Kkunker's 75 in 2012

A little bit about me: I’m a history and library science grad student, so part of my books will reflect class reading. I have one full semester left, and will hopefully finish off the history degree by May and then have a summer course to finish off the library science side.

My favorite time period to study is the Middle Ages. I’ve also had the chance to study in London twice, at both the undergrad and grad level. I’m a big fan of Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Brian Jacques. I tend to read fantasy, historical fiction, and sci-fi in my free time. As classes start up in two weeks I have no idea how busy I will be. I’ll attempt to update the thread when I get a chance.

I joined the 75 group last year and enjoyed posting books and seeing what other folks were reading. Last year I managed to read over 110 books. Not sure if I'll get that high this year, but it's good to have high hopes.

I'm currently reading 4 books (mostly Christmas presents, fantasy and Inklings related), and am going to hopefully start reading some Sherlock Holmes before my winter break ends. I've never actually read the Holmes canon but would like to at some point.

Happy New Year to everyone, and happy reading in 2012!

Welcome back!

Hello fellow library science grad student! Congrats on only having one more semester-ish left. I'm afraid I'm no where near the end. Good luck with your reading in 2012!

Glad to see you back with us again for 2012!

Looks like we have some similar tastes in reading. I wish you much luck in the final bit of your studies. I just finished my MLIS last year.

Welcome back!

I had to star your thread, because your graduate studies are exactly what I wanted to do! History, library science, archives ... doesn't that sound heavenly.

Happy new year and good luck as you finish your studies! :)

I am really enjoying my program. I guess the grad studies partially grew out of my general love of books; I've always enjoyed trips to the library and bookstore. This next semester I'm taking four classes: two archive courses, one is hands on work with a collection, the other is archival preservation, one history course on public history preservation (so museums, archives, parks, galleries, and other cultural sites), and a course on XML. Not so excited for the XML since I'd prefer to work with physical materials, but the other three look really interesting. Classes start up in 2 weeks.

I know what you mean about your XML class. I just finished one up and it was a struggle. Good luck for your next classes!

Looking forward to following your reading again in 2012. As someone who nearly became a librarian myself (got as far as a year's work experience but didn't follow through with the course to qualify), and who is also interested in all things medieval, and Tolkien and other Inklings, I always find something interesting to read about on your thread.

@ 11: Thanks for the encouraging comments from last year; it's nice to find folks with similar interests. I'm currently reading 2 Inklings related books, and have a couple of new books about Tolkien on the way. I'll try not to check the mailbox multiple times a day, though I do want them to arrive as soon as possible.

I've started reading some Sherlock Holmes, and am working my way slowly through George R R Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.

I've decided to join the 12 in 12 Challenge, and will be posting my categories once I decide on them. I will use my 75 thread for posting book reviews/comments, and will use the 12 in 12 more as a basic listing of books. I may only update the 12 thread at the end of each month, as a summary. The thread is here, right now it only has my basic introductory info: http://www.librarything.com/topic/130270

Good luck with your 12 in 12 challenge!

#12 You're welcome! I'm also about to start reading the Martin books, and also planning to join the 12 in 12 challenge, though I have yet to set up a thread. I'm thinking I'll use that rather as you are planning to, just to list the books in the categories. One of my categories will be for medieval books (ie books about, or set in, on written in the Middle Ages).

Finished my first book of the year!

1. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I enjoyed reading this Sherlock Holmes novel. I became a fan of Sherlock in a rather roundabout way, most strongly through visiting London, and watching the BBC tv show, and to a lesser extent, the recent films. I compared the written story to the portrayals by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. I really enjoy how they bring the story to the screen in a modern day London. And it will have a second season sometime this year. Yay! I want to make sure I read the right stories/novels before I see the episodes. One novel down, three to go, then on to the short stories.

Congrats on getting the first book of the year out of the way!

Good book to start your year off with! Will track down your thread over on the 12 in 12.

Congratulations on your first finish! I've never read any Sherlock Holmes either, but it's like a mania in the UK at the moment with the latest TV version over Christmas and the new film coming out (or maybe already out). I should give them a try. I'm also doing the 12 in 12 this year, so I'll look for you over there.

Congrats on finishing your first Sherlock story!

*stars*

Congrats on the first Sherlock! I admit, I read A Study in Scarlet as my first when I'd seen the first Sherlock episode so that I could compare them. It's impressive how well they've translated it to modern times.

I've read a couple of other books this week.

2. Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen

5 stars: recommended for YA fans, especially fans of Redwall and similar series
Mouse Guard is a graphic novel series, currently composed of four volumes. I attended my first Comic Con this past fall and was introduced to the comic book/graphic novel format. I decided to give it a try. I've been a fan of Brian Jacques Redwall series and purchased and read Redwall: The Graphic Novel last fall, and really enjoyed the art work, so I decided to try a series which looked similar.

Mouse Guard focuses on three scouts in the guard, who operate as guides, pathfinders, and police to keep mice safe from predators. The series has a medieval setting, like Redwall. The three discover a treasonous plot and have to rush to defend the scout base. In the process they meet an older mouse who may or may not be a legendary figure from the Guard's past.

While the storyline was pretty basic, the artwork was really great. I enjoyed meeting Kenzie, Saxon, and Liem. The scouts got in a tough spot but managed to be creative and save the day. I have the second volume (Winter 1152), and the third (Legends of the Guard) is on it's way from Amazon. I'm sure I'll read the other volumes soon.

3. Mere Humanity: G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien on the Human Condition by Donald Williams

4 stars
This was an interesting book. Williams uses multiple examples from the works of these three men to explain and defend their views of humans. Williams draws a lot upon Lewis' Space Trilogy, Narnia and the Abolition of Man, Chesterton's Everlasting Man, and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, "On Faerie Stories," and the Hobbit. He puts them each in their historical contexts, and compares them with modern and postmodern thought.

4. Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan

5 stars
recommended for fans of YA fantasy, after having read at least part of the Ranger's Apprentice series
This collection of short stories fills in many gaps in the RA chronology. One chapter is about Will's parents, another is about Halt's training and first meeting with Crowley. Several stories focus on the royal wedding, and a couple focus on Gilan, Jenny, and Alyss. It was a nice collection, and helped the readers have a better understanding of the world in which Will Treaty lives. One emotional story was about Will and Tug. The author specifically mentioned that several stories were direct answers to fan letters over the years. It was nice to see an author acknowledge his fans and provide some more details.

Added Mere Humanity to the wishlist, but my library doesn't have it. :-(

*pssst* ...the second season of Sherlock has started. :)

I'm continuing my read of the canon this year, so I've starred you so we can compare notes!

Adding Mere Humanity to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation!

@ dk_phoenix: I just found out about Sherlock a couple days ago. I'm so excited! I can't wait to get my hands on the first episode. I'm not in the UK so it will be a bit tougher to find since I can't use the BBC player, but I'll keep looking around online.

I managed to get my hands on Sherlock season 2 episode 1, which I immediately watched. I really enjoyed it. I did read the short story "Scandal in Bohemia" since I knew that's where some of the story would be drawn from. I haven't read any other stories so I don't know what other plot lines were pulled in for the second half of the episode but I thought they did a great job with the first half. Irene Adler had a very strong introduction and the actress was really good. I liked how the episode involved Mycroft and Moriarty. Tonight's episode is Hound of the Baskerville's so that's what I'm currently reading. I finished one novel earlier this week.

5. The Sign of the Four

I started this one before I knew Sherlock had started up again, so I didn't want to leave off and jump around. I enjoyed the story and am interested in seeing it if/when it makes it onto the show. I enjoyed reading about Watson's emotions over the treasure and his conflict of interest in helping on the case. They were nice bits of character development. Reading about Watson's developing relationship with Mary while simultaneously watching an episode in which his list of girl friends is mentioned and in which Sherlock and Irene meet was an interesting combination.

It is nice to have the story so fresh in my mind when watching the episodes, so I can compare the two. Can't wait for the next episode, but I'll be sure to finish Hound before I watch it.

I'm in the middle of a Study in Scarlet at the moment, and really enjoying it, so it was funny to come here and see that you've just finished it!

Also added Mere Humanity to the wishlist. And I'm looking forward to settling down with the TV Hound of the Baskervilles in a few moments! I've read some of these Sherlock stories before, including Hound, but not I think the one that last week's episode was based on. Good for you for trying to read the relevant stories before each episode!

>27 cushlareads: And I'm about to start it! We seem to have a Sherlock round-robin going on! :)

6. Tolkien and the Study of His Sources edited by Jason Fisher
Early Reviewer book from October 2011

I'm a big fan of Tolkien and was thrilled to win this book last year. Unfortunately it arrived in mid-November when I was swamped by work. I've finally been able to read it over my Christmas break.

rating: 4.5 stars
review:
This book is a collection of essays written by current Tolkien scholars, reflecting on different works and authors who may have influenced Tolkien. Three introductory chapters (written by Tom Shippey, E. Risden and Jason Fisher) address source criticism itself, to give the reader a better understanding of the topic. Included among the Tolkien topics addressed are: Biblical and Mesopotamian sources, ancient Greek myths and stories, Byzantium and Gondor, Anglo-Saxons and the Rohirrim, William Caxton's "ring" stories, the influence of H. Rider Haggard and John Buchan on Tolkien's writing. Each chapter is footnoted and contains a list of sources, for those seeking more information.

Though Tolkien himself did not like source criticism and he discouraged fans from trying to deconstruct his works I feel that this book has much to offer the modern reader. Modern readers are even further removed from the works that Tolkien studied and loved than when his books were first published, and I feel that this book helps regain some of the ground that has been lost. I am a fan of Tolkien's works and have done some academic reading on the Professor. Some chapters were of higher personal interest to me, such as the Anglo-Saxons and Byzantium, but the variety of topics benefited the book. I was unfamiliar with several of the authors mentioned, so I may have to look them up at some point. This book definitely peaked my interest to read several of the works listed in the bibliography.

