Majkia's 12 in 12

Okay, I'm new to this, and really just figured out (I hope) what it's about so if I'm doing this wrong please let me know. I'd thought the categories were selected by someone else, but it appears not, and that we can select our own.

ETA: Starting on 12/12/11 to end on 12/12/12




So, here goes: (books read listed here)

1. Fairytales Retold: old classic fairytales told with a twist or updated -
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
Stardust Neil Gaiman
2. Ancient Rites: fiction based on older and defunct civilizations, like ancient Egypt, etc.
Conqueror - Conn Iggulden
Eagle of the Ninth - Rosemary Sutcliff
3. What If? : alternate history
Tongues of Serpents - Naomi Novik
4. Beyond the Sea of Stars: Sci Fi and Space Opera
Black Lung Captain - Chris Wooding
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
5. Clankers: Steampunk and similar mechanikals
6. Darwinists: tales where biology and tinkering with living beasties is central to the plot
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
7. Warm, Cozy, and/or Bloody: mysteries
Death at Wentwater Court
The Invisible Ones - Stef Penney
Death at the President's Lodging by Michael Innes
Still Life - Louise Penny
The Breach- Patrick Lee
Maisie Dobbs - Jaqueline Winspear
Prophecy - S. J. Parris
A Clubbable Woman - Reginald Hill
8. Who Dat? : authors new to me
The Shape of Water - Andrea Camilleri
Solitary House - Lynn Shepherd
Heresy - S J Parris
Blackbirds - Chuck Wendig
9. High Tea with the Queen : Victorian and/or Edwardian sorts of tales
The Alienist - Caleb Carr
Some Danger Involved - Will Thomas
Silent in the Grave - Deanna Raybourn
10. Brave New Worlds: fiction where world-building is extensive, and significiantly different from ours
Last Argument of Kings - Joe Abercrombie
11. Foreign Climes: tales about non US/Brit countries and characters
River of Gods by Ian McDonald
Iago - David Snodin
The Last Kashmiri Rose - Barbara Cleverly
12. Where are the Unicorns? : fantasy, probably bloody and gritty.
Before They are Hanged - Joe Abercrombie
The Riddle-Master of Hed - Patricia McKillip

1. Fairytales Retold

* Hogfather - Terry Pratchett - appropriately completed on Solstice.

Possiblities:
Stardust - Neil Gaiman
Thomas the Rhymer - Ellen Kushner
The Looking Glass Wars - Frank Beddor

2. Ancient Rites (tales from lost civilizations)

Conqueror - Conn Iggulden
Eagle of the Ninth - Rosemary Sutcliff

Possibilities:

Under Heaven - Guy Gavriel Kay
The Thief - Megan Whalen Turner
Bridge of Birds - Barry Hughart
Foucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco

3. What If? (alternate history)

Tongues of Serpents - Naomi Novik

Possibilities:

The Map of Time - Felix J Palma
Against a Tide of Years - SM Stirling etc Nantucket/Emberverse books
Unnatural History: Pax Britannia Jonathan Green

4. Beyond the Sea of Stars (science fiction and space opera)

a. Black Lung Captain - Chris Wooding
b. Spin - Robert Charles Wilson

Possibilities:

Newton's Wake - Ken MacLeod
Leviathan Wakes - James SA Corey

5. Clankers (Steampunk)

Court of the Air - Stephen Hunt

Possibilities:

New Amsterdam - Elizabeth Bear
The Difference Engine - Sterling/Gibson
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville

6. Darwinists (playing with DNA etc)

1. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Possibilities:

The Doomsday Book - Connie Willis
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
Oryx and Crake - Margare Atwood
Veniss Underground - Jeff VanderMeer
Darwin's Radio - Greg Bear

7. Warm, Cozy and/or Bloody (Mysteries)
Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn
The Invisible Ones - Stef Penny
The Breach - Patrick Lee
Death at the President's Lodging by Michael Innes
Maisie Dobbs - Jacqueline Winspear
Still Life - Louise Perry
The Winter Garden Mystery - Carola Dunn
Prophecy - S J Parris

Possibilities:

Old Fox Deceiv'd - Martha Grimes
The House of Silk - Anthony Horowitz

8. Who Dat? (Authors new to me)
The Shape of Water - Andrea Camilleri
Solitary House - Lynn Shepherd
Heresy - S J Parris

Possibilities:

The Fallen Blade - Jon Courtenay Grimswood
The Horns of Ruin - Tim Akers
Agent of Change - Sharon Lee
Progeny - RT Kaelin

9. High Tea with the Queen (Victorian/Edwardian era)

a. The Alienist by Caleb Carr
b. Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas
c. Silent in the Grave - Deanna Raybourn

Possibilities:

Unnatural History - Jonathan Green
The Mysterious Lady Law - Robert Appleton

10. Brave New Worlds (exotic and intensive world-building)
Last Argument of Kings - Joe Abercrombie

Possibilities:

Midnight Tides etc - Steven Erikson
The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan

11. Foreign Climes (tales about or by non-USians)

1. River of Gods - Ian McDonald
2. Iago: A Novel - David Snodin An ER book
3. The Last Kashmiri Rose - Barbara Cleverly

Possibilities:

Faceless Killers - Henning Markell

12. Where are the Unicorns? (gritty fantasy, no unicorns)

1. Before They are Hanged - Joe Abercrombie
2. The Riddle-Master of Hed - Patricia McKillip

Possibilities:

Thunderer - Felix Gilman
City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
The Edge of the World Keven J Anderson

Hi Jean - welcome to the challenge! Love your categories, especially your "Clankers" and "Darwinists" - if I mention the name Bovril am I on the right track? ;-)

I will of course also be following your "Fairytales Retold" and "Ancient Rites" as well as..... Oh lets just say I will be back visiting your thread often over the course of the challenge to see what you are reading!

Thanks, Lori. And don't you wish you had a Bovril to whisper in your ear? :-)

Oooh. Victorian and steampunk and retold fairytales? Fun!

Looks a terrific bunch of categories to me and nice pics to go with them too. I'm looking forward to following your challenge. Good luck and enjoy!

