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| Alias Grace |
| Atwood, Margaret, 1939- |
| Adult Fiction ATWOOD |
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| Abarat |
| Barker, Clive, 1952- |
| this book was adorable. I started it over a year ago, and put it down. I'm kind of an OCD reader and it wasn't holding my attention at the time. I've since cycled back to a wanting to read about children in alternate scary&wonderful realities, and could not put it down. |
| Teen Fiction BARKER |
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| Days of magic, nights of war |
| Barker, Clive, 1952- |
| I adore this series. The illustrated version especially is fabulous. There's a lot of descriptions which get a reader bogged down, but the last 150 pages or so fly by. Can't wait to get my hands on the 3rd one! |
| Teen Fiction BARKER |
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| World War Z : an oral history of the zombie war |
| Brooks, Max. |
| I heartily enjoyed this book. It makes for great plane reading. You get this global perspective and how connected every culture is to each other. even if you don't believe the zombie apocalypse is imminent, the book gives an insightful view into the mindset of America post the Iraqi War and how the government truly affects everyone's lives for the better and worse. |
| Adult Fiction BROOKS |
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| Changes : a novel of the Dresden files |
| Butcher, Jim, 1971- |
| what can I say? I will read every scrap of napkin Jim Butcher has composed words upon until I die. I love, love, love this author's works. |
| Adult Fiction BUTCHER |
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| Coraline |
| Gaiman, Neil |
| Children's Fiction GAIMAN |
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| The graveyard book |
| Gaiman, Neil |
| This was one of the best books i've read in a long time. Very poignant and fabulous storytelling. |
| Children's Fiction GAIMAN |
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| Blackout |
| Grant, Mira |
| I had a *really* hard time getting into this book. I adored Feed. Deadline was ok. Countdown was great. But the entire first half of this book is exposition and setting up for the action that you must wait for slowly and painfully. I hate to say that because I love this author, but this book moved so freaken slowly until about page 365, when George found Shaun, and then the book finally took off.
That's an extreme commitment from me to finishing a book. I've picked up and put down AS Byatt's Possession three times, each barely making it past page 100. And I've seen the movie! I know I love the story, but I cannot get past the plodding writing style.
That being said, the remaining 267 pages rocked, and made me remember how much these books inspired me to want to blog more and wish I'd gone into journalism. The tech is great, the science is awesome, and the characters are phenomenal.
My only complaints: the story is rehashing of several done zombie movie themes, the biggest of which being cloning. Resident Evil pretty much covered this one. No need to revisit.
The best parts about this series were the science, the tech, and the world of news bloggers. I wish the author could have told a story that didn't recycle such a used zombie apocalypse plot device to give us this world, but I suppose this was just the story she needed to tell. I don't regret it. |
| Adult Fiction GRANT |
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| Deadline |
| Grant, Mira |
| Adult Fiction GRANT |
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| Feed |
| Grant, Mira |
| LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE |
| Adult Fiction GRANT |
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| Dead and gone |
| Harris, Charlaine |
| I feel like it wasn't really a book so much as aftermath. And book 10 promises to be MORE aftermath. I'm like, come on, just write a tome the length of a Harry Potter novel and let's be done with it already. But maybe I'm being ungrateful. As Neil Gaiman says, [writers:] are not our bitch. http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/05/entitlement-issues.html
I'm only mildly disappointed by Quinn's brief and quick appearance/exit in the book. That means he *should* feature more prominently in book 10.
did anyone else feel that Sookie and Jason both underwent a major character overhaul between this book and the last? I almost think I missed something.
and Eric saying, "you're killing me." Heart wrenching stuff.
Do you think Bill is dead & gone (har har)? CH did seem to be saying good-bye to him.
the last book had the big armageddon like catastrophe but this book really felt more like the end of days. And we were just on the periphery of the war. No Harry Dresden like Nevernever to cross over into & explore...
