F_ing_kangaroo's "Attack of The Fluffy Books!" (Part One)

Hello and welcome to my thread!

After getting my feet wet a bit last year, I'm back for a second year with the 75ers.

I'm always caught in the middle of a never-ending war between my overflowing TBR bookcase and my inability to pass up fifty-cent used books. The new acquisitions won last year's battle, but I made great strides with my TBR and am hoping to continue that trend again this year.

Some Stats I Like To Track:
Re-Reads: 0/20 (0%)
Borrowed (Library and Otherwise): 2/20 (10%)
From the Unread Stacks (Prior to 2011): 13/20 (65%)
Acquired this year: 5/20 (25%)
- Bought New: 1/5
- Bought Used or Mooched: 3/5
- Gifted Or Provided for Review: 1/5

January:
1. Courtney Crumrin & The Night Things by Ted Naifeh
2. Courtney Crumrin & The Coven Of Mystics by Ted Naifeh
3. Courtney Crumrin In The Twilight Kingdom by Ted Naifeh
4. Fables Vol. 14: Witches by Bill Willingham
5. Classic Pin-Up Art of Jack Cole by Alex Chun
6. Courtney Crumrin's Monstrous Holiday by Ted Naifeh
7. My Year Of Flops by Nathan Rabin
8. Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts
The Outlaws Of Sherwood by Robin McKinley
9. Away Laughing On A Fast Camel by Louise Rennison
10. Last Night's Scandal by Loretta Chase
11. Don't Hex With Texas by Shanna Swendson
12. Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James
13. Bone Vol.1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith
14. Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
15: Jumper by Steven Gould
16. How To Knit A Wild Bikini by Christie Ridgway
17. Bone Vol. 2: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith
18. Imitation In Death by J.D. Robb
19. Bone Vol. 3: Eyes Of The Storm by Jeff Smith
20. Bone Vol. 4: The Dragonslayer by Jeff Smith
21. Bone Vol. 5: Rock Jaw by Jeff Smith

February:
22. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
23. Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips*
24. Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas*
25. Crush On You by Christie Ridgway
26. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
27. Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis
28. Searching For Dragons by Patricia Wrede
29. Avalon High by Meg Cabot
30. How To Be Popular by Meg Cabot
31. Here Comes The Groom by Karina Bliss
32. Persepolis by Majane Satrapi
33. Bone Vol. 6: Old Man's Cave by Jeff Smith
34. Bone Vol. 7: Ghost Circles by Jeff Smith
35. Bone Vol. 8: Treasure Hunters by Jeff Smith
36. Bone Vol. 9: Crown of Horns by Jeff Smith

March:
37. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti
Love Walked In By Maria De Los Santos
The Wizard's Daughter by Barbara Michaels
The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney
38. Paper Towns by John Green
39. Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey
40. The Nameless Witch by A. Lee Martinez
41. The Peach Keeper by Sara Addison Allen
42. The Babysitter's Club: The Truth About Stacey (Graphic Novel) by Ann M. Martin
43. Runaways Vol. 4: True Believers by Brian K. Vaughan
44. Runaways Vol. 5: Escape to New York by Brian K. Vaughan
45. Runaways Vol. 6: Parental Guidance by Brian K. Vaughan
46. Runaways Vol. 7: Live Fast by Brian K. Vaughan
47. Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways by Zeb Wells
48. Runaways: Dead End Kids by Joss Whedon
49. Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers by Christopher Yost
50. His At Night by Sherry Thomas
51. Johnny Hiro by Fred Chao
52. Runaways: Dead Wrong by Terry Moore
53. Runaways: Rock Zombies by Terry Moore
Runaways: Homeschooling by Katherine Immonen
54. Remember When by Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb
The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate
Princess Nevermore by Dian Curtis Regan
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight In Heaven by Sherman Alexie
55. Holiday Sparks by Shannon Stacey
56. Jack of Fables Vol. 7: The New Adventures of Jack and Jack by Bill Willingham
57. Lead Me On by Victoria Dahl
58. The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

Key:
* is for rereads
bold is for favorites
strikethrough is for DNFs

April:
59. Divided In Death by J.D. Robb
60. Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones
61. Trust Me On This by Jennifer Crusie
62. Wild At Heart by Jane Graves

Key:
* is for rereads
bold is for favorites
strikethrough is for DNFs

My reading tends not to be very structured, and if I go more than two weeks or so without reading a romance novel of some sort I tend to develop a case of "the shakes," but I am nonetheless going to try and work on these targeted books:

(I anticipate the 2007 Acquisitions giving me the most trouble since my taste for fantasy books tapered off significantly soon after I acquired all of those darn books. But I am going to try!)

Series I've been working on finishing/getting caught up to date with:
1. J.D. Robb's "In Death" series (~17.5/32 Done)
2. Louise Rennison's "Georgia Nicholson" books (5/10 Done)
3. Terry Pratchett's "Witches" books (2/5 Done)

My unread acquisitions from 2006:
1. Drowned Ammet - DWJ
2. The Spellcoats - DWJ
3. The Crown Of Dalemark - DWJ
4. The Outlaws Of Sherwood - Robin McKinley Discarded
5. The Boy Next Door - Josie Lloyd
6. Silas Marner - George Eliot

My unread acquisitions from 2007:
1. The Dispossessed - U. K. LeGuin
2. The Dragon and the George - Gordon R. Dickson
3. The Dragon and The Djinn - Gordon R. Dickson
4. The Spiral Dance - R. Garcia Robertson
5. A College Of Magics - Caroline Stevermer
6. The Dark Is Rising - Susan Cooper
7. Princess Nevermore - Dian Curtis Regan Discarded
8. The Door Into Shadow - Diane Duane
9. The Door Into Fire - Diane Duane
10. Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris
11. Wild At Heart - Jane Graves DONE
12. I Got You, Babe - Jane Graves
13. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry
14. Infernal Affairs - Jane Heller
15. The Sorceress and the Cygnet - Patricia A. McKillip
16. A Nameless Witch - A. Lee Martinez DONE
17. Pink Moon - Stef Ann Holm

Series I own multiple books of that I've barely started (if at all):
1. Diana Wynne Jones' "Dalemark Quartet"
2. Jeff Smith's "Bone" graphic novels DONE
3. Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series
4. Susan Cooper's "The Dark Is Rising" sequence
5. Megan McCafferty's "Jessica Darling" series

Glad to see you back, Tabs!