Book note: A couple weeks ago I decided to finally purchase Tom Shippey's J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. I found a used hardback copy online for $5 including shipping. When it arrived a couple days ago I was happy to see that it was actually an inscribed first edition . Mr. Shippey had signed it for a previous owner. I love it when used books have fun surprises. It was well worth my $5. Now I hope I get around to reading it this year.

>26 kkunker:: I decided to read Hound of the Baskervilles before watching the episode too! Finished it yesterday... it was fantastic.

Okay, y'all are making me want to go reread The Complete Sherlock Holmes. At this rate, 2012 will be the year where I don't read any new books. Come to think of it, that would make an interesting challenge: for a year (okay, maybe a month) one can read only books one has read before.

7. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I watched Hound last night. More detail on my 12er thread.

I enjoyed the modern setting, and really enjoyed seeing Benedict and Martin add some layers to the Holmes/Watson friendship. The pub scene with Sherlock doubting himself was really well done. I loved how Sherlock used Mycroft's ID to access the lab, just like he uses stolen cop badges when needed. The episode definitely made me feel as unsettled as the story did, the characters' psychological tensions really shone through. I couldn't wait to see how Sherlock solved it. While very different from the story I still really enjoyed the episode.

Tom Shippey's books on Tolkien are always worth reading - and to have an inscribed copy, even better! Have you read The Road to Middle Earth? I think I liked that one better than Author of the Century though both have good stuff in them.

The Study of Sources book sounds interesting. Some of the sources I'm very familiar with, as I studied Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse at uni (inspired to do so by reading a biography of Tolkien when I was about 12!) but some of the other angles in that sound worth exploring. You're right that there is so much by way of background and other writing which readers of an earlier generation would perhaps have been rather more familiar with certainly than today's readers of LoTR (Buchan and Rider Haggard for example); though few would have been as well read in the ancient and medieval myths and stories as the Professor was even in his own time.

I've not yet read Road, but I purchased it at the same time as Author of the Century. It doesn't look like I'll get to them before the spring semester starts, but I plan on reading them both this year. It's part of the reason I have an Inklings category for my 12 in 12 thread, so I can have a reason to read more about Tolkien.

Well you've got some great stuff ahead of you this year then!

@ gennyt: Thanks, I can't wait to finally read some of Shippey's works.

8. Northlanders Vol. 1: Sven the Returned by Brian Wood

This is a graphic novel series, which opens in the late 900s AD. Sven a Viking returns home after having lived and served as a member of the Varangian Guard in Constantinople. He wants to take his inheritance and return to a life of ease. However his uncle stole his birthright, and rules in Orkney. There's a fair amount of swearing and gore, but then it's Viking in-fighting so its to be expected. Good illustrations and a decent plot.

9. London Under by Peter Ackroyd

I love London and learning more about it's history. I also really love the Tube, and will probably look for a history specific to it to read later this year. I've read Ackroyd's book on the Thames and enjoyed it, so I thought I would like this one too.

5 stars
London Under reveals the hidden world beneath the streets of London. Ackroyd has chapters on the history of the London area, drawing from archeological evidence which shows the religious and cultural significance of waterways and graves. He has a chapter on the Fleet and a chapter on the Thames. He then moves through history to show how the use of the land has been changed over time. He covers the original city sewers and attempts at piping clean water in to the city. The covering over of some waterways in attempts to clean up a neighborhood (ie the Fleet). The building of bridges, and the burial of the dead are mentioned, as are the first tunnel projects to travel under the Thames.

Several chapters are given to the Tube, the London subway system, to it's first stations, the race to build more lines, and the creation of the now iconic colourful Tube map. He closes the book with chapters on trenches, bunkers, and other steps taken during the World Wars to provide shelter and safety to the people of London. Ackroyd recounts stories and eyewitness accounts, both historical and contemporary. He includes many photographs and drawings to illustrate his points.

I've never read any Ackroyd but a five star review is hard to ignore - Do you think this would be a good one to start with? It definitely sounds interesting.

Ackroyd has written a number of biographies of famous people and cities including Shakespeare, Thomas More, T. S. Eliot, London, and Venice. He also has a Brief Lives series and has written several novels. He has a book on English ghost sightings as well. He's from Middlesex and has a London focus to much of his writing. I read his Thames: the Biography first, but I don't think order really matters. If you're considering length, then London Under is much shorter, it's just over 200 pages, whereas Thames is over 500 pages. I just discovered his Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination which I may read at some point.

OK - shorter sounds good for a first try - just to see if I get on with his style:)

Oh, now I totally want that source criticism book on Tolkien. Dang it! More book bullets!

The London book sounds good, and congrats on the signed Tolkien book by Shippey. I have The Road to Middle Earth but not that one.

@ ronincats: thanks, I was pleasantly surprised when I cracked open the book and saw the inscription. Nice to get a bonus now and then on used books.

10. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

The second book in his Song of Ice and Fire series. This book has a good bit of character development along with lots of fighting and court intrigue. 6 different houses are contending for the throne, and there are dozens of characters and threads to keep track of, Martin includes House summaries in the back of the book to help keep everyone sorted. Several characters are killed, captured, or thought dead when they are really alive. Forces are spread all across Westeros, fighting occurs in the north and south as well as beyond the Wall. A solid second book in my opinion, I'll probably have to wait a while before starting the third book, since school starts up again in a few days.

Late to your thread, but BBC Sherlock has inspired me to read some of the original stories this year, too! I finished A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four earlier this week, and would agree with you re: how clever the BBC series writers have been about translating these classics to a modern setting. It's fun to see what changes in terms of technology and cultural biases and what can be transplanted near-intact from novel to teleplay.

@okrymastree: I have really enjoyed Sherlock, both the BBC show and finally reading the stories. Right now I'm about halfway through The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I like the amount of detail and how you really see how Sherlock's mind works by reading Watson's accounts of their cases.

I received the DVD of Season One for Christmas and yesterday I watched the original pilot episode and the "Making Of" half hour video. It's really great to see that the directors and actors are all trying to find the perfect balance between modernity and staying true to the originals. I loved a comment by the producer Sue Vertue in regard to 221b, she wanted it to please the diehard Sherlock aficionados and not give anyone a heart attack while making it a modern lived-in home of two bachelors.

11. Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 by David Petersen
volume 2 in the Mouse Guard graphic novel series.

summary: The mice face a hard winter and are running short of supplies. The Guard's finest are sent out to gather local leaders to a summit and to fetch much needed medical supplies. Along the way the heroes must face many dangers: the frigid weather, a lost weasel city, and battle bats and an owl.

review: 5 stars
The artwork is once again very well done. Seeing the characters develop and interact as the team is split up added to the story. Leim grows from having a mentor to look up to, Saxon recovers his old masters sword, and tragedy strikes the Guard. Petersen tells a good story with a simple plot, but that doesn't detract from the book. Each chapter has snippets of Guard lore or mice songs, which provide good additions to the cultural and historic aspect of the world. The appended maps and town/trade details help add depth too.

The London book has gone onto my wishlist. I enjoyed his biography of London and his Thames book is on my shelves to be read. I've been looking for a good one on the subterranean world of London so I suspect this might fit the bill nicely!

@ archerygirl: I think it will provide a nice overview on the topic

Just finished two more books.

12. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
I enjoyed this collection of short stories. A couple of them seemed repetitive, withe the theme of disguises and double identities, but they were all enjoyable. My favourite from this collection is probably "Scandal in Bohemia" simply because it introduces Irene Adler, and shows her evading Sherlock (the recent episode helps too).

13. C. S. Lewis, My Godfather by Laurence Harwood

This is a short memoir of Harwood's experience with C. S. Lewis. His father had attended Oxford with Lewis and Owen Barfield and they became lifelong friends. Laurence was lucky to have Lewis as his godfather. The book contains a number of photographs and images of various letters written by Lewis to Laurence and other members of his family.

A very interesting read, provided insights into a completely different side of Lewis than I've seen before. He pitched his letters to the perfect level for Laurence as a child and young man. He even wrote in a child-like hand and included illustrations. Later in life Lewis asked Laurence for advice on the future prospects for his step-son Douglas, after Joy's death. A nice quick read, where Lewis' heartfelt friendship and love of the Harwood family is easy to see.

14. The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy by Gregory Bassham

SantaThing Gift
4 stars
This book is part of the Popular Culture and Philosophy series. I actually just ordered another book in the same series about Sherlock Holmes, can't wait for it to get here. LOTR and Phil is divided into 5 sections: The Ring, The Quest for Happiness, Good and Evil in Middle Earth, Time and Mortality, and Ends and Endings. Chapter topics include discussions about Plato, technology, Master Samwise, Existentialists and Elves, gift of mortality, green time ents and trees, epic fairy tales, and uberhobbits, among other things. A good read with some interesting topics.

15. At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald
SantaThing gift from 2010

My Santa picked out a really nice illustrated copy of this story for me, I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. I enjoyed the plot, even though it has a bittersweet ending which I was able to predict. MacDonald's style is as always engaging and interactive. Well written and well pitched for a child/young adult audience.

I once received a beautiful copy of At the Back of the North Wind from a relative for Christmas, I must have been 9 or 10 years old... and one day realized I'd lost it. After about 5 moves and many car trips, we never found it again, and I never got to finish reading the story. I'd lost it with the bookmark still in the book, and to this day I can remember where I left off, and have always wondered about the ending...

This reminder makes me realize it's high time I found a copy and finished that book once and for all, some 20 years later. :)

You should definitely finish reading it, I'm glad I was able to remind you of it.