Thanks Dave. Good luck with yours as well.

I think it's because of your mentions that I'm doing it this year. I've avoided it as I'm still working on my 8 in 2008. Sheesh.

Anyway, love the names and the pictures!

Looks like a challenge that will add to my wishlist! :) Welcome!

thanks Eva! but sorry to add to your TBR mountain....

Welcome to the challenge, looking forward to following all your reading, I am fairly new to the fantasy/sci-fi genres, but it is slowing taking over a good portion of my reading so will be looking for lots of ideas here.

Judy, I was reading mysteries and Victorian novels for years, and ignored sci fi/fantasy (although I'd read them heavily in my younger days) so am still desperately trying to catch up. Alas, that just means I'm falling behind in mysteries... Sigh.. I wish I could read as fast as so many people do here....

very interesting categories will watch with interest

loving your categories! Looks like we have a lot of overlap. I'm particularly interested in your Darwinists category (being a biology teacher and all)

Love, love, love your stuff! Will be coming back to take a peek often.

I'm going to start this on 12/12/11 and my first read will be an ER book I just received, Iago: A Novel. Although I need to re-read Othello or at least find a good wiki on it.

Welcome to the challenge! Great list, I'll be watching your "clankers" as I have just become acquainted with this wonderful genre.

I looked at Iago when it came up on LT - looking forward to hearing what you think!

I finished Iago - bookoholic13, would you like my copy? I'm happy to send it on, if you would - or to anyone!

->30 freddlerabbit:

If you'd be willing to give it up, I'd love to have it! You can Bookmooch it to me - I'm bookoholic13 on BM as well. Thank you!

Hi! I really like your categories -- and the graphics you've used with them!

Didn't see Pastwatch by Orson S. Card in your library... thought it might fit in your 'what if' category...

#33. I'm really leary of Card. I liked Ender's Game and the next one, but then picked up something (I don't remember what) that got all weirdly preachy. Does Pastwatch get that way or not?

err... well... I really like Card - preachiness and all, so... I think it's not as bad as his more preachy ones, but you'd know he was the one who wrote it (know what I mean?). Actually, I'm not sure why I like Card so much since I dislike "moralizing" in my novels, but... I guess his concepts make up for it in my head. He has some really good ideas...

eta: darn... now that we were talking about this, I see that there's a "sequel" to Pastwatch so now I have to find it!

Pastwatch is one of my favorite OSC books... but I think I read it before I became aware of his 'moralizing' tendencies. It's definitely a book that betrays his Mormonism however (if you know anything about the Mormon religion at least... which I really didn't when I read it).

Thanks crazybatcow and clif_hiker. I do know quite a bit about Mormonism, and know quite a few Mormons. Lots of them in the military for some reason.

I didn't care much for Pastwatch but OSC's stuff is like that for me. I can either leave it or love it.

I love your categories and your pictures! I'll definitely be following along.

Thanks everyone for commenting and following!

Looks like my first book will be River of Gods as I am now unlikely to finish it before the 12th (too busy with other stuff, alas).

After that, Hogfather which I'm sure I'll fit in somewhere. :)

Intriguing categories...look forward to following your progress!

I've been looking at reading either River of Gods or The Dervish House next for my science fiction category... I'm thinking the first since I've noticed that several have listed it in their currently reading category. Looking forward to comparing notes.

Finished my first 12 in 12 challenge, River of Gods by Ian McDonald, which was, without doubt, the best sci fi I've read in years. I've got to think about my review so it'll be a bit before I write it.

Will start Hogfather later today and I'll fit that into 12 in 12 as well, as Fairytales Retold.

I think I've been sold on River of Gods without even reading your soon-to-come review!

yeah... I think I'll read it too... not normally a big cyberpunk reader... but I'm willing to try anything once!

Best hard science fiction I've read in years. Complex, multi-layered plot, set in a futuristic world which is realistically extrapolated from the world of today. The action can be raw and grim and bloody, and entirely fits into the world McDonald has created.

Highly recommended.

LT is agreeing and recommending it to me on the basis that I like China Miéville, which is pretty much the best endorsement you can get, so on the wishlist it goes!

>46 majkia:
lol. There was a second there, where I though you meant McDonald as in Ronald McDonald. Then I looked at the book cover and realized it was the author. Hah! (^_^)

Looks like it's a good read. I'm going to have to add it to my list, as I want to do some good hard SF reading this year.

And another book is added to the wishlist.... ;-)

Nice categories:) I'll definitely be keeping an eye on your thread.

#47: Interesting. Yeah, I can see a sort of China Mieville connection.

#48 :)

#49: there is no hope for those TBR piles, is there... sigh. Read one, add six...

Thanks #50

River of Gods looks really good. It may be a little too grim for me, but I might go ahead and try it. Totally fits in my Phish Food category! :o)

#52: It is not grim throughout. Just that there are a few threads of story that go there. Mostly it is just set in a world that is seething with violent change and r/evolution. I did not come away thinking it was a downer book, but one that got me excited and hopeful.

I'm about 10% of the way into River of Gods and finding it excellent. He writes just long enough about one character to get you really hooked and interested, and then switches... I'm confident that it will all come together in the end and can hardly wait to get there.

Lots of buzz about this book atm and I think I'll add it to the wishlisht too.

For a newbie your 12 in '12 challenge looks verrrrrrry impressive! Good luck, I will certainly follow your success.

Wolfy - loved, loved, loved River of Gods

Carmenere: thanks!

>5 majkia: "Beyond the Sea of Stars"
I think I detect a fellow Babylon 5 fan.

#58 Hah! Guilty. Lurkers unite!

Have you watched the movie Thor? All the way through I kept seeing things which reminded me of B5 -- then saw the end credits to JMS. One of the sets looks straight off a Mimbar ship. LOL

I have seen it. Now I'll have to watch it again! I do remember some scenes that did seem ... odd, or vaguely familiar. No wonder!

Still wrapping things up (or, well, failing to complete) over at the 11 in 11, but can't help peeking into these fresh green pastures. You have a bunch of really interesting categories and some great candidates to go with them. No wonder all of my bestest LT buddies have already found their way here :) Star!