Thanks, Stasia!

Welcome back!

Always good times in this thread, so nice to have you back! You'll catch up on the Georgia series this year, I know you will :)

I've read the Outlander series and I really want to read more of Pratchett and Diana Wynne Jones. Good luck on your reads this year.

Hello - popping in to say hello - saw your post in the 'meet your fellow readers' thread and we have similar likes in books :)

Happy New Year, Tabs!

Hi everybody and thanks for stopping in! And Happy New Year!

#8: Oh, yeah, I definitely will finish the Georgia books this year. I thought it would be wise to list some things I am happily working on in addition to things I hope to get to. More things to cross off that way. :)

#9: I think I read the first 90 pages of Outlander before shelving it for a bit. I'm actually trying to work on it this month for a TIOLI Challenge so it may actually get read!

#12: I love Outlander, but I first learned to love it in audio format, which I think helped. It took me a while to really get into the book, but once I did, I was off and running. I hope you enjoy it too, Tabs.

It appears that January has inadvertently become “Comics Month” around here since I’m starting the year off with four New Year’s purchases that I devoured as soon as I got them home.

First up...



1. Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things by Ted Naifeh
2. Courtney Crumrin and The Coven Of Mystics by Ted Naifeh
3. Courtney Crumrin In The Twilight Kingdom by Ted Naifeh
(Acquired: bought used, 2010)
(Ratings: 3/5, 3.5/5, 3.5/5)

I saw these on a shelf at a used book store and, due to my great affection for Naifeh’s Polly and the Pirates, couldn’t resist snagging them all up.

The books are manga-style comics featuring preteen curmudgeon Courtney Crumrin, who goes to live with her mysterious great-uncle and comes to find that she’s right at home amongst goblins, witches, talking cats, and the other various things that go bump in the night.

The tone is much darker than I expected, and Courtney is often strangely hardened and vulnerable all at the same time. On the downside, the plot and characterization left me thinking “where the hell did that come from?” more often than I liked. Additionally, it often drove me nuts when characters would do the same things over and over again and appear to have learned nothing. On the plus side, however, the art was consistently gorgeous. Overall, I’d say I really enjoyed these books, but they’re not without flaws.

#14: Those look great! (adds them to her Wishlist)

4. Fables Vol. 14: Witches by Bill Willingham
(Acquired: bought new, 2011)
(Rating: 4/5)

I thought this latest entry was a great return to form for this series after the last two lackluster volumes.

“Once he decided he needed to destroy you, you were basically DOOMED.”
“I’ve never HEARD of such a creature. What are his powers?”
“He READS. He reads everything.”

The Fable witches are scheming and vying for power, Frau Totenkinder sets out on a mission, a familiar foe tries to regain her power and finds a most unlikely adversary… and then there’s baseball and justice thrown in too.

I was trying to hold off on reading this book until volume 15 came out in April but I failed. Now I’m fondly looking forward to April. :)



 

5. Classic Pin-Up Art of Jack Cole by Alex Chun
(Acquired: Christmas Present, 2010)
(Rating: N/A)

I was given this book as a gift and I can’t deny that my first thought was “Pin-Ups? Uh, what the hell?!?” But one of my best friends gave it to me because he thought it’d be funny and that I’d appreciate the art.

Hah. He was right. The drawings, most especially the ink wash ones, are absolutely gorgeous.

On the downside, while I found some of the cartoons and captions funny, most of them fell somewhere in the spectrum between “silly” and “misogynistic and offensive” with the majority landing at “mostly inoffensive.” Also, I really could have lived a full life without ever having heard women being described as “estrogen soufflés.” Sadly, this was not to be.

Lovely drawings. Not my favorite genre.

Welcome back! I started the Fables series then stalled. Perhaps I'll get back to it this year?

Thanks! I was glad to find your new thread yesterday!

I hope you enjoy Fables if you get back to them this year. :)

Well, I went to the library yesterday for the first time in a good long while and it was glorious!

I borrowed two books about sock knitting since I splurged on a bright red ball of sock yarn the other day, two children's books about rhinoceroses for my fourth-grader brother's school report, the fourth (and last) Courtney Crumrin book, and Sarah MacLean's Nine Rules To Break When Romancing A Rake. I'm not allowed to read that last one until I've finished the two books I'm currently working on, though. It's my reward. :)

And, despite having read none of the other books in the series, I couldn't pass up buying Nora Robert's Happy Ever After for $1 from the sale area. I resisted the 4/$1 romances for sale, though, because I am determined to be discriminate this year.

You need to tell me what fluffy books are, and why they might be attacking, before I expire from curiosity... :-)

Ack! I'm expected to explain my silly tagline?

Well, the books are "fluffy" because I tend to read light fiction. And they're attacking because they greatly outnumber me at this point.

And they're deceptively vicious.

Also, I love exclamation points and have a strong affinity for the ridiculous.