16. A Tolkien Bestiary by David Day
A dictionary collection of all the spirits, creatures, and beings of Tolkien's Middle Earth. It contains many great illustrations and also had helpful timelines and genealogical family trees. Since I read it straight through some information became pretty repetitive, but it was understandable, since it's meant to be accessed as a dictionary when you want to look something up. An enjoyable read, I learned some fun trivia.

17. Nightlife by Rob Thurman
SantaThing book from 2011

5 stars
I really enjoyed this urban fantasy. It is set in NYC and involves boggles, vampires, trolls, werewolves, and Grendels/Auphie the main demonic element of the book. The two main characters are Cal and Niko. Cal is half human half Auphie, and Niko is fully human, Cal's older half brother. The book opens with the brothers searching for why Cal is special to the demons; they know they have been followed and are being watched, despite their best efforts to stay invisible. About half-way through they get some answers. Cal's body becomes possessed by a Darkling (banshee) so it can fulfill the Grendel's dream of turning back the clock by opening a time/space gateway back to before humans became the dominant species. Niko and a few allies have limited time to try and stop the apocalypse from happening.

It had a similar feel to the Kate Griffin Urban Magic/Matthew Swift series, which is set in London. The next book in that series is coming out in April. I can't wait. For summaries/reviews see my 75er for last year. Nightlife is book one in the Cal Leandros series, and from a quick Amazon look there are 5-6 books so far. So I'll have plenty of material for the time being.

I just finished my first full week of the spring semester. Fun reading is going to slow down very soon, as the academics pick up. I have a couple of really good classes and a number of books that I'll be working through for course work.

That book sounds very intriguing, but I have to ask: What's a boggle? I think all the other "baddies" I've heard of before. :)

In this book world a boggle is a monster who lives in a mud hole in Central Park (and possibly in any semi-soft earth). From what I gathered he eats joggers and muggers, and is a bit of a magpie about clothes, wallets, and shinies. He's over 8 feet tall and encrusted with dried mud. He's a decent fighter, but not very intelligent. He was an interesting minor character. I'm not sure how boggles are portrayed in other books, as I've never come across one before in any previous reading.

18. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Finished this collection last night. I knew how it was going to end in "The Final Problem" but it was still good to re-read the story. I enjoyed "The Greek Interpreter," being introduced to Mycroft for the first time in a story, and comparing the written description to Gatiss' portrayal in Sherlock. All in all I enjoyed the short stories. Not sure how soon I'll be able to read any more Sherlock since the semester has started up, but I can't wait to finish up the canon.

19. Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters by Dick Staub

2.5 stars
This was a book I had picked up several years ago when it was on sale, and I figured I would give it a shot. The premise of applying Christian themes to Star Wars seemed like it had potential. I really liked LoTR and Philosophy and thought this might have been along the same lines. It wasn't. This book was geared for a middle school/high school level. It really wasn't a philosophy book, but more of a surface level comparison of Star Wars quotes and Bible verses/early theologians. Maybe I just didn't like it because the chapters were so short, and it was aimed at a younger level than I was expecting. It might really be a good read for some teens, but it was too superficial for me. Oh well, we all hit some disappointing reads along the way. This one was my first of the year.

Sorry to hear that you hit a dud. Hope the next is better!

20. London: The Autobiography by Jon Lewis

5 stars
review:
This was a really enjoyable read. Lewis has compiled a collection of really good primary sources for this collection. His forward opens with Dr. Johnson's line "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." The sources truly reflect this statement.

The voices are primarily native Londoners, with a scattering of internationals (like Marx and Dostoyevsky) who were also eyewitnesses for key events. He starts off with Tacitus in AD 60 and ends with three passages from the 2005 terrorist bombings. The sources included are from all across society, many big names and events, but also a decent bit of the common London experience. As to be expected number of entries are from Samuel Pepys, Dr. Johnson, and John Evelyn. There are also passages written by Queen Victoria and Margaret Thatcher. 2,000 years of London triumphs and tragedies are recounted by the people who saw it all firsthand. Jack the Ripper, the Crystal Palace, the Gunpowder Plot, the Blitz, Swing London, Princess Diana, it's all here in snapshot style. The book includes two sections of illustrations and photographs, which are beneficial. This is an excellent collection of primary sources with a good bibliography and index.

21. Citizens Military Science Fiction by Military Veterans edited by John Ringo

4.5 stars
I received this book for free from a friend who was weeding his collection last year, and I decided to give it a shot. This book is a collection of 15 military sci-fi short stories. I like some sci-fi and I like military history, so I thought the combination could be interesting. Each of the contributors is a military veteran, several are well known sci-fi authors. The stories include military engagements, genetic mutations, alien invasions, and self-sacrifice for the highest cause. There was a good balance between serious, sad, and humorous stories. I think my favorite had to be "The Question" by Patrick A Vanner. Basically inter-galactic relations with a new species were ruined by human allergies. The whole story ends up being an answer to 'the question,' and it's just amusing. Overall an enjoyable book.

I’m going to try to do monthly summaries. We’ll see how long it lasts.
Here’s the January Summary:

books read in no specific order:
(I'm not including touchstones, just because they are all listed in the individual posts)

A Study in Scarlet
The Sign of the Four
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Ranger’s Apprentice: The Lost Stories
Nightlife
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152
Mouse Guard: Winter 1152
Northlanders: Sven the Returned
Tolkien and the Study of his Sources Early Reviewer
Tolkien Bestiary
The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy
Mere Humanity
C. S. Lewis, My Godfather
London Under
London the Autobiography
Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters
A Clash of Kings
At the Back of the North Wind

quick stats:
books read: 21
books read from TBR pile: 8 (counting all the Sherlock as one item)

physical books acquired: 28
text-books: 7
non-textbooks (aka stuff I wanted to buy): 19
giveaways: 2
e-books acquired: 18 (mostly member giveaway items)

overall pages read (using Goodreads stats): 6480
average pages read per day: 209

I know next month won't be nearly as high, since the semester will be in full swing. But I'm glad I got off to a good start.

Wow, that's an impressive amount of books!

That is a very good start indeed! Sorry the Jedi Masters book was no good, but you've had some other great reads in January.

22. Tea: Addiction, Exploitation, and Empire.

This was an enjoyable read. The author actually worked in Africa for 13 years, and has personal experience as a British manager of a tea plantation. He recounted a brief history of British tea trade with China, India, and Africa. The names of several types of tea were explained, since they come from geographic regions. From a slow start to a nationwide addiction, he followed the growth of tea drinking in Britain. The history of the four big British tea companies were explained, including a little bit about Twinings. The process of growing tea is over-viewed, including the good and bad of British colonial rule. Several maps were included which were very helpful, and the appendix on differentiating types of tea was interesting.

The history geek in me finds your latest read fascinating. Glad you enjoyed it.

Oooh, that tea history book sounds great! I'll have to look for it.

23. The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation by Jonathan Hennessey

Reading the Constitution in a graphic novel was interesting. Hopefully the format will get more people reading this important document. The artwork was well done, and the explanations of some of the finer details seemed really well done. It laid everything out in plain ordinary language.

Who was the 'writer' of this? I mean, obviously I know who wrote the constitution, but it sounds like there is commentary. Who is that by?

The author is Jonathan Hennessey and the artist is Aaron McConnell, published by Hill and Wang. They quote bits of the Federalist Papers and Supreme Court Cases here and there, but it seems like most of the comments are from Jonathan and the research he has done. Their recommended reading list include such titles as: The Federalist Papers, Founding Brothers, The Heritage Guide to the Constitution and The Summer of 1787 (all of which I own and have read). The difficulties of a Bill of Rights, slavery, temperance, and suffrage are all mentioned. It provided a good outline of how the government works, both checks and balances of the three branches, and the differences between federal and state. It seemed to be a pretty balanced presentation, in my opinion.

Sounds amazingly interesting! I'll have to see whether the local libraries have a copy. Thanks for posting.

24. Moonshine by Rob Thurman

4.5 stars
Book 2 in the Cal Leandros urban fantasy series. The plot line of this book was as good as the first book. Cal and Niko take what appears to be a simple detective job but they wind up in far deeper water than they expected. Their friend Georgiana get kidnapped, Cal is forced to go undercover with the werewolf mafia, they have a second run in with Abaggor the troll, threaten some Gypsies, and Cal begins to master his Auphie ability of creating gateways (time/space portals). The brothers make some new allies and enemies as they try to get to the bottom of the werewolf plot. This book contained more violence than the first one, and also more of Cal's mental introspection/coping mechanisms. A good solid second book.

25. The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
I enjoyed this collection. The 'Six Napoleons' and 'Milverton' were my two favorite cases.

26. Narrative Poems by C. S. Lewis
I enjoyed this collection of poems. I've read a lot of works by Lewis, but hadn't previously read any of his poetry. I decided that it was time to do so. The collection was arranged and edited by Walter Hooper into 5 thematic sections.

27. Why the North Won the Civil War by David Donald

This was a short collection of essays, by various Civil War scholars. Topics included: military leadership, economic comparisons, diplomacy and European neutrality, Jefferson Davis, and Southern Democracy.

I'll be finishing up my history masters this semester and will be taking a comprehensive exam at some point before May. For his part of the reading list one of the professors assigned 5 new books for me to read, in addition to 5 from the course. This was one of them. So in addition to reviewing/re-reading about 20 books I also have to read 4 new books. I'm glad a couple of them are pretty short, no books is over 500 pages. I'm so thankful that I don't have to re-read Eric Foner's Reconstruction that was one huge book.

Ew, comprehensive exam sounds gross and scary. Hope all your reading and re-reading goes well for that. :)

Thanks. I'm not really thrilled about the exam, but neither of my two thesis ideas were accepted. At least they give us the option of our choice of format between 1 hour oral or 3 hour written. I'd take an essay any day over an oral defense, so that's what I'm going to need to prepare. For undergrad I had an oral defense of my capstone paper with four professors whom I knew really well, and that was nerve wracking enough. No need to do that to myself at the grad level. In addition to Civil War I'm also using the French and American Revolutions and the Crusades. I have piles of books, class notes, and short review papers to study.