Count me in as another B5 fan. Now I have a reason to watch Thor.

UhOh

I wonder how many of these I could find so I could do a 12in12 category for Victorian Hugos.

I like your categories and your potential reads. I'm particularly interested in what you think of Foucault's Pendulum if you do get around to reading that one. Will this be your first read of Doomsday Book? It's on my Top 10 books list. Happy reading!

Yes, this will be my first attempt at Doomsday book. Glad to hear good things about it!

I attempted Faucault's Pendulum many many years ago. Now I have it on my e-reader, so i won't have to lug a copy around with me so hope I will finish it this time!

Finished my second read for the challenge, Hogfather, completed on Solstice and added to Fairytales Retold.

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie





Not a happy read, but a good one. Shows the misery on all levels of war quite well. But there are moments of brightness in the gloom and the characters grow and evolve in surprising ways.

Just catching up on the threads and love your categories and will be following what you add to the lists with interest. I'm adding River of Gods to my tbr list even though I haven't read his The Dervish House yet, though it lurks on my tbr pile.

I did like The First Law series and the first of the follow-on books is probably even better. Just waiting for The Heroes to come out in paperback format and I'll be happy to get back to reading more of Joe Abercrombie.

Just finished Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood this morning. Wow. Sadly, all too easily seen as actually happening. I do like that about her work. She imagines a dystopian world that you can believe could happen. You hope to hell it won't, but if things go badly, oh yeah.

Here is my review

re: Oryx and Crake; I'm about a 1/4 of the way into the story... really liking it so far! Look forward to sharing everyone's ideas and opinions about it!

re: Joe Abercrombie; I've looked his stuff over several times and he looks a little too close to Terry Goodkind's kind of stuff to suit me... perhaps I'm wrong, but Goodkind's stories struck me so negatively, it would take some serious persuading to convince me.

re: River of Gods; yeah! I was really impressed by the depth of McDonald's writing; am definitely looking forward to Dervish House!

That's a lovely cover for Oryx and Crake, although, sadly, the book didn't really do anything for me.

>71 majkia:
Gorgeous cover! I haven't read Oryx and Crake in ages, and my memory of it is somewhat vague, but I remember enjoying it quite a bit.

I read at Wolfy's thread that today is your Thingaversay. Happy returns of the day!

75 Ditto! Happy Thingaversary!

Thanks DQ and tymfos! I bought some great books to celebrate. Any excuse, eh? :)

I finally finished Iago: A Novel which I found to be slow going. I didn't identify very well with any of the characters so really didn't much care about their fate. By the end of the book I did care about Iago and it would have helped immensely if I'd known more about him throughout the book.

It is well written, and the world painted well, though.

My review is here.

I've updated my lists to indicate that I've finished Black Lung Captain which was great fun. Still quite Firefly-ish although Mal has better luck than Frey can manage :)

Also finished an audio version of Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn. Fluffy murder mystery but with cute characters. I'll keep reading the series.

I'm in the middle of The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney which is really terrific. It's an ER book, and the author is new to me. I can see I shall have to pick up her book The Tenderness of Wolves and I am really enjoying her writing.

Finished The Invisible Ones last night. What a terrific read!






The writing is excellent, the mystery complex. The world of the last of the travelling Roms is painted with care and sympathy, and is especially poignant as painted through the eyes of the one healthy boy of the family, as he watches his cousin suffer the 'family disease.'

Highly recommended! (This was an ER book I received through LibraryThing.com)

Review can be found here

I'm looking forward to reading The Invisible Ones. I loved her The Tenderness of Wolves when I read it a few years ago.

Lori, I have not read The Tenderness of Wolves but now plan to!

Just completed a listen of The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri. It was okay. I like the characters but need to read book 2 to decide if I'll continue on with the series.

Glad that you also liked Oryx and Crake.. I just wrote up my review as well, and I agree.. it is a world just a few steps ahead of us, and that is part of what makes it so creepy. Year of the Flood has more female characters in it which is nice.

What frustrated me so much about Jimmy was his lack of initiative.. there is apparently food , clothing etc to be scavenged, and he is sitting up a tree.... I can't say for sure that I would cope much better, but it was a very frustrating read! At the very least just tell the blue people that Oryx has now proclaimed you get a fish a day! Solves one problem right there.

LOL. Yes Jimmy was really unimaginative on what he could do. Certainly the fish a day was the most logical, you silly tree-sitter.

Great review of The Invisible Ones - thumbing! I enjoyed that one too.

I really liked The Invisible Ones, too. Great review!

Thanks -Eva- and tymfos!

I just finished The Alienist by Caleb Carr. Wow. Great book. Need a day or two to digest it though before I can do a review.

I picked up a copy of that because the cover made it look so intriguing - good to hear it's a great read!

The Alienist may be one of the dustiest books on my bookshelf. I don't know why I never get to it. I look forward to your review....maybe it will prompt me to finally read it!

   

Here’s my review



Gritty, fascinating, intriguing view of the creation of a special unit created to track down a serial killer.

Alienist does sound good! Thanks for providing the link to your review!

I'm pretty sure I read The Alienist quite a few years back.. picked it up in an airport bookstore IIRC, for an overseas flight, so I had plenty of time to read it. And I remember liking it a lot... I may have to go back for a reread.

Why do I see this story popping up lately (it was published in 1994 and it seems I've seen it reviewed several times in the last few months)? Are they making a movie?

Like Clif said, I know I read this many years ago but have forgotten so many details it would seem new to me now. They assigned this book for the AP American History class to read which brought it back to my attention. You have just added another nudge to return to it again.

Great review - thumbing! I'm moving it higher up the to-read list as well.

I have that one on my list to get from the library. Must get to it!

#94 I've no idea why it is popping up so much either, except perhaps because it fits the Februiary Reading Thru Time challenge.

Also, just finished Conqueror by Conn Iggulden. Fascinating read. But suffering from a cold so won't be doing my ER review for a day or two.

