I kept track on my own last year without a particular goal in mind, and just barely managed 51. I'll try for 50 this year and see how it goes.




I figured I might as well keep track of pages read as well, while I'm at it. I have no idea how many I'm likely to read, so I picked a number that sounded large and I'll adjust later as necessary.

Message edited by its author, Jan 4, 2009, 1:36pm.

1. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging
Not as funny as I was expecting, but it definitely grew on me. I'll probably read more someday.

Can't get the touchstone to work right, for some reason.

2. The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie
I don't generally read a lot of spy type books - read this one because it's by Hugh Laurie - but it was fun. Even if I wasn't always clear on what was going on.

3. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
This never really caught my interest, much as I wanted it to. Possibly my expectations were too high, as I've loved everything else I've read by Forster.

4. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
I had been wanting to read this for a while, but only just picked up a copy recently. It definitely did not disappoint - my favorite so far this year.

>6 You know that there are two "sequels", don't you?

I do, yes, thanks. I've actually had a copy of Castle in the Air for a while now, but I thought I'd read them in order (not something I always do.) I'm looking forward to them, though I've heard they maybe aren't as good?

I just read the third, which is brand new, House of Many Ways. I think my only disappointment with Castle in the Air was that I was expecting Howl and Sophie to be main characters, which they aren't. Both of them, IMHO, are totally delightful, so go ahead with good cheer! And Howl and Sophie show up a little more in the 3rd than they did in the second, so that's all to the good as well.

Have you ever read Jones' Dark Lord of Derkholm? That's my current favorite!

I haven't read Dark Lord of Derkholm, but I'm sure I'll get there eventually.

I'm relatively new to Diana Wynne Jones' books, and to fantasy generally, so I have quite a to-read pile (and ever growing - I have a hard time not buying books when I see them). I'm not sure which I'll get to next (or when I'll get to it).

5. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Bought this book because I liked the cover, and I'm very glad I did, though it wasn't at all what I was expecting having read the back cover. This was definitely the most upset I've been at a character death since Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and I'm not sure yet how I feel about the ending, but I'm certainly looking forward to book two.

6. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
This one started off a bit slow but eventually picked up the pace and by the end I couldn't put it down and had to stop myself from flipping a few pages forward to make sure things were going to turn out right. I didn't like it as much as I liked North and South, which I read last year, but it was still good.

7. The Magician's Guild
I enjoyed this quite a lot, but not nearly as much as I had thought I would. (I originally heard of it recommended alongside Alison Croggon's Pellinor books, and I loved those, so assumed it would be similar.)

My only real complaint was there was a sense of the inevitable, of waiting for the plot to begin - I knew what had to happen, so could they just get on with it already. But it wasn't enough to stop my enjoying the book and I'll definitely be getting my hands on the next two as soon as possible.

Hi bluemeanie, I read somewhere on this group that you can figure out a page count by finding an average number of pages per book, say 300, and multiplying by the number of books you have the intention of reading (50, I assume from your first post). That's what I'm going with—will encourage me to read those thicker bricks!

Edit:
Duh! I just realized that tip is right up there on the main page!

Message edited by its author, Feb 16, 2009, 8:30pm.

8. The Magician's of Caprona by Diana Wynne Jones
This was a lot of fun, as her books always seem to be. I only wish Chrestomanci himself had had a larger role.

9. Revenge by Stephen Fry
This was... different. I haven't read The Count of Monte Cristo, on which it is apparently based, so I didn't know what to expect, and as it turns out the cover picture gave me no idea. I would have liked it a lot better if any of the characters had been sympathetic (Babe had his moments, I suppose), but overall it was a decent read.

10. Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
I enjoyed this so much more than I had expected to (not that I expected to dislike it; I was fairly neutral). I had almost purchased it several times before finally picking up an autographed copy used, then almost started it reading it several times, but it was finally hearing about a musical (or play, possibly?) based on it being staged that got me reading, and I'm glad I did.