Bummer about the thesis. I was lucky that with my grad program (in Library and Information Studies, which is a different ball of wax of course) allowed for course-based degrees, which more people tend to go for. Then you just have to do a capping exercise, which in my case was simply turning one of your major assignments into a webpage. Pretty easy-peasy. Hopefully you rock the exam! :)

I'm in a dual program so I'm also getting my MS in Information Science at the same time as the MA in history. That degree is course-based, there's no exam or capstone assignment. After this semester I just have to do my internship over the summer to finish up.

Double degree is very impressive! Do you get to go somewhere cool for your internship?

I'm not sure yet where my placement will be. The planning stages are starting up, so now I have to meet with my adviser and the assistant dean. I'm hoping for either a small/medium sized local archive or preservation/conservation center.

28. Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Conviction

29. Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper by Nicholas Baker

Double Fold exposes some of the US library faults from the past 50 years, mostly in regards to the microfilming industry. Books and bound newspapers by the hundreds of thousands were disbound, photographed, and discarded all in the name of preservation. Several librarians invented wacky methods for testing paper, including the double fold test, from which the book gets it's title. A national library committee joined with NASA and the CIA to try and come up with a mass de-acidification program (which involved hundreds of pounds of diethyl zinc) to save "brittle" books. DEZ as it's called, is very dangerous, it ignites on contact with oxygen. As a result of various experiments books were scorched, burned, and whole facilities exploded.

Many of the largest institutions in the US no longer have their paper copies of city and national newspapers, because most people got caught up in the microfilm technology craze. Nicholas Baker explains the slippery slope that led to the loss of a lot of cultural resources. In 2000, Baker formed a business to buy old newspapers when he learned that the British Library was planning on dumping it's American collections. He scrambled together as much money as he could, got some grants, and bought 10 tons worth of US bound newspapers when they went up for auction. He didn't expect to become a newspaper librarian, but he has clearly become one, simply because no one else stepped up.

I read this book for my library and archival preservation class, now I need to go start the paper that's due in a couple weeks.

30. Walking to Martha's Vineyard by Franz Wright

This short collection of poetry was published in 2003 and won the Pulitzer. I'd read a Wright collection in undergrad and enjoyed it, so thought I'd try another collection. Wright focuses on renewal and hope in the midst of despair and struggles. Some poems are prayer-like and solemn, others more raging and emotional. An enjoyable quick read.

The preservation book sounds fascinating. I knew about the newspapers being discarded in favour of microfilm (thanks to the very lovely The Library at Night which you should definitely read, it'll make you feel all warm and fuzzy about libraries) but Baker's perspective on it would be really interesting. I'll have to keep an eye out for it. :)

31. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

4.5 stars
I really enjoyed American Gods. I've read several other books by Neil Gaiman (Neverwhere, Stardust, Smoke and Mirrors, and Fragile Things) and have enjoyed them all. It took me a few chapters to get in to American Gods, things seemed a bit random and scattered at first. But after about 50 pages I was hooked. I've not yet read The Graveyard Book and I'm thinking of picking up both that and the graphic novel of Neverwhere at some point.

I've never met a Neil Gaiman book I didn't like -- glad you are enjoying them also. American Gods is, I think, one of his best. Anansi Boys is good too -- don't forget that one! :)

32. Nothing but Freedom by Eric Foner

The second new book finished for my history exam. Three essays compose this short book, the chapters are titled: "The Anatomy of Emancipation," "The Politics of Freedom," and "The Emancipated Worker." The title phrase comes from an 1865 comment from an eyewitness to Emancipation who said "The emancipated slaves own nothing, because nothing but freedom has been given to them."

The book focuses on the radical changes which occurred during American Reconstruction. Foner compares the American experience to those in Haiti, the British Caribbean, and south eastern Africa. The final chapters covers the 1876 strikes in South Carolina and Georgia on rice plantations. The differences between black controlled South Carolina and Democrat "Redeemed" Georgia are clearly illustrated. In areas where Blacks managed to gain and retain political power they had much more freedom and autonomy than in areas where they were reduced to almost slavery-like conditions and poverty due to low wages and the whims of the planter.

That Foner book sounds quite interesting. How did you find it to read? Foner has a very good reputation as a historian, but I seem to recall other books of his that I've read have been a bit on the "textbooky" side.

I found it to be pretty easy to read. I read his Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution two years ago. I found it tough to get through, partly because of the sheer length. Nothing but Freedom is only 150 pages, and the chapters are more like independent essays. I do have to read A Short History of Reconstruction (the abridged version, roughly 300 pages) for my exam, so after I've read that one I could probably offer a better comparison.

33. Romantic Religion by R. J. Reilly

4 stars
The subtitle is "A Study of Barfield, Lewis, Williams, and Tolkien." This book provides an introduction to the way that these four authors utilize Romance in their writings. I was least familiar with Owen Barfield especially Anthroposophy, which I knew nothing about. That chapter was rather philosophical and tough to get through, but the others were better. I especially enjoyed the chapter on Lewis as it dealt a lot with his concept of Joy. Overall a good read, if a bit dated and intellectually tough in spots. I learned a good bit about Barfield.

>85 kkunker: Like! Need to look for that.

The graphic novel of the Constitution sounds pretty fun, and what a great idea to get more people ot read it.

34. Theft of Swords by Michael J Sullivan

5 stars
I enjoyed this fantasy. The world seems to be pretty well developed: the kingdoms, religious institution, and magical system all seem realistic. I found Royce and Hadrian to be likeable characters; I'm interested in learning more of their individual backstories. Esrahaddon reminded me a bit of wizards from other series, a bit odd and thorny but also human and dependent on others. Esra has a unique situation where his vast power is countered by a physical helplessness. The religious institution's loose similarities to medieval Catholicism (hierarchically) was interesting, though the Novron Church is quite secretive, manipulative, and militant. Dwarven culture felt very familiar, both in personal mannerisms and occupational preferences, but Elves had some differences from other series I've read. Overall the book had an interesting fast moving plot, with an interesting cast of characters, both heroes and enemies. I'm looking forward to reading the next volume in the series when I get a chance.

35. The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

4.5 stars
I managed to sneak this one in for February thanks to Leap Day. I enjoyed this case, and was surprised by how quickly it was over with so much of the book still to go. Then it became clear that the second half of the book was back story for Mr. Douglas and the reason for the case. And the addition of Moriarty's handiwork on the last page was an unexpected twist. I enjoyed the mystery of the back story and the eventual identification of the Pinkerton informant. I'm giving this one 4.5 stars simply because I wasn't such a fan of the two part system and splitting the back story (which Sherlock couldn't have known) away from the detective case.

>92 kkunker: I read the complete Sherlock canon two years ago and I think two of the novellas do that weird split. I didn't mind it so much, but I understand why other people find it irritating.

@ MickyFine: I think Sign of the Four did it to some extent, but it was along chapter splits, so it went back and forth between the past events and the present investigation. It wasn't as noticeable since both story lines were woven together.

Happy Leap Day!

Time for some monthly stats.

List of Books read :
Tea: Addiction, Exploitation, and Empire
The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation
Moonshine
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Narrative Poems by C. S. Lewis
Why the North Won the Civil War
Star Wars Fate of the Jedi: Conviction
Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper
Walking to Martha’s Vineyard
American Gods
Nothing But Freedom
Romantic Religion
Theft of Swords
The Valley of Fear

Stats
books read: 14
source- my collection: 6
library: 8

physical books acquired: 15
purchased: 11 (6 academic, 5 leisure)
giveaways: 3
gift: 1

e-books acquired: 6
giveaways: 1

books read from TBR pile: 3

overall pages read using Goodreads stats
month: 4179 (year: 10,659)

average pages read per day
month: 144 (year: 177.6)

I love the variety of material that you read! Such lists always make me think about expanding my own literary horizons, since I tend to land in the same piles every time.

@ beserene: Thanks, it does look like an odd mix, with the combination of academic/leisure titles. I've been trying to broaden my horizons this year. I tend to stick to history, fantasy, historical fiction, and Christianity related books. In my 12 in 12 thread I specifically picked some categories which will challenge me to read some new genres. Some categories have started off better than others, but I've got lots of time left. It's been fun so far.

I tried using categories to challenge myself a couple of years ago -- it mostly didn't work, though I think I read three whole non-fiction books as a result. :)

I read some historical fiction, but the vast majority of my reading is fantasy, with a little sci-fi for "variety", and much of that is YA or children's.

I sometimes wish I were back in grad school, so that someone would make me do more challenging reading, but then I just laugh and pick up the next just-like-Harry-Potter-only-not because I enjoy such things so much.

Apparently I am not a self-motivated person. :)

PS: What I also meant to say, in that ME ME ME post, was good for you for challenging yourself. That is very cool. :)

It's that time of the semester where the first round of papers are due, so I've not been able to read very much. However, I did manage to finish one short textbook.

36. Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts by Kathleen Roe (Archival Fundamentals Series II)

This book provides a good introduction to the methods of archival processing. Full of lots of good pictures and figures. The appendixes include several sample finding aids and arrangement scenarios. A very helpful resource for my archival representation class.

37. His Last Bow by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Another short story collection finished off. Enjoyed the stories, especially the title story.

finished two books today

38. A Short History of Reconstruction by Eric Foner

This is the abridged version, I read the full version two years ago. Foner does a good job of describing the complex situation that emerged in the United States during and after the Civil War. After emancipation the big questions were who would control labor and how would freedmen be treated. Northern v. Southern reactions were very different, and reactions among freedmen and free born blacks were different. Good overview of political, religious and social upheaval that occurred.

