, as well as The Fall, which I believe is the start to another series. I'd really love another Abhorsen book though. :(

[Aurora]

I don't think I've read anything by him. But I've wanted to read the Abhorsen seris for so long! I take it you would recommend it :)

[Maya]

Absolutely, 100%. If you lived in my town, I'd let you borrow them - they're just magical and I love the world that Nix has created. I'm not a huge fan of the short story collections he's put out, but I'm also not a huge fan of short stories, either. :)

[Aurora]

I think you have me convinced! Not that I need much convincing, they look/sound incredible and I haven't read any fantasy in ages. I only own the second book though, might need to do something about that very soon! Have you read any of Kelly Links short stories?

[Maya]

I haven't, no. Most of my short story reading comes from authors I've already read a bunch of (like Chuck Palahniuk's Make Something Up, or Nix's short stories). Are they fantastic? :D

[Aurora]

I think so! I wasn't a short story fan until I tried hers, but they are really very odd and definitely not everyone's cup of tea. There's one about a grandmother who has a whole fairy-village in her handbag. I think it's delightful :)

[Maya]

She's officially added to my to-read list! Thank you so much for the suggestion, that sounds amazing. :)

[Aurora]

I hope you enjoy :) I think that particular one is free online somewhere, on her website perhaps. I like to read some stories online before buying a collection, so I can avoid the really shit ones, haha :)

[Maya]

That's a really great idea and I should probably remember that for the future, haha. I used to work at a bookstore so I got a lot of stuff for free... now I actually have to pay attention. :(

[Aurora]

I used to work in a bookstore as well, when I was studying. I miss it! Books are so expensive in Norway, it's crazy.

[Maya]

I'm kind of scared to even ask what the difference is.... How bad is expensive?

[Aurora]

A Norwegian hardback would be about 30-40 $ and a paperback about 10-20 $. Thankfully I read mostly in English :)

[Maya]

The hardcover price is astronomical! Paperbacks are about the same, though. So you dont have it too bad. :)

[Aurora]

Good to know! I prefer paperbacks anyway :)

Just wanted to say I got Sabriel today. I'm super excited to start reading it!

[Maya]

Yayyyy!!!!! I can't wait! Let me know how you like it when you're done. :D

[Aurora]

I will! I think I'll start it today :)

[Maya]

PROGRESS :: 11/200

Yesterday, I finished 2 books! 2! Go, me!

First, I read Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin. I truly enjoyed the new environment that the book was written in (Cambridge, way way way way back ago). It was a little bit different than anything I'd ever read before, and I'd love to continue on with the series - as long as the rest of them are as good as this first one!

Then, I re-read Fairest by Marissa Meyer. This is by far my favorite book in this series, and it was a joy to re-read it. Now I get to give them to my mom, and let her enjoy the series as much as I have!




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[Cassandra]

As a fellow Abhorsen fan, and it looks like you've read Clariel - what did you think of it?

[Maya]

Cassandra wrote: "As a fellow Abhorsen fan, and it looks like you've read Clariel - what did you think of it?"

I really loved it, actually. I was a little bit worried when I first got it, but the story was just as good (if not better than?) as the rest of the series. I'd recommend it. That, and I'm a sucker for anything that gives a back story on a character I already know and love (not sure if it's well known, but Clariel is the backstory for Chlorr of the Mask).

So, I guess I'm saying... you need to read it. :)

On the other hand though, I'm not a huge fan of his short story collections. If he decides to do another one, I'll probably end up borrowing from the library instead of buying it like I did for To Hold the Bridge.

[Maya]

PROGRESS :: 12/200


This morning before work, I polished off John Dies at the End. This was a re-read for me, so the twists and turns weren't as exciting as the first time I read it. Overall, though, I was able to pick up on a lot of details that I missed the first time around. I'm pretty excited to pick up This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It, but only after my brain gets a little break. 5 stars, though!

If you like horror, surreal fiction, or just complete weird stuff, give it a shot. :)

[Cassandra]

I haven't read any of Garth Nix's short story collections, but I've always meant to.

I've read Clariel! At first, I didn't like Clariel as much, because it does seem to have a different tone than the earlier books, but I do love the Chlorr of the Mask connection. I've heard mixed reviews about it, though, which is why I was curious. :)

[Maya]

Cassandra wrote: "I haven't read any of Garth Nix's short story collections, but I've always meant to.

I've read Clariel! At first, I didn't like Clariel as much, because it does seem to have a different tone than ..."

