December Reads

(Complete: December 31)

(%) = New
(!) = Do Not Own

1. Lost In A Good Book - by Jasper Fforde
2. Bed of Roses - by Nora Roberts (%)
3. The Well Of Lost Plots - by Jasper Fforde
4. Green Rider - by Kristen Britain
   

November Reads

(Complete: November 30)

(%) = New
(!) = Do Not Own

1. His Majesty's Dragon - by Naomi Novik (%)
2. Letters to Malcolm - by C.S. Lewis (%)
3. The Eyre Affair - by Jasper Fforde
   

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Month in Review:

1. Total: 3
   
2. New: 2
   
3. Reviews: 0
   

Year in Review:

1. Total: 42
   
2. Reviews: 8
   
3. New: 20
   

October Reads

(Complete: October 31)

(%) = New
(!) = Do Not Own

1. New Moon - by Midori Snyder (%)
2. Sadar's Keep - by Midori Snyder (%)
3. Beldan's Fire - by Midori Snyder (%)
   

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Month in Review:

1. Total: 3
   
2. New: 3
   
3. Reviews: 0
   

Year in Review:

1. Total: 39
   
2. Reviews: 8
   
3. New: 18
   

September Reads

(Complete: September 30)

(%) = New
(!) = Do Not Own

1. Howl's Moving Castle - by Diana Wynne Jones
2. Crazy Love - Francis Chan (%)
   
3. Mother Ocean, Daughter Sea - Diana Marcellas (%)
   

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Month in Review:

1. Total: 3
   
2. New: 2
   
3. Reviews: 0
   

Year in Review:

1. Total: 36
   
2. Reviews: 8
   
3. New: 15
   

August Reads

(Complete: August 31)

(%) = New
(!) = Do Not Own

1. Adopted For Life - by Russell D. Moore (%)
   
   

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Month in Review:

1. Total: 1
   
2. New: 1
   
3. Reviews: 0
   

Year in Review:

1. Total: 34
   
2. Reviews: 8
   
3. New: 14
   

July Reads

(Complete: July 31)

(%) = New
(!) = Do Not Own

1. Broken Angel - by Sigmund Brouwer (%)

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Month in Review:

1. Total: 1
   
2. New: 1
   
3. Reviews: 1
   

Year in Review:

1. Total: 33
   
2. Reviews: 8
   
3. New: 13
   

Broken Angel

by Sigmund Brouwer

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07/08/09

I thought this book had an interesting premise, but I felt as though I spent the whole time waiting to figure out why I should care about what was happening. The characters were very two-dimensional, to the point where there were times where I couldn't figure out whose point-of-view the story was being told from. (The frequent point-of-view changes didn't help with that either.)

I felt as though this book would have been a lot better if it were a couple hundred pages longer. there was a lot to the plot that could have been fleshed out more fully which, I think, would have resulted in a more enjoyable book.

May Reads

(Complete: May 31)

(%) = New
(!) = Do Not Own

1. Vision In White - by Nora Roberts (%)
2. A Voice In The Wind - by Francine Rivers
3. An Echo In The Darkness - by Francine Rivers
   

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Month in Review:

1. Total: 3
   
2. New: 1
   
3. Reviews: 0
   

Year in Review:

1. Total: 33
   
2. Reviews: 7
3. New: 17
   

April Reads

(Complete: April 30)

(%) = New
(!) = Do Not Own

1. Dreams Made Flesh - by Anne Bishop
2. Two-Way Street - by Lauren Barnholdt (%)
3. Tribute - by Nora Roberts (%)
4. The Secret Hour - by Scott Westerfeld
5. Touching Darkness - by Scott Westerfeld (%)
6. Blue Noon - by Scott Westerfeld (%)
   

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Month in Review:

1. Total: 6
   
2. New: 4
   
3. Reviews: 0
   

Year in Review:

1. Total: 30
   
2. Reviews: 7
3. New: 16
   

March Reads

(Complete: March 31)

(%) = New
(!) = Do Not Own

1. Nightkeepers - by Jessica Andersen (%)
2. Tangled Webs - by Anne Bishop (%)
3. The Shadow Queen - by Anne Bishop (%)
4. Daughter of the Blood - by Anne Bishop
5. Heir to the Shadows - by Anne Bishop
6. Queen of the Darkness - by Anne Bishop
   

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Month in Review:

1. Total: 6
   
2. New: 3
   
3. Reviews: 0
   

Year in Review:

