75 Books...More or Less! discussion
Archive (2010 Completed)
>
Stacie's 75 New Reads for 2010
Stacie wrote: "Kay wrote: "Stacie, I looked up Elizabeth Peters on cozy-mystery.com. Apparently, she has a Ph.D. in Egyptology, and writes nonfiction books on this subject under the name of Barbara Mertz.I'm g..."
I'm listening to the first one now, Crocodile on the Sandbanks, and enjoying it a lot. I love Amelia and her dry wit!
32. Lady Friday- Garth Nix (I am enjoying this series but I do feel that the later books- Thursday and later- don't work as well on their own as the first three. They make sense so you don't really have to read them in order but it works better to have the full set and just read them like one really long book. At least, that's how it seems so far.)7hr. 10min.
33. Superior Saturday- Garth Nix (I'm reading... well, listening to the last three books- Friday, Saturday and Sunday- back to back, so they are flowing well one into the next, but I don't think this one would stand well on its own.)6 hrs, 6 min
34. The Sand Dragon- Michael F. Stewart (This was a reader copy given in exchange for a review and it was a quick easy read- not the best thing I've ever read, but I had fun with it. It's the literary equivalent of a B grade horror movie- it would be right at home on the 'Sy Fy' channel, for those of you in the States ;) The monster is interesting and creepy- I particularly like the way the author chose to use something other than the standard Western European Dragon type- the bad guys are evil and there's lots of action. There's also an attempt at social commentary, environmentalism and romance... and about five different storylines crammed into 256 pages. In fact, the biggest problem with the story is that there is too much going on to satisfactorily develop and tie together all the strands. The core of the story however- a good old fashioned monster tale- was fun enough that I wouldn't mind reading more from the author.)256 pp
35. Lord Sunday- Garth Nix (The last book in the series and Nix wound things up to a satisfying end, with one minor exception. There was one event that just came out of the blue and seemed to happen for no other reason than just to happen- I don't want to go into too much detail in case anyone reads this who hasn't read the series- and it left me wondering 'what was the point of that?!' )7 hrs, 12 min
36. The Modern Scholar: The Literature of C.S. Lewis- Timothy Shutt (This falls into a bit of a grey area: the Modern Scholar series are actually lectures that have been re-recorded as audiobooks. I count them as 'books read' because they are considered audiobooks and the fact that I'm addicted to them :D This one wasn't as good as his one on epic literature but it was ok and it did inspire me to re-read the books covered in this lecture- which I won't be counting towards my 75 since I've read them before.)7 hrs, 53 min
May Total
2 books, 784 pp
8 Audiobooks, 69 hrs, 40 min
2010 Total
19 books, 6,887 pp
17 audiobooks, 144 hrs, 43 min
Half-way through June and I've only got one book under my belt. Of course, it was 752 pages long so I don't feel too bad!37. Bag of Bones- Stephen King (I've tried reading this before but just couldn't get into it. This time when I picked it up I couldn't put it down and was wondering just what was wrong with me the first time around!)
752pp
38. In the Valley of the Kings: Howard Carter and the Mystery of King Tutankhamun's Tomb- Daniel Meyerson (A well written, easy to read look at a few of the most colorful personalities of early Egyptology. It focuses on Carter, obviously, but there's also a lot about Petrie, Maspero and of course Carnarvon.)256pp
39. A History of Greece, Vol. 1- Cyrus Robinson (Clearly written, informative history with a heavy pro-Athenian, pro-English, pro-Christian bias. As it was written in the late 1920's that wasn't unexpected- a bit distracting at times, but not unexpected. I listened to the audio version narrated by Charlton Griffin, who has a beautiful deep, soothing voice... that kept lulling me to sleep! I think I might go for the text version of Volume 2 ;p)9 hr, 21 min
40. Blockade Billy- Stephen King (Nothing particularly spectacular. The 'voice' seemed a little off to me... it was supposed to be a narrator speaking to King but it didn't ring true... the tone was more of a written reminiscence than a spoken one, and the end was completely predictable.)*edit- This was long for a short story but short for a novella. At only 57 pages I decided not to count it towards my total
**edit- I thought about it some more and decided that yes, it was short, but it was also published on it's own, as a book and I did read the whole thing. Not counting it because it wasn't 'long enough' smacked of book-snobbery to me, so I rolled my eyes at myself and put it back in my count.
