drachenbraut23 goes for 13 categories

Hello everyone, this is my first year in the challenge. I am very much looking forward to see if I can make this challenge. I found it hard to create 13 categories, but in the end it helped me to snoop around all the other threads. So some of my ideas I have stolen from other people :) I am not quite sure if I can manage 13 books in each category, therefore I set my goal at 10 books in each = 130 books. Please, feel free to visit, lurk, comment, discuss and just have fun. I am always looking forward to visitors :) and I am a great lurker myself.

#01 Let's be creative and broaden our horizon

This can be anything non-fiction - historical, science, biographies etc.

Read

01. A Brief History of Slavery - Jeremy Black

#02 Why don't you like me?

Books from various banned book lists!
Possible reads:

01 Summer of My German Soldier - Bette Greene
02 The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

#03 Misfits

Anything which doesn't fit in a particular category

Possoble Reads:

1. After The Quake - Haruki Murakami
2.

#04 Let's see if we can make it

Anything post-apocalyptic, disaster stories or horror

Read
01. The Walking Dead Vol. 4: The Hearts Desire - Robert Kirkman
02. Domain of the Dead - Iain McKinnon
03. Remains of the Dead - Iain McKinnon
04. Dust and Decay - Jonathan Maberry
05. Flesh and Bone - Jonathan Maberry
06. Dead & Gone - Jonathan Maberry

#05 Don't break my Heart

Read

01. The Taker - Alma Katsu
02. The Reckoning - Alma Katsu

#06 I think I am special!

Anything short-, long-listed or won - Booker, Orange, Nobel etc.

Read

01. Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood - shortlisted for Giller Prize 2003
02. The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood - shortlisted for Giller Prize 2009

#07 I love to play

Read
01. Der Wunschpunsch - Michael Ende
02. Warm Bodies - Isaac Marion
03. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
04. The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness
05. Monsters of Men - Patrick Ness
06. Genesis - Bernard Beckett
07. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs

#08 Who is trying to sneak into my home?

Anything mystery or thriller

#09 Across time

Anything historical fiction

Possible Reads:

01. The House of the Mosque - Kader Abdolah
02.

#10 Return to the classics

Read

#11 Once upon a time....

Read
01. Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson
02. Low Town - Daniel Polansky
03. The Alchemist of Souls - Anne Lyle
04. Jhereg - Steven Brust
05. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

#12 Is this the Future?

Read

01. The Snow Queen - Joan D. Vinge
02. The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
03. Children of God - Mary Doria Russell

#13 Newfangled? What's that?

Read

01. We Sinners - Hanna Pylväinen

Any ideas for the books you want to read?

Welcome!! It's always good to keep the categories wide so you can fit all the recommendations you are sure to get from your fellow challengers. :) Love the pictures!

Welcome! You seem to have a good selection of categories (and it's nice to see a pic of Morla!).

130 books is very ambitious, I'd be pleased if I managed half of that (and that is pretty much what my goal for 2013 is). I'm looking forward to reading more about the books you eventually pick.

Have you checked out the group reads that have been setup so far?

http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/Group_Reads_of_2013

Welcome & I love the picture! Good luck for next year

Love your pictures! We have a lot of overlap in categories, so I look forward to seeing what you read.

Bianca, it is great to see you joining the challenge! I love the pics you choose for your categories - very atmospheric - and the categories are great. I am looking forward to following your reading here. Based on your categories, I know you will have a number of books that will interest me.

I came over to check out your thread - love the categories and images. Looking forward to seeing which books you end up reading.

Welcome to the challenge. I too, love the pictures you have used, they really help create the mood. I am looking forward to following your reading here next year.

Really interesting pictures!

Hi Bianca,

Love your pictures! This makes me want to get back into the 13 in 13 challenge (as I skipped the 12 in 12 one). It's tempting.

For 2012, I'm doing very poorly at the Bombs challenge (reading older TBR books), the cookbook challenge (cook a recipe from a different new cookbook each month), and the Orange Challenge (I don't like most books by women writers).

This is more along the lines of reading what I want when I want. I know I'll have to limit it to about 50 books if I want to succeed.