For my Ancient Rites category:

                    

I confess to knowing next to nothing of Mongol hordes. I do know the first few lines of a Tennyson poem and have seen the remains of a statue in Egypt that most guides will use to recite the poem.  So when I saw a book about Kublai Khan I was definitely interested.

I hate picking up a series in the middle (and worse, in this case, the end0 but got it as an Early Reviewer Book.

My Official Review is here

I've enjoyed what I've read of the conqueror series so far (the first 2) and keep meaning to go back to it one of these days. Good to know the last one maintains the quality of the others.

Wolfy: I haven't read the others but I plan to!

So I've had a miserable cold (and still feel pretty horrible) but at least I've had time to read.

    

Techno-thriller with scifi elements. Interesting and complex characters, good mystery and a great ending.

    

Scifi thriller about the night the stars go out. Great characterization, interesting tech, baffling mystery, satisfying ending.

Seems like a lot of people, including myself, have this horrendously long cold. It sucks!

      

Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas

A young man, recently released from prison, mourning his dead wife, is nearly at the end of his rope. He’s ready to throw himself off Westminster Bridge and give it all up. Then he reads an ad for a position and, with little hope, applies.

To his surprise, he is hired and discovers the world of ‘enquiry agents’ wherein ‘some danger involved’ is an apt description.

A good start to the series, with grimness, grime and misery depicted well. The mystery isn’t bad either, and the characters are well drawn.

I have read the first two books in Will Thomas's series and found them to be good period detective stories for when I am in the mood for that sort of thing. Glad to see the book mentioned here.

Some Danger Involved has been on my TBR list forever, but I still haven't managed to get around to it. Maybe this year!

I've added Some Danger Involved to my list -- it's available at our county library.

Just finished Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn. Skated a bit too closely to romance in several parts (for me anyway) and seemed a bit obvious with regards to some things, but nonetheless a good read. I enjoyed the characters who were well drawn and interesting. Will read the next two I'm sure.

I'm liking the looks of Some Danger Involved... have added it my library list.

I finished Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKillip.

Not overly impressed. HATED the first chapter. The rest was okay, bit I disliked the main character as too whiny and self-centered. Maybe someday I'll read the rest but am not looking foward to it.

Death at the President's Lodging by Michael Innes

First in the Inspector Appleby series. Set in 1930s Oxford.

A good opening to a mystery series. I really like the detective, and the setting was complex and interesting. I thought the mystery pretty good but the actual solving of the case seemed a bit too complex for belief. Still, I’ll continue the series.

"I really like the detective, and the setting was complex and interesting"

That would definitely be enough for me to want to try more in a series. I can forgive a lot if the characters are appealing or intriguing.

Eva, me too!

The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly

The Setting: Bengal, the British Raj, shortly after WWI.  A Scotland Yard inspector temporarily assigned to Indian Police Forces is called in to look into the mysterious death of an English memsab, wife of an officer in a famous regiment. Ruled a suicide, there are questions as the facts obviously say otherwise.

Terrific setting, but I confess to a love of all things Raj. Scenes were beautifully described and I could almost feel the heat, see the dust and smell the place.

Great characters, well drawn. The killer might be a bit obvious, but the details weren't, and even the killer came to life for me. I cared about why he did it and wanted to understand him.

I know a few other weren't as impressed by this book as I was but I did love it. Will definitely read the rest of the series.

This was a SantaThing book, btw. Great choice for me!

Nice to see another positive review of The Last Kashmiri Rose. I already have that one on my 'To Read Later' list and consider your review confirmation that I should get around to reading it at some point.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear is so much more than a mystery. It is Upstairs/Downstairs and Downton Abbey mixed with a bit of A Farewell to Arms. Grim and realistic and also life-affirming.

It’s the story of a costermonger’s daughter who is put into service and then caught devouring her employer’s library. It’s the story of the sea change brought about by the Great War, and Women’s Suffrage, when entrenched values, beliefs and assumptions were turned on their heads and examined and found wanting.

It’s also a fascinating mystery.

Highly recommended!

Your review of Maisie Dobbs has inspired me to find out what a costermonger is. (For anyone else who doesn't know, it is a seller of fruit, vegetables, fish, etc., from a cart, barrow, or stall in the streets.)

I've read other reviews of Maisie Dobbs and everyone seems to like it. I'll have to move it higher up on the WL.

I attempted the audiobook version of Maisie Dobbs, but the reader sounded so "modern" that I just couldn't picture the right time period - I have a few of the books on Mt. TBR, so I'm hoping I get a better image from reading myself.

My wife Flea is an avid serial reader, and is presently fully engrossed in the Maisie Dobbs books. She just started the fifth one - mere minutes after finishing the fourth...

I'm always happy to find other Maisie Dobbs fans! It was about this time last year that I devoured the first 7 books in the series. I think the depth of character, the realistic depiction of WW I, and the less known aspects of that time -- along with good mysteries -- make it an outstanding series.

****Quickly breezes through hoping to dodge another series book bullet***

I see the Maisie Dobbs team is grouping. I am not decided if this is a series I want to add to the growing To Read Later list, but you are all testing my resistance levels with the positive comments about the series!

I'll throw out my two cents worth of opinion on Maisie Dobbs ... have read the first three in the series and love it!

does that help?

> 122 - Hummm.... It doesn't exactly help me with my defense of my ever growing reading list..... but the Maisie Dobbs team will probably see it as a helpful nudge towards seeing my resistance cave! ;-)

Jean, I just wanted to comment on your reading of two excellent historical mysteries, both The Last Kashmiri Rose and Maisie Dobbs are excellent books in this genre. Intelligent mysteries and informative about both the setting and the time period.

From my garden this morning.

very nice! The redbud trees are blooming here. I love spring!

>125 majkia:,
How lovely! She's a pretty fairy. :)

"Still alive!"  and "You have to be realistic about these things" will echo in my memory forever thanks (or perhaps not) to Joe Abercrombie and his unforgettable character Logen Ninefingers.

This is the last book of his trilogy The First Law and continues on with excellent if dark and sometimes shocking writing. But even in the midst of the full horrors of war, his dark humor has me laughing out loud. That feels very real to me and reminds me of my own time in the military. It is very much the sort of humor men and women who deal with horrible things use to ease their own horror and pain.