I am glad to see your reading year has gotten off to a 'graphic' start, Tabs :)

Hah. Indeed it has, Stasia. Indeed. :)

Ok, since I last posted here I, among other things...

finished a book I got for Christmas that I really didn't like, permanently abandoned a book from my "acquired in 2006" list after giving it a fair try, had a great time reading another Georgia Nicholson book, got half-way into Northanger Abbey before finding it incredibly dull and shelving it for a bit, devoured Loretta Chase's latest amazing book, and just received the 10th Georgia book in the mail which brings me up to owning 9/10 of the books.

Good times. Back reviews coming soon.

Well, at least you have been busy, Tabs :)

6. Courtney Crumrin's Monstrous Holiday by Ted Naifeh
(Acquired: Borrowed from the Library, 2011)
(Rating: 3.5/5)

Werewolves and vampires! Oh, my!

Well, I finished the series.

I appreciated how flawed the adult humans that inhabit Courtney’s world are and thought the ways in which they disappoint her were really interesting. However, the problems I had with previous volumes of the series were still present in this one. As usual, there were a few times when got ripped out of the story and thought “Wait, where did that come from?” and had to go back and make sure I hadn’t skipped a page or two.

Overall conclusion: Flawed but interesting series. Very quick reads.





7. My Year Of Flops: The A.V. Club Presents One Man’s Journey Deep Into the Heart Of Cinematic Failure by Nathan Rabin
(Acquired: Christmas Gift, 2010)
(Rating: 2.5/5)

I put this on my Christmas wishlist because I’m a fan of the A. V. Cub website and had enjoyed the handful of “My Year Of Flops” entries I had read on-line. Actually, I just went to the website, realized I hadn’t read one of the columns in ages, and found about twenty I’d like to read now.

I really wanted to like this book, and I really kind of hated it.

Sigh.

The ridiculously long preambles? I hated them. After a few essays, I couldn’t help screaming “What the hell is this movie about? When was it made? And who the hell is in it?” because I usually didn’t have any answers to these things until 5-10 paragraphs into the essays.

I didn’t laugh at the jokes. I didn’t find them funny. I often found them mean. And I can’t say I cared much for the profanity and off-color commentary either.

As critical essays, I didn’t think they worked well either. The set-up of what the movie was about, when it was made, and who the principal players involved were often incredibly confusing. The tangents were also incredibly frequent and of unbelievable length.

In the afterword, the author writes that “I began My Year Of Flops not to bury cinematic failures but to praise them. I have strayed early and often from that mission, yet I’ve tried my damnest to live up to the good intentions I laid out in my introduction.”

See, I didn’t pick up on hardly any of that intended affection for these movies. I really wish I had, because that’s what I was interested in reading, but I just didn’t see it there.

To borrow the author’s own rating scale, I’m going to call this one a failure I wish had been a secret success.

8. Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts
(Acquired: Bought Used, 2011)
(Rating: 3/5)

Fluffy, light-hearted wedding-themed contemporary romance.

It was fine, but I think I prefer the Nora Roberts books with stronger suspense and/or dramatic elements. Her straight contemporaries tend to feel a bit flat to me.




DNF: The Outlaws Of Sherwood by Robin McKinley

After multiple tries, 4+ years on my shelves, four chapters down , and approximately 46 pages… I’m calling this one as a “Did Not Finish” and tossing it in the “donate or trade” pile.

I couldn’t get invested in the characters or story and I actively disliked the writing style in this early McKinley book. Oh well, moving on…




9. Away Laughing On A Fast Camel by Louise Rennison
(Acquired: Via Bookmooch, 2010)
(Rating: 4/5)

And... it's another Georgia Nicholson book!

Georgia’s got boy blues in this one and, since she’s managed to worm her way into my heart, I was feeling very sympathetic to her woes.

My favorite bits involved: mad Rosie in general, Dave’s hormones, an accidental conga line, and Georgia’s Mum’s mostly random anecdote about a large-breasted topless woman riding a motorbike in high heels. Hah.

Five down, five to go in this series…

Glad you liked Away Laughing on a Fast Camel (one of my favorite titles; makes no sense whatsoever, lol). I'm still working on that series, too. I think I'm up to #8; I'm not sure. :) Anyway, I hope you're able to fit those remaining 5 in this year. It's an awesome series.

Hah. Sara, I was about to reply that none of the titles in that series make much sense but then I realized that you were in fact right and "Away Laughing on a Fast Camel" is extraordinarily silly. :)

Oh...I am sorry to hear about The Outlaws of Sherwood - I've had that one on my wishlist for awhile but have never gotten around to it.

I've loved Outlaws of Sherwood for years, but I can see how it wouldn't be for everyone.

#30: Oh, I wouldn't put that much stock in my DNF. The book's got lot plenty of fans and I've enjoyed other McKinley books.

#31: I'm glad you loved it. I've read a number of McKinley's books and there were a few I loved and a few I hated. This one just didn't seem to be up my alley.

32 kangaroo - She's one of my favorite authors and there are a couple books of hers that I don't like at all, so yeah, I get it.

10. Last Night's Scandal by Loretta Chase
(Acquired: Via Bookmooch, 2010)
(Rating: 4/5)

Opposites attract in this Regency-era childhood friends turned lovers plot.

The story follows Olivia and Lyle, who haven’t seen much of each other since appearing as children in Lord Perfect, but who have managed to keep up a correspondence over the years while he’s been off exploring Egyptian tombs and she’s been raising hell back home in London leaving mayhem, destruction, and a trail of broken hearts and engagements in her wake.

When Olivia purposefully gets the two of them embroiled in an adventure involving a problematic Scottish castle, they’re forced to confront their feelings, of both the lusty and non-lusty variety, for each other and figure out how to reconcile the fundamental differences between them without chipping away at their distinct identities.

Easily the best of Chase’s recent books. I heartily recommend it.