Black Stache, Molly, and Peter were all a lot of fun and I look forward to more of their adventures. And I have the benefit, I suppose, of knowing little enough about the world of Peter Pan to not be put off by any liberties taken.

11. A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle
I liked this book, and it interested me, but at the same time I never really got into it. I know just enough about the time period it was set to recognize people, place, and event names, but little enough that really it could've been entirely made up and I wouldn't know different.

>15 One of her newer Chrestomancis, The Pinhoe Egg, finally has a larger role for Chrestomanci again, if you haven't read it yet.

Peter and the Starcatchers has been on my TBR pile for a while--you may have just nudged it close to the top!

I hope you like Peter and the Starcatchers. I recently bought the next two, but I don't think I'll get to reading them right away.

The Pinhoe Egg was sort of the first Chrestomanci book I read, actually. I read Conrad's Fate first, a few years back, but I didn't realize it was related to any other books, and didn't know it had anything to do with the Chrestomanci I had since read about until recently, so I don't really count it. I'll have to re-read it sometime.

I've read those books completely out of any order, but reading Pinhoe Egg first, where all the characters in the beginning think he's a villain, it was a while before I realized Chrestomanci was the good guy.

Message edited by its author, Mar 29, 2009, 8:51pm.

12. The Various by Steve Augarde
I didn't love this one, but I liked it most of the way through. The ending seemed a bit weak, solutions coming together too conveniently and then dragging on for several more pages to no apparent purpose. But the very end was weird in a way that makes me want to read the next book sooner rather than later, so I guess that's good.

13. When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
As much as I love all of Kate Atkinson's books, this one included, I do wish she'd write about someone other than Jackson Brodie again soon. That said, I really liked this book, and I really like the way she can make completely unrelated characters come together without it seeming contrived.

But I would like a book about completely new characters - except maybe one more book about Jackson so he and Louise can work out some unlikely, unrealistic happily-ever-after...

14. Gypsy Rizka by Lloyd Alexander
I realized it had been too long since I had read anything by Lloyd Alexander, so I had to do something about that, of course. This wasn't his best, I think, but it has all the crazy characters and situations you expect, so not bad for a quick read.

The Prydain Chronicles remain his masterwork for me, but I do enjoy his other stories.

15. Sanditon by Jane Austen and 'Another Lady'
I enjoyed this for its own sake, but even the first eleven chapters that were written by Jane Austen didn't feel like a Jane Austen novel. I'm not sure exactly what it was. I didn't think Charlotte Heywood was a particularly likable heroine, but I enjoyed Sidney Parker quite a lot.

I often think I might like to live in a Jane Austen novel, but the people in this one were generally far too silly for me to want to live among them.

So this is an unfinished novel that someone completed? I had no idea! I was glad just to know about this! :)
--BJ

I think it was what she was writing when she died. The part Jane Austen wrote only amounts to about 70 pages out of 300 or so, so it's really for the most part the other author's work.

Mostly, I suppose, it makes me wonder what plot Jane Austen had in mind, had she had the chance to finish it herself.

16. Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak
I had thought I was reading these books (this one, The Underdog, and Getting the Girl) in order, but somehow I messed that up. Still, I don't think it hurt my enjoyment of the books. I think Markus Zusak could write about pretty much anything, and I'd like it. Certainly most authors couldn't make me interested in boxing - though, of course, it wasn't really about the boxing.

Sadly, now I have no new Markus Zusak books to read until November, which is, I believe, when his next book comes out.

And I can always reread.

17. At the Crossing-Places by Kevin Crossley-Holland
I enjoyed this all right, despite having read some not-so-great reviews. It's been too long since I read the first book to remember if I liked that one better. My only problem was that the parts with Arthur-in-the-Stone felt separated and to no clear purpose. But I like Arthur himself, and surprisingly to me, I like the sort of diary style.

18. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
I can't believe I went my whole life until very recently without having read anything by (or, indeed, having heard of) Elizabeth Gaskell, because she is totally fabulous. I suppose I have Richard Armitage joining the cast of 'Spooks' to thank for it, because after I saw him there, I found the BBC adaptation of 'North and South' (my favorite Gaskell book so far).

I love the characters, I love the plots, and I love how sometimes it all seems so modern, and how sometimes it doesn't. And I would have loved for someone (ideally Molly) to have thrown something at Mrs. Gibson. Something heavy.

I only wish she had lived to finish the book. Another chapter or two would have wrapped everything up.

19. The Novice by Trudi Canavan
I really want to like these books more than I do. I just can't get drawn into them, and this book in particular felt a little purposeless, sort of just filler, like 'well, if it's going to be a trilogy, there has to be a book two'. And Regin and the other novices are just too petty and immature to be interesting as adversaries. They're just annoying.

But I'm interested enough to finish the series and see how it all turns out. I think (or maybe hope) that there's something more interesting going on that Sonea doesn't know about yet. And I really like Dorrien and I hope he comes back and plays a bigger role in the next book.

Message edited by its author, Jun 10, 2009, 10:20pm.

Have you watched the miniseries of Wives and Daughters? I highly recommend it. I discovered Gaskell a few years ago when people on another bookish website I frequent were talking non-stop about how awesome North and South (starring the lovely Richard Armitage) was. Like you, I wondered where Gaskell had been all my life! I just bought Mary Barton so I was glad to see your favorable review of it above.

I've watched about two and a half episodes of Wives and Daughters. I need to get back to that, only I'm not entirely sure where I left off in the third episode. I'm enjoying it, but I'm not loving it the way I did North and South.

I didn't like Mary Barton as much as North and South or Wives and Daughters, but I so totally adored those that to come third behind them is nothing bad. It just took me a little longer to get into.

I have copies of several other Gaskell books, and I'm always on the lookout for more, but I'm trying not to read them all at once. I like having new ones to look forward to, and it's not like she'll be writing any more.

20. Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
These books are just fun. I would have started reading them a while back if I'd known how much I would enjoy them. Often I don't like the hero-type character in a book, but Molly and Peter are adorable (as is Tinker Bell). Plus I like the plot.

And I enjoyed that a lot of the part set in London took place in the area where I lived when I did a semester abroad.

I only wish they were still calling Black Stache by that name and not Captain Hook. But that's really a tiny, meaningless complaint, as I still like the character.

21. The Spook's Mistake by Joseph Delaney
First of all, on an entirely superficial note, I really hate the new covers they've put on these books. If this were what they looked like the first time I saw them, I never would've picked one up off the shelf, which would be a shame, because I really like the books.

It's been a while since I read the earlier books, but I don't remember Tom being as whiney as he was in parts of this one. Aside from the drunkeness, I don't think Arkwright's treatment of him was out of line, considering the harsh nature of the job he was training him for. And I like Arkwright.

But Alice is still my favorite. I'm torn between upset about what's happened to her and intrigued with where her story will go next. And I think the Spook has done the worst possible thing if he wants to keep her from the dark.

22. The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander
I was so glad to find out there was a third of these books, and I hope he writes more eventually, because I really enjoy them.

It bothered me that Elisavyeta was so devoted to her husband, because it seemed like he had no redeeming qualities and even she seemed to know he wasn't good to her. So that seemed at odds with the rest of her character and made her a little unsympathetic, I think.

Pavel, on the other hand, I felt sorry for, because he never really thought for himself and always just believed what he was told to believe.

What I like best is that Pavel and Elisavyeta are both right and both wrong and really quite similar. Most of all, I think, they were both incredibly naive.

23. Lois the Witch by Elizabeth Gaskell
I hadn't heard of this book before I saw it in the store, and when I did I thought at first it must be some other Elizabeth Gaskell, because the title sounds like it ought to be a kid's book. But of course it's much more serious than that.