*thinks about how to do this*

Aha! Got it!!

Lovely moody pictures. Welcome to the challenge. Lurking is fine. I look forward to seeing what you fill your challenges with.

Welcome to the challenge! You've chosen some great categories. I think it helps your chances of successfully completing the category challenges if you keep your categories fairly broad, as you've done.

# Texsain :) yes, possible reads will come up shortly.

# Thank you Eva! Didn't want to narrow my possible reads to much as I very much read across genres.

# Thank you PawsforThought, I usually read more than a 150 books a year, but didn't want to restrict myself too much, especially some of my planned reads for next year are huge chunksters :)

# Cyderry - thanks for the link. Probably will join some of them.

# clfisha thank you for the welcome and good luck to you as well. :)

# Hi tanglewood. Have to check out your thread and see the overlaps. So I am curious now what your reads are going to be.

# Hi Lori, checked your thread out already. You have great categories yourself and some interesting reading planned. Looking forward to follow your thread as well. :)

# Thank you Kerry - have been over your thread as well. Some great reading you planned for next year. Probably will join your on the Ghormengast Trilogy.

# Thank you very much DeltaQueen50. Checked your thread already out as well.

# Thank you hailelib :)

# HI Madeline, your thread is great :) Looking forward to your reads.

# Hello mamzel :) Thank you very much.

# Thank you very much cbl_tn. :)

Thank you to all my visitors :) I am very much looking forward to your reads. I was mightily impressed by some of your imaginations you used, to create your categories. Wish everyone a great reading year.

Ok, I have added my first possible reads for challenge 01. :)

Bianca your thread looks magical. I've starred it so I can follow along. Can't wait to see where this goes.

Ditto to all the welcomes & picture love

Thank you Roberta and Psutto :)
More possible reads for next year will come shortly :)

Guten Abend, Bianca!
Found your thread ...and starred it. Although I'm already afraid that I am going to find way too many new books worth being read. Thank you very much in advance for keep my shelves growing. :)

P.S.: Love those pics!

Spellbinding photos! :) I really like the books off the shelf one in particular. Happy reading!

Great categories and such fitting and wonderful pictures, Bianca!
I'll sure get some ideas here (and on your 75threads) for my own reads. I've already seen some candidates. I'll need new shelves in 2013...

Welcome to the challenge! I think I'll find plenty for the wishlist in your thread next year. Also loving you images.

Another admirer of the pictures you chose. Where did you find them?

I remember reading Summer of my German Soldier for grade 9 English and loving it. I didn't know it was banned. I'll have to find a copy so I can do a reread. Hope you enjoy it, and good luck with your challenge!

First of all - I would like to wish everyone in this group a marvelous, magical and wonderful 2013. Let all your wishes come true! *smile*



Hallo Kathy thank you! Starred your thread already as well :)

Hallo rabbitprincess Thank you very much. I actually changed that category name as I am planning to read mainly off my shelves this year. Unfortunately my TBR pile starts to suffocate me.

Hehe Nathalie same here! I am planning to get two more book shelves (hopefully) next month.

Hello SouthernKiwi Thank you for the welcome!

Sandragon thank you to you as well. The book was recommended to me by someone else on LT and I am very much looking forward to read it. I usually hunt for images on google, if I am looking for something interesting. However, I do love arts and if I am looking for a particular artist and pic again google is the best choice :).

#11 Once upon a time....



#01 Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy - 672 pages
Rating: 4.5/5

“I try to avoid having thoughts. They lead to other thoughts, and—if you're not careful—those lead to actions. Actions make you tired. I have this on rather good authority from someone who once read it in a book.”

“Unknowing ignorance is preferable to informed stupidity.”

“It was strange, how easily and quickly protection could cause destruction. Sometimes, Vasher wondered if the two weren't really the same thing. Protect a flower, destroy pests who wanted to feed on it. Protect a building, destroy the plants that could have grown in the soil. Protect a man. Live with the destruction he creates.”