11. Don't Hex With Texas by Shanna Swendson
(Acquired: Bought new, 2007)
(Rating: 2.5/5)

I read half of this book a little over three years ago, lost interest, shelved it, and just now got around to wrapping it up. The is the fourth book in Swendson’s light-hearted Magic Inc. series that is mostly breezy chick-lit with a little urban fantasy thrown in.

While I found previous books in this series charming, I thought this entry was pretty lackluster.

Glad to see you are still enjoying Chase's books, Tabs.

I am enjoying them immensely, Stasia. :) Luckily, I've still got a bunch left on my unread shelves to get through.

Library haul!

I took the little brothers to the library last night so that they could check out every book they could find on the Lord of The Rings movies. And, of course, it only took them 60 seconds to immediately find a picture featuring Orc buttocks and another with Troll penis out of hundreds of pictures. Much snickering in the aisles followed.

Even though I hadn't intended to get anything... I walked away with a nice stack:

Singin' In The Rain: The Making of an American Masterpiece by Earl J. Hess
A Crooked Kind Of Perfect by Linda Urban
How To Knit A Wild Bikini by Christie Ridgway
Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James

12. Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James
(Acquired: Bought Used, 2010)
(Rating: 4/5)

I usually find “battle of the sexes” plots to be annoying at best and horribly insulting to both genders at worst. That being said, I loved this one because it gets everything right that usually is gotten wrong.

The protagonists are two workaholic lawyers in the same competitive firm who are excellent at their jobs, are complete professionals, love their work… and frickin can’t stand each other. Sometimes their arguments are smart and interesting, and other times they lose their cool and get childish and petty with each other. I love, though, that when one of them acts childish or petty, they quickly feel remorseful and apologize. They make mistakes sometimes, but are not actually assholes.

Very much reccomended for contemporary romance fans.

I liked James’ most recent book, Something About You, but I really loved this one.




13. Bone Vol. 1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith
(Acquired: charity shop, 2010)
(Rating: 3.5/5)

I picked up the first 5 volumes of this series at an incredible steal without having read any of them.

I liked this first volume but thought it was a little rocky. However, the art is gorgeous and Grandma Ben is an awesome character. Working my way through this series…

14. Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
(Acquired: Bought New, 2011)
(Rating: 4/5)

Meg’s a screw-up. Ted’s the golden boy who can do no wrong. He just got left at the altar by her best friend, blames Meg, and is not in any mood to be a nice guy. Meg learns how to stand on her own two feet, Ted learns to embrace a little imperfection, and they both find they have more in common than they thought.

Yay! Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ new book is here! Woo!

Though this one incorporates characters from no less than five previous SEP novels, I would strongly recommend reading Lady Be Good before diving into this one as they take place entirely in the same town and involve many of the same characters.

I really enjoy this one. So much so that it's made me decide to give "Lady Be Good" a second chance after not caring for it much the first go around.





15. Jumper by Steven Gould
(Acquired: via Bookmooch, 2010)
(Rating: 2.5/5)

This is not a genre I tend to read much of, but I liked the idea of a teen who finds he can teleport and I had heard good reviews along the lines of “the movie is crap but the books are great.”

Gotta say, though, I really disliked this book so I can't imagine how much worse the movie could actually be.

It didn’t help that I thoroughly disliked the protagonist. I initially felt some sympathy for the poor kid and liked that he’s clever and his public library is his go-to safe haven. This didn’t last long. The protagonist doesn’t really have a wide range of emotions. He mostly “wants to cry,” “feels like he’s going to puke,” or blushes. He also whines regularly and gets irrationally angry at the top of a hat. It’s incredibly irritating.

I also disliked the writing. The same phrases being used over and over again drove me nuts; there’s a major plot-twist in the middle of the book that I thought was ridiculously out of place; and the two halves of the novel didn’t feel at all like they belonged in the same genre let alone the same novel.

Needless to say, I’m not going to be reading the sequel.

#38: I enjoyed the Bone series, Tabs. I hope you continue to do so.

I am really enjoying them, Stasia. I loved the second one and am now proceeding steadily through the others I own.

#41: Glad to hear it! I enjoyed the books so much that I bought the one-volume anthology.

The anthology is in the original black and white, right?

I don't think I could give up the full-color illustrations. I love them so.

16. How To Knit A Wild Bikini by Christie Ridgway
(Acquired: Borrowed Library, 2011)
(Rating: 3/5)

Wow have I been on a contemporary romance kick lately.

I previously read the third book in this series and didn’t like it much. I did, however like this one. Aside from preferring a little more comedy in my romance and one minor annoyance issue,* I thought it was a pretty good guilty-pleasure read. I’ll probably end up reading the second book in this series for completion’s sake, but I’m in no hurry.

*Mini-rant! The horrible “nicknames/terms of endearments” bestowed up the female characters really got on my nerves. If someone called me “Cookie” or “Froot Loop” repeatedly in lieu of using my actual name even after I had repeatedly told them to stop, there would be serious face-punching. Sigh. Mini-rant over.





17. Bone Vol. 2: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith
(Acquired: Bought Used, 2010)
(Rating: 4/5)

Ok, consider me hooked now.

I really appreciated that a bigger picture than “the Bone cousins interact with people” is starting to emerge. I also loved the physical comedy. There’s a spectacular chase sequence that involves multiple panels of creatures falling that I particularly loved.

Am very excited. Continuing on now…





18. Imitation In Death by J.D. Robb
(Acquired: Bought Used, 2009)
(Rating: 3/5)

Wow, this sure was a gory one. Any murder case that has police officers vomiting in disgust within the first five pages of the book… not going to be pretty.

Not one of my favorites in the series. I enjoyed all of the side stuff, especially anything involving Peabody, but was put off by the shock-value of the case in this one.

