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Alrighty, it's that time a year again! Under the cut is a list and review of all the books that I read in 2009.

1. Bitten

B (Finished 4 January 2009)

I've never read anything by Kelley Armstrong and I liked this book. The werewolf pack and world was put together in a somewhat different way than in other books I've read and I liked that. Basically it was a book about Elena who was in conflict with her nature as a werewolf. Once again I got attached to a peripheral character, Karl Marsten, and would like to read a book more focused on him. Had a good time with this book.

 

2. Raven's Shadow

B+ (Finished 11 January 2009)

I've gotten to really enjoy Brigg's writing. This is the first in a duology about a woman named Seraph who is a Traveler, a culture/race that has magics and those who are Ordered (specific types of magic) it is their duty to protect the other people from the Shadowed. An ex-solider named Tier saves Seraph from an angry mob and they marry, which essentially means Seraph gives up her heritage. She is happy but one day that is shattered when men arrive and tell her that Tier is dead. As a Raven Order (mage) she realizes that this isn't right and decides to investigate along with her children who are also Ordered. The Shadowed was an evil brought into the land long ago and Seraph will have to use her Traveler heritage to deal with it. I must say I am looking forward to getting my hands on the sequel Raven's Strike. Briggs has a great way of making a fast paced novel but extremely interesting characters.

 

3. The Heretic Queen

B+ (Finished 14 January 2009)

The Heretic Queen is the sequel to Nefertiti. Having read Nefertiti (in 2008) and liking it but not being completely captured by it I didn't rush out to get Heretic. So I was completely surprised with Heretic because it immediately captured my attention. Nefertari, Ramesses, Asha, and Worsoret are very alive characters and this part of of Egyptian history is very interesting. Plus since the idea of having more than one wife is foreign it is fun to read about wives that are dueling for the attention of the husband and the lengths they will go to show up the other. I also enjoyed the power war between Ramesses' two aunts.

 

4. Beside a Burning Sea

A+ (Finished 27 January 2009)

This was an amazing book set in the South Pacific during World War II. It begins with the sinking of an American hospital ship and 9 survivors who are able to swim to a nearby island. Once on the island the group dynamic starts to come into play with 3 nurses, the ship's captain, a 12 year old boy, a traitor, an engineer, an officer and a Japanese soldier. The book is about the relationships that form between the survivors for the two weeks they are on the island. Every character is extremely compelling and I ate this book up. I rented it from the library but I most certainly will buy it. It was a beautiful study and I got a connection with the characters that the ending almost made me cry. This is Shor's second book and I have read his first, Beneath a Marble Sky, but this second one is far superior. A must read from a different perspective on the war.

 

5. Beyond the Hanging Wall

C (Finished 2 February 2009)

I really like Sara Douglass' writing but this book did not really do much for me. (I wonder if it is one of her first books?) The characters do not have the depth she usually gives them and the writing is a little under par when compared to her other (great) books. Although if you are reading her newest series the Darkglass Mountain series (Serpent's Bride and Twisted Citadel) then it is worth it to read this one because it is the story of how Maximilian is shaped and rescued after spending 17 years as a prisoner in the Veins and since he is one of the forefront characters in the Darkglass series it is worth it to read this book. The writing style is light and I breezed through this book in about 3 days.

 

 

 

6. The Lady and the Unicorn

B (Finished 4 February 2009)

This book tells book weaves the story of how the Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries were created. I got this book through a swap on swap*bot and was pleasantly surprised since I really like the tapestries. Chevalier does a wonderful job creating the circumstances of the creation of these although at first the changing of the narrator at each chapter put me off but once Nicolas des Innocents (the tapestries designer) became so irritating to me for his womanizing ways I found the narrator change to be delightful. My favorite parts were that of Alienor, the blind daughter of the master weaver. The book really makes you appreciate how hard people worked back then to create such beautiful works.

 

7. Through Wolf's Eyes

B (Finished 15 February 2009)

I had this book on my shelf for maybe 2 years when I decided that I should finally read it. It is the story of Firekeeper, a young girl who was raised in the wild by Royal Wolves (smarter and stronger than regular (cousin) wolves). It starts off when people come into the Iron Mountains to find her and she lets them bring her back to civilization since she might be the King's granddaughter. The book centers around Firekeeper learning how to act in human society and the noble's bid to have one of their own children become heir to the kingdom since all of the King's children have died. Derian, the young Carter who forms the best bond with Firekeeper and Blind Seer, the blue-eyed wolf that accompanies Firekeeper to the human world, are my favorite characters. Some parts of the book got a bit repetitive and rambled a tad but on the whole I thought it was a fresh look on the "child raised by wolves" story and was pleased that I finally decided to read it.