Obviously not for everyone, but if you like gritty, uncompromising and entertaining, then this is your series.

>128 majkia:,
Oh, cool. Dark humor can be hit or miss, but this sounds like a cool trilogy.

Still Life was interesting, and the characters delightfully drawn. However, I found the writing to be a bit of a mishmash. Too many changes of POV, sometimes confusing ones. I thought the premise a bit forced and was really really annoyed by the female Agent.

The town of Three Pines was terrific though, so I might have to revisit the series to see if it gets better. ( )

Everyone is annoyed by the female agent in this book and for the next book or two. IMHO the 6th book (Bury Your Dead) in the series is one of the best pieces of crime fiction ever, but the 5th book (The Brutal Telling) which is nearly as good must be read before the 6th. I know some people who have joined the series at the 5th book and still loved it as much as those who had read the first 4. I do think the characters are what drive the first books. If you continue to read the series in order, you will come to understand why the female agent is so annoying.

oh goddess, he keeps her?????? Ugh.

annoying female agent? I still haven't read Penny, but have been planning to since everyone is raving about her. Annoying female agent? Hmmmm...

#133 Rookie detective who thinks she knows it all.

The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd



London in 1850 was no place for the weak. Wretched, filthy, full to bursting with desperate people. The wealthy, of course, took advantage and had it all.

Charles Maddox, a disgraced police officer, is now struggling to make a living as a 'private detective' although he doesn't use the term. He still has his contacts on Bow Street which helps, as does the fact he was raised by his grandfather who was a famous 'Thief-taker' of Bow Street. Using his grandfather's methods he's found a case that takes him into the mire and mirk of rotting bodies buried in a horrid cemetery where the police have dug up rotting babies. Charles, whose own baby sister was stolen from his mother's arms, and has never gotten over it, sees his sister in those babies and needs to learn more.

Shortly after his visit to the cemetery he's contacted by a famous lawyer and hired for another case. Charles, desperate for money accepts the case despite the fact he has reservations due to the lawyer's reputation as a ruthless man. Thus, Charles is drawn deeper and deeper into trying to find out who is sending threatening notes to an extremely wealthy banker. When he does discover the man's identity, then things get worse. And grimmer and Charles, although he is warned off several times, has to find out the secrets the banker and the lawyer are trying desperately to keep.

Shepherd evokes a wretched and atmospheric London, one that totally suits the story. It is a bit of a pastiche with elements from Bleak House woven through the storyline. Her characters are beautifully drawn and the mystery is complex enough that if you do guess some of it, you need to, like Charles, discover all of it.

Highly recommended! I look forward to reading more from this author!

Love the review for The Solitary House and happy to discover the library has it on order!

Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik



In my opinion, weakest of the Temeraire series, but then it is a transitional book.

Temeraire and Laurence are in disgrace due to having been charged and found guilty of being traitors. They’ve been sentenced to life and outcast to Australia.  To have something to do, they set off across the continent to try to find a passage through the mountains, and also to look for smugglers.

A lot of time is spent traveling through wretched landscapes, but there is also some fascinating discussion between Temeraire and his fellow dragons as well as Laurence, so it wasn’t all bleak nothingness. 

I trust the next book will be far better.

I just checked and my library also has Solitary House on order, looking forward to this one.

@ 137 -- I'm hoping for good things from Crucible of Gold, but I agree with you that Tongues of Serpents is the weakest book so far.

>128 majkia: I've seen Abercrombie's books on the store shelves, but have never picked them up to look closer. You make them sound interesting!
>135 majkia: Sounds like something Flea (my wife) would enjoy. Making note of it, thank you!

I liked the first in the Abercrombie series, having had it thrust into my hands by a friend - enjoyed it enough to read the next two which, for me, didn't hold up to the first one...

Solitary House sounds really good. Nice review!

Solitary House sounds excellent... on to my list it goes

started reading (and have nearly finished) His Majesty's Dragon, and like it very much ... look forward to future installments (including the 'in-between' ones)

Joe Abercrombie has captured a glance from me from time to time ... but I'm not keen on books that feature torture as a central plot device (thus my distaste for Terry Goodkind, The Hunger Games, et. al.). With so many good books and authors to choose from, I can afford to be selective I guess.

I did like Still Life very much despite the 'annoying' character ... not surprising that later books bring her back ... she was too much a part of that first story to just let it drop

Irony abounds as Giordano Bruno, on the run from the Inquisition in his own Italy, arrives in Oxford in hopes of locating a rare book (that is outlawed by the churches both in Rome and in England). He is immediately drawn into a mystery involving the murder of a college don which is posed as similar to the death of a Christian martyr.

Suspicion and fear dominates everyone in England, and suspicion reigns particularly in regard to Oxford, as the country is in the throws of a religious war, with the state fearful of every Catholic and the possibility of a far worse death than hanging facing anyone, no matter how innocent they may be, if they are accused by anyone of being Catholic.

The mystery is complex enough to hold one's attention and the main character, although a bit dim at times, is engaging.

I personally would have liked more with regard to the science debate, but that’s just me (Bruno is a follower of Copernicus but has taken the conclusions even further than the astronomer has).

I look forward to book 2 of the series. Hoping for more of the science debate as apparently John Dee is in that one.

Heresy's sequel sounds interesting. John Dee always makes an interesting villain.

For my Ancient Rites Category:





A tale of adventure in ancient Britain. A young centurion arrives in Roman Britain to take his first command at a small Roman fort in Britain. During an uprising he's badly injured. As he's trying to regain his health he hears rumors of a missing Roman Eagle. His father had led the missing legion whose Eagle it was. He determines to go off above Hadrian's wall and bring back the Eagle and hopefully clear his father's name. And, with luck, bring honor to the Ninth Legion once again.

A good adventure with very likeable characters. And a wolf!

Fairly slow start, as the circumstances are set up by the author, but once the quest is on, very exciting and enjoyable.