Ahhhhhh, I gotcha. I only know one other person who's read Clariel already, and I haven't found a book that he dislikes yet! So I'm not sure that it's exactly fair for me to be asking his opinion. :D

It does have a different tone, but I almost feel like it had to. Besides the fact that he's progressed as a writer since the original trilogy, it's a completely different character set. Either way, I'm happy with whatever he does, most of the time. :D

[Cassandra]

Chatting about this made me go look to see if he has plans for another Abhorsen books, and it looks like he does! There's a book on Goodreads called Goldenhand with a release date of 2016 - it's supposed to be about Lirael and Nick. Now I'm excited! :)

[Maya]

Cassandra wrote: "Chatting about this made me go look to see if he has plans for another Abhorsen books, and it looks like he does! There's a book on Goodreads called Goldenhand with a release date of 2016 - it's su..."

He'd been talking about doing one for Nick for a while - I'm glad he's doing it! I'll have to add it on my things to watch. Along with Tamora Pierce, and Mira Grant, and Patrick Rothfuss, and... the list goes on. :D

[Maya]

PROGRESS :: 13/200

Last night, I was able to start - and finish! - a new book by Garth Nix (since everyone here is a Nix fan). And it's not really new, just new to me. A Confusion of Princes! It actually was my least favorite book I've read by him, which really disappointed me. The romance plot in it was randomly shoved in and felt unnatural - I knew it would be coming because of how he set up the world, but it still felt unnatural and bothered me enough to put down my book and rant at my roommate when it surfaced. So, overall, I gave it 2 stars. Sadly.

[Cassandra]

I thought the concept of that book was really interesting, but everything about the execution was pretty odd. It's my least favorite Nix book as well, which is a bummer because he can write interesting science fiction (like Shade's Children).

[Maya]

Cassandra wrote: "I thought the concept of that book was really interesting, but everything about the execution was pretty odd. It's my least favorite Nix book as well, which is a bummer because he can write interes..."

That was pretty much my thought process on it as well. I'll have to pick up Shade's Children at some point. My next one of his to conquer is The Fall.

[Cassandra]

I really liked Shade's Children when I was younger, but I've heard that it might not hold up so well when you get older.

I've been trying to decide whether I want to read the Seventh Tower series. I know it's written in a pretty young-reader tone, but if the concepts are good I will probably still like it.

[Maya]

Whenever I get around to finally reading it, I'll let you know! I'm working on War & Peace during customer-less periods at work, and then my next book to read at home is going to be Wind/Pinball: Two Novels by Haruki Murakami. I'm pretty excited to delve into it, since I've never read anything of his before.

[Aurora]

How are you finding War & Peace so far Maya?

[Maya]

Aurora wrote: "How are you finding War & Peace so far Maya?"

Annoying? Haha, just kidding. I'm about to finish up Book One, which means my battle is about 1/15th way over. But it's not too horrible. I find it an easier read than Anna Karenina was, but then again I had a rotten translation. I'm hoping I can keep going through it without any problems!

[Aurora]

Haha, I've certainly found some of the Russians annoying more than once (I'm looking at you, Dostoyevsky). I think War & Peace is a much more compelling read than Anna Karenina. There's more going on and more characters. I hope you enjoy it, even if it is a struggle :)

[Maya]

PROGRESS :: 15/200

I had yesterday off, so I got a little bit of reading done. I'm almost done with Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits, which is spectacular so far. I can't wait to finish reading it!

Anyways, I started & finished Catherynne M. Valente's The Labyrinth. It wasn't as much of a novel as it was a book of prose - which is why it has poetry as a label, I guess. I'm a fan of Valente's work (and her, I follow her on Facebook), so I wasn't too surprised by this one. I loved the story and the beauty of the writing style. I gave it four stars because it was exceptionally hard to get into.

I also did a quick re-read of Augusten Burroughs' This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike.. I really, truly recommend this book to everyone. I will always recommend this man's work to any living person. I started out with reading Lust and Wonder, which was JUST released (I was able to snag an advance copy!) and now I'm addicted. This is my favorite of his so far - and I've got 2 more of his on my to-read list. If you get a chance, I'd say give his reading a shot.

My next book to finish will probably be My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. I'm loving it so far. I think I have a couple more to post about though, so it's kinda a lie. A little.

:)


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[Maya]

PROGRESS :: 16/200

I did forget one! Oops. It's what I get for wrangling like 20 different challenges at once.

A couple of weeks back, I read my copy of Interesting Times. This is my favorite of Terry Prachett's books so far - it will take me forever to get through the rest of them!

[Maya]

PROGRESS :: 18/200

YAY MORE BOOKS!

Okay, so this one is specifically aimed at those of you who have commented on this thread, because, well... I almost messaged ALL of you last night.

I polished off My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry last night. This book was absolutely amazing. I spent my reading time going between sobbing and laughing. I don't know why, but it just opened up something in me and it just... set it free. Please, you owe it to yourself to read it.