Sookie was a less a problem solver in this book than a passive participant in the unfolding of events. That bugs me. I miss team Amelia/Sookie solving crimes & painting toes...
Overall, not my favorite, but will always look forward to what comes next. |
| Adult Fiction |
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| Dead in the family |
| Harris, Charlaine |
| I feel like there could be a book written about Sookie and Relationships/Family Issues. She favors dead guys for their lack of brain activity but also they lack familial ties. When she came across Bill and now Erik's families, so to speak, she killed them or was directly involved in their demise. She rejected Alcide because of his responsilbities to the were pack which she deemed incompatible to her way of life. She rejected Quinn because his family came first. It's all so bizarre. I love Sookie, but it's a very negative pattern for someone who claims she wants a family. |
| Adult Fiction HARRIS |
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| From dead to worse |
| Harris, Charlaine |
| I read an interview with CH saying she had started this book, got off an tangent, and realized she'd finished the book not just the tangent. This book has that feel... like it's really just 3 or 4 tangents and not a fully developed, interwoven novel. CH is an amazing author so I don't fault her. I chalk it up to this is the 8th book in a series of first person narrative that has gotten so complex with so many overlapping story-lines, it was bound to happen. This is, to me, a wrap-up book. Too many subplots have been left loose for too long. In order to move on to bigger and better things, these loose ends needed tying up.
Loose End #1 aka the Were War
My heart hurt every time a new Were died. It was HP7 all over again, but instead of Hedwig, Dobby, and Fred, it was Maria-Star, Christine Larrabee, and Amanda. Did CH realize she had far too many characters to for readers to keep up with, and some weeding needed to occur in order to introduce more characters? I’m keeping that theory because it works so well for happens later on. I have mixed feelings about Alcide as the new pack leader, but Sookie seemed to think he’d grown up a bit. Loss will do that to a person (Dad, girlfriends, packmates, etc). I was mildly disappointed Patrick Furnan was erased as a viable threat to Sookie so quickly and easily. A little deus ex machina, but whatever. This is a subplot I’m only mildly interested in anymore.
Loose End #2 aka the Vamp War
GAH! I loved Sophie-Anne. I wanted her to go down in a blaze of glory, not an afterthought or just a package delivered safely by lawyers to be poorly defended by Andre the giant. Where was Mr. Cataliades throughout all this? Did he go down with queen? Or save his own ass when the getting was good? Hmmm…
CH seems to want us to remember why Sookie should not be eloping with Quinn right this minute. All these sexual thoughts about the ever present Eric, and Bill being super sweet and available (good-bye Selah. No one will miss you or Portia). And Eric’s memories magically returned? (Har har). More sudden fortune or absurdly good timing?
I was completely in dire straits with Eric over the hostile takeover. LOVE that Pam. In light of finally meeting Felipe Castro, it seems like a good decision. I only say that b/c it all worked all well for Sookie.
Loose End #3 aka What happened to Quinn?
My heart completely jumped out of chest, ran down the road, and began kicking the shite out of this completely two-faced, blind main character who has lost all her good sense and ability to see the world clearly. She realizes she’s being selfish by wanting to be someone’s number #1, yet she tells Jason never to contact her again b/c of his selfishness? And who is this person who’s been bemoaning her lack of family for 7 books now coming down on someone else, who also has very little family, needing to be there for them? She even thinks her reasoning is faulty when she chooses what to say to Frannie and Mrs. Quinn. Sookie used to be great at self-evaluation and changing her mind when she was wrong. What happened? She does not know that he would always choose them above her. In real life, they’d compromise and make it work. She would be a huge help to him, and they would all be a big family. The Sookie of book 1 would know that. Sookie of book 8 has had too much vampire exposure and near-death experiences to understand ordinary life anymore. I’ve always been on Sookie’s side no matter what, her cheerleader through and through, but she’s about lost me on this one. It’s blind and stupid beyond belief.