FWIW: I have no idea why this is tagged so often 'children' or 'young adult'. I nearly didn’t read it because of that. It is not a coming of age story and all the characters are adults.

For my Mystery Category: (this was an audio book)

The Winter Garden Mystery by Carola Dunn



A pleasant cozy mystery, set in the 1920s. Light hearted and fun read, but not one to stretch your gray matter. Likeable characters and pretty fair mystery. I laughed aloud several times. Cheeky Daisey...

Prophecy by S. J. Parris



The second book of the Giordano Bruno series finds him in London in 1583, and still searching for the lost book of Hermes Trismegistus. He becomes friends with John Dee, the Queen’s Astrologer, from whom the book has been stolen. He’s also still working as a spy for Walsingham and living in the French Embassy.

When a young girl who was one of the Queen’s maids of honor is found murdered, with the astrological symbols of the Great Conjunction carved in her breast, Walsingham calls in Bruno.

Is this murder part of the ongoing Catholic plot to overthrow Elizabeth and place Mary on the Throne? Or is it something else entirely? Bruno is in a unique position to find out.

An exciting thriller which keeps you guessing up to the last, it portrays the city, the miseries of the times, and the air of fear and confusion of Elizabeth’s time. Highly recommended for those who love historical fiction.

The Giordano Bruno series sounds like a good one. Adding it to the wishlist.

Very happy to see that the Giodano Bruno series still holds up nicely with the second book in the series!

showing my garden off:

Hibiscus


Confederate Jasmine


Oleander

@ 151 -- Pretty! Of course, now I'm wondering whether there's such a thing as a Yankee Jasmine. Plant names are fascinating!

Beautiful flowers and ones that we can only have as houseplants or not all here in British Columbia!

Love the flower pics!

Sacrilege by S. J. Parris

Giordano Bruno: Heretic. On the run from the Inquisition. Italian and thusly doubly suspicious in defensive and conspiracy ridden England in the age of Elizabeth. After all, he must be a papist, despite his excommunication. And, well, he agrees with that Pole Copernicus and consorts with the likes of John Dee, so he’s a magician too. Oh, and he’s in search of the mysterious lost book of Hermes Trismegistus.

What the majority of people don’t know, is Bruno is also an agent for Sir Francis Walsingham, Principal Secretary to Elizabeth 1. And the go to guy when someone is found murdered. He’s also Walsingham’s spy inside the French Embassy, since he’s staying there because his patron, King Henri of France has given him asylum from Rome.

At the moment though, Bruno wants to go travel to Canterbury. He’s been asked by a young woman he knows for help. Her husband has been murdered, and she had met Bruno in Oxford, so she begs him to clear her name and find the real killer.

What Bruno doesn’t know yet, is that this seemingly simple murder investigation will lead to yet more Catholic conspiracies to oust Elizabeth and place Mary on the throne, bringing England back into the Catholic fold.

Wonderful characterizations, complex and realistically drawn settings, bring the world of the 1580s to life. The mystery itself is intriguing and multilayered. Several times I thought for sure I’d figured it out. I was wrong!

If you love historical fiction that can seem to put you there, you’ll love the Giordano Bruno series. And the series only gets better.

#152 - LOL. I wondered that myself!

#153,154: Thanks! We are lucky enough to live in Florida. Well, except during Hurricane season...

Faceless Killers - by Henning Mankell

Modern Scandia murder mystery, set in wintry Sweden. Refreshing in that the police are prone to make mistakes, and the murderers aren’t found in short order. In fact, Kurt Wallander goes down many unproductive paths, and only solves the mystery through sheer persistence and a lot of luck.

I’ll definitely read more of these. Have book two on hold at the library, but I’m second on the waiting list.

Swede that I am, I've shamefully never read any of Mankell's books. But the man gave me a scholarship some years ago, so I hold him in high esteem in blanco, so to speak :)

#158 - I saw a program on the TV not long ago about the mad fanbase he has, who traipse around Skane and Ystad to visit all the places mentioned in the books. Good to know adult writers can have a fanbase!

A Clubbable Woman - Reginald Hill This was an audio book. The first of the Dalziel and Pascoe series. Okay, nothing particularly special. Dalziel is, as ever, annoying...

Stardust - Neil Gaiman Fairy tale that is cute and engaging. Differed from the movie significantly - and I confess I thought the movie better!

Wow. Talk about a wild ride and a book you can’t put down.

Miriam can see the future. She touches someone and knows how they die. She’s tried desperately to change a few of those futures and has always failed. Now someone she might love is at risk. Can she finally affect the future, and challenge fate and remake the world?

Violent, so not for everyone. But if you love a thriller, and a mystery, give it a try. Oh, and the cover is magnificent and fits the book totally.

Thanks for bringing Blackbirds to my attention. First I'd heard of it and onto the wishlist it goes.

Wow what a great cover! Sounds good too so adding it to my wishlist.

Thanks for the comments re Blackbird, it's going on my tbr list.

And another book goes on the WL!

Glad to see so many interested in Blackbirds!

I'll have to look into Blackbirds. Thanks!

I will be the unfortunate dissenter in adding Blackbirds to my TBR bookcase but only because I tend to steer clear of stories where violence may predominate. Otherwise, sounds like a fascinating read!

April wrap-up and review:

I burned through the S. J. Parris historical murder mysteries, as I’d gotten the third one for free from Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program:
1. Heresy
2. Prophecy
3. Sacrilege
I really enjoyed them. They feature Giordano Bruno, a fomer monk on the run from the Inquisition.
Also:
4. Eagle of the Ninth – Rosemary Sutcliff
5. The Winter Garden Mystery – Carola Dunn
6. Faceless Killers – Henning Mankell (first of the Kurt Wallander Scandi murder mystery series)
7. A Clubbable Woman – Reginald Hill (first of the Dalziel and Pascoe murder mystery series)
8. Stardust – Neil Gaiman
9. Blackbirds – Chuck Wendig (this is a fabulous, if violent, thriller)

Oooh, Blackbirds looks mighty good. :)

Happy May Day everyone!