1. Total: 24
   
2. Reviews: 7
3. New: 15
   

February Reads

(Complete: February 28)

(%) = New
(!) = Do Not Own

1. Moon Called - by Patricia Briggs
2. Blood Bound - by Patricia Briggs
3. Iron Kissed - by Patricia Briggs
4. A Grief Observed - by C.S. Lewis
5. Deadeye Dick - by Kurt Vonnegut (%)
6. The Last Unicorn - by Peter S. Beagle (%)
7. The Graveyard Book - by Neil Gaiman (%)(!)
8. The Warlord's Daughter - by Susan Grant (%)
9. Promises in Death - by J.D. Robb (%)
10. Stardust - by Neil Gaiman
    
    

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Month in Review:

1. Total: 10
   
2. New: 5
   
3. Reviews: 4
   

Year in Review:

1. Total: 18
   
2. New: 12
   
3. Reviews: 7

Stardust

Author: Neil Gaiman

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02/28/09

[Not so much an actual review as it is a collection of thoughts prompted by the book.]

I will admit to having seen the movie before reading the book and while I really like the film adaptation and believe that it is about as good as a movie based off of a book can be, I like the book better. (This is nearly always the case for me, but I like the movie a lot, so I thought I should specify.)

This book is fantastic. (At some point I'm going to have to review a book that I didn't really like, I know, but today is not that day.) I like the fairytale-for-adults feel that it has. I love the witty and sarcastic tone in which Gaiman writes. I get a kick out of the chapter titles. Without spoiling anything I will say that I like the end and prefer it to the changes that the movie made. (Though I will say that I think that the movie's ending works better for the story it told.)

Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that this is the first Neil Gaiman book that I ever finished.

This is my favorite line from the book. Also, everyone now knows just how bad I am at Photoshop.

Promises In Death

Author: J.D. Robb

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02/26/09

I think it's pretty impressive how much I look forward to a new Eve Dallas book to come out. Especially considering that this was the 28th book in the series. I've been reading this series since high school and it's one of the few from back then that I still enjoy at the same level as I always have. I know there's nothing particularly groundbreaking about it, and I'm not deluded enough to think that it's an example of literary genius, but as far as comfort reading goes, this series is up at the top for me.

I felt like this had a fairly even balance of focus between Eve's personal life and her case. I really liked that Morris, the medical examiner was the minor character that Robb decided to highlight this novel. He's one of my favorite minor characters, and I always like it when I get to see more of him.

Every time a new book in this series comes out, I have to say once again how much I love that this series is following a relationship after whatever it was that originally brought the couple together. As a reader who is interested in characters first and plot second it's really cool to have the insight into both the major and minor characters that 28 books has given me.

Overall: This wasn't one of my favorites in the series either in terms of the mystery or the view the reader is given into Eve's personal life, but it is exactly what I want and expect from a book in this series and so I'm pleased with it.

The Graveyard Book

Author: Neil Gaiman

---

02/23/09

I love Neil Gaiman.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way...this was a fantastic book. It was funny and serious and deliciously creepy and I loved pretty much everything about it. I thought it was awesome how much of the world Gaiman tells the reader about without actually saying "this is how things are." There are a lot of things you can figure out by inference by the end of the book and that really worked well for this particular novel.

Also? the illustrations are awesome and totally add all sorts of awesomeness to the book.

Overall: I totally get why this book has gotten so many positive reviews and why it won the Newberry Award. I can't wait until it comes out in paperback so I can buy it.

The Last Unicorn

Author: Peter S. Beagle

---

02/22/09

This book was like...reading a piece of art. (I suppose this is ironic because I totally only bought it because I liked the cover.) The writing was lyrical and perfect for an old-school fantasy/fairytale. I've never actually seen the movie so I can't make any plot comparisons, but I can't imagine liking the movie more.

I thought there was a good balance between the serious storyline of the last unicorn trying to find others of her kind and the parts that I found to be laugh-out-loud funny. I love it when characters in a fairy tale are aware of the fact that they live in a fairytale world which is how this book is written.

It reminds me a little of Stardust by Neil Gaiman, so if you've read that and liked it I think you'd like this and vice-versa. The Last Unicorn is cleaner and maybe less witty than Gaiman's book, but they both have the same narrated-fairytale feel.

Overall: I think that anyone who likes fantasy should like this book. I certainly did.