39. Light Beyond All Shadow: Religious Experience in Tolkien's Work edited by Paul Kerry

This book examines Tolkien's Catholicism through several different lenses and how his own beliefs influenced his works. Chapters have varying foci including his relationships with fellow Inklings and their impact on him, his portrayal of females, the differences Peter Jackson almost implemented in the films, and many other topics.

40. Historic Preservation by Norman Tyler
This was a recommended textbook for my history class, which I decided to go ahead and read. It was an interesting read, which had some overlap with my required reading. A whole range of topics are covered including: the National Register of Historic Sites, conservation and restoration strategies, "green" preservation, legal cases, architectural overviews, and much more.

41. The Hunter by Theresa Meyers
This was not one that I would have picked up myself, but it was an enjoyable read. It's a steam punk Western with a good bit of romantic interest thrown in. I won an ARC of the second book in the series last week and so decided to do it justice and read the first book too. The second book arrived from the author in today's mail so I expect to start it in a few days.

42. The Invasion of Canada by Pierre Berton

4 stars
This book is a popular history which follows the first year of the War of 1812. Initially neither side wanted to fight, and both sought a peaceful resolution. However after a few skirmishes and battles both sides became more active in the war effort. The British resolved to fight a defensive war, but the Americans went on the offensive several times and fought on Canadian soil. The Americans lost several battles at Detroit, Niagara, and Frenchtown before the winter freeze set in and made fighting impossible.

Oooh, I'll have to give that Berton a try. I love the War of 1812 and Berton is rightly an institution when it comes to Canadian history. :)

#104 by @kkunker> The War of 1812 is a part of history of which I have not done much reading. It would be interesting to read a non-American centric book, I think, so onto the wishlist it goes!

43. Civil War Soldiers by Reid Mitchell

I took a graduate Civil War course with Dr. Mitchell and found it to be quite engaging. Unfortunately during the course we didn't read any of Mitchell's books. But now for my comps exam I get to read two.

Civil War Soldiers provides an excellent overview into the beliefs and mindsets of both Northern and Confederate soldiers. This book includes excerpts and snippets from soldier's primary sources, mostly letters and journals. The reader really gets a feel for the soldier's conflicting justifications and complex emotional reactions to battle, looting, and experiences with civilians and African Americans.

44. Star Wars: Darth Plagueis by James Luceno

4 stars
Won this as an ER in December and finally received it at the beginning of this month. I enjoyed the book, and liked learning Palpatine's back story. The book didn't have too much action, it focused a lot on midi-chlorians and the dark side of the Force; but that's to be expected from a Sith-centric book. I was interested in seeing how Palpatine and his master Plagueis manipulated events across the galaxy. The book ends right after Palpatine is named Supreme Chancellor, and first meets Anakin. Interesting read but my no means my favorite SW book.

45. Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms by Lissa Evans

5 stars
LT member giveaway book
ARC expected publication April 2012

A great read aimed at a middle school or young adult audience. This book follows the adventures of Stuart Horton, a 10 year old boy who has just moved to a new town. He learns that his great-uncle was a famous stage magician and inventor. Stuart finds clues left behind by his great-uncle which lead him on a treasure hunt across town looking for the hidden workshop.

During his quest Stuart meets and eventually befriends his neighbors, triplet girls, and an elderly blind lady named Lenora. He also develops an enemy who is also searching for the shop, to exploit the inventions for monetary gain. Stuart moves to a new town, learns some family history, makes new friends, and eventually finds the shop, all in one summer vacation.

A fun, light read as a break from all my academic reading.

46. The Crusades: A Very Short Introduction by Christopher Tyerman
re-read as part of review process for history comps

47. Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy
Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy is a fun read for any Holmes fan. The book is part of the Popular Culture and Philosophy series and contains 33 short chapters broken up into 7 categories. The "amateur detectives" authors deal with all sorts of topics about Sherlock Holmes including: discussions of philosophers and theories, summations of cases, several folks pick their favourite Holmes actor and give reasons why, there are chapters on the development of the detective genre, Moriarty, virtual reality, and how Holmes adjusted to married life to name a few. The book deals with all sorts of Holmesiana: the official Doyle canon, the non-canonical Doyle stories, pastiches, television, theater, and film (including Star Trek and Japanese) manifestations, and modern fiction.

And the Holmes book goes on the TBR list.

My physical library just hit the 1,000 mark! Yay!

Congrats! :)

Thanks. I only have one actual book shelf in my room, so most of the books are stacked in various places. Here's a year old photo of part of my library. It gives you a sense of the lack of space issue.

48. The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction by William Doyle

4 stars
Doyle provides a very compact and dense introduction to the French Revolution. He summarizes the causes which started the revolution, the events which happened during the revolution, and the effects it caused, some of which have reverberated down to the modern day. The short chapters make the book easy to read in a few sittings, and the chapter titles give the reader the direction for the chapter (Why it happened, how it happened, what it ended, what it started, etc). Doyle mentions all the key players, political parties, and the international incidents the revolution impacted.

The actual events of the Revolution were only recounted in one chapter, which is the only reason I'm marking this one down to a 4. If you know nothing about the events it is rather hard to follow along without flipping to the timeline. I read it as part of my review for my comps exam, so it was useful for refreshing my memory.

49. The Vacant Chair: The Northern Soldier Leaves Home by Reid Mitchell

The last new book I had to read for my comps, now I'm reviewing and studying my notes on all the old books.

5 stars
Good intro to the motivations and ideologies of Northern soldiers, and the Northern Republican mindset in general.In this book Mitchell luses journals and letters to let the soldiers, nurses, and family members speak for themselves. His chapters cover motivations for enlistment, war experiences, encounters with Confederate soldiers and civilians, and how they coped with death.

Northern soldiers joined the army to preserve the Union, to fight beside their friends and protect their families. Many young men considered the war to be their "coming of age" experience. Enlistment was viewed as masculine duty; the army was often considered to be one big family. In the end the North's determination to win, the support of the home community and family gave them the strength to endure. In the South, family livelihoods were torn apart by the invading armies, and often the family back home would encourage soldier's to desert to keep them safe. Many Confederates soldier's thought the war would never end, and eventually they gave up on the Confederate cause, because their families were more important to them.

50. London in Poetry and Prose edited by Anna Adams

5 stars
This book is a short anthology of excerpts of London themed literature. It includes mostly poetry (so I'm counting it as poetry), and is a fun little collection. The editor, contributed several poems, and did a nice job of organizing the items she selected. The book contains 13 sections, and each section opens with a couple of lines from William Blake's "Jerusalem" and a drawing/sketch of London. Some of the section titles include: "The Weather in the Streets," "The River Thames," "The Recent Wars," "Churches, Palaces, and Towers," and "London Transport." Adams included a range of authors stretching from the Middle Ages to the modern day, mostly Brits, but a few internationals. A few include: Charles Dickens, T. S. Eliot, Chaucer, W. H. Auden, Thomas Hardy, Lord Byron, Jonathan Swift, and Virginia Woolf. A great read for anyone who is familiar with London and wants to get a glimpse of how the great city has been portrayed in the past 400 years of literature.

51. Picayune by John B DeJordy

This was a book which I won in a Goodreads giveaway. I'll post a full review soon.

I enjoyed this book. The main character Picayune the mouse changes from being a timid young mouse to being a forest wide ambassador and agent of peace during his quest to save his friend Ameera. He makes new friends on his adventure, and must overcome obstacles in order to reach the Dragon's lair and fight for Ameera's freedom. He meets squirrels, badgers, and hawks on his journey.

This month the history category was definitely in the lead since I'm studying for my exam. I am glad I managed to fit in a few giveaway books, since I've been winning a ton and probably won't get to most of them til summer. At least I'm not completely ignoring that pile.

March Summary Stats:

List of Books read this month:
Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts
His Last Bow
Light Beyond All Shadow: Religious Experience in Tolkien’s Work
A Short History of Reconstruction
Historic Preservation
The Hunter
The American Invasion of Canada
Civil War Soldiers
Star Wars: Darth Plagueis
Horton’s Miraculous Mechanisms
Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy
The Crusades: A Very Short Introduction
The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction
The Vacant Chair
London in Poetry and Prose
Picayune

Stats
books read: 16
from personal collection: 14
from library: 2

physical books acquired: 30
purchased: 12
giveaways: 13
gift: 5

e-books acquired: 4

books read from TBR pile: 3
overall pages read (using Goodreads stats): 4238 (year: 14897)
average pages read per day: 136 (year: 165)

Your pages read per day stat is very impressive! Hope that upcoming exam goes well.

The page per day stat is a bit skewed since some textbooks are a multi-month process, but the year stats are pretty accurate. When I finish textbooks they give a boost to the monthly stats.

Here's a case in point. I just finished off an archives textbook. So at the moment my page/day count for April is 135 since I read 405 pages of the book (I'm not counting index, bibliography etc). Most of it was read in sections from Feb-April.

52. Preserving Archives and Manuscripts
published by the Society of American Archivists as part of their Archival Fundamentals II Series

53. Sister Revolutions by Susan Dunn
This book compares and contrasts the American and French Revolutions. I re-read it to review for my comps exam next week.

I found out some great news this week. I will have a paid internship this summer working at Fort Ticonderoga!! The Curator of Collections selected me to be the Collections Intern. I will be working with both the museum archive and getting some public history experience in the art gallery.

In regards to the archive, the fort has 100 years of museum institutional records which have never been systematically organized. The fort doesn't have a librarian or archivist on staff. The curator wants me to develop a framework for defining and organizing the collections, and then I'll get to spend a good part of my time processing and rehousing as much as I can. I'll also get to spend around 1/3 of the time in the gallery, supervising visitors and answering questions about the exhibit.

For those of you who don't know Fort Ticonderoga is located in northern New York, between Lakes Champlain and George. It was built by the French in 1755 and played an important role in both the Seven Years War and the American Revolution. It was reconstructed in the early 1900's and is a National Historic Landmark.

