1. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
Well, I only read the last few hundred pages in 2009, but I'm gonna count it anyway. Great book, but at times a bit lengthy (Do I really need to know the complete history of the sewers of Paris to understand the book?)

2. The Darkness that comes before by R. Scott Bakker
Liked it, looking forward to the rest of the trilogy (they arrived today o/)

3. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2009, 11:04am.

Wow - Les Mis - quite ambitious read! Thanks for posting - I hadn't heard of The Darkness that Comes Before, but am always seeking out new fantasy books - so will keep my eye out for it, sounds fantastic from what I've read on LT! The Secret Garden is one of my childhood favourites as well - I like how you've started the year so far and look forward to seeing what else you get through!
~Imp

4. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
I'm not really sure what to make of this book. While I liked Vonneguts writing style, it was a little hard to follow the plot because of the constant "time-travelling". I heard people compare Vonnegut to Terry Pratchett, so maybe I just expected something different... It's certainly not a bad book and maybe I'll check out some of Vonnegut's other work, but it didn't knock me off my feet.

I haven't read Slaughterhouse-Five, but I love Vonnegut...you should try Cat's Cradle or The Sirens of Titan (if you like Douglas Adams, then try the latter, if you read it you can see where Adams got a lot of his inspiration for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

The Sirens of Titan sounds interesting (and I like Douglas Adams very much ;)), I'll add it to my TBR list. Thanks for the tip :)

5. Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore

I already read two books by him (Lamb and Fluke) and enjoyed them both very much. Since this is his first published work I didn't expect it to be necessarily as good as the other novels, but I was positively surprised. Except for the end which seemed a little rushed to me, I liked the plot and especially the characters.

6. The Warrior-Prophet by R. Scott Bakker

The second book of his "Prince of Nothing"-Trilogy. Very well written, but there are a few things I didn't like: Bakker uses way to many names, anyone who read the the Silmarillion will probably know what I mean... "A, Count of B in C, son of King D, the famed Tiger of E...". It's sometimes lmost impossible to keep track of who is who.
The thing that put me off most though are the characters: I don't like them. There literally isn't one single character I can sympathize with. They're either religious fanatics, frauds, incredibly naive or nearly insane.

Nevertheless, I just started the third book of the trilogy, maybe Bakker kills a few more of the characters I don't like :p

Wow, completely forgot about this... let's see if I can get it all together:

7. The Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker

Everything I said about The Warrior Prophet goes for this too, the main characters are wholly unlikeable and although I like Bakkers use of language, I had a really hard time getting through this.

8. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

This has been on my to-read-List forever and it absolutely lived up to my expectations. Definitely going to read the rest of the series!

9. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen

Having not read the original (but planning to do sometime) I can't really say if this destroys it or mkes it better. I found it pretty enjoyable, the zombies and ninjas add a bit excitement and action to, what seems to me, a interesting, but a little boring plot.

10. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I usually don't read much Science Fiction, but from time to time I come across a novel that interests me. I liked the book a lot (although someone destroyed the final plot twist for me halfway through), but I am a bit reluctant to pick up the sequels, as they are said to be more philosophical and generally not as good as the original...

11. Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore

His second novel, still not as good as his later work but again an interesting plot, surprising twists and of course some great eccentric characters.

12. Nation by Terry Pratchett

His first non-Discworld book in a long time and since I didn't enjoy his other "Children Books" (Tiffany Aching and The Amazing Maurice) as much as his other works, "Nation" really surprised me. It has of course the usual Pratchett wit and the plot somehow really gripped me. Definitely one of his best books (although I'm anxiously awaiting a new Discworld book)!

13. Without Remorse by Tom Clancy

I had already read it a few years ago, a good book, but not a great one. Maybe I'll read the whole Ryanverse series (having read 4 of them before) but I'm not sure about that yet...

14. Watchmen by Alan Moore

The first graphic novel I read in a few years, but after watching the movie I was interested in the original.

15.-21. Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

I didn't so much read them as listen to them (having read them all before though). I found out that a friend of mine had the whole series as audiobooks and borrowed and listened to them over the last months. Stephen Fry really adds a lot to the books in my opinion, enjoyed his voice very much.