 

8. Wolf's Head, Wolf's Heart

B+ (Finished 5 March 2009)

This is the second book in the Firekeeper series. I really enjoyed this one since I had already been introduced with all of the main characters. This time Firekeeper and the gang have to trek into New Kelvin, a neighboring but vastly different culture, to find some very important artifacts that have been stolen. We get to learn more about the main group of characters and see their relationships develop and deepen. I enjoyed this one more than the first and the added parts with the Royal animals I really enjoyed and I do hope to see more of them in the future.

 

                                                            Quarter 2

 

9. Dragon of Despair (B+) Finished April 8^th.

                                    By: Jane Lindskold

            This is the 3^rd book in a series about a young girl who was raised by Royal (intelligent) Wolves. This book takes place mostly in the country of New Kelvin (a neighboring country to the one the main characters are from and the setting of the first two books). Going to a new country refreshed the books for me since I enjoyed their previous adventure in New Kelvin. These aren’t your typical “girl raised by wolves’ books. A nice and complex story that would be good read in the series or even as a standalone novel. At 500+ pages, not a book for everyone.

 

10. Wings of Wrath (B) Finished April 21^st.

                                    By: C.S. Friedman

            The second in a series, set in a world where some are born with the ability to do magic, but to do each act takes a bit of that person’s soulfire (essence). In the end, depending on how freely they use their power an early death when their soulfire runs out. Only Magisters, men who are sorcerers can use magic and not pay with their life. In the first book the main character, Kamala, learns the secret and becomes a Magister even  though women are not allowed. She is on the run from the other Magisters and trying to get the only thing she can that will save her, Knowledge. It is the one thing the Magisters prize having knowledge to hold above the other’s heads and since they are almost immortal the one thing that can interest them is new knowledge. Set in a medieval type world that is under attack by the mythical and dreaded Souleaters, animals that feed on a person’s soulfire. I found this book much more interesting than the first. Probably because I was familiar with the characters and the one I found very interesting from the first book, The Witch Queen, had a much bigger part in this book. Plus she gives the reader a different perspective on the whole situation. Eagerly looking forward to the next installment.   ***Warning spoiler*** I am getting a bit irritable with the pattern that is being set for Kamala’s lovers. It is like she is James Bond and these guys are the Bond girls. She loves them and then they get killed and Kamala gets some anguish but also a chance to find someone new in the next book. Maybe I’m so irritable because I liked the guy who became her lover in this book and was not happy to see him go.

 

11. The Ransom of Mercy Carter (A) Finished April 26^th

                                                      By:

            Mercy Carter is an 11 year old English settler who, along with her whole town, has been taken prisoner by Native Americans.  Through her eyes we see how everyone is treated and what she is thinking about her abduction and how she slowly grows to accept and even care for her new Native Family after they adopt her. I enjoy reading books about or involving Native Americans although I usually prefer to read the ones set before the English and other European settlers came, this one was written finely for the teen audience. A nice afternoon read with an interesting perspective.

 

12. My Sister’s Keeper (B+) Finished April 30^th

                                    By: Jodi Picoult

            I’ve read this one before, but since the movie was coming I decided to read it again and refresh my memory. I enjoy the way Picoult moves from character to character with each chapter, she does so smoothly and at just the right time in the story for it to be beneficial. (When I’ve seen this style done by other writers it just turns me off the story so quickly usually). Like most of Picoult’s book it centers around a family and a moral dilemma, in this case Anna was born to be a genetic match to help save her sister Kate’s life. At the beginning of the book Anna takes measures to emancipate herself from her parents so that she no longer has to be a donor to her sister and the whole situation that blooms from this decision as her family gets torn apart. Picoult has such a way with this type of drama, I can’t usually put her books down and even reading this a second time that didn't change.

            I was extremely disappointed by the movie, they changed the pivotal part of the book which ruined the movie.