My personal interest in the fort dates back to high school when I discovered that two of my ancestors who fought in the American Revolution were stationed at the fort. I've visited a couple of times since then, and have written 3 academic papers on the fort, including my 55 page undergraduate seminar paper.

The internship starts in mid-May, and runs through the end of August. I can't wait. I just have to survive my exam and end of the semester projects.

website: http://www.fortticonderoga.org/

#122 > Congratulations! That sounds like a great learning experience.

Sounds like a blast! Have a great summer!

That sounds amazing! So happy for you!

Congratulations! What a great reward and honor for all your hard work!

Thanks everyone, I can't wait to start.

54. American Revolution: A History by Gordon Wood
Finished this one over the holiday weekend. It's the last full re-read I'll fit in before the exam on Thursday. Good overview of events and has a nice timeline and a couple of good maps.

That sounds like an awfully fun archive! I hope you enjoy the internship when you start. :)

I had my comprehensive exam today. I spent three hours typing answers to 4 essay questions. I typed about 4,200 words roughly 7-8 pages single spaced. I'm just glad its over. I'll have to wait about a week before I hear the results. Hopefully I passed and will be able to graduate. Then I'll have one masters degree finished and just one semester to go on the second one.

As a reward I'm taking the next couple of days off from academics, I just watched the first two episodes of Game of Thrones season 2. I plan on reading some fun books this weekend, since I've spent so much time lately studying for my exams it's time for some light reading.

I also just found out that I have an on-site housing option for my summer internship at Fort Ticonderoga. So that will be a relief if it comes through.

55. Keeping Time: The History and Theory of Preservation in America by by William Murtagh

This was a textbook for my historic preservation class. Provided a good overview to the American preservation movement, from grassroot volunteers to national agencies.

56. James Madison by Richard Brookhiser

A good solid biography of Madison. I read it in preparation for a presentation I'm giving next week on the War of 1812.

57. The Slayer by Theresa Meyers

4 stars
This was a Goodreads give away book. I enjoyed this book (Book 2 of the Legend Chronicles) as much as the first book in the series. The oldest Jackson brother Winn is forced back into a life of Hunting after years of trying to live a normal life. He makes an uneasy alliance with European vampires to try and recover their piece of the Book of Legend. The mission involves traveling from the American wide west to Paris and London, and Winn is forced to fight werewolves, shifters, and to face his inner demons.

I went to a Tolkien Conference this weekend in Vermont. The topic was Tolkien's Bestiary and I bought two books and had them inscribed by the authors. I keep adding to my Tolkien collection, which is fine by me, more books to read this summer.

Following Gandalf Epic Battles and Moral Victory in The Lord of the Rings by Matthew Dickerson
Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien by Matthew Dickerson and Jonathan Evans

Jonathan was the keynote speaker, he summarized the history of the medieval bestiary and then focused in on dragons. Dickerson spoke about balrogs and had some really interesting things to contribute to the roundtable discussion on what to do with orcs. Other topics included: Rohirrim horses, trolls, the eagles, mumakil, and several others.

It was a fun 8 hour day. Really shows me how little I know about the wider body of Tolkien's work, especially the History of Middle Earth series. I've read The Hobbit and LoTR many times, and have started the Silmarillion multiple times but have never gotten through it. Maybe this summer I will take the plunge and start reading more on Middle Earth.

58. The Civil War of 1812 by Alan Taylor

Finished off another history book the other day. It was in preparation for my 30 minute presentation which I gave today to my DAR chapter titled "James Madison and the War of 1812." I've read several other history books in the past month or so in preparation. I enjoyed doing the research, and I'm glad the presentation is over.

Time to go start on my term projects, after I watch the new episode of Game of Thrones.

A Tolkien conference sounds like good nerd fun. Wish they had such a thing around here. :)

I found out today that I passed my history comprehensive exam!!

*bouncing up and down at my desk in celebration*

I am so relieved that it's over and I know I passed. The last week was stressful waiting for the word.
I only have one more history paper and presentation to do for Thursday to finish off my history masters.

Congratulations, indeed! The waiting is the hardest part, it seems. And well done on finishing your master's degree, too!

Congratulations!

Thanks, I am glad I'm done with the exam. I've limited my leisure reading to when I'm riding the bus to/from classes, so I can get all my work done. I managed to finish off a fun book this week.

59. Madhouse by Rob Thurman is book 3 in the Cal Leandros series. I'm so glad my LT secret santa this year gave me the first book in this series. I've enjoyed it so far, I already have book 4 waiting on my TBR pile.

In book three Cal and Niko face a new threat in NYC, Sawney Beane come back to life. (I'd never heard of him or any similar sounding legend. Basically he's a redcap who killed hundreds of people with a scythe in England before being hunted down by an army and burned at the stake. He can command other creatures to follow him, can be cut limb from limb and somehow reassemble himself, and he can semi-fly.)

On top of hunting down the insane mass murderer the brother's friend Rob is being hunted by assassins and is barely staying ahead of them. They make an alliance with a boggle and some werewolves to hunt Sawney. Several attempts fail to inflict damage on Sawney, and leave Cal with a huge hole in his chest from being bitten. In the end the four main characters (Cal, Niko, Rob the Puck and Promise the vampire) come up with one final plan to try. Flamethrowers, explosive bullets, and Cal as the bait.

Now I'm off to finish my last history paper and power point presentation, which I'm writing on Fort Ticonderoga.

Big congratulations on passing your comprehensive exam!!!

Here are the April statistics. I know the numbers are way down from previous months, but I've had a full schedule this month: master's comp exam, multiple presentations, and papers. I just finished off a technology XML term project, which took me 9 hours during the last two days to finish. I ended up so stuck I redid all the pages from scratch this morning. I am glad it's over and submitted. I've only got two more 10 page papers and a final exam before the semester is finished.

List of Books Read:
Preserving Archives and Manuscripts
Sister Revolutions: French Lightening, American Light
The American Revolution: A History
Keeping Time: The History and Theory of Preservation in America
James Madison
The Slayer
The Civil War of 1812
Madhouse

stats:
books read: 8
source- personal collection: 6
library: 2
physical books acquired: 25
purchased: 12
giveaways: 11
gift: 2
e-books acquired: 2
books read from TBR pile: 1
overall pages read (using Goodreads stats): 2380 (year: 17,277)
average pages read per day: 79.5 (year: 190)

Hopefully I will get lots of reading done in May once classes are over and I start my summer internship.

Finished off my first book for May.

60. A Richer Heritage: Historic Preservation in the Twenty-First Century

This was a textbook for my public history preservation class. A collection of essays on all sorts of preservation topics including national, local, and international issues, how to handle Native American, folklore, and oral history traditions, archaeology, rural landscapes, and many other topics. I enjoyed the essays.

On a side note, I went and saw the Avengers at midnight this morning. I really enjoyed it, even though I'm not a huge comic book fan. The little which I know is more geared at DC Comics and the Justice League, I'd like to learn more. I may need to dabble in some of the basic series story lines at some point.

For a textbook, that one sounds quite interesting.

Turned in my final paper of the semester last night. I'm officially on break until next Friday when I start at Fort Ticonderoga. The plan: read lots of fun books, pack, and relax.

I started some fun reading this weekend and have been busy.

61. English Literature: A Very Short Introduction
62. Star Wars: Ascension by Christie Gold
63. A Common-Sense Platform for the 21st Century
won a free copy from Goodread's first reads
64. Star Wars: Apocalypse by Troy Denning

The two non-Star Wars books were very short. I'm glad I got out both Ascension and Apocalypse at the same time. I had to jump right in and finish off the Fate of the Jedi series.

I'm going to up my personal challenge from 75 to 125.
I wasn't expecting to read this much already this year, I didn't expect to be approaching the 75 mark so soon. I don't expect to be slowing down my pace, so it's time to increase the goal.

65. Following Gandalf by Matthew Dickerson
I purchased this book at the UVM Tolkien Conference this year after hearing Matthew give a presentation. I really enjoyed the book. He addressed the difference between moral and military victories; how certain characters win or are destroyed due to certain characteristics, and he spends considerable time on Silmarillion materials, especially creation.

66. The Minority Council by Kate Griffin
Book four in the Matthew Swift series, finds Swift up against some tough new magical menaces in London. He must fight the Fairy Godmother, who is flushing the streets with a super drug for magicians. The Midnight Mayor makes deals with imps, the Beggar King, his P.A., and other magical forces in order to ensure the safety of his city. He is forced to ferret out a traitor among his Aldermen, find and destroy a shadow with claws which is attacking children, and try to keep his mortal body intact and breathing.

I had an all day orientation session today at Fort Ticonderoga, and I start work next Friday. I met my boss and several other curators and some of the re-enactors. I can't wait to move up to the fort and begin my project. I'm going to have a great summer.

67. Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman
This was a fun read. Marvel superheros are transplanted to 1602 Elizabethan/James I England. Magneto is in Spain using the Inquisition to draw mutants to his cause. An anomaly from the New World causes the "avengers" to rise before their time. Someone or something was sent back in time, and the mutants have to send it back before it is too late. The Watchman warns Dr. Strange about the future, Thor makes an appearance as the hidden treasure of the Knights Templar. Familiar faces in a different time but remain in line with their character's personalities.

68. Unstuck: Your Life. God's Design. Real Change.
Early Reviewer book from February

69. Cultural Landscapes by Richard Longstreth
My final textbook of the semester. I read about half of it for class and decided to finish it.

70. Sherlock Holmes: the Trial of Sherlock Holmes

71. First Friend Thomas Jefferson
LT Early Reviewer, review to be posted soon

72. A Very Short Introduction: The Anglo-Saxon Age

73. Fare Forward
LT member giveaway, review to be posted soon.

74. Medieval Britain: A Very Short Introduction

75. Star Wars Scourge
This one was fun since the main character is a Jedi archivist. It involves an unlikely team seeking out the source of a new drug in Hutt space.