And what a horrible time to be living in - before and especially after they started hanging people as witches. The people were all so horrible, Prudence most of all. I was never sure how old she was supposed to be, but certainly old enough to understand what she was doing.

Somehow, Gaskell's writing always seems so modern to me, when of course it is not. Maybe it's in the ideas and beliefs of the characters; it surprised me when Captain Holdernesse said something along the lines of the Indians being so dangerous because they were angry at their land having been taken with no compensation. Surely that kind of thought was a bit ahead of his time for a man in the 1600s?

But it was a good, quick read, and Lois was really a sympathetic character.

24. Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud
My favorite part of this book is that it is autographed, personalized, to me. And that Jonathan Stroud seemed like such a nice person when I met him.

But I also liked the book itself, the story (mostly) and the world it was set in. And Aud, who was my favorite character. And Snorri, who had the best name.

I didn't like Halli, who was just a brat, though he got marginally better as the story went on. I thought the plot started to make a bit less sense towards the end, but not so much as to ruin it. I just found it a bit hard to believe that Halli, who up to that point had been mostly a disaster, was suddenly in charge and making plans and strategies.

25. The High Lord by Trudi Canavan
Despite my ambivalence towards the first two books in this series, I found myself wanting to know how it ended. And I got a bit hooked. I think this was both my most and least favorite of the three.

I didn't like a lot of the choices Sonea made throughout the book. Especially as regards black magic, Akkarin, and Dorrien. I didn't like her relationship with Akkarin, though I have liked mentor/student romances in other books. Possibly out of my loyalty to Dorrien (who, really, I want for myself), but also because it didn't really make sense.

Also, the beginning of the book seemed to be just a recapping of the previous two, several times over, from several points of view. I could have done without that.

But this book had more purpose and plot to it, so I liked that. I kept flipping forward to make sure my favorites (Rothen and Dorrien) were still alive, so I knew several things were coming before they happened. But I think I might have been more upset by events if I hadn't.

26. Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
My first reread of the year, though of course every edition I read before was called The Golden Compass. And I loved it as much as ever; but really, I'm trying to focus on reading the masses of books on my shelves that I've never read (and the new ones I can't seem to stop myself from buying), so I don't think I'll start on The Subtle Knife right away. But I'm sure it won't be too long before I get to the rest of the trilogy and the two companion books.

I think this may have been my first reread of this book since I saw the film, because several times I expected something to happen, and then realized I was remembering the movie. But that was so long ago that surely I must've read the whole series through since then.

27. Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes
For a book set mostly in a school, there never seemed to be much of an academic nature going on.

This was one of those books where, while I'm reading it, I enjoy it, but once I set it down for a bit, I never feel any overwhelming desire to pick it up again. Overall, I liked it well enough, but I'm glad I've finished it so now I can read something new.

28. Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce
It was reading the back cover of Terrier that first got me interested in reading Tamora Pierce's books (though actually I read Squire first). And I enjoyed this one just as much as that one, when I finally read it, I think. I like Beka, and I wish she would end up living happily ever after with Dale Rowan, because he's lovely. But it makes sense that she won't, and I'm mostly okay with that.

My only real problem with this book was that Beka, who has a good enough memory to write these detailed journals, couldn't remember a few days after hearing it why the name Hanse Remy was familiar. What's the point in questioning people if you're not going to remember the answers they give? And what's the point in writing a journal if you're not going to look back through it to refresh your memory?

Oh well. That's just a small complaint.

I have lately developed the bad habit of flipping through pages towards the end to check everything's still going all right. I've really got to stop that.

29. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
I adored this book, though admittedly not until Jane got to Thornfield - before that, I only liked it. And I liked it a bit less during the time she was at Moor House, but only because St. John Rivers was such a horrible, insufferable, abusive person, and yet no one else seemed to think so.