 

13. Darling Jim (C) Finished May 5^th

                                    By: Christian Moerk

            This book starts out with a mailman finding the bodies of two sisters and their aunt in the aunt’s house, with the knowledge that a third sister seems to have escaped. The aunt was keeping them captive and starving them as punishment. The book follows along the story as told by each of the sisters through diaries that a young mailman finds at the postoffice. The central conflict follows after one sister falls in love with a wandering storyteller but he then marries the aunt. It follows that the sisters murder Jim and the aunt vows to get revenge for them killing her love, Jim. Interspersed with the main story is the tale that the bard Jim was telling in local pubs about a werewolf who is trying to find redemption. For me, the best part of the book was the Bard’s tale and that was few and far between, the other bits of the story is just pretty odd and while it was intriguing it just had an odd quality that diminished the story in my eyes.

 

14. Handle With Care (B-) Finished: 5/14

                                    By: Jodi Picoult

            Another hard hitter by Picoult where it is hard to decide which side exactly you’d side with if you were in that situation. This one centers around a family with a daughter who has osteogenesis imperfecta a rare condition where the bones are brittle and something as insignificant as a cough can cause a broken rib. Willow is this child, and one day her mother decides to sue for wrongful birth against her best friend and ob-gyn saying if she had known Willow had this she would have not had her. This leads to broken families, broken friendships and an issue that is hard to side since we know how much this family really loves little Willow. The only part that troubles me about this book was the ending…unexpected and felt a little unnecessary even though I can see how it shows Willow just being the kid she is.  Was still an amazing read, but the ending left me a bit unsatisfied.

 

15. Blood Hound (A) Finished: June 7^th

                                    By: Tamora Pierce

            I have been reading books by Tamora Pierce since I was 8 probably. Although marketed to the tween crowd her lively characters have always drawn me in. I’m always awaiting her next book with eager anticipation. Blood Hound is the second in this series with the first being Terrier about a young girl, Beka Cooper, who is a Dog. Dogs are basically police in the medieval type country of Tortall where magic is also commonplace. In Blood Hound, Beka faces a great challenge in trying to find the source of counterfeit money abounding in the towns before it ruins the economy of the whole of Tortall.  She faces the added difficulties of going into a new town to do her Dogging. Beka is a great and strong female character who has her faults and because of them is totally realistic. Pierce has another hit in my eyes.

 

16. Wolf Captured (B-) Finished: June 13^th

                                    By: Jane Lindskold

            Fourth in the series about Firekeeper, the young girl raised by intelligent wolves, this book immediately captured and kept my attention as Firekeeper, Blindseer and Derian Carter are abducted and taken to a previously unknown land. Derian is one of my favorite characters from this series and having it be just these three main characters focused on in this book made me happy. Here they meet a people who all know about the Royal/ Intelligent animals and they want Firekeeper to teach them how to better talk to the animals. Once again the foreign culture keeps you interested plus the wide array of new characters. The only thing that kept this book from being an A was the ending. I’m extremely attached to Derian, and at the very end of this book he was dealt a dirty dirty blow and I was so upset that Lindskold could let that happen to him. I’m already tearing into the next book of the series (Wolf Hunting) to find out what happens to everyone and especially this situation with Derian…I keep hope that it might turn out ok.

 

17. Clan of the Cave Bear (A+) Finished: June 27^th

                                    By: Jean M. Auel

            Another book that I’ve read previously. Set way back in the ancient world where Neanderthals still walk the earth. Alya is a young Homo Sapien who is orphaned as a young child and found by a clan of Neanderthals and adopted. A very intense story which made me think. Mainly about how short their lives were, you were practically ancient at 26 years old. History always has drawn me and Auel makes these people mean something to the reader. Alya has troubles adapting to the way of life of the Clan since their culture is so extremely different from the two human groups but she tries her hardest to fit into the only family she has ever known. I want to jump straight in to Plains of Passage  but since the Earth’s Children series and the Firekeeper series are both consisting of extremely long books I decided to start the next Firekeeper book in an effort to not burn myself out on any set of characters by reading too of them all at once.

 

                                                Quarter 3

 

18. 2001: A Space Odyssey (A+) Finished: 9 July 2009

                        By: Arthur C. Clarke

            I'm not really into reading space books, but after I got started reading this one I couldn't put it down. From the start with the ape-man Moon-Watcher and the monolith all the way to Discovery One's trip to Saturn with the super computer HAL in 2001. Gets pretty trippy towards the end with the encounter with powerful alien race that built the Monoliths and leaves you thinking long after it's finished.