I'm all caught up! How did that happen?!?

#45: The world as we know it is coming to an end! lol

Books Acquired in January:

Bought New:
Fables Vol. 14: Witches – Bill Willingham
Paper Towns – John Green
Lady Be Good – Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Early Reviewers:
Call Me Irresistable – Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Bookmooch:
False Colours – Georgette Heyer
Last Night’s Scandal – Loretta Chase
Oryx and Crake – Margaret Atwood
Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? – Louise Rennison
Then Comes Marriage – Kasey Michaels
The Truth About Stacey - Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier
A Countess Below Stairs – Eva Ibbotson

Library Sale Area:
Practice Makes Perfect – Julie James
Happy Ever After – Nora Roberts
Oliver Kitteridge – Elizabeth Strout
The Lacuna – Barbara Kingsolver
Skin Tight – Carl Hiassen

Acquired 16 new books this month and managed to read about 1/3 of them already. The numbers could be better but there are some great books in there so I'm not really concerned. Yet.

Am already working on Olive Kitteridge.

19. Bone Vol. 3: Eyes Of The Storm by Jeff Smith
20. Bone Vol. 4: The Dragonslayer by Jeff Smith
21. Bone Vol. 5: Rock Jaw by Jeff Smith
(Acquired: Bought Used, 2010)
(Ratings: 3.5/5, 4/5, 4/5)

More great stuff going on with the Bone series.

The plot moved along nicely, Phoney Bone finally showed a redeeming characteristic or two, and Smiley Bone made me cry. Damn you, Smiley!

I’ve got the last four volumes on deck now and should be finishing this series soon. I’m really looking forward to it.





22. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
(Acquired: Bought Used, 2011)
(Rating: 4/5)

A series of small-town vignettes weave together a portrait of one if it’s ordinary yet extraordinary residents. Olive Kitteridge plays various roles, sometimes starring, sometimes supporting, and sometimes merely being mentioned in passing, in all twenty-one tales about love, grief, marriage, family, and community in a small New England town.

Though I didn't think the book was without flaws, I really enjoyed it. Once I had started it, I had an incredibly difficult time putting it down.

Side note: This book really made me want to dig out my old copy of Spoon River Anthology. It might be time for a re-read there.

#48: I am glad to see you are continuing to enjoy the Bone series, Tabs. Also glad that Olive Kitteridge has found another fan.

I have never read Spoon River Anthology. I need to get to it one of these days!

Ack, just a note, don't see Jumper. It's awful. If the book is terrible, then I kind of understand why the movie was, too... ugh... that's 2 hours of my life I'll never get back...

Happy Birthday to you Tabatha! I hope your day is a special one.

Happy Birthday, Tabs!

Happy Birthday, Tabatha.

#49: It's been more than ten years since I've read it, but I remember having to read it in high school and finding it fascinating while all of my classmates found it boring.

#50: Hah. Oh, no worries there.

#51/52/53: Thanks for the birthday wishes, all! It was a good one. I got cheesecake. :)

> 48, 54: When I was in high school, my whole class was so fascinated by Spoon River Anthology that we talked our English teacher into letting us write two anthologies of epitaphs. Of course, half the people in my class liked writing poetry anyway, but it was a really fun project. We created our own little town with a backstory and some really interesting characters.

#55: That's spectacular. I wish I had been in that class. :)

Alright, I'm definitely fishing that book out of the basement now.

I needed some comfort reading recently and went on a contemporary romance binge (yes, another one) and ended up re-reading two favorites before giving a new one a try.



22. Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips*
(Aquired: Bought New, 2006)
(Rating: 4/5)

This one’s my second favorite SEP novel.

Gracie Snow’s an efficient woman trying to branch out and add a little excitement to her life. Managing prematurely retired football player Bobby Tom Denton is the first step and he’s not about to make her job easy.

Oh, I love Bobby Tom so much. The man may be 90% bravado but he sure is entertaining.





23. Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas*
(Acquired: Bought Used, 2010)
(Rating: 4/5)

This one’s a sweet and tender romance between a sexy businessman and a sensible woman who is forced to care for her wayward sister’s newborn infant. It’s got a well-worn premise but the execution is flawless.





24. Crush On You by Christie Ridgway
(Acquired: Bought Used, 2011)
(Rating: 2/5)

Meh. A mediocre romance with cardboard cut-outs instead of characters. I couldn’t muster up any affection or fondness for a single character in this book.

congratulations on reading 24 books thus far.

I have not yet read Heaven, Texas. Thanks for the mention, Tabs. I will look for it the next time I am in the mood for something light!

#58: Thanks. But quantity's easy when they're nearly all romances and comic books. :)

#59: Oh, I really think you'd enjoy it Stasia. Hope you get to it one of these days.

#60: Thanks, Tabs!

Ack, three weeks and... 18 books behind.



26. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
(Acquired: Via Bookmooch, 2010)
(Rating: 3.5/4)

In the first book in the Pratchett's “Witches” sequence, seasoned witch Granny Weatherwax tries to help a young girl deal with an accidental acquisition of Wizard (i.e. male) magic.

I enjoyed it but also thought Granny's character beats were a little off from the characters I know and love from later books. Though it certainly isn't one, it felt a little bit like a prequel to me. I am looking forward to working my way through this series.





27. Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis
(Acquired: Bought New, 2010)
(Rating: 3.5/5)

This one was an enjoyable sports-themed contemporary romance with extremely likeable leads and interesting family conflicts. Unfortunately, the conflicts keeping them apart were flimsy at best and things got obnoxiously repetitive fast. I liked this one, but found it a bit disappointing.