January Reads

(Complete: January 31)

(%) = New
(!) = Do Not Own

1. How Starbucks Saved My Life - by Michael Gates Gill (%)
2. Halfway To The Grave - by Jeaniene Frost (%)
3. One Foot In The Grave - by Jeaniene Frost (%)
4. At Grave's End - by Jeaniene Frost (%)
5. Simon Says - by Lori Foster (%)
6. True Betrayals - by Nora Roberts
7. The Warrior Heir - by Cinda Williams Chima (%)
8. The Looking Glass Wars - by Frank Beddor (%)
   

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Month in Review:

1. Total: 8
   
2. New: 7
   
3. Reviews: 3
   

Year in Review:

1. Total: 8
   
2. New: 7
   
3. Reviews: 3
   

The Looking Glass Wars

Author: Frank Beddor

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I really, really enjoyed this book. The first half dragged a bit and the second half seemed rushed, but I didn't have many problems overlooking those issues so I could enjoy the book. I enjoyed how the story was told like an old-fashioned fairy tale. The writing focuses a little more on the plot than on the characters, but I think it worked.

I love all of the extras connected with the book. Included inside the book is a collection of artwork--drawings of the characters which come together to make the outlandish things Beddor writes about a little more real. Also, if you go to the book's website there's some really amazing music inspired by the story and characters. I thought it was worth mentioning because I personally enjoy it when I can enter the world of a book I enjoy through different mediums than just text.

Overall: A great, well-written YA book that I would recommend to readers of all ages. Probably the most original book I've read all year.

Halfway To The Grave

Author: Jeaniene Frost

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01/04/09

I have to admit, this is a book that at first I didn't think I liked. The main characters are Cat (a half-vampire who hunts vampires) and Bones (the vampire who trains her). It took about half the novel before I could get past the similarities to the characters of Buffy and Spike from BtVS. (The Bones-Spike comparison was by far the worst since both are platinum-haired vampires from London.) The beginning of the book also felt rushed to me as though Frost was trying to do too much by setting up the relationship between Cat and Bones and also setting the stage for the eventual plot of the book.

Despite all of my initial problems with it, the book evened out about halfway through. The eventual plot was interesting, if not groundbreaking for the romantic/urban fantasy/vampire genre. The ending was obviously set up to continue on into a series and interested me enough to go out and buy the next book in the series.

Overall: I wouldn't put Frost up with my favorite urban fantasy authors (currently: Kelley Armstrong and Patricia Briggs), but I thought this book was significantly better than a lot of other genre-similar books that are currently being published, so that was a pleasant surprise.

How Starbucks Changed My Life

Author: Michael Gates Gill

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01/01/09

This book was okay, I guess. It was a little too schmaltzy and heavy what felt like Starbucks propaganda a lot of the time. The name-dropping from the author's pre-Starbucks life was annoying at times and some of the flashbacks seemed unnecessary. Also, there was a gross abuse of italics.

One thing that I did like though was how Gill portrayed the blue-collar job and the people he worked with. I picked up the book initially because I thought that the idea of a high-powered executive who found himself down on his luck and working at Starbucks was interesting. That aspect of the book was enough to keep me reading and enjoying the book, despite all of the other issues I had with it.

Overall: Not a book that's going to be added to my favorites list anytime soon, but it definitely wasn't as bad as it could have been.

2009 - How things are changing.

While last year was fun, what with the lofty goal of 150 books and several sub-goals beneath that, 2009 is going to be a bit more laid back in comparison. The only rule this year is that there are no rules. I'm still going to aim at reading at least 100 books, if only because I know now that it's not that difficult for me to hit 150 without trying too hard. I also want to continue to try to read books that are outside of my genre "comfort zone" so-to-speak, but I'm not going to set a minimum of how many of these I need to read like I did in 2008.

All that said, I do want to try to review more books this year than I did last year. (I think that my reviews last year came to a grand total of 4.) So, my new format for reviews will be this:

• Each book I review will be given it's own, entry tagged with it's specific author tag, a series tag if appropriate, the year(s) that I read it, and the word "review."
  
• When a book has been reviewed I will link to the review from the monthly "reads" list.
  
• Every time I re-read the book and want to add more thoughts or responses, I will simply go back and edit the original review post with a dated revision underneath the previous review(s)
• Initial reviews will also be added to my LibraryThing account.

Much like last year, I'm probably the only one who cares about any of this, but having it all in writing makes things easier for me.