 

 

19. Wolf Hunting (B+) Finished 9 July 2009

                        By: Jane Lindskold

            Firekeeper and Blind Seer are still in Liglam, living on the Island as Alpha's in their own little pack. About a year has passed since the events in Wolf Captured and everything is going well...that is until the Jaguar Truth starts going extremely downhill in her mental state and requests that Firekeeper help her regain sanity. A mysterious entity called The Meddler is in the background leading the group towards a destination in a neighboring country in a search to find two magically inclined twins but as always everything is not as it seems. I enjoyed this book their adventure is exciting especially after they find the portal to the Old World. Hard to believe the series is almost over.

 

20. The Valley of Horses (B) Finished: 20 July 2009

                        By: Jean M. Auel

            Alya is all alone and trying to find her people the Others. It is kind of fascinating seeing her survive on her own and knowing that she won't be able to go back to the Clan for help. Kind of makes you think about how screwed most people in this day and age would be if we were set in this type of landscape and expected to survive. Alya finds a valley that is perfect to spend the winter in and decides to stay there and we also meet Jondalar and Thonolan two men of the Others on their Journey trying to reach the end of the Great Mother River. The chapters switch between Alya and the brothers and leaves you with a building expectation of when Alya is going to meet Jondalar. After she saves his life the book keeps you interested by how she, and he, reacts to the differentness of each other. A very good read.

 

21. 3001: The Final Odyssey (A ) Finished: 29 July 2009

                        By: Arthur C. Clarke

            This is the 4th book in Arthur C. Clarke's Odyssey collection. I found it a few weeks after I had read 2001: A Space Odyssey in my uncle's book collection. The funny thing was I had picked it up probably a hundred times when I lived there but never read it cause it was space related. After loving 2001 I eagerly started reading it. Even though it is the 4th and I have not read 2015 and 2065 I was not lost in the story as this takes place 1000 years after the first book. In a way it is like you are seeing things through Frank Poole's eyes after his body is found floating in space and reanimated from his cryogenic sleep. Lots of technological leaps have been made and it is neat to see how Clarke imagined human society would be. Of course the monoliths and the entity that used to be Dave Bowman have not been idle in this time between and we get to see the continuance of their story when Poole goes to one of Saturn's moons to visit the human base there. After reading this book I am even more excited to read the other two.

22. Plains of Passage (C) Finished: 27 August 2009

                        By: Jean M. Auel

            In this book we follow Alya and Jondalar as they make the very long and perilous trip from the land of the Mammoth Hunters to Jondalar’s people. It is an interesting book, Auel paints a very intense and intriguing picture of the landscape from that time. The main problem I had with it is that at times it gets a little repetitive. Which is understandable in a sense, they are doing nothing but traveling the whole book, it gets repetitive for them also, ha ha. I did enjoy this one, but I don’t think I could read it again.

 

23. The Shelters of Stone (B-) Finished 9 September 2009

                        By: Jean M. Auel

            Alya and Jondalar have reached the caves of the Zelandonni, Jondalar’s people. Because of Alya’s background they have a lot of prejudices to overcome. Seeing Alya’s reaction to the dense population of people and all of the different cultural aspects made for a good story. Although I didn’t find any new characters that particularly intrigued me and that distracted me a little bit. After the 3 other books it would have been nice to find another character to invest in. The biggest problem I have with this one is that it does leave you hanging and with no idea when the last and final book in this series is going to come out. That kinda sucks!

 

24. The Shadow Queen A++ (Finished 12 September 2009 )

By: Anne Bishop

 The Black Jewels Trilogy being one of my favorite series of all times, I was extremely pleased when I saw The Shadow Queen was out and snapped it up and started reading. This book has two interweaving plots that focus around Cassidy, who as a Queen in the Dark Realm is asked to go to Dena Nehele and set up a court by Jaenelle. While at the same time Daemon SaDi and his family keep a close watch since Dena Nehele is in Terreille, where this family has some bad memories. So we get to see Cassidy as she tries to set up court in a semi-hostile envrionment with warlords who have only known hurt and fighting, and also more of the daily life of Saetan, Daemon, Lucivar and Jaenelle as they cope with the emotions dealing with Terreille again has brought up.

I liked the new story and characters, especially Gray and Cassidy but since I love the boyos so much, I was extremely pleased to get a good dose of them as well in this book. Looking forward eagerly to more stories to come out of the Realms. I would totally recommend this book, but ONLY if you've already read The Black Jewel's Trilogy (Daughter of the Blood, Heir To Shadows, and Queen of Darkness and probably The Invisible Ring since this book deals with Dena Nehele from the Past) Only because I think a lot of the pain/emotions that are shown in The Shadow Queen wouldn't really make sense unless you already know the back story. But these books are great and engaging reads so I don't think reading them should be a problem.  