28. Searching For Dragons by Particia Wrede
(Acquired: Via Bookmooch, 2011)
(Rating: 4/5)

I liked the first Enchanted Forest Chronicles book but found Cimorene to be a little grating all on her lonesome. The solution: give her the perfect partner in crime! I loved Mendebar and I especially loved Mendebar and Cimorene playing off of each other. I am really enjoying this series.

Side Note: I got 3/4 of the way through this book and pitched a serious fit when I managed to lose it in my (nearly empty) car overnight. I had to wait 12 whole hours to finish it. Nearly killed me, that. :)

29. Avalon High by Meg Cabot
(Acquired: Bought Used, 2010)
(Rating: 3/5)

Meh. Not one of Cabot’s finest. As usual, I pretty much liked all of the teen characters (who weren’t villains, of course). However, the concept of Camelot reincarnated never got less corny as the book went on. This one just wasn’t my cup of tea.





30. How To Be Popular by Meg Cabot
(Acquired: Bought Used, 2010)
(Rating: 3.5/5)

Ok, this one I liked much better. In the tradition of a few of her other books, namely Pants On Fire and Teen Idol, this one follows a mostly ordinary Indiana teen. In this case, an ordinary teen who is sick of getting bullied so she takes some advice from an old 1950’s joke book on “How To Be Popular."

Overall, I thought this one was a quick and fluffy, but very enjoyable.





31. Here Comes The Groom by Karina Bliss
(Acquired: Via Bookmooch, 2011)
(Rating: 4/5)

This was my favorite book from February.

It's a remarkably sweet and tender romance between two best friends who are both trying to overcome personal traumas.

Since this review over at "Dear Author" does a much better job than I could at reviewng the book, I'll just direct you over there.

Series romance is a genre I usually steer clear of but, after loving this one and really enjoying What The Librarian Did when I read it a few months ago, Karina Bliss is most assuredly an author I'll be keeping my eye out for.

Gah! The internet ate tonight's post just as I was putting the last cover art in! Stupid internet!

Argh. Giving up tonight, will try again tomorrow.

Oh, bummer! :( Looking forward to your reviews, though.

Thanks Sara. Took me longer than I thought to bounce back. But! I feel motivated tonight! Mostly because I want to write about the book I got so angry at that I tossed across the room last night and there are now 12 or so books standing in my way.

Oh well, anger is a great motivator sometimes. :)

32. Persepolis: The Story Of A Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
(Acquired: Bought Used, 2010)
(Rating: 3.5/5)

Ok, here’s where I offer an incredibly contrary opinion.

Persepolis didn’t work for me. I’m not entirely sure what the problem was, but I found myself unable to connect emotionally and I often had quite a difficult time trying to sympathize with many of the child protagonist’s actions throughout the story.

It’s an interesting story and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to fans of memoirs, but I personally didn’t respond well to it.






33. Bone Vol. 6: Old Man’s Cave by Jeff Smith
34. Bone Vol. 7: Ghost Circles by Jeff Smith
35. Bone Vol. 8: The Treasure Hunters by Jeff Smith
36. Bone Vol. 9: Crown Of Horns by Jeff Smith
(Acquired: One Bought Used, 3 Borrowed From Library)
(Ratings: 3.5/5, 3.5/5, 4/5, 4/5)

And then I finished Bone! In one day! Because I had to. Yup, I dragged my feet until the books were due back at the library the next day only to find that I couldn’t renew them since someone had placed a hold on the very last volume. Speed reading ensued.

Overall, I really enjoyed the series. I thought Smith was a bit more adept at working with the comic aspects of the story than some of the fantasy elements but that’s a minor complaint.

Highly recommended. Now, lets see if I can get my 10 yr-old brother hooked on them...






37. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
(Acquired: Via Bookmooch, 2010)
(Rating: 3/5)

Terry Pratchett plus Macbeth should equal incredible amounts of awesome, right? Well, consider me underwhelmed. This one just didn’t gel for me but I’m still enthused about continuing to work on this series. Next up for this series: evil fairy godmothers!

This was the spot in my reading travails where I picked up 4 or 5 books from the unread shelves in a row and didn’t get very far before tossing them all in my swap pile. None of them were bad, per se, but lackluster at best just wasn’t cutting it. I’m going to be pickier with my book acquisitions from now on though, I swear. Once I get through this TBR, I'm not letting it get this backed up again.





38. Paper Towns by John Green
(Acquired: Bought New, 2011)
(Rating: 4/5)

I had heard next to nothing about this book from contemporary YA author John Green, but I picked it up form the bargain shelf at Borders anyway. And boy am I glad I did.

When enigmatic Margo Roth Speigelman crawls into Quentin Jacobson’s bedroom window one school night and drags him along on a series of mostly revenge-fueled mischievous tasks, it’s only the beginning of the story. Quentin then spends the few weeks left of his senior year of high school navigating through the tangled web of clues and contradictions that Margo leaves in her wake.

In many ways, Margo feels like a classic Manic Pixie Dream Girl of a character. Fortunately, Quentin gradually comes to realize “What a treacherous thing it is to believe that a person is more than a person.” and that “Margo was not a miracle. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl.”

I really enjoyed this book. And that road trip at the end had me laughing in stitches the entire time. It took me ages to get through because I had to keep pausing to laugh. Recommended.





39. Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey
(Acquired: Bought e-book, 2011)
(Rating: 4/5)

And another one I loved! I had run across some very good reviews on this breezy contemporary romantic comedy but was put off that it was only available in e-book format. Then I got an iphone.

The blurb: “When Keri Daniels’ editor finds out she has previous carnal knowledge of reclusive bestselling author Joe Kowalski, she gives Keri a choice: get an interview or get a new job.”