I then started Wind/Pinball: Two Novels, which I finished this morning before work. It was nothing that I'll probably remember reading in a month, but it did get me interested in his writing style enough that I'll pick up The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle when it comes back to my library. I gave it 3 stars. :)



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[Maya]

PROGRESS :: 19/200

I was finally able to get around to reading Rick Riordan's The Sword of Summer. Granted, I was in bed sick all day so I had plenty of time to read. I really enjoy the worldbuilding that Rick Riordan does. I've read everything he's put out and the next one is just as good if not better than the one before it. I'm excited for the next one to come out!

In the meantime, I've decided to start to wrap up a couple of the books I already have. Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits is almost done and should be done today, and I'm going to try to work a little bit on War and Peace.

[Maya]

PROGRESS :: 20/200

Yay, it's finished! Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits was just as good at the end as it started out with. I really recommend it. It's less... horrifying? than John Dies at the End, but that doesn't take away from how awesome the story is.

[Maya]

UPDATING with a couple I left off.

PROGRESS :: 22/200

My count is a little bit off from my page, though I have no idea why. Either way.

Wither

Sea of Shadows

I don't really have the energy right now to post more about them, but I liked them both & they both surprised me by how much I liked them.

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[Maya]

PROGRESS :: 26/200

I had a sick day yesterday, so maybe I got a little more reading done than I'd like to admit. Also, still sick and no energy means that I'm pretty much just scraping by to post.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Maplecroft

The Museum of Extraordinary Things

The White Queen



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[Maya]

PROGRESS :: 30/200

Two days off plus still being sick, means.... more books! Huzzah! It also means that I finally have a little energy to do more than just post what I read.

The first book I devoured was The Red Queen. I wasn't overly fond of The White Queen, which I read earlier in the week, but I owned both of them so I had an obligation to read this one as well. I enjoyed THE RED QUEEN far more than the first book in the series - not enough to continue the series, but if I'm struggling for a historical fiction book to read I won't shy away from reading another of her books.

Next, I tackled When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II. This caught my attention a while back, because I'm secretly a WWII junkie, and books. It read a lot like a college paper, which kinda turned me off, but I did learn quite a few things about the war front and literature in the meantime.

Vicious was next on my list. I was assigned to read this with my TBR buddy, but she doesn't really like replying to me so I went ahead and read this on my own. I really enjoyed this, and plan on seeking out more of Victoria Schwaub's writing in the meantime.

And then, today, I finished Empire of Night. I truly enjoyed Sea of Shadows (the first book in the series) so I picked this one up from the library. I was honestly a little disappointed in this one as a whole. I hope the final part to the trilogy is better than this one.


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[Maya]

PROGRESS :: 31/300

Yesterday was re-read day! And I couldn't have been happier.

I decided it was high time to re-read one of my favorites, Feed. I absolutely love everything that Mira Grant has written so far (I haven't delved into anything she's written under Seanan McGuire yet, but it'll happen!). And for what is hopefully my last sick day from this bug, it was a great choice.

[Maya]

PROGRESS :: 32/300

I finally picked up my copy of Sellevision, and honestly was a little disappointed. I love Augusten Burroughs and everything I've read of his so far. I think the only reason this one didn't get a lower rating is because I've read Lust & Wonder, and I know why and how he wrote the book. It was interesting, but not interesting enough for me to keep and read again. Maybe next time! I have one more of his on my shelf that I haven't read yet, so maybe that will catch me more.

[Maya]

PROGRESS :: 37/200

I might have... overdone it a little bit on my day off. I had a 24 hour read-a-thon, which went swimmingly.

First, I polished off Libriomancer. I've heard a lot of hype about this book, specifically from my mother, so I picked it up at the library. While I absolutely LOVED the world and the plot and the general idea of it all, I just couldn't get my mind wrapped around the romance. It was almost like Hines took the adolescent idea of an erotic female, tried to make it gentlemanly, and failed. Hard. For that alone, I dropped the book a star to 4 stars.

I then re-read Night. I've loved this book for forever. I needed it to fit a challenge on another group, so I was more than willing to polish it off again.

Next, I embarked on a journey that I've been kind of hesitant to for a while - The Kite Runner. I'm not too familiar with the Afghani culture, so I was hesitant to pick this up, but I'm super glad that I did. I really enjoyed the writing. The plot was completely heartbreaking but I loved every minute of reading it.

I slept. Haha. I just felt like saying I somehow made that fit in my day...

I Am the Cheese was next. I used to work in a bookstore, so this was one I picked up forever ago. A lot of kids in our area have this for required reading, which is why I originally picked it up. It was interesting, but a little predictable. I've always read to figure out the twist beforehand - that's probably what ruined this for me. But besides that, it was a pretty good book.

I capped out my reading day with Sarah's Key. I picked this up for a challenge on another site without really knowing anything about it. But I really did love it! I'm a sucker for any WW2 fiction, honestly.


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