The only explanation that makes any sense to me is that happy, settled characters tend to end the series. Sookie can’t be happy in a relationship or there’d be nothing more to write about. She has to be conflicted and guy-hopping in order to maintain the sexual conflict of the books. Honestly, if CH wanted Quinn out of the picture, I would have preferred they get married and Bill/Eric kills him. That would have made more sense. My prediction: Sookie will realize her horrid mistake just in time for Quinn to die in her arms at a later date. She’s too smart to let this stupidity go on forever, but it will cost her.
On a brighter note, all this off stage action happening with Quinn has given me FABULOUS material for my Quinn perspective writings here and on MySpace. :)
Loose End #4 aka Family business, to be continued.
Hi Grandpa! How are you related to my sexually molesting uncle again? Oh how convenient Claudine and Claude are my cousins! Errrrr. Wonder if Niall knows about Hunter? That will be interesting. He might since Sookie pointed Remy out to him. I doubt Niall wouldn’t investigate this person I’m looking up for g-granddaughter. Hmm, I predict a flash flood coming for Remy and Kristine. Enemies of Niall again perhaps?
Who’ve I left out? Sam of course! Always discounted but coming in big to save the day in the Were war and playing a bit part in the Vamp war. I don’t see the Sandra/Tanya angle being dismissed so easily. Sandra is a witch too, if I recall. Time for a little love spell for Sam? And all the attention to Dawson was a little odd; he’s a little too similar a character to Quinn for me. And what’s with every single time the man speaks, “that’s practically a speech from Dawson.” We get he’s isn’t loquacious! Good lord. Simon R. Green, get out of my Sookie books.
All in all, this book packed a punch. I’m uber disappointed in the resolution of Quinn’s character. I don’t think Eric or Bill or even Sam is good enough for Sookie. She likes the nookie, but she won’t settle. Quinn was nigh on perfect and she turned it down. She’s self-destructive. I’ll give this to CH. MUST READ MORE! Write faster lady! |
| Adult Fiction HARRIS |
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![Cover Art: Locke & key. [Volume 1], Welcome to Lovecraft /](http://content.hclib.org/perl/syndetics/syndetics.pl?type=xw12&client=hennp&isbn=1600102379/sC.GIF) |
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| Vampire hunter D |
| Kikuchi, Hideyuki, 1949- |
| I love this series. It gets mildly repetitive. but LOVE D anyway. |
| Adult Fiction KIKUCHI |
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| Historian : a novel. |
| Kostova, Elizabeth. |
| Fantastic book! Loved the parallel ending(s). Was very slow reading for me though; I get that way with multiple speakers alternating chapters. |
| Adult Fiction KOSTOVA |
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| The devil in the white city : murder, magic, and madness at the fair that change |
| Larson, Erik. |
| I adored this book! I think you have to be a fan of non fiction to really get into it though. I was expecting to just be intrigued by the HH Holmes parts, and skim the Chicago Fair stuff, but that was the truly fascinating part of the book!
So many really famous people visited the Fair and bumped into each other. I loved all the anecdotes. |
| Adult Nonfiction Book 364.1523 L 2003 |
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| Lavinia |
| Le Guin, Ursula K., 1929- |
| Love and adored this book. all time favorite list next to Atwood's Penelopiad. |
| Adult Fiction LE GUIN |
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| A game of thrones |
| Martin, George R. R. |
| I enjoyed this book but only because I saw the first season of the tv show first. The writing is very slow. The characters are amazingly well developed, and I was very pleased at how closely the show mirrored the language and actions in the book. Will definitely be picking up the rest of this series as soon as I can force myself to finish the Hunger Games travesty. |
| Adult Fiction MARTIN |
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| Portuguese irregular verbs |
| McCall Smith, Alexander, 1948- |
| Very funny for those who enjoy kicking uberintellectuals. |
| Adult Fiction MCCALL |
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| The great bridge |
| McCullough, David G. |
| This was a lovely book about a most important monument to American history. Easy to read. Heroes larger than life. Villains worthy of a movie. Would recommend. |
| Adult Nonfiction Book 624.23 M |
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| Baltimore, or, The steadfast tin soldier and the vampire |
| Mignola, Michael. |
| This is one of the best horror novels I have read in a long while. Coming from Mike Mignola (Hellboy) and Christopher Golden (BtVS), I had high expectations, and they were totally fulfilled.