So, Keri is forced to grovel a bit to the high-school sweetheart whose heart she broke twenty years previously. Joe’s not vindictive but he still decides to make her jump through a couple of hoops to get her interview and those hoops include camping with his extensive family clan, nearly getting eaten alive my mosquitoes, riding ATVs, and dealing with his twin sister who does still hold quite a grudge.

Honestly, I loved most everything about this book. I thought that it was hilarious, the two leads were incredibly likeable and sympathetic, and the roadblocks in their path to happiness were honest and realistic.

On a side note: My favorite part of this book was Joe’s respect for Keri’s job. Not once does he scoff at the kind of writing she does or insinuate that her job’s not important because it’s frivolous. As this is something that happens at the drop of a hat in most contemporary romances, I really appreciated it not happening here.

Consider me delighted. I can't wait to read more from Shannon Stacey now.

#66: lol @ anger is a great motivator sometimes. Definitely! :)

#67: I just bought Persepolis a week or two ago @ work, and was hoping to read it before watching the movie, but we'll see. The book looks a lot bigger than I had expected.

Bone is another graphic novel series I really want to read. I think Stasia recommended it to me (waves @ Stasia if she's reading this :), so it's good to know more people enjoy it.

lol @ I finished Bone! In one day!. I can relate, but it's usually a movie or something that has a few minutes left til the ending . . . and it's already a day or two late . . . and then I end up late to work because of it. Now it's nice to actually work in a library, because my items can be late and I don't get fined. Yay for little perks like that! :)

#68: I'll have to look for Paper Towns. Sounds good!

I'm a fan of John Green! An Abundance of Katherines and Looking for Alaska are just as good as Paper Towns.

I think I first heard of him when someone linked to his youtube video here which mentions LibraryThing, so I first became a fan of his and his brother's youtube thing and then eventually picked up his books, heh.

#69: Hah. Procrastinators unite!

The book is big? You may have both volumes combined in one, The Story Of A Childhood and The Story Of A Return. I only had the first volume on hand and it was pretty slim. I'd also say it's a fast read.

#70: Hah. Okay, "You're a foul misshapen stigmatic with an odiferous stench" is my new favorite insult.

Looking For Alaska was my first John Green and I really enjoyed it. I started An Abundance Of Katherines once but wasn't in the mood and returned it to the library. It's at the top of the wishlist now. :)

40. The Nameless Witch by A. M. Martinez
(Acquired: Bought New, 2007)
(Rating: 3/5)

The blurb on the front cover describes this book as “A tale of vengeance, true love, and cannibalism.” Heh.

This is an interesting story about a woman who was born undead due to a curse placed generations ago on one of her ancestors by a dying sorcerer, who the heroine coins as “Nasty Larry” since no one knows his name any more. Since curses can’t be broken, she’s determined to weather it as best she can before eventually succumbing to the nasty beast she’s fated to turn into. So, in the course of things, she becomes a witch and eventually has to set out on a mission of vengeance.

It’s a black comedy so there’s plenty of humor but it’s pretty dry in nature. As someone who is pretty squeamish when it comes to gore, I’d say the level’s not too bad, though the main character does spend a good chunk of the novel graphically visualizing eating people and her demonic duck is extremely bloodthirsty. Yes, demonic duck. Heh.

I thought this book was interesting but flawed. The biggest problem is that the protagonist is a bit of a dud of a character. Because she’s so bland, I didn’t find the romance worked at all either.

Overall, I thought it was a good read and wouldn't rule out my reading more of this author in the future.





41. The Peach Keeper by Sara Addison Allen
(Acquired: From Early Reviewers)
(Rating: 4/5)

Oh, I sure was glad this turned out to be good. After really not enjoying The Girl Who Chased The Moon last year, I was especially glad to see a return to form for Sarah Addison Allen and her particular blend of women’s fiction, southern charm, and magical realism.

The restoration of a local landmark is the catalyst for change in this novel. Secrets long buried are uncovered, bonds of friendship are formed and reinforced, and the main characters all find ways to make peace with their past selves in order to move in the directions they want their futures to take.

Though I wish a little more attention had been paid to the burgeoning friendship between the two women, I was wholly satisfied with this book. I’d heartily recommend it for fans of Allen’s work.

Graphic Novel Binge Time!!!!

First up…



42. The Babysitter's Club: The Truth About Stacey (Graphic Novel) by Ann M. Martin
(Acquired: Via Paperback Swap, 2011)
(Rating: 2/5)

Ugh. I think I’m done with these. I enjoyed the first one but each one I’ve read since has just been an exercise in pain.

I remember enjoying the original books as a kid but man do these not hold up well to modern times. Also, I really didn’t respond well to the art in this book. I’ve complained before about my dislike of the limited facial expressions in these books before and it was really no better here. About the third time I found myself wanting to scream “Stop being so smug and self-righteous, you little brats!” I realized these graphic novels just weren’t for me.





43. Runaways Vol. 4: True Believers by Brian K. Vaughan*
44. Runaways Vol. 5: Escape to New York by Brian K. Vaughan *
45. Runaways Vol. 6: Parental Guidance by Brian K. Vaughan
46. Runaways Vol. 7: Live Fast by Brian K. Vaughan
(Acquired: combination of owned and borrowed from the library)
(Ratings: 3.5/5, 3.5/5, 4/5, 4/5)

So, to continue the “graphic novels for teens” binge I had apparently embarked on, I dove head first in Marvel’s “Runaways” Series about a group of teens who find out their parents are all founding members of a vicious gang of super villain criminals and they, uh… runaway.

I had actually read the first five volumes or so a few years ago and liked them well enough but put them out of my mind.

On a second go, I found I really liked them. Yeah, I got really annoyed whenever the kids would stop to speechify about how all grown-ups suck and are evil but I would just roll my eyes and move on. So, overall I thought this was a fun series with art I really liked and that I thought wrapped up really well, albeit with a minor cliffhanger to keep things going.