 

25. The Light of Other Days  B (18 September 2009)

                        By: Arthur C. Clarke

            I’ve really been taken by Clarke’s writing style, it has opened up a realm of science-fiction that I haven’t read much of in a long time. In this book we are following several people as the WormCam is invented. This technology allows for the harnessing of worm holes to see anywhere on earth and eventually to see anywhere at anytime. What makes this book interesting is just the implications of it. Of never having any privacy, imagine being alone in your own house, and yet still knowing that someone could open up a wormcam and watch you but you’d never know. How the knowledge that nothing you have anymore except your thoughts are private. And then later in the book when wormcam technology improves and the user can look into the past. Just try to imagine that! I know I’ve done things I wouldn’t want anyone to witness and to have technology become available that would let someone else view these moments it is kind of creepy. The society that emerges is an interesting one. The turn at the end is a little odd but doesn’t really distract from the book and the serious thinking it puts into your mind.

 

26. The Invisible Ring A+ (22 September 2009)

                        By: Anne Bishop

            This is another book set into the Realm of the Black Jewel’s Trilogy. Except that it is set a few hundred years before the events in the Trilogy. I’ve read this book a ton of times and decided to read it again since the events in The Shadow Queen deal with this land and the descendants of the characters in this book. We follow as the Grey Lady tries to make a stand against the horror that is happening in Terrielle and keep her land safe. Nice strong characters and a great story line.

 

27. Island of the Blue Dolphins B+ (29 September 2009)

                        By: Scott O’Dell

            This is a great and quick read about a girl who belongs to a tribe of people on a tiny island, traders come and take her entire tribe away to the mainland but she gets trapped on the island and spends the next 18 years alone there. This is a children’s book and I would love to find a book that was the adult equivalent that deals with the emotions and hardships in a more detailed fashion, but it is a nice story.

 

 

                                    Quarter 4

28. Cleopatra's Daughter (2 October 2009)

                        By: Michelle Moran

             Moran's books just keep getting better and better. I've read her two previous books Nefertiti and The Heretic Queen but I must say I liked this one the best. It follows the young children of Queen Cleopatra and Marc Antony after their parents are dead and they are taken to Rome to be raised by Octavian's sister. Full of intrigue and interesting characters, I read it in about two days cause I just couldn't bear to put it down. Looking forward to her next book already.

 

29. Mara: Daughter of the Nile A(5 October 2009)

                        By: Eloise Jarvis McGraw

            We are in ancient Egypt during the reign of Hatshepsut the female Pharaoh who reigned for around 22 years. We follow along with Mara, a slave girl who longs to be free, as she is bought to be a spy on Thutmose III while also being offered the role of double spy by the Noble, Lord Sheftu. She finds herself in a perilous position as she tries to navigate the royal court and keep her double life hidden from both of the men who have employed her, a very dangerous game. I really enjoy this book every single time I read it. I really love Lord Sheftu also, he’d be the character I really got attached to here.

 

30. The Hippopotamus Marsh: Lord of the Two Lands: Volume I C+ (Finished 13 October 2009)

                        By: Pauline Gedge

I randomly found Pauline Gedge while searching the Goodreads list of Egyptian books. Hippopotamus Marsh was the only book my library had by her. I enjoyed this book, she brings Ancient Egypt alive during the time when the Hyskos are ruling egypt and the Tao family decides they want their birthright as the real Kings of Egypt back. For the first part of the book I didn't know if I was going to like it, then the things started hopping and by the end of the book I became entrenched with the characters Kamose and Hor-Ah. I'm now eagerly awaiting getting my hands on the next in this series.

 

31. The White Queen B (Finished: 19 October 2009)

                        By: Philippa Gregory

            Another hit from Gregory. This time her focus is on the Queen Elizabeth whose son’s are the center of the Tower Mystery. We watch as she ascends the throne and tries to help her family and her husband keep the throne during the War of the Roses. A nice quick relaxing read as always from her she really manages to bring this time period alive. Looking forward to the next book.

