Books books and more books - my 08 so-far reading list

[allisnow]

1. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
2. The Princess Bride by J. Morgenstern (abridged by William Goldman) [x]
3. So You Want to be a Wizard by Diane Duane [x]
4. General Winston's Daughter by Sharon Shinn [x]
5. The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay [x]
6. Jumper by Steven Gould [x]
7. A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Book 1) by Libba Bray [x]
8. Black (Circle Trilogy, Book 1) by Ted Dekker [x]
9. Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Starcatchers Trilogy, Book 1) [x]
10. Rebel Angels (Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Book 2) by Libba Bray [x]
11. Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier
12. Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier
13. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray [x]
14. Polaris by Jack McDevitt [x]
15. Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
16. Heroes Adrift by Moira J. Moore [x]
17. How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card [x]
18. Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz
19. A Talent for War by Jack McDevitt [x]
20. Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz
21. Seeker by Jack McDevitt [x]
22. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester [x]
23. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
24. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
25. The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene [x]
26. Wild Seed by Octavia Butler [x]
27. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card [x]
28. Old Man's War John Scalzi [x]
29. Ilium by Dan Simmons
30. Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey
31. Kushiel's Mercy by Jacqueline Carey [x]
32. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
33. Odd Hours by Dean Koontz [x]
34. The Android's Dream by John Scalzi [x]
35. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
36. Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card [x]
37. Feed by M.T. Anderson [x]
38. The Summer Tree by Gay Gavriel Kay [x]
39. Angelica by Sharon Shinn
40. In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker [x]
41. The Wandering Fire by Gay Gavriel Kay [x]

Right now I'm re-reading Lois McMaster Bujold's The Sharing Knife: Beguilement so I can read TSK: Legacy. TSK:B isn't any better than I remembered. The concept is good, just like Sharon Shinn's Thirteen Houses books have good concepts, but in my oh so humble opinion both could use a lot of editing. CHOP CHOP.

I'm sort of in the process of reading Orson Scott Card's Xenocide, actually put it down several books back, because somehow it was interfering with me hearing the Muse. I can't really explain it, because it's very good and I was enjoying it, but it was like mental static when I was trying to develop my own world. But I will go back to it eventually.

GGK's Fionavar Tapestry, however... eh. I managed to get through The Summer Tree and barely got through The Wandering Fire -- I'm not even going to bother with The Longest Road, although maybe I'll look for a synopsis at Wiki or something. It's like... the guy is just trying too hard to be Tolkien or something. And I've never even read Tolkien.

I know the trilogy was written a while ago, but reading S&SF it just seems like the trend these days is to write this 'high' prose that is half-incomprehensible. It's not accessible. Which is sad, really, because it should be.

On the upside, I've got my brother reading John Scalzi (first The Android's Dream and now Old Man's War) and he's not a person who typically reads for pleasure. So Yay Me. John I will be looking for my check in the mail.

I also want to reread Jacqueline Carey's Banewreaker books in the near future. I remember not being terribly impressed with them the first time through but that had to be at least several years ago because they aren't in my 07 or 06 reading lists. And I was probably expecting something a lot more... Kushielesque.

I just ordered The Case Against Barack Obama (by David Freddoso, who btw is pretty hot) on a whim from half.com, and put a library hold on Dick Morris' Fleeced*. Don't worry, I'll share all the good stuff *G*

Anyone have any reccs for me?

* Might end up buying that one too, though, because there are 4 copies in the system and 40 people waiting for it! Wow!

Comments

[tweets.livejournal.com]

Did you ever read the Trudi Canavan trilogies?

Age of the Five
The Black Magician

(three books in each)

And she's writing a sequel trilogy to the Black Magician.

[allisnow.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'll look into them :)

[jadestrick.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...have you possibly read the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan? It's a bit Harry Potterish (isn't everything now? :D), but it's WAY too much fun. I'm rereading it right now. I love it.

[allisnow.livejournal.com]

Hm, you know I started reading the first one (in the bookstore, bad Alli!) and I just couldn't get into it. Maybe I'll give it another go; thanks :)

[jadestrick.livejournal.com]

Surely. :) The funnest part for me (and what made me love the book) is suddenly picking up on which monster they're fighting. I just think it was well written.