My planned (hah!) reads for the month:

1. I’ve already begun Dissolution by C.J. Sansom (a murder mystery with the detective a hunchback lawyer back in Tudor England)

2. and the fifth book of the Malazan series Midnight Tides by Steven Erickson.

Both fit TIOLIs for the month and both fit my 12in12 categories

On deck:

Tea with the Black Dragon – R.A. MacAvoy for the Green Dragon readalong, TIOLI and 12in12

Raven Black – (book one of a series) – Ann Cleeves - TIOLI and 12in12

The Sword-Edged Blonde – (first of a series) – Alex Bledsoe 12in12

After the Armistice Ball – (another first of a series, sigh) – Catriona McPherson - TIOLI and 12in12

New Amsterdam – Elizabeth Bear - TIOLI and 12in12

The Technologists – Matthew Pearl - TIOLI

Elizabeth Bear is one of those authors hanging out in my TBR list without ever really surfacing. Will look forward to your review of New Amsterdam!

Already commented on your 75 group thread so just stopping by to say Hi!

ETA: Anders - Bear's New Amsterdam was my introduction to steampunk so think vampires, warwolves and an alternate New York City parallel to an Victorian England steampunk. I will stop now.....

Hahaha! Looking forward to it!

I really liked R.A. MacAvoy's Damiano series and have been meaning for years to search out more of her stuff so looking forward to seeing what you think of Tea with the Black Dragon

Dissolution by C. J. Sansom





A hunchback lawyer is sent to a small monastery in rural England at the behest of the infamous Thomas Cromwell. A man sent earlier to try to get the monastery to agree to disband has been murdered. Shardlake is sent to find the murderer and find a way to force the dissolution of the monastery, as part of the ‘reforms’ during Henry VIII’s reign.

Shardlake arrives as a believing reformer, never questioning the methods or people Cromwell has doing his bidding. By the time he leaves, his eyes have been opened, the mystery has been solved and Shardlake is unsure of his future, as well of that of England.

Sansom paints the world of Tudor England with a winter colored brush. The misery is apparent as is the fear and confusion amongst the people of the time.

Highly recommended. First of a series.

The beach this morning:

Gorgeous! :D

I love it when the horizon is as sharp as a knife edge!

>176 majkia: Sounds like something my wife would love. Putting it on my "gift ideas" list!

See my LJ blog for comments regarding our travels. Lots of pictures.  Current trip is up into the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia.

haha great minds must think alike!! I picked up Dissolution a week or two ago and should wrap it up this weekend. Must compare reviews when I finish...

love the beach photo...

Love the pictures. Keep the coming!

What with having a friend over from the Netherlands for a week, and now off on vacation, my reading time has been limited. Still, I managed to finally finish Midnight Tides which lives up totally to the previous Malazan books. Such an amazing series!

Here is where I was happily reading it, at the current RV resort we are parked in:

I would be too distracted by the gorgeous surroundings to be able to read here!

mamzel, listening to the creek as it burbled by and seeing the ducks and the geese and all the other wildlife, you're right! Gorgeous and very distracting! Sitting around a campfire at night didn't help either. The sacrifices I make!

Looks like a very peaceful get-away!

I'm still RVing it so my reading has slowed down. But I did finally finish this:





Political intrigue Shakespearean style.

What’s a boy to do if his father is the poet Dante? Pietro wanted only to be a scholar, but instead, due to his elder brother’s death, finds himself drawn out of school to attend his father in his exile from Florence. He arrives in Verona and finds himself immediately drawn into the intrigue as he falls under the influence of the Greyhound, the Master of Verona, and the Greyhound’s sister, who not only captures Pietro’s loyalty but his heart, even if she is far older than he and married.

Pietro finds himself drawn into wars, and intrigue involving warring factions not only within Verona but in other major city-states of Italy.

All the while, Pietro remains in awe of his patron, until, well, I’ll let you find out what’s going on.

If you love complex, intelligent characters, well-drawn and intricate plots, battles and prophecies, I think you’ll love this book.

I miss RVing. My parents owned one until a few years ago when they were really no longer able to travel. I often went with them or met them somewhere over the years. The last few years, I drove most of the time. I must confess that every time I pass an RV park or an RV that I have an urge to go camping! I'm probably going to hit some KOA Kamping Kabins (or similar) later this summer to come as close as I can without owning one.

The Master of Verona sounds interesting.

geez, I swear I replied to #189.. The KOA we stayed at in Charlottesville VA had really nice looking cabins for rent. Go for it!

I abandoned Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Not entirely certain why. I was just not drawn in and found I was avoiding it. Too many books I am eager to read to keep on with one I'm not enjoying.

Just started The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths. Hope I enjoy this one much better. This is an ebook edition.

Also started Scourge of the Betrayer in dead tree edition.

>192 majkia: Isn't that interesting, when you start avoiding a book! You find yourself staring out the subway windows, saying to yourself I'm only going four stations, so it's no use, where you would normally cram in a few pages without even hesitating.

#193 Oh yeah. Sad, though.

Scourge of the Betrayer (Bloodsounder's Arc) by Jeff Salyards



What the heck is the Veil, why did the gods leave, what the devil is Braylar up to?

A scribe is hired by a group of infamous men led by a 'Black Noose' to record their actions as directed by their King. LIttle did the scribe know what he was getting into. And what few answers he might actually be given.

I enjoyed the characterizations, and the dialog, and the action. I was disappointed that the book itself offered no real resolution. I'll have to read the follow on in hopes of that. Still, a good read that left me wanting more.

( )

The Crossing Places (Ruth Galloway) by Elly Griffiths



Atmospheric and intelligent, The Crossing Places is about character and setting, The mystery is tied up with the setting deftly and altho I figured out most of the mystery fairly early on, I was unsure about much of it, enough to want to hurry through the book to find out how it all fit together.

Will definitely continue the series!

( )

That's the problem with series, isn't it - that there's no real resolution. I do want some closure at the end of each book in a series, though!

More good words about the Ruth Galloway-series, I see... It's on the wishlist!!

couple of photos I got yesterday and today:

(O.O)

GORGEOUS!!!