 

32. The Oasis C (Finished: 6 November 2009)

                        By: Pauline Gedge

            Second book in the Lords of the Two Lands series. I like the way Gedge writes, but I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first one. Honestly I think it was because I was really attached to Kamose and wanted so much more for and from him. Which is kind of crazy I know, as the reader we can’t change how things come out but I wanted Kamose to grow into the person I imagined him to be and when that didn’t happen I was a bit disappointed. To be fair though I am looking forward to the third and I think final book in the series. I do really like Kamose’s brother (even though I can’t remember his name at the moment) and am looking forward to seeing how he manages the reins of rulership and how he manages to get the Hyskos out of Egypt for good.

 

33. 1,000 White Women D+ (Finished 19 December 2009)

            By: Jim Fergus

I really wanted to like this book, the idea of it really fascinated me. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case. It was a very lite read and when I got to the end I felt very unfulfilled.

I will say that I did like Gretchen, she was funny and I could picture her perfectly in my mind. As for the rest of the book, I just found it hard to believe that one could go off, marry someone who has a culture completely alien to your own and barely touch on them. I wanted to hear so much more...more I really wanted to like this book, the idea of it really fascinated me. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case. It was a very lite read and when I got to the end I felt very unfulfilled. I wanted to hear so much more about Little Wolf, Quiet One etc. but all we got was cursory touches one them. I think if it was a real journal, it would have so much more on the different culture, how you adjusted and that sort of thing. It all seemed so much like "it was hard, but then I just got it". *sigh* At least it was a quick read but would not recommend it.

34. Shogun A (Finished: 25 December 2009)

                        By: James Clavell

            This is a wonderful and epic work. An English sailor marooned on Japan just as Europeans have discovered and are infiltrating the country. Blackthorne is taken up by Lord Toranaga a very powerful man in the empire and is expected to learn Japanese culture and learn it fast. This book is a wonderful insight into the culture at this time and really paints a beautiful picture I highly recommend it. Although it is long and dense, it took me almost a month and a half to read it. IMO not a book that is easy to just sit down and read through. There are a ton of characters to wrap your mind around and cultural differences that were hard to wrap my mind around but to me that last bit helps the reader to empathize with Blackthorne and the problems he was having.

 

35. The Prince of Ebon Rih (From Dreams Made Flesh) A- (Finished 26 December 2009)

                        By: Anne Bishop

            Another book & story set in the Black Jewel’s Realm. This is a “short” (at about 200 pages) story in this book. It is set after the events in Heir to Shadows but before the third book in the Black Jewels Trilogy. It is the story of how Lucivar Yaslana and Marian meet and get married. A fun story and I loved getting that little bit of back story for Lucivar and since it made Marian’s character that much more real to us since we didn’t really get a huge glimpse of her in the trilogy. As with The Shadow Queen, I totally recommend this book, it is great! But only if you’ve read the Trilogy first, otherwise you’d be lost and not understand the characters or settings at all.

Because I'm going to start a new Book List for 2008 I thought I'd post the one from 2007 up. My plan is trying to read more than 37 books this year. :D