57pp
Stacie wrote: "Blockade Billy- Stephen King (Nothing particularly spectacular. The 'voice' seemed a little off to me... it was supposed to be a narrator speaking to King but it didn't ring true... the tone was m..."I think it counts, I counted "A modest proposal" and it was only 47 pages! We are entitled to some short ones every now and then! After all you read S. kings "Bag of Bones" and it was over 750 pages!!! You deserve it! =) Great job on your challenge! Lovin' the whole audio book thing you got going on!! I need to go to the library and check some more out. I love listening to them while I do cross stitch, so I can indulge in both my passions at the same time!
41. The Spartans- Paul Cartledge (I listened to the audiobook narrated by John Lee, who has a terrific voice- resonant, deep and clear. Unfortunately, there were times I found myself thinking about how much I liked his voice instead of concentrating on the material being read and like most histories you actually have to pay attention or you wind up having to back up and listen/read sections over. I liked the way this book wasn't set up entirely linearly. There were several sections and each section was told in a linear fashion, but the sections themselves overlapped in the timeline. The overall effect, once I realized that I weren't reading a standard historical format (beginning-middle-end-recap), was an overview of the subject from several slightly different perspectives which allowed me to walk away with a much richer understanding of a subject that I knew mostly from movies and literature.)8 hrs, 41 min
June Total
3 books, 1,065 pp
2 Audiobooks, 18 hrs, 2 min
2010 Total
22 books, 7,952 pp
19 audiobooks, 162 hrs, 45 min
42. The Passage- Justin Cronin (This was recommended to me as a horror story, but it isn't. I mean, yes there are vampire/monsters, but it's more a sci-fi, post apocalyptic, magical realism adventure tale and it would make a great t.v. show :) This thing is definitely a chunkster, but it grabbed hold of me right from the beginning and just wouldn't let go... it just flew past. I'll warn you, you get to the end and yell "Whaaa-?!" and frantically search the internet to see if there is a sequel. Rest assured, there are two more books due in the series, the first in 2012 and the next in 2014. It's a long time to wait but I'm looking forward to them.)784 pp
Stacie wrote: "I'll warn you, you get to the end and yell "Whaaa-?!" and frantically search the internet to see if there is a sequel."Well, dang! I'd heard such great things about this one and was looking forward to reading it (creeping slowly and steadily to the top of my TBR) but somehow never realized it was the first in a series. I hate waiting! I don't even like season finale cliffhangers, when you know the conclusion is just a few months away.
I'll probably read it anyway, at least now I know going in, so I'll be prepared for it.
43. A History of Ancient Sparta- Timothy Shutt (After I read The Spartans by Paul Cartledge I was looking forward to learning more about the subject and I picked up this Modern Scholar lecture. I was pretty disappointed to find out that not only did it not cover different material than Cartledge, several of the segments actually quoted from or referenced the book I had just read! I would definitely recommend that anyone interested in the subject pick up The Spartans instead of this one. It costs far less and covers far more.)7hrs. 42mins.