Wow! You must have a nice camera (and oodles of skillz) to get such great photos, especially the close up of those lovely butterflies. Thank you so much for sharing!

This is the third of the Daisy Dalrymple series set in the flapper era in London. Nicely written fluff mystery, with good period details and interesting characters. Pretty good mystery too!

Certainly not difficult to read but good fun nonetheless.

Love the butterflies photo - brilliant colors! I'd be fiddling with the macro too long and they would have been gone by the time I was ready. :)

Beautiful photography! Thank you for sharing. As lovely as the butterfly one is, I prefer the other picture. It draws you in and makes you want to go down that road and see where it leads.

I'm with DQ. Love that picture of the forest road.

The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe:




An amusing tale of a sword-jockey, a sort of private detective. He’s drug back, against his better judgment and wishes, to help his childhood friend (who happens to be a king) find out why the Queen murdered her son. Action packed adventure ensues, with lots of flashbacks to Eddie’s past which he’s been trying to avoid for years.

-----------------------------

The Dante Club – Matthew Pearl

In the last year following the Civil War, Longfellow and his fellow poets and friends, set about translating the Commedia by Dante into English in order to introduce it widely to America. Harvard’s powers that be are NOT happy about this and are trying to do everything they can to block him. Might this include murder? The Dante Club, as they call themselves, begin to wonder, as two murders take place in Boston that enact two of the punishments Dante details in the Devine Comedy. Can they solve the murders, and catch the murderer and keep the police in the dark about the connection to Dante?

---------------------------

Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance - Lois McMaster Bujold




A terrific romp through the Vorkosiverse with Ivan at his best. I generally want to kick Miles when the story’s about him, but I almost always want to hug Ivan. The poor guy has spent his entire life trying to hide in the shadows and keep his abilities hidden under the nearest bucket. But he’s forced to step up his game when his ‘friend’ Byerly asks him to help out a damsel in distress. What’s Ivan to do (other than fall in love with her)? And when he finds out who she is, and just why assassins are on her doorstep, well, he takes drastic action.

A delightful book that had me quite often laughing out loud!

I have The Dante Club on the TBR for this year's challenge - glad to see you gave it four stars!

Also got the Matthew Pearl book (along with a couple of his others) on the tbr shelves so good to see another positive review for it. It's the first time I've heard of The Sword-Edged Blonde though and it sounds right up my street so onto the wishlist it goes.

#205 the rest of the series sounds good too, so I'll be continuing it for sure.

My July Reading Plan (at the moment)

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel - Library book (TIOLI #7, 12in12 WhoDat? )

The Winter King - Bernard Cornwell - ebook (quarterly read - Arthurian, TIOLI #8, 12in12 Ancient Rites)

Crucible of Gold - Naomi Novik - (Early Review book, 12in12 What If?, TIOLI #15)

Agent of Change - Sharon Lee - ebook (12in12 Beyond a Sea of Stars, TIOLI #7)

New Amsterdam - Elizabeth Bear - ebook (12in12 Clankers, TIOLI #18

Hope I get to them all!

very pretty butterfly and a great pic; Spicebush Swallowtail or Papilio troilus

Just a note regarding the first half of the year.

I've read 40 books. Eeek! In January, I HOPED to read 50 for the year.

In 2009 I read 24.
In 2010 I read 32.
In 2011 I read 41.

So 50 for the year seemed a reasonable figure. Now I've officially upped it to 75 for the year. Not sure I'll make it but I'm on track right?

I'm thinking the main reason for the change is that I've added mysteries to my reading. Over the previous years I was reading almost all fantasy and a bit of sci fi, mostly tomes. I tend to get caught up in them and daydream about them and have to stop reading a lot to think about fantasy and sci fi. Mysteries, not so much.

Looking at my list, the ones that have stuck with me most (for various reasons) in the order I read them rather than any order of precedence:

1. Oryx and Crake - way too close to reality not to think about.
2. The Alienist - just plain fascinating look at the beginnings of deductive detecting.
3. Heresy Prophecy and Sacrilege. Just a well-written, well-conceived series of historical mysteries
4. Blackbirds - Great book. Interesting premise, interesting characters. Bloody though.
5. The Crossing Places - mainly because it so well used the setting of the book as a character.

And, I am out of control on buying books. In my defense, the were almost all on sale when I bought them but still! I need to avoid the shiny new (to me) and read what I have! Argh!

Out o control on buying books? I Know how that feels, over a years worth of reading on the TBR and I still bought 3 books this weekend...

You got me with Sword-Edged Blonde. Thanks for the review!

That's a brilliant half-time progress number! Hope the rest of the year goes as well!

I just recently bought Oryx and Crake so it is sitting on the top of other books on my shelf. I started The Crossing Places but got distracted by something else. I have to get back to it. Thanks for nudging me with your comments.

40 books read so far is still good in my opinion! And we just won't talk about book buying......;-)

40 books for me too! I'm aiming for 78, which will be the highest number since the kids came if I make it. Onwards!

Oh, book buying ... oh no ... taboo topic!!!

& Wolf Hall should count as three books. ;) You have an ambitious July reading plan. You go grrrll!

Wolf Hall

I’ve decided not to write an actual review. A zillion have already been done. Instead a few comments regarding the book.

Firstly, it was certainly a different take on things, to look at Henry VIII from, of all people’s viewpoints, Thomas Cromwell’s. I knew little about him as an individual before I began the book, so not sure how close to what we really know Mantel stayed. But the character she created was certainly interesting, with depth and intelligence. He certainly changed throughout the book, growing to fit his increasing stature and importance.

Second, why the heck did she call it ‘Wolf Hall’? Yeah, I get that the Howards etc were really important, but still…

Thirdly, I found the writing style very off-putting at first. I had lots of trouble with dangling ‘he’s and was confused a lot as to who was speaking, who was acting. I had to go back and re-read to figure it out.  I also didn’t much care for use of present tense. I dislike it in most books, but combined with the ‘he’ problem, it made reading the book more difficult and pulled me out of the atmosphere all too much.

I expect I’ll read the follow on ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ at some point or other. Because the story is interesting from this different viewpoint.