76. Fort Ticonderoga: Key to a Continent by Edward Hamilton
I figured I should brush up on my local history, since I've not read this one in a few years.

77. The History of the Kings of Britain

Congratulations on whizzing past 75 with more than half a year to spare.

Congrats!

Wow - 77 already! Congratulations

Congratulations on passing the 75 book mark!

Thanks! I figured I would easily hit 75 this year, but was not expecting it to come so early in the year. It's going to be a pretty good year for reading.

78. The Tragedy of Arthur

79. A Favorite Place of Resort for Strangers: The King's Garden at Fort Ticonderoga by Lucinda Brockway

A history of the gardens at Fort Ticonderoga. It highlights the importance of the Pell family and the several phases that the garden has undergone. This short volume focuses in on the recreation of the garden in the 1920s and the reconstruction of that period garden in the 1990s.

80. Berlin Cantata

81. Shakespeare and Co. by Stanley Wells
A fun read about how Shakespeare interacted with and was influenced by his fellow playwrights. It focuses a good bit on his collaborations, and shows that The Bard did not operate completely as a loner. He drew from his contemporaries and they borrowed from him.

82. The Mabinogion
Welsh mythology and folklore, partially Arthurian

83. A Thousand Bayonets
Goodreads giveaway, review posted on book page

84. His Majesty’s Dragon

85. Cluny Cross Goodread's firstreads giveaway from May
An enjoyable read, about a Benedictine monk who is sent to Jerusalem but ends up taking a very roundabout way to get there. He has to deal with Greeks, Jews, Muslims, and Christians before he can reach his goal. He undergoes hardships, enslavement, language school and being sent around by the Emperor and the Sultan. He ends up married and gets caught in the Holy Land as the First Crusade comes roaring through. In the end he finally reaches Jerusalem and fulfills his mission and can go home after years of being away.

86. Throne of Jade

87. Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine
I loved this book. It's steampunk set in Victorian England. The main characters are part of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, they investigate the strange and mysterious. Wellington Books Esquire is a proper London gentleman who is the head Archivist of the ministry. He finds himself given an assistant as a new partner who is a female renegade from New Zealand who loves to use dynamite and guns. They must work together to discover a new plot which threatens London society. A combination of brains and brawn are needed if they are to succeed. The second book in the series has been ordered from Amazon and is on its way.

88. Black Powder War
I am thoroughly enjoying the Temeraire books so far. I've read the first three in about a week. I enjoy Novik's world, her dragons are unique from what I've read anywhere else. I can see why everyone was so eager to win the most recent book in an early reviewer giveaway a couple months ago. I'm so glad the public library up here in Ticonderoga has the whole series. I've just started book 4.

Glad you're enjoying the Temeraire series!

I'm interested in Phoenix Rising, but the touchstone leads to a very different book - who's the author? Adding it to the ever-growing TBR list! :)

@ bell7: Sorry about the touchstone, I forgot to double check them before posting. I just edited my previous post. It's written by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris. The second book in the series is The Janus Affair.

I know what you mean about the ever-growing tbr pile. Mine has grown into a mountain at this point. In my opinion recommendations from fellow members is one of the best parts of having/following threads.

>157 kkunker: No worries, I'm sure I've done the same with touchstones. Thanks for the author info. :)

In my opinion recommendations from fellow members is one of the best parts of having/following threads. -- This is VERY true. I say "ever-growing TBR list" at least partly tongue-in-cheek. Well, of course, it's truly ever-growing but I'm not exactly sad to have so many books that I'm interested in reading. I'd rather have too much to read than not enough and feel continually dissatisfied...

So glad that you are enjoying the Temeraire books! I just reread them myself because, of course, I HAD to be all freshly caught up for the new one. Such fun!

PS: Thanks for the blurb about the Pip Ballantine book. I bought that on a whim a while back and am geeked to hear good things about it. Moving it higher up the pile.

@ beserene: I also bought it pretty much on a whim at the beginning of the year, and finally got around to reading it. If you enjoy British humor and dynamite it definitely deserves to be moved higher up on the pile. There were even a few great conversations about libraries/archives which just made me happy.

June stats:

books read: 12
source-personal collection: 7
library: 5

total pages read (using Goodreads stats): 3997
average pages read per day: 175

89. The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
My final collection of short stories. I have now finished the canon.

90. Deathwish by Rob Thurman
In which Cal and Niko must deal with a number of issues:
1. an old vampire hires them to protect him and figure out who is hunting him
2. Promise's daughter shows up needing help after stealing from a supernatural being in South America; he shows up seeking retribution and camps out in Central Park with some formidable 'pets'
3. the 18 living Auphe seek to kidnap Cal to recreate their race
4. a secret society is discovered which tries to keep humans unaware of the non-humans activities.

91. Empire of Ivory and
92. Victory of Eagles Temeraire 4 and 5

93. Ents, Elves, and Eriador by Matthew Dickerson
Investigates environmental themes present in Tolkien's works. I enjoyed it.

Congrats on finishing the Sherlock canon!

Thanks, I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed all the cases.

I have done a decent bit of reading during these past couple of weeks but things have been crazy busy up here at the Fort.

94. Gifts and Consequences
4 stars
This was a Goodreads giveaway win. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Jonathan's wife is slowly dying and she wants him to use his fortune to help others. He agrees to do so on his own terms. He has his employees search for deserving people who think they are willing to do anything to accomplish a certain goal. Jonathan gives them different opportunities. If they meet his terms they get their rewards, but if they back out they have to face Jonathan's own brand of justice.

95. Tongues of Serpents and
96. Crucible of Gold
Finished off the current Temeraire books. I enjoyed these last two, maybe not quite so much as earlier books, but they were still interesting.

97. Portlandtown
4 stars
This was a LT early reviewer, which was right up my alley. Western/steampunk/zombies. The first in a new series, I'm looking forward to the next book.

98. C. S. Lewis in a Time of War
5 stars
I loved this book. Reading about C. S. Lewis' relationship with the BBC provided great insight in to the man and his career. I learned so much about his radio broadcasts and his struggles and successes as he mastered a new medium of communication.

99. Coveted
4 stars
This was another Goodreads giveaway. A paranormal romance with werewolves as the main characters. Nat is a hoarding OCD werewolf who's been kicked out of her clan and she finds herself caught in a turf war with a gang of misfits as her allies.

monthly stats:
books read: 10

Deathwish
Empire of Ivory
Ents, Elves, and Eriador
Victory of Eagles
Gifts and Consequences
Tongues of Serpents
Portlandtown
C. S. Lewis in a Time of War
Coveted
Crucible of Gold

total pages read (using Goodreads stats): 3171
average pages read per day: 102

I have now finished processing the fort's collection of institutional records. It took me 2.5 months to get through 45 cubic feet of records. I created inventories, reorganized and rehoused the records, and typed up 9 finding aids for the various series.

I'm not recalling how to attach a photo, probably because I'm exhausted from a busy event weekend. So here's the link to the image in my gallery.

http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/4b/04/4b04200777e5a04636a776c6641434b41716...

Oooh...I can just imagine how much work that must have been (I did an inventory only for our local history materials, and it took nearly 2 years among my other responsibilities). Great job!

@bell7: Thanks. It took me about 200 hours to process the large collection. About 2/3 of the material was in folders, so there was some original organization.

I've almost finished a second much smaller collection, about 8.5 cubic feet. It includes 3 rolls of microfilm of personal correspondence, 2 rolls from the 1600s in England, the originals of which are at the British Museum.

100. Star Wars: Allegiance

101. A Study in Sherlock
5 stars
This was a great read. Modern authors go Holmes. I enjoyed most of the stories, a couple were not my sort of thing, but as a whole the collection was very good. I especially liked Neil Gaiman's contribution.

102. Jack 1939
5 stars
A Goodread's give away.
An alternate history where young Jack Kennedy is employed by President Roosevelt to spy on the Germans while he's in Europe doing research for his senior thesis at Harvard. Add in a pretty girl, secret agents, coded messages, and an assassin bent on stopping Jack. He's soon in the race of his life to uncover where Hitler's secret money is coming from.

This fall I will be taking my first ever online course. I'm enrolled at the Mythgard Institute to take a graduate level English course called "The Story of the Hobbit." I've never had the chance to study Tolkien academically, and I think this course will be a lot of fun. It will focus on literary predecessors and influences on Tolkien and on his creative process and the various drafts the book went through before being published.

Here's the book/movie list for the course:
Through the Looking Glass
Winnie-the-Pooh
The Princess and the Goblin
The Marvellous Land of Snergs
The History of the Hobbit
The Annotated Hobbit
parts of The Lays of Beleriand and The Shaping of Middle Earth
The Hobbit (animated)

And of course The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey when it comes out. There's going to be a special follow up lecture about a week after the movie's release.

I've already re-read Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I've not read Snergs and am looking forward to it. I ordered the History of the Hobbit weeks ago, and I've been told that it's sitting on my desk at home. I'm glad it's there cause that means I'm not tempted to start reading it early.

There will even be guest lectures by John Rateliff (History) and Doug Anderson (Annotated). The first live lecture is next Monday night, while I'm still up in Ticonderoga. I only have two full weeks left in Ti, I've had such a fun summer. I'm glad I have something fun for the fall, while I do my required internship.

August Stats

List of Books read:
Star Wars Allegiance
A Study in Sherlock
Jack 1939
103. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
104. Star Wars: Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth
105. A Foreign Country
106. Darkness Shall Fall
107. Star Wars: Jedi Trial
108. Hamlet
109. J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century
110. Messy: God Likes it That Way
111. Crocodile on the Sandbank
112. Winnie-the-Pooh

monthly stats:
books read: 13
total pages read (using Goodreads stats): 3867
average pages read per day: 124.5

Looks like August was a terrific reading month for you!