On one level, it's a simple 'fighting evil' story. The book is made up of 5 stories: the present and 4 narratives of fighting monsters in the past. Each of the narrators is uniquely interesting as he retells the horrors he's witnessed.
On a deeper level, the book explores how a hero can become a darker monster than the evil they're fighting. It also alludes to a greater evil that spawns all lesser demons and representations of evil in the world. It's a fascinating alternate history of the World War I era. It's also an allusion to the Tin Soldier children's story.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good horror story. It's about vampires, but doesn't focus on everything you know about vampires. These are not vamps as you've likely ever experienced them in a story before. |
| Adult Fiction MIGNOLA |
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| Harry Potter and the deathly hallows |
| Rowling, J. K. |
| I need a currently re-reading status. Just saw the part one movie, and am so bummed at having to wait til July to see the rest, that I'm rereading the book.
Wow they do such much right in the movies, but then miss huge emotional plots. IDK. |
| Children's Fiction ROWLING |
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| Drowning Ruth |
| Schwarz, Christina. |
| I adored this book. It's on my bucket list of things to do to write it as a screenplay. It's so perfectly structured to be a movie. |
| Adult Fiction SCHWARZ |
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| Dress your family in corduroy and denim |
| Sedaris, David. |
| I'd been encouraged to read David Sedaris for awhile now, and finally had the chance to read this book during one of my many plane flights lately (or as I like to call them: extended camping trips in various airports).
His family could be anyone's family. And the list of what other cultures say for a rooster is hysterical. Plus Dutch Christmas traditions. I'm a fan of random knowledge. |
| Adult Nonfiction Book 817.54 Se27 |
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| Me talk pretty one day |
| Sedaris, David. |
| This book wasn't as fabulous as Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim, but it's a near thing. As someone who dissects sentences and practices conversations, I heartily enjoyed the subject of this book: communication. And while I do enjoy Sedaris' thoughts on life as a stream of conscious narrative, how he interacts with his family are my favorite stories. and there's great ones in here. From Amy's "good seeing you David, and good luck beating the rape charge!" to Paul's potty mouth that will stick by you through any crisis. Sedaris has a phenomenal talent for making you believe your seeing through his eyes and listening inside his head. It's better than a movie. |
| Adult Nonfiction Book |
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| Gingerbread girl |
| Tobin, Paul, 1965- |
| LOVE! Like Amelie as an American graphic novel. Totally fantastic. Please let there be more! |
| Adult Fiction TOBIN |
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| The wordy shipmates |
| Vowell, Sarah, 1969- |
| I adore Sarah Vowell but her histories are more my speed than the personal narratives. |
| Adult Nonfiction Book 285.9 V |
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| Kiss me like a stranger : my search for love and art |
| Wilder, Gene, 1935- |
| To think all I really knew about Gene Wilder before reading this book was he'd been in Willy Wonka and some movies with Mel Brooks. sigh. He's an amazing human, writes beautifully, and has experienced so much.
He has had such an amazing life, and it was awesome to read about his descriptions of leaving his 2nd wife and their daughter, and how it was the cruelest, most necessary thing he'd ever done. And how wonderfully blessed he was to find his fourth wife so late in life but at the perfect time because he would never have appreciated her enough at some earlier point in his life. It was in her kitchen he saw this poem: "After a While" by Veronica A. Shoffstall. I just loved that poem for so many reasons. One of the many things about this book I'll take with me always. |
| Adult Nonfiction Book 921 W6462 |
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Only the best.
On Jun 18, 2012 at 8:56, 