44. Changes- Jim Butcher (Slightly disappointing. There are some fun parts but overall this one reads as though the author is tired of the world and people he's created. I hate it when that happens to a series I really like :( I suppose I should have expected it... this is the twelfth book in the series afterall, and the previous one floundered badly too.)407 pp
45. Cycle of the Werewolf- Stephen King (Another of King's 'experiments in writing'. It feels like sacrilege coming from me... but this just wasn't very good. It was so far from King's usual writing style that I wonder if he actually wrote it! I would recommend this only to a die-hard Stephen King fan with a burning need to read everything he's written. For everyone else... go with something else. Anything else.)128pp
46. Sundiver- David Brin (Wow... that man should never write dialog again. Ever.)352 pp
47- The Postman- David Brin (On the advice of friends I gave this a try, even though the last thing I read by the author was so bad. This one was a lot better; the writing was tighter, thankfully the dialog improved and nobody had laserbeams shoot out of their eyes. The pacing was still a little loose but overall it was an 'ok' read.)456 pp
48. Leviathan- Scott Westerfeld (An enjoyable read, not as weighty as some of his other themes. This is the first book in a proposed series and as such it's mostly set-up. There was a disproportionate time spent on the Darwinist's 'fabrications', probably because they were the element that was most alien to the reader, so it didn't have the classic steampunk feel. I'll pick up at least the second in the series when it comes out and see how the series goes.)440 pp (there are lots of illustrations and blank space so it doesn't seem as long as that)
49. Boneshaker- Cherie Priest (This was sooo much fun! :D Steampunk, mysteries, zombies, airships, lovable rogues... what more can a girl ask for? I'm looking forward to more of her Clockwork Century books.)416pp
50. Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy- John R. Hale (Highly recommended to anyone with even a vestigial inner nerd. No dry, dispassionate listing of times and facts here! This history lives and breathes and leaves the reader feeling in turns triumphant, and melancholy. Despite being a history about events that took place over 2,000 years ago, with an outcome I already knew, I was riveted by Hale's storytelling. I begrudged every interruption from work, food, sleep... )432pp
Stacie wrote: "50. Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy- John R. Hale (Highly recommended to anyone with even a vestigial inner nerd. No dry, dispassionate listing of ..."Hmm - sounds most interesting!
Stacie wrote: "49. Boneshaker- Cherie Priest (This was sooo much fun! :D Steampunk, mysteries, zombies, airships, lovable rogues... what more can a girl ask for? I'm looking forward to more of her Clockwork Centu..."This one looks like fun!!!
51. Earth Abides- George R. Stewart (At first the writing style, which is a little stilted, threw me off but by the end of the book it made sense. In the vein of most thoughtful sci-fi Stewart manages to make the reader think about human nature as much as Science and wrap it all up in a neat little story. I wish half stars were an option as this is better than the basic 3, but not quite a 4.)386pp
52. The Alien Life of Wayne Barlowe- Wayne Barlowe (This should actually be somewhere around the upper 30's... but I forgot to log it. I really enjoyed the art showcased, but the text came across as pompous a lot of the time. I might have gotten more from it if I had more of a technical background in art.)72pp (which doesn't sound like a lot but 'reading' paintings is a lot more effort for me than 'reading' text, LOL)
53. Pirate Spirit: The Adventures of Anne Bonney- Jeffery S. Williams (I hated this! It's not written particularly well- character development? What character development?- and it had a very definite, heavy-handed agenda which, sadly, was not to accurately depict the historical person it was based on.)226pp
54. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- Roald Dahl (I've seen, and loved, the various movies made from Dahl's works but never read any of the books themselves. This was cute, quick (finished it in less than an hour), and made me want to read the others.)119pp
Mod
55. The Book of Lost Things- John Connolly (I loved this one!)
56. Soulless- Gail Carriger (I was a bit disappointed with this one. I'm not sure why I thought it would be more 'Steampunky' but it definitely is not (ok, so there're one or two elements but they seem to be obligatory and not intrinsic to the story). It's a Victorian romance- complete with copious details on fashion and obscure social maneuvering- with urban fantasy elements and an extremely weak mystery thrown in. It would probably be better appreciated by those who like Regency and Victorian romances. I didn't hate it, but I won't be buying (or reading, most likely) any of the others in the series.) 384pp
57. A short historical sketch on tapestry and embroidery- J. Getz (Interesting, but too brief. I did particularly like the pictures included, though. There were not very many, but they were things I hadn't seen before and it's inspired me to go hunt down more books on fabric arts. Unfortunately I expect that 'hunt down' is going to be an accurate description...)36pp
Stacie wrote: "57. A short historical sketch on tapestry and embroidery- J. Getz (Interesting, but too brief. I did particularly like the pictures included, though. There were not very many, but they were thing..."As I love needlework (cross stitch esp.) This book looks like it would be right up my alley!!
58. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon- David Grann (This was terrific! I was glued to the page the whole way through... though I've decided to NEVER go to the Amazon after reading this ;p )352pp
59. Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human- Richard Wrangham (This was really interesting. There was a lot of science, but it was aimed for the layman and so not jargon heavy. The points that Wrangham made were clearly stated and logical. Granted, I am not terribly familiar with some of the theories he was refuting, but I think he did a good job.)320pp
60. Legionary: The Roman Soldier's (Unofficial) Manual- Philip Matyszak (This is a very good synthesis of available information about Roman Legions and Legionaries around 100 A.D. The best part, though, is that it's funny. Yes, it's factually accurate, but it's also irreverent and witty.)201pp
61. The Dreams in the Witch House- H.P. Lovecraft (The gateway to Hell is opened with non-Euclidean geometry... I knew math was evil! LOL! This is another book that should probably be considered a short story, but it came as a single volume so I'm counting it :p This story also gets panned a lot, but it's not a bad story and in fact is better that several of his earlier works.)53pp
62. The Puppet Masters- Robert A. Heinlein (I really enjoy Heinlein. His works are often (erm... okalways) loaded with dated (read 'currently unpopular') philosophies and viewpoints but they are also fun and exciting adventure stories (Well, for the most part... I've never thought much of 'Stranger in a Strange Land'). Even when he starts expounding on an idea you don't agree with, you actually think about why you don't agree... that alone is worth the time spent reading. Then when you add in alien menaces, spaceships and flying cars... well, that's like finding out you can get all your recommended vitamins and minerals in a cookie!)320pp
63. The War for the Oaks- Emma Bull (MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.....This was a book club read. I expected to enjoy it since it was Urban Fantasy- arguably one of the first in the Genre- but sadly I just couldn't get into it. The writing, especially the dialog, was very clumsy... and I just couldn't get past the fact that the last half of the book was a quest to 'Free Willy'. ::shudders:: The plot itself is standard UF fare- mortals being caught up in the machinations of the Faerie Courts- but the construction is poor.)309pp
64. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian- Rick Riordan (An enjoyable, though not perfect, ending to a fun series.)
65. Fantastic Mr. Fox- Roald Dahl (I've seen all the movies based off of Dahl's works- and loved most of them- but until this year had never read the books. I figure it's time to change that! This one was cute but not on par with, say, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. )96pp
66. James and the Giant Peach- Roald Dahl (Sweet and light-hearted, despite the obligatory 'evil adults'. )
144pp
67. American Folktales, Myths, Legends- ed. Leslie Conron (Not the best collection I've ever read. Just because a tale was written down a long time ago does not automatically make it the best version available! Grrrr....)240pp
Andrea wrote: "Getting close Stacie!!"It looks like I'll just make it this year. My decision to count only first-time reads towards this challenge has definitely made this one, um... challenging! lol
68. The Drawing of the Three- Stephen King (My reward for slogging through 'The Gunslinger' is that this, the second book in the series, is completely different! I'm very surprised at how much better this book was (and grateful!). The writing was back to what I expect and enjoy from King- not horror, although I do love King's horror- but the tight character interaction and rich internal landscape that was completely missing from 'Gunslinger'. I'm not positive I'll finish the series, but at least I'll pick up the next book and see how it goes.)432pp
Mod
69. Thermopylae- Paul Cartledge (Interesting, but not very tightly constructed (the epilogue especially is a meandering mess)... and the title is a bit misleading- 'Thermopylae' takes up very little of the book. Much of this is a repeat of what he covered in his earlier book 'The Spartans', which was actually much better overall. Still, a decent coverage of Spartan history... I'd give it 3 stars.)
528pp