And again Brandon Sanderson was able to convince through absolutely stunning and vivid storytelling. The story is full of political intrigue, again he managed to present us with wonderful and fascinating magic, characters to care about and a good portion of laughter.
In this standalone novel (I mean seriously, there is actually still room for a follow up) we meet two very different sisters, Vivenna and Siri. Two princesses who come from a small and rustic highland kingdom. Vivenna the older of the siblings was raised to become the wife of the god king of the neighbouring kingdom, in order to prevent war between the two rival kingdoms. She is composed, knowledgeable and very much aware about her duties to her kingdom. Siri, on the other hand, as the youngest child was allowed to run wild, with a scetchy education and a very emotional temper.
When the day of the arranged wedding arrives, Vivenna's father decides that he loves her too much to sacrifice her to the god king and sends his wild daughter Siri in her stead. Vivenna, being trained all her life for this role feels bereft, deceived by her father and purposeless, then decides to follow her sister and rescue her from her unknown fate. Thus both sister end up in this vast city under very different circumstances and different pathways ahead. Whilst Vivenna's inital aim was to rescue her sister from the clutches of the despised god king, she very quickly finds herself at the outskirsts of the city, trying to raise a rebellion against the Hallondren's in order to prevent the looming war. Well, and Siri finds out that the god king and the court of god's isn't at all that what she was made to believe.

I need to read more of Brandon Sanderson's work. I've only read the original Mistborn trilogy so far and really enjoyed that so I should see about adding more of his books onto my tbr pile.

I'm glad I stopped by here Bianca - lovely pictures and categories:) Good luck with the challenge.

> 40 hi Wolfy, he is definately worth following up. IMO his books are so brilliant, because they are not to complicated and he always has got this interesting magical abilities.

> Thank you calm! The same to you *smile*

I've been meaning to try Brandon Sanderson. Warbreaker seems like a good place to start, since I'm not eager to get into yet another series!

Hello Christina, Warbreaker would be definately a good starting point, but I can also recommend his Elantris which is also a standalone and absolutely brilliant as well.

@ 44 -- Thanks! I'll look up Elantris too and see which book looks more appealing to me.

I finished his Mistborn series last month, but I enjoyed Elantris more. I have Warbreaker on my Kindle, so I'll probably be getting to that soon. Glad you enjoyed it!

Great review of Warbreaker. I've loved all of Sanderson's books so far, but would like to fit a reread of this one in sometime soon, in the meantime I've given it to my flatmate to try.

Hi Bianca, I think I need some Brandon Sanderson in my life. Definitely going to add Warbreaker to my wishlist and I am also going to check out Elantris.

Hello Christina I am curious to see what you will choose :)

Hello Tanglewood glad to hear there is someone else who enjoys Brandon Sanderson. Did you start on his The Way of Kings series already as well?

Southern Kiwi and another Sanderson fan. Any other fantasy books you could recommend?

Huhu Judy great to see you here as well. I have checked your thread already out. I hope you will enjoy the Sanderson's.

#11 Once upon a time....

1. Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson



#02 Low Town - Daniel Polansky

Genre: Fantasy - 384 pages
Rating: 4/5

“I remember the lightning in the air, and the lovers bidding goodbye to each other in the streets, and I can tell you what I think. We went to war because going to war is fun, because there's something in the human breast that trills at the thought, although perhaps not the reality, of murdering its fellows in vast numbers. Fighting a war ain't fun - fighting a war is pretty miserable. But starting a war? Hell, starting a war is better than a night floating on daeva's honey.”

This was definately a very enjoyable read, gritty, dark, compelling. More or less a fascinating crime story packed into a fantasy environment. Low Town is an ugly, dirty city full of violence where crime rules the day and the night.The main character Warden, who was once a soldier, then a special service agent, now a drug dealer, addicted to his own products, fits this environment perfectly. He is an ugly man with violent tendencies, but when you look underneath all these disturbing qualities you find an intelligent, determined and very fascinating character. Mostly, I loved his humour and sarcasm which was ever present, and the skilled observations he made of others were very colourful.