It's nice, sometimes, to read a sort of book like this where you know from the start everything will turn out right in the end. (Of course, I also knew because I've seen the 2006 BBC miniseries and because I read bits of the end of the book several times before I got to that point, just because it's all so lovely.)

I can't get my book and page counters to work. I'll have to come back and try again later.

30. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Another reread, this time of what I'm becoming fairly certain is my favorite book (though it does have some good competition). Reading Jane Eyre made me want to reread it, and who was I to say no?

I was a bit afraid I was remembering it as having been better than it was, and that I would be disappointed this time, but I actually think I liked it better this second time around. Which only makes me want to read it again.

It's really not fair that I can't find a Mr. Thornton for myself.

This all makes me want to watch the miniseries again, and there's nothing wrong with that.

There is really never a bad time to watch North and South, or to re-read it for that matter!!

The best of it is, they go so well together. When I read the book, I want to watch the miniseries; when I watch the miniseries, I want to read the book. I could happily be stuck in a never-ending cycle!

31. Celandine by Steve Augarde
I had planned for this to be a nice, quick read, but then I could never get myself interested in it for more than a few pages at a time. It did get better toward the end, but by that point I mostly wanted to be finished with it. I liked Fin, though, and Una. And I hope the third book is better, because I do want to know how it all turns out.

32. The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
I really enjoyed the beginning and the end of this book, but in the middle, from about the point when Farfrae and Lucetta first meet, I almost completely lost interest. I didn't particularly like any of the characters as people, so I was happily wishing misfortune on all of them, but I did feel some sympathy for Henchard at the end.

Henchard's story reminds me, in a general sort of way, of Jean Valjean's. Only Les Miserables is a much better book.

33.Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
This was one of my very favorite books as a kid; we read it in school when I was nine, and from that point on, I wanted to visit Copenhagen. And now, in less than two weeks, I'm finally going there, so I thought it seemed a good time to reread it. It was just as good as I remembered it (though I remember it being longer); actually, I was surprised at how many details of the plot I remembered, seeing as I'm not sure I've read it since that first time. Certainly not any time recently.

34. Mr. Harrison's Confessions by Elizabeth Gaskell
35. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
36. My Lady Ludlow by Elizabeth Gaskell
There's no reason it should've taken me as long as it has to read these three, especially as I liked them all. Mr. Harrison's Confessions was my favorite.

Having seen the BBC miniseries, it was interesting to see the the plot separated out into three different stories. And of the three, My Lady Ludlow seemed to have the least resemblance to what I remember from the miniseries.

And now I'm really going to try to take a break from reading more Elizabeth Gaskell. (I only read these three at once because I have The Cranford Chronicles, where they're all in one book.)

37. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
I got to really quite like this as it went on, but I could never quite get past the sadness of it all. I never wanted the unicorn to leave her forest in the beginning and I was mad at the hunters for ruining her happiness. Also for being hunters. But of course if she had never left the forest, there would've been no story to tell. Or at least a very different one.

38. The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley
So much fun! I hadn't remembered until fairly recently how much I liked the Robin Hood story, having not seen the Disney cartoon since I was a kid. But the stupid, silly BBC version got me hooked. And this book was so much better than that (though Disney is still the best, I think. How can you go wrong with cartoon animals?)

The only problem I had was the ending, which was really weak, I thought. But I think McKinley wrote herself into a spot where there was no good ending. Or at least not a happy one, and in this case I'd prefer a happy but weak ending to an unhappy but good ending. So I'm satisfied.

39. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
I tried to post this earlier, but then my computer stopped behaving, silly thing. So here goes - either I'd forgotten how much I liked this book, or I had never liked it quite so much before. I think it's probably the latter, though it has been one of my favorite books since I first read it.

I think my favorite part in the whole trilogy might be when Will and Lyra first meet and are discovering about their two different worlds. Plus, Will is probably my favorite character.

Also, I wish I had a daemon. I'd be a bit worried I wouldn't like the form it might take, though.

40. Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
I think I'd be quite happy if these books went on forever. I had been reluctant to start this one, because I thought it was the last, so I was happy to learn that a fourth just came out.

It's not often where I find books where I actually like all of the characters. Actually, enjoy is probably a better word than like - Zarboff and Ombra, for example, aren't too likable, but they're fun to have around. I just wish Peter could grow up, so he and Molly could be together. But then of course he wouldn't be Peter Pan.

I'll have to read five books a month for the next two months if I want to make 50 for the year, and somehow I doubt that'll happen, unless I start reading kids picture books to make up the numbers. But I don't really mind and, anyway, I might surprise myself and suddenly become a fast reader.

41. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
I liked this book more and more as it went along. I like the idea of Annie and Tucker together and living happily ever after, even though I'm not sure if that would've made sense. My only problem was that some of the character's voices seemed a little off - Tucker sounded a bit too British sometimes, considering he was American, and Jackson sounded too old for a six year old. Then again, I don't know any six year olds, so maybe that's what they really sound like.

Regardless, I really liked the book. And I'd like to listen to the album Juliet, if only it were real.

42. The Dragon's Tale by Tamora Pierce (from The Dragon Book)
Possibly I shouldn't count this as a book, as it's a short story in a book of short stories, but I'm not likely to read the whole book right away, and anyway Mr. Harrison's Confessions wasn't much longer than this and I counted it separately.

I think I had expected this to be more about Daine and Numair, so I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't. Though it should have been obvious to me that it would be about the dragon and not the people. Still, I liked it for what it was.

43. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
It's not too often I have no idea what a book will be about when I start reading it, but I grabbed this one off the shelf in Half Price Books ages ago because I liked the cover and never bothered to find out more about it. So I was a bit surprised to find a story about a boy in London during World War II turn into a journey through the horrors of fairy tales, but it was good. I had a fair idea/guess of what was actually going on, but that didn't really hurt the story, I think.

44. The Watsons by Jane Austen
I wish there was more of this, because I liked the little there is. It felt almost unfinished on both ends, as though this was a middle bit of the story and not the beginning; I would have preferred to have seen what happened to put Emma in her present situation instead of be told about it. But other than that, I liked it.

Every time the whole name 'Emma Watson' was written out, I kept thinking of the girl from the Harry Potter movies, which was a bit distracting, but hardly Jane Austen's fault, of course.

45. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
Of the three books I've read so far by the various Brontes, I liked Jane Eyre best, this second, and Wuthering Heights third. But I've liked them all, overall, and look forward to reading more.

I much preferred the parts from Gilbert's point of view; Helen's diary and, later, her letters went on too long, as far as I was concerned. In part, I'm sure, because I knew what the inevitable conclusion to the diary would be, but also because Huntingdon was horrible and I cannot sympathize with how she behaved in regard to him, nor understand how she thought such behavior was in line with being a good person. But Gilbert was lovely, and anyone with the sense to fall in love with him can be forgiven past stupidity.

Somehow, I had got it in my mind that the book was about 15 pages longer than it was, so I was a bit surprised when it suddenly came to an end.

46. Magyk by Angie Sage
I wasn't so sure about this book when I started it (I think because the last one I read was so good), but it grew on me as it went along and I got drawn more into the world. Somehow I imagine Aunt Zelda looking like Hayley from the BBC show 'Beautiful People', so if they ever make a film of this book and that's not how she looks, I'll be very disappointed. Anyway, I'll definitely be looking out for the next of these books, but I doubt I'll get as good a price as this one (like-new condition for either a quarter or 50 cents off a used book sale shelf at the library.)

Two things bugged me a lot, though. All the magyk-related words in bold was distracting and silly. Also, the blurb on the back cover that starts, "Heads up, Harry..." Why is it impossible for book reviewers to refrain from making 'clever' little references to Harry Potter whenever they review fantasy books now?

Message edited by its author, Today, 8:32pm.