22.Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

I had a hard time getting through the first hundred or so pages, but after that I enjoyed the book. It's not going to be one of my favorites, but it definitely was interesting.

23. Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore
Another Christopher Moore novel and it has the usual strange but very entertaining characters (I especially liked the Emperor) and everything else I love in his books. This book however wasn't as good as some of his other works, at least in my opinion (this may partially be because I'm not a big fan of vampire novels)

24. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Patrick Rothfuss recmmended it on his blog, and I liked the idea of a more 'adult' version of Harry Potter and the Narnia books. The book borrows heavily from both, but Grossman adds enough original material to let his book not simply be a parody. I can't really say why, but I enjoyed this book very much. Only the end was a bit anti-climactic, but there seems to be at least some possibility for a sequel, so I'm hoping that the story will continue at some point.

25. Johannes Cabal: The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
I wasn't really impressed by this book, the plot sounded interesting enough, but it didn't really grip me. There were some rather random scenes which where only barely connected with the main story, I didn't like any of the characters very much.

26. Storm Front by Jim Butcher
I was looking for a new audio book and because I had heard a lot of good things about the Dresden Files series and they were read by James Marsters I gave it a try. Normally I don't really like urban fantasy but I liked Butchers style, so I'll probably read some of his other works.

27. The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks
An recommendation by Amazon which looked really interesting, so I decided to give it a go. While some of the characters could have had a bit more depth, it was still a great read. Definitely getting the rest of the trilogy.

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2009, 9:37am.

28. Too Fat To Fish by Artie Lange
Too many drug stories. Still funny in some parts and a few great stories, but to see how someone continues to f*** up his live again and again does get boring after a while.

29. Patriot Games by Tom Clancy
I read some of his books a few years ago, and I remember enjoying them a lot more. Perhaps it has something to do with me realizing that I don't actually share most of Clancy's values. His whole glorification of America and basically patriotism itself just doesn't really appeal to me.

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2009, 10:58am.

30. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
The second of the Dresden Files novels, as good as the first one, which is great, because now I'm rather confident that the rest of the series probably is worth reading too.

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2009, 11:00am.

31. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
The third Dresden Files novel explores the depths of vampire society and is every bit as gripping as the first two.

32. Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
In this book the conflict that ensues after the end of the third in the series continues. Butcher borrows a bit from Shakespeare (regarding the faerie queens) but also introduces the White Council and its members. Not as good as the last one in my opinion, but still great to listen to.

33. Nothing's Sacred by Lewis Black
While this autobiography isn't as funny as his stand-up it's still a great read with some very funny parts.

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2009, 10:50am.

34. Another Fine Myth by Robert Asprin
Didn't like it at all, the world in which this book is set doesn't seem to be very detailed, which is something I put great value on in a fantasy book. Also, Asprin tries to be funny (horrible, horrible puns), but he doesn't achieve the level of wit that is for example possessed by Terry Pratchett.

35. Furies Of Calderon by Jim Butcher
Since I liked the Dresden Files books, I decided to give Butchers foray into high fantasy a chance. Although his writing style seems to be better suited for contemporary fantasy, I enjoyed the book.

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2009, 10:24am.

36. The Science of Discworld by Terry Pratchett
A reread, I love how the chapters on science are integrated into the Discworld story. The book breaks down complex scientific concepts to a easily understandable level, which really sparked my interest in a couple of topics I hadn't really thought about before, when I read it for the first time.

37. Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher
38. Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher
The second and third book of the Codex Alera series, the writing style still seems out of place at some points, but the story is sound. Perhaps not the "highest of high fantasy", but an interesting and enjoyable saga.

39. Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
Possibly the best book by him I've read so far. The focus in this lies less on the (still great) characters, but more on the plot, which has some nice twists.

Message edited by its author, Dec 10, 2009, 2:32pm.

40. The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore
Not quite as good as the last one, but he reintroduces a few characters from Practical Demonkeeping and adds a few new ones.

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2009, 10:41am.

41. Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks
The second book of the Night Angel trilogy, the writing is as good as the first book, a lot of suspense, some surprising twists, but it suffers a bit from middle book syndrome.

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2009, 10:09am.

42. Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks
This book brings the Night Angel trilogy to a conclusion and I like how the author manages to create a world with a lot of different cultures and legends and manages to bring almost ALL of them together for the final climax of the series. The end itself was not as good as it possibly could have been in my opinion, but maybe that's just because I never seem to like the ending of books I invested a lot of time in (and enjoyed almost every second of it).

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2009, 10:14am.

43. Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett
Better than the last Discworld novel (Making Money), but still not one of his best books. I liked the Discworld version of football, however the part of the story concerning Nutt's background was a bit convoluted. Maybe that will be further explored in a future novel, but as it is it felt a bit lacking.

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2009, 10:29am.

44. Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher
Continuing with the Codex Alera series, the plot thickens :D

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2009, 10:37am.

45. Last Words by George Carlin
As a Carlin fan I definitely had to get his 'sortabiography' and it was a very good read. Since I wasn't really familiar with his early life and material it was very interesting to find out how he became who he was. The end however was a bit depressing, because he finally seemed to have overcome some earlier problems, like various addictions and having to do material he didn't really want to do anymore, and he talks about his plans for a broadway show, which will now never become reality. This book made me all the more realize what the world has lost with him (while all the people he put on his various lists still continue to exist)

46. Me of little faith by Lewis Black
This book was rather disappointing, especially after his first book, which I liked very much. It's a collection of Black's experiences with and opinions on religion. However there isn't really a clear structure to the book and it all seems a bit random. There is one piece about airport security which has absolutely no relation to any other part of the book, the last part is a play he did in the eighties which at best is strange, but not very funny. The book had a few high points too, for example the part about televangelists, but Black's trademark rants are missing almost completely.

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2009, 9:56am.

47. My Shit Life So Far by Frankie Boyle
Frankie Boyle is one of my favorite comedians, I love his performances on Mock The Week. However it seems that his humour doesn't really translate to paper. There are some of his great one-liners and even some longer passages which I found very funny, but a lot of the book just concerns his various experiences with alcohol and other drugs (which seems to be something a lot of comedians have in common). All in all I found his outlook on life rather pessimistic, which is perfectly in character for him, but it's a lot more entertaining in smaller dosages.

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2009, 10:05am.

48. Death Masks by Jim Butcher

49. Princeps' Fury by Jim Butcher

50. Folklore of Discworld by Terry Pratchett
I was a bit disappointed by this book, because I expected to learn more about the more obscure references to folklore in the Discworld series. Some parts, for example about the Nac Mac Feegle, were very interesting, but there were also some parts, I didn't really find necessary, because there are already lots of books about them, for example about mythical creatures like the sphinx or basilisk.

51. Gates of Rome by Conn Iggulden
I normally don't really read historical fiction, mostly because it somehow bugs me, that I can never be sure how much of the story is real and how much is invented by the author. This book however came highly recommended and I always found ancient rome very interesting (Six years of latin class (and of course the Asterix comic books) can do that to you). I liked the book and am planning to continue the series.

Message edited by its author, Dec 6, 2009, 7:08pm.

52. I hate your guts by Jim Norton
Not great.

53. Children of the Jedi by Barbara Hambly
It has been some time since I read any Star Wars novels, this one was nice, but not as good as I remembered it.

54. Tickling the English by Dara Ó Briain
Part tour diary, part travelogue, part an analysis of british culture. A great book, almost as funny as Dara's stand-up.

55. Death of Kings by Conn Iggulden
The sequel to Gates of Rome, it continues the story of Julius Caesar. The writing is still good and while the author changes some minor and major details, he doesn't stray to far from the actual course of events. It's not a biography of course, but you still learn a lot about the life in ancient Rome.

56. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
A nice christmas tale, Moore pokes fun at a few classic tales and adds zombies and many characters from his earlier books. A bit short and the last chapter felt a bit disconnected from the main story (I don't think it would have made any difference, if he had just left it out), but I had a really hard time putting it down.

57. A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
This book was partially inspired by Moore's own experiences with the death of loved ones, but while it is a bit sad in some parts, it never loses its humour. I didn't enjoy the beta-male stuff all too much, but the characters are absolutely hilarious. I hoped for a happier end, but I guess it was kind of fitting.