Then a child, he knows, gets murdered and he is drawn into the investigations. Unfortunately, after a second child gets murdered he comes under suspicion himself and therefore he has to continue the investigations to save his own hide, and to protect himself from further attention from the authorities of the city. Although, Low Town is a city of low morals and his own rules, the killing of the children stirs the city into action.
There was some use of magic in this story, but it was more less low key, which worked well for the pace and the setting of the story.
I can recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories who are a bit more gritty with flawed, interesting characters.

#07 I love to play



#03 Der Wunschpunsch - Michael Ende

♬ audiobook unabridged narrated by various artists

Genre: Children - 240 pages
Rating: 5/5

This was one of my numerous re-reads and is just of my fave children stories. Although, this time I listened to the unabridged audiobook version.
Michael Ende is a great storyteller and in general his stories appeal to young and old alike. This story is not exception.

It's New Years Eve, just before midnight, the bailiff of the devil turns up at the "Villa Alptraum" to see the wizard "Beelzebub Irrwitzer". Beelzebub has so far not managed to fulfill his evil deed's for this year and now he must pay the prize for his sloppiness. Well, how will Beelzebub manage to complete his required evil deeds until midnight, in order to satisfy the devil? And on top of all, his absolutely annoying aunt "Tyrannja Vamperl" turns up to perfect his streak of misfortune.

However, the secret agents, the cat Maurizio and the raven Jacob from the High Council of Animals, are there to shadow the two villains and to ensure that they can't reach their evil goal. Constantly they thwart the plans of the wizard and the witch and Beelzebub and his aunt must come up with something very special to reach their goal in time! The only thing which could rescue them now is the "satanarchäolügenialkohöllische Wunschpunsch" which is supposed to make all the evil desires of the human mind come true. Maurizio and Jacob are the only ones who can stop the dooming catastrophe. Although, these soo two different colleagues have to overcome their differences first, before their feverish race against time to save the world begins.

Michael Ende not only demonstrates in this, cute little story, the problems and misfortunes of our society, but also gives children in a simple way an understanding of good and evil. He also shows that someone considered "small" can archive something great. A lovely story, which I can recommend to anyone who enjoys children stories.

I am still slowly working my way into the fantasy genre. Low Town looks really good and has enough to intrigue me .... that, and I have to say, I really like that cover!

I'm a noir fan, regardless of the setting, so I'm adding Low Town to my wishlist as well. Gritty works for me. :)

>49 drachenbraut23: It looks really good, so I'm tempted to start it after Warbreaker. I hate long waits between books, but he seems to turn them out at a reasonable rate (unlike a certain favorite author of mine).

Low Town sounds like it would suit my tastes perfectly. Another one for the wishlist.

#04 Let's see if we can make it



#04 The Walking Dead Vol. 4: The Hearts Desire - Robert Kirkman

Genre: Graphic Novel - 136 pages
Rating: 3/5

Well, this is Volume 4 now and we carry on where we were left with a cliffhanger in the last volume. This story is slightly different compared to the others and actually deals more with their inter-human relationships within those prison walls. It's all about the characters and their futile attempts to plan their next steps in order to pretend a sort of normal life.
However, Rick realizes more and more how desperate their situation is and as a consequence he is pretty fast descending into madness. His breakdown, doesn't sit well with the rest of the group and they start to question his leader ship skills. Actually, I was pretty pleased that it is going that way, especially as I am not a great fan of Rick anyway. It always sort of irritated me that everyone looked up to him and sort of worshipped the ground he is walking on - with the argument Rick's worldview is best. I mostly just felt that he is an self-important cowboy who tends to hold long monologues.
LOL - I thought the best and most ridicilous part was when the Rick and Tyreese, the two alphas, get into a pissing-contest where Rick again gives us one of his extremely self-important and neverending speeches.
In this installment they finally introduced Michonne, something which I was really looking forward to since she is a fave of mine in the TV series - well, all I can say so far she is nothing compared to the brilliant bad-ass character. She is all but annoying, boring and even more antagonistic then in the series.
In the end it all comes down to the decision of the group to create a leadership committee made up of four men. And you know what annoyed me with that? Well, apparently the women didn't want to be on the committee as they felt they just wanted to be protected by the men. Haha. Especially, in this installment it becomes more and more apparent that Robert Kirkman obviously has got some kind of issue in regards to women. Well, the whole story was still that good that I do want to carry on reading to see where things with the group will go.

I decided that I am going to up my challenge. As I read 161 books last year, I thought I would give it a go and try 13 books in each of my categories = 169 books. :)

- Hi Lori, haha so you like the cover. I tend to do that from time to time if I see a book with a great cover on it. However, if you like the Sandman GN's this one could be indeed one for you. :)

- Hello Eva good choice if gritty works for you. I have got the second one already on my TBR.

- Tanglewood you are not refering, by any chance to George R.R. Martin? Because, I got pretty much annoyed that we had to wait - how long, I think 6 years to wait for the last book to come out. Or are there any other extremely slow, in publishing their books, authors?

- Hi wolfy, great to see that you found something else for your wishlist. That's the problem with LT, our ever growing wishlists and TBR piles.

I read 300 books in 2012 but my challenge is pyramid style (1 book in challenge 1, 2 books in challenge 2) because I don't want all my reading to be for challenges. I feel too restricted that way.

>57 drachenbraut23: Yes, I was talking about George R.R. Martin ;)

"unlike a certain favorite author of mine"

Yes, but our faves could be putting out new books every week and we wouldn't be content. :)

@ 57 -- Good luck with your full 169 -- that's an impressive goal!

>49 drachenbraut23: While I really enjoy Fantasy, my To Read list is much longer than my Read list right now. I was going to recommend George R. R. Martin, but given the previous comments you seem to have found him already. I love Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time series, which is being finished by Sanderson, and I liked K. J. Parker - quite ruthless books with amoral characters from memory. I liked some of Juliet Marillier, but I wasn't able to finish her Foxmask. Naomi Novik, L. E. Modesitt ....

Stopping by to admire your cool images :) Nice setup here, I'm sure this is place where I'll find lots of interest. (I'll start with making a note of Low town...)

#13 Newfangled? What's that?



#05 We Sinners - Hanna Pylväinen

Genre: Contemporary - 189 pages
Rating: 4/5

We Sinners tells the story of the Finnish Rovaniemi family and their nine children. They are the members of an extremely conservative, fundamentalist church, which was founded in 19th – century Sweden, and is based on Lutheranism. This particular branch puts their emphasis on daily practiced forgiveness - to be cleansed of their constant sins, but they also prohibit drinking, TV, cinema, dancing and participation in events outside the community. I think that religious belief is particularly often difficult to explain as it is a highly subjective question, depending on one’s worldview and the way we are brought up. However, the author managed to convey the spirit of this family well by letting every member present a short and sparse part of their life.

The story is told by the different voices of the Rovaniemi family, due to that the book actually felt less like a novel, but more like a series of short stories However, the different voices of the Rovaniemi family managed to convey how people feel when their belief sets them apart from everyone else and how choices can lead to guilt and despair. We see the children, how they grow up and how they struggle to understand one another whilst remaining connected to each other as best as they can. Eventually, the family splinters apart when various member of the family start asserting themselves.

It was quite fascinating to see that those children who choose to stay in the church were just as miserable as the siblings who left. Although, the ones who left were never shunned by their family, they were showered with the disappointment of the faithful in the faithless. The children who remained in the church found themselves immensely often adrift in a world of restrictions and rules, which gave them the feeling of shallowoness and lonelyness.

The final chapter, “The Whiskey Dragon”, kind of stands out for disrupting the story, as it is not related to the story of the Rovaniemi family itself. It sort of tells the story of the founder of this conservative church, without shedding any particular light on the story itself.

Well, my response to the story most often varied from fascination, irritation, shock, anger, and the belief that for a church who preaches love, understanding and forgiveness – well, there wasn’t any. The parents wanted to encourage the individuality of each child and yes, they loved them a lot, but that didn’t quite work that way. Sometimes I was horrified how their beliefs held them back and at times even disabled them as much that they were unable to show any compassion. Definitely a remarkably, compelling