Books---2007
These are books that I have read so far for the year.
1. The Other Bolyen Girl 4/5 (finished 3 Jan 07)
2.Eyes of Crow 3.5/5 (finished 10 Jan 07)
3. River God 5/5 (finished 17 Jan 07)
4.The Mountain's Call (finished 19 Jan 07) 3.5/5
5. Airs Beneath The Moon 3.5/5 (Finished 29 Jan 07)
6. Beka Cooper Terrier 4.75/5 (finished 10 Feb 07)
7. Hannibal Rising 4/5 (Finished 22 Feb 07) I tried to read Red Dragon a year or so ago and thought it was horrible. Saw the movie Hannibal Rising and someone recommended that i read the book. Glad I did, it was excellent.
8. The Queen's Fool 4/5 (Finished 5 April 2007) Very excellent with engaging characters.
9. The Virgin's Lover
4.5/5 (Finished 8 April 2007) Sucks you into her character's Lives just like all her other books.
10. My Sister's Keeper 4.9/5 (Finished 15 April 2007) Had an ending that was completely out of left field yet it fit perfectly with the aim of the book. I'd also recommend The 10th Circle by Judi Picoult as well.
11. The Constant Princess 3.9/5 (Finished 20 May 2007) Like the rest of Philippa Gregory's books this one was engrossing. I just got the extreme craving to buy & read it since I like her style so much.
12. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers 3.5/5 (Finished 25 May 2007) This book was very interesting following what happens to the bodies of those who donate their remains to science. Full of cool facts.
13. Belladonna 4/5 (Finished 30 May 2007) Nice solid book, found myself hoping that the message in the last few chapters of the book will hint at another in the series even though it is only a duology. I will admit some parts did get a little *trying* but overall a nice solid read.
14. The Serpent Bride 4.9/5 (Finished 13 June 2007) AMAZING!!! Serpent Bride is especially awesome because Sara Douglass tied in two of her stand alone books with two of her series that all take place in the same world. Made things very interesting. Plus it was nice to see StarDrifter back in action since he was my favorite character in the series. I am anxiously awaiting the next book!
15. The Harlequin Rating in comments (Finished 16 June 2008) This book is a tough one to rate. It is book #15 in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. When compared with books 1-9 it can only be rated low maybe a 2.5/5. When it is compared to books 10-14 it is more around 3.95/5. The sex scenes were down to 3 or 4 which (when compared to the last 4 that's nothing) was awesome, not having to skip a 20 page sex scene is a plus. Plot was pretty much there too and the idea of the Harlequin was very interesting. My major problem with the book is that Hamilton has gotten to the point where she repeats herself constantly. "I nodded my head a little too often, a little to fast" and other sentences that were repeated all the time. This is annoying. There was also a LOT of chitchat and the ending was a little bit ugh for me. BUT this book is giving me hope that maybe, just maybe the series can get back to the level that they were in the first 9 (which was AmAzInG). I was very sad Asher really didn't have a role in this book. Thats...at least two books where he is almost non-existant, then again this book covered only 2 or 3 real days so maybe that's why. It is just sad for me cause Asher is the only reason I read the books when they got shitty. I love him too much to give them up. >.<
16. Micah 2.7/5 (Finished 23 June 2007) I read this book tonight in about an hour while I was at the bookstore. It is a side book to the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter books. I was worried it was going to be filled with sex but only two chapters were devoted to the deed. It was a quick read only 250ish pages with funny spaced print. I did enjoy the backstory about how Micah became a were and the fact that Anita raised a zombie. Was aggravated that the action bit with said zombie was cut short by the fact that Anita blacked out. Which is why the low rating, most of the book was talk talk talk and I wanted more zombie/bad guy action.
17. Animals in Translation... 3.9/5 (Finished 1 July 2007) This book was pretty amazing, it's all about how a woman has used her life experience with having autism and relating it to how animals think. Has many intriguing facts about animals and the makeup of their minds along with a good running commentary. VERY COOL read.
18. The Quest 4.5/5 (Finished 15 July 2007) What can I say? Wilbur Smith writes an excellent book. I've been in love with all of the books that have Taita in them and was extremely happy with the ending (specially since it is open for yet another book). Funny cause I had no idea that this book was coming out and was surprised when I saw it on the shelves. Love it when that happens.
19. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 5/5 (Finished 20 July 2007) This has always been my favorite book so far in the series so I decided since I saw the movie last week that I would go ahead and read it again. I especially enjoy the bits of backstory we get on Sirius and the gang.
20. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 4/5 (Finished 22 July 2007) Thought it was decent. Can't really review cause I don't want to spoil it. but I was extremely aggitated that now 2/3 of my favorite characters are dead. But with a war death is to be expected.
21. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures Volume 1 5/5 ( Finished 20 July 2007) This is the comic book adaptation of the popular book series. This incluedes the first 6 (?) comics of the book guilty pleasures. I must say I LOVE the artwork. I think that was done very well and I also am really happy that most of the dialouge is taken straight from the book as well. I cannot wait until the next installment and I hope that they do this for the rest of the books also. :D
22.
The Golden Compass 4/5 (Finished 1 August 2007) I've read it before but I wanted to read it again. I love Iorek Byrnison, can't wait for the movie I hope it is as good as the book. But in the movie previews Pan's voice sounds like a girl and Pan is a boy so...I dunno we'll see when it comes out.
23. Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christoper Colombus 5/5 (Finished 9 August 2007) I read this book the first time a few years ago and ever since I had been looking for it at the bookstore, but I had forgotten that OSC wrote it and I thought the title was Timekeepers so thank goodness I remembered what the cover looked like and i saw it the other day. It was still as good as I remembered. He puts such emotion into each character and the logic that they all have. Plus I always have liked stories about time travel and the main idea is that in the future they have these machines that can record events in the past and the researchers can then watch and study them, which to my nosey self seems like a lot of fun. Ha ha. Anyways go read it cause it rocks like that.
24 & 25. Mr. Hands & the novella Kiss of the Mudman 3.98/5 (Finished 12 August 2007) I was in the mood for a scary book when I was in the bookstore and I saw this cover, it is a creepy doll carved out of wood with huge hands and it is sitting by a little girl's shoe. So I bought it and read it all in one day (I was at work and BORED) This book has some interesting questions, if you kill a child to take away all of it's hurting (it has or will expierience) are you any better than people who harm children because they are assholes? Is it worth it to live a crappy life just so one can live? The book itself is not really scary but well worth the read, the novella (Kiss of the Mudman) is trippy and in fact it made me have a weird dream last night because of the images it put in my head.
26.
Vanishing Acts 4.5/5 (Finished 23 August 2007) This story sucks you in so quick, I spent the whole book wishing for a certain outcome and couldn't wait to finish it to see what happens.
27. The Space Between Us 4/5 (Finished 27 August 2007) This book was very intriguing mainly because it is set in India and I don't really have any background knowledge on India and it's customs. The story is that of two women old Bhima who is a worker in the house of a middle class worker named Serabi. These two come from totally different backgrounds and the way that they interact, and don't is interesting. Take for example Serabi has had Bhima working for her for many many years and the old woman could almost be like her mother/grandmother type figure but Bhima is not allowed to eat with the same utinsils or sit on the chairs in Serabi's house. It is a class distinction. Bhima slaves away in Serabi's home only to go home to her shack in the slums. While they do interact with smoothness born from the many years they have been together plus the trials of each woman that the other has wittnessed it is gut wrenching the outcome after light falls on an already difficult situation. Who would you choose someone who is like family to your or someone only related by blood?
28. Mary Modern 2.6/5 (Finished 31 August 2007) The fact that this book wasn't that good disappointed me, since it has such rich material to go from. the premise is a woman in her late 20s wants to have a child but she cannot so she clones her grandmother from some blood she found on an old apron. But because the blood was taken from Mary when she was 22ish that is the age in which she matures this almost kills Lucy (who was carring her in her womb) so a fake womb is set up. When the cloned Mary gains her thoughts she is able to remember everything up until the time when the blood was released. Anyways the idea of clonging and cloning someone who would remember the "past life" 'they' lived is very cool, but I didn't like the way the book was actually written. The twitchy nature of the timeline and the relative coldness in which the main characters regarded each other and just the fact that Mary adjusted so quickly/easily seemed hard to imagine. Although the twist at the end was pretty good. I wouldn't recommend buying this book but renting would be ok.
29. The Shepherd Kings (Finished 10 September 2007) 4.5/5 Judith Tarr writes amazing books set in ancient egypt. lots of love for her books
30. Lust,Caution (Finished 27 September 2007) 4/5 Very short novel, wonderful writing. She can definitely set the mood and can describe a whole book worth of backgrounds in a few short sentences. the outcome was also a big impact.
31. Lady of Horses" (Finished 28 September 2007) 4/5 Once again it is a compelling book by Judith Tarr, I didn't like it as much as her works set in Egypt but that really doesn't make it any less good.
32. Now and Zen (Finished 29 September 2007) 3/5 Quick read, young adult novel. Story about a girl finding herself. I got it for $2.07 so it was worth the money, but I wouldn't have wanted to pay full price for it.
33. White Mare's Daughter (Finished 22 October 2007) 3.7/5 It was good but in the end it just didn't capture me the way the other books along this vein did.
34. One Child (Finished 29 October 2007) 3/5 interesting and a quick read
35. Threshold (Finished 18 November 2007) 4.5/5 An awesome stand alone book by Sara Douglass. I re-read it because although it is stand alone it has back story information from Sara's newest series that starts with The Serpent's Bride book.
36. Hades' Daughter (Finished 29 November 2007) 5/5 This is book #1 in Sara Douglass' Troy Game Series. I am immensely happy that I have decided to re-read them since it is such a great story. I am currently trying to spend all my extra time reading so that I can read the other three books. : ) Story totally sucks you in with magic/tragedy/romance tons of stuff. Asterion is one of my favorite characters of all time.
37. Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 Volume 1 (Finished 3 December 2007) 4.75/5 A graphic novel that I saw when i was looking through my SFBC cataloge. First the art is what jumpped out at me. The mice are super cool, and cute looking and so I bought it. The story about the mice civilization and the terrors they face and the guard that protects the citizens is cool and different. Can't wait for the next volume to come out!