@ alcottacre: thanks, yeah August was a really good month, and September has gotten off to a pretty good start too. I've already finished 6 books, and I'm working my way through several more. Here's the list:

113. Roadkill by Rob Thurman
Book five in the Cal Leandros series sees the brothers going on a cross country chase to try and track down the Plague of the World before he completely breaks free from his magical imprisonment. He's an anti-healer who caused the Black Death, among other things. They pick up Rafferty, a werewolf healer, along the way in the hopes that he is strong enough to defeat the anti-healer.

114. The Silmarillion by JRRT
This was my first time actually reading it straight through. I had started it several times during high school and undergrad but never got more than a third of the way through before giving up. This time I was finally ready for it and really enjoyed the history and world building.

115. The Kingdom: A Novel by Brian Litfin
the conclusion to his Chiveis trilogy
I won the first two books as ARCs from giveaways, but I actually had to buy book three. It was worth it. I've really enjoyed this series, it's Christian fantasy set in the future after a world wide disaster. It has a medieval setting even though it occurs in futuristic Europe. The protagonists Teo and Ana must face off against world powers to save their homeland and bring down the demonic oppression. They share the Word of Deus, find a military friar order (think Knights Templar), meet the Papa, and suffer imprisonment and hardships to spread the gospel message.

116. Grace Grows an ARC from Goodreads

And for my Story of the Hobbit class:
117. The Princess and the Goblin
This was a re-read, I do enjoy George MacDonald's books.

118. The Marvellous Land of Snergs
I had never heard of this one before it appeared on the syllabus. It was interesting. Wyke-Smith's book was definitely an admitted source of Tolkien's, we know he read it out loud to his children. Some of the similarities and differences are really striking. Wyke-Smith definitely did not have give the same level of detail to world building, and the plot was rather episodic, but I enjoyed it.

September update:
119. Medieval English Verse
Turned out to be a relevant read for the Hobbit class since it included translations of both "Pearl" and "Sir Orfeo."

120. Myth and Magic: The Art of John Howe
A collection of Howe's artwork with several short essays. It had a medieval/LoTR/Hobbit focus.

121. Finding God in the Land of Narnia

122. Here, There Be Dragons
Book one in a YA fantasy series with an Inklings twist.

123. The Road to Middle Earth by Tom Shippey
It's by Tom Shippey, enough said. If you like Tolkien you should read Shippey.

124. Knight Errant
4 stars
A Jedi Knight stranded deep in Sith space tries to save as many people as possible. But can she trust a mercenary captain or a force sensitive spy? Unusual alliances are formed in an attempt to take down a Sith dynasty from within.

125. The Price You Pay
3 stars
A Stargate SG-1 novel, set during season 1. I recently started watching the tv show and wanted to see how the books compare. The story line was decent, and the main characters were semi-accurate to their tv counterparts. A distracting read for an afternoon.

126. The Janus Affair
5 stars
The second book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series is a great read. The plot takes twists and turns as Agents Books and Braun are forced to once again put their lives on the line for Queen and country. Old friends and enemies resurface as the fledgling suffragist movement begins to come under attack from a mysterious force, ladies are disappearing as a result of some electro-steam machine. When the case begins to escalate Eliza must let go of an old lover and Books must explain his military past to Eliza.

September Stats

Books Read:
Roadkill
The Silmarillion
The Kingdom
The Princess and the Goblin
Grace Grows
The Marvellous Land of Snergs
The Hobbit
Medieval English Verse
Myth and Magic: The Art of John Howe
Finding God in the Land of Narnia
Here, There be Dragons
The Road to Middle Earth
Star Wars: Knight Errant
The Price You Pay

stats:
books read: 14
source- personal collection: 12
library: 2
physical books acquired: 16
purchased: 8
giveaways: 4
gift: 4
e-books acquired: 1

overall pages read (using Goodreads stats): 3947 (year: 37,353)
average pages read per day: 132 (year: 139)

October update

127. Breakfast with Bonhoeffer
Early Reviewer Giveaway

128. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter
Extra reading done for my Hobbit course

129. Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s "The Hobbit" by Corey Olsen
The new book published by my professor in September. He does a chapter by chapter detailed look at The Hobbit, following a number of themes throughout the book, such as luck and Bilbo's Took/Baggins interaction.

130. The Search for the Red Dragon
Book Two in the Imaginarium Geographica, in which C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and Charles Williams once again return to the Archipelago of Dreams to solve a mystery which is effecting both Earth and Archipelago children.

131. The History of the Hobbit Part One: Mr. Baggins
One of the major texts for my Hobbit class. We took a detailed look at the manuscript history of The Hobbit.

132. Blackout
Some fun urban fantasy reading amidst all the Hobbity-ness. A Cal Leandros novel, in which Cal is poisoned by a spider and forgets everything about himself. Niko and Goodfellow manage to track him down, but with his memories still suppressed they discover a whole new, human, Cal.

133. Stargate
I started watching Stargate SG-1 this fall, and figured I would give the novels a try. Since I hadn't seen the original movie I figured it would be good to start off at the beginning.

134. On the Shoulders of Hobbits by Louis Markos
This is a newly published book, it came out last month. Through the book Markos, who is a Lewis scholar, takes a detailed look at Tolkien and Lewis' works, (primarily Narnia, the Silmarillion, Hobbit and LotR) and looks at what Virtues they portray for the reader.

October Stats:

books read: 9
source- personal collection: 8
library: 2
physical books acquired: 11
purchased: 9
giveaways: 1
gift: 1
e-books acquired: 0
overall pages read (using Goodreads stats): 2,848 (year: 40,201)
average pages read per day: 92 (year: 134)

Totals are a bit low for this month due to my Hobbit class. I've almost finished off volume 2 of the History of the Hobbit, along with The Annotated Hobbit. I've also been working on a term paper on Gandalf for the past couple of weeks. The paper has been fun to write.

Your course on the Hobbit sounds great fun. I've just re-read it prior to the film coming out (or actually listened to an audio version, while out for long walks on holiday, which was kind of appropriate as I was going on my own adventure).

I agree re Tom Shippey's books, always very good value on Tolkien.

November Books Read

135. The History of the Hobbit Volume Two: Return to Bag-End
Read this for my Story of the Hobbit class. This second volume follows The Hobbit storyline from the drafts on Mirkwood up through the post-publication revisions made by Tolkien, including the changes he made to Riddles in the Dark.

136. The Annotated Hobbit
Edited by Doug Anderson, who guest lectured for class twice. This book includes a lot of graphic images from lots of published books, it shows a good overview of styles and approaches brought to the book by different translations.

137. Stargate SG-1: Sacrifice Moon

138. Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach
I read this book for my internship, I was able to create a small display for the archival materials I organized.

139. The Hobbit and Philosophy

140. The Spirit Well
The third book in Steven Lawheads Bright Empires series. It involves time travel through ley lines spread all over Earth and a quest for a map of all the portals.

141. Dead Iron
A fun steam punk/western which involves humans and fairy/fey beings called "the Strange." The hero must join together with several magically inclined townspeople to try and stop the Strange from accomplishing their mission to open a doorway between worlds. It involves werewolves, automatons, witches, inventors, and the royal guard.

142. Cyndere’s Midnight

143. Stargate SG-1: City of the Gods

144. Geist
A relatively new fantasy series by Philippa Ballantine, the main characters are two Deacons, a pseudo-religious organization (sort of like Jedi) tasked with protecting the Empire from geist otherworldly activity. Sensitives and Actives are paired up and form a Bond which mentally connects them. Sword and sorcery, plus shape shifting and summoning circles.

November stats:
books read: 10
source- personal collection: 8
library: 2
physical books acquired: 8
purchased: 6
giveaways: 1
gift: 1

overall pages read (using Goodreads stats): 3054 (year: 43,255)
average pages read per day: 102 (year: 129.5)

Tin Swift, the sequel to Dead Iron is out and is a very good continuation of the story. I hope you're planning to read it!

@drneutron: Once I finished Dead Iron I had to know if a sequel existed, I ordered Tin Swift from amazon right away. I am hoping to read it soon (Dec/Jan) now that I am finished with full time academia.

145. The Gospel According to Tolkien

146. What's Wrong with Ordinary?
LT member giveaway
A nice short collection of poems dealing with every day family life. Struggles through cancer as well as family vacations to the beach are two themes present. These poems show a true appreciation for the people close to the author.

147. Hacks, Sycophants, Adventurers, and Heroes: Madison's Commanders in the War of 1812
LT Early Reviewer
This book provided a great overview to the various characters who became military leaders in the War of 1812, some of whom were better than others. I especially enjoyed the chapters on naval commanders, since I didn't know very much about the early navy.

148. J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator by Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull
I loved this book. The authors present more than 200 of Tolkien's drawings, paintings, and scribbles made throughout his whole life. The longest chapter deals with The Hobbit and so was perfect to read about both with the new movie and the online course I took this past semester.

149. The Hobbit: A Graphic Novel by J. R. R. Tolkien

150. The Outcasts: The Brotherband Chronicles Book One by John Flanagan

151. Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard

152. The Shakespeare Thefts

153. Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere

To finish off the year:

154. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
I saw this last summer in London starring David Tennant and Katherine Tate. I decided it was time to read the play and refresh my memory.

155. Cardenio by William Shakespeare
I also saw Cardenio last summer in Stratford itself. I'm now rather curious about the play's history and it's semi-apocryphal status to the canon. I may read some other books about it.

Here's my 75er for 2013:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/146576

Happy New Year to everyone! Hope everyone reads tons of books in 2013.

*expires from envy at getting to see David Tennant do Much Ado in person*

Happy New Year!