47. Civil War: Young Avengers and Runaways by Zeb Wells
48. Runaways: Dead End Kids by Joss Whedon
49. Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers by Christopher Yost
(Acquired: Borrowed From The Library)
(Ratings: 3/5, 2.5/5, 3/5)

This is the point where things get rocky and I really wish in hindsight that I’d just stopped reading when Brian K. Vaughn stopped writing.

I thought the crossovers with the Young Avengers and what was going on in the regular marvel universe at the time were fine. Not great, but not offensively terrible or anything.

The Joss Whedon volume probably wasn’t critically worse than the other two, but it royally ticked me off at times and I’m a grudge holder. The biggest offense? Having The Kingpin stop mid-soliloquy to munch on a chocolate bar before resuming.

Ugh, there’s no going back from there, really. Yeah, I didn’t love these.

Runaways is another series I want to read (thanks for the input on each one); and I just bought the graphic version of Kristy's Great Idea, so I'm curious how it'll hold up to the original book/series. Glad you went on a graphic novel binge. That's all I seem to be reading nowadays. :)

I have not been checking threads for a while now, Tabs, but hopefully I will be able to keep up with you from this point forward for the remainder of the year.

#74: My graphic novel intake has been quite high this year. I'm probably making up for it being pretty low the last couple of years.

I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy Runaways. And I actually really enjoyed the graphic novel version ofKristy's Great Idea so I hope you do too. :)



#75: Welcome back, Stasia! Yeah, I've been scarce as well lately. Have barely been updating my own thread, let alone reading others.

#76: Well, maybe we can stick together for the rest of the year, huh?

50. His At Night by Sherry Thomas
(Acquired: Bought New, 2011)
(Rating: 4/5)

This historical romance has a bit of a dark edge. Both protagonists are masters of putting on a perfect mask for the world at large. Ellisande’s mask is her only way of coping with an abusive home-life and Vere’s mask is essential to his work as an undercover covert agent for the crown.

Although rage-tastic heroes are not usually something I’m a fan of, I really loved how angry the hero of this book was. The heroine forces his hand in a way that infuriates him and he is pretty much boiling over with frustration and rage from that point on. He frequently acts like a complete ass, but I was sympathetic. I loved watching the heroine crack at his armor, with neither one of them realizing it was happening most of the time, and I couldn’t wait to see it all come crashing down.

I really enjoyed this one and will definitely by looking for more from the author.





51. Johnny Hiro by Fred Chao
(Acquired: Bought New, 2011)
(Rating: 4/5)

LT user ryvre recommended this lovely graphic novel on my SantaThing entry this past Christmas-time and boy am I glad I went ahead and bought it.

“Johnny Hiro: Half Asian, All Hero” is both a marvelously entertaining surreal pop-culture peppered comic adventure and a bittersweet look at the struggles of young immigrants in New York City. The pop-culture references include the likes of Godzilla, Mayor Bloomberg, Gwen Stefani, L. L. Cool J, Judge Judy, Night Court, Food Network star Alton Brown… and a whole bunch more I probably missed.

Smart, funny, sweet, and touching… very much recommended.

52. Runaways: Dead Wrong by Terry Moore
53. Runaways: Rock Zombies by Terry Moore
Runaways: Homeschooling by Kathryn Immonen
(Acquired: One bought used, two borrowed from the library)
(Ratings: 2/5, 2/5, DNF)

Ok, I’ll wrap this up fast because I don’t really want to keep beating the “this series went downhill after Vaughan left” dead horse. But sheesh.

On the Terry Moore run? Well, I Hated the writing. I hated the art most of the time. I really hated the instability of the art. All of a sudden a new artist would hop on board and 16-yr-old Nico’s breasts would jump up three cup sizes and the amount of clothing she wore would decrease by 30%. Sigh. And I didn’t even get to the part where much of the plot failed to make any sense at all.

So then yet another new writer, Kathryn Immonen this time, hopped on board. Things weren’t any better than they had been previously but then a core character was suddenly killed in the middle of the book.

Consider my tolerance threshold reached. The book went flying across the room. Runaways and I are officially broken up.

Since the series is currently on hiatus for “re-tooling,” I don’t think I’m the only one who decided to part ways with it. Ah well, it was really good for a while there. I’d recommend the original Vaughan books but not a single one of the others.

Well, I hope the 're-tooling' of the series works wonders for it!

#80: Well, it certainly couldn't get much worse... :)

54. Remember When by Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb
(Acquired: Bought Used, 2009)
(Rating: 3.5/5)

I really enjoyed this two-fer novel centering on the decades-spanning fallout of a big diamond heist.

The first half is a traditional Nora Roberts novel and I thought it was a great deal of fun. Gosh, I love a good con-woman gone straight novel. I had a slight problem with the romance being too easy, though. The characters were perfect for each other in pretty much every way so there was very little in the way of tension. It was very entertaining, though.

The second half, set 60 years after the first, was a good J.D. Robb “Eve Dallas” murder mystery.





55. Holiday Sparks by Shannon Stacey
(Acquired: Purchased eBook, 2011)
(Rating: 2.5/5)

Meh. Holiday romance between a website designer and her sexy electrician. It was fine but I just think romance novellas aren’t my thing. It’s very hard to pull off a convincing romance in so small a space.





56. Jack of Fables Vol. 7: The New Adventures of Jack and Jack by Bill Willingham
(Acquired: Bought New, 2011)
(Rating: 3/5)

This volume has the Jack books setting off in a new direction. I’d be concerned, but with only two more volume remaining before this series is finished, I’m confident the creators know where they’re going and will make me laugh while they get there. I’m now patiently waiting for volume 9 to get released later this year so I can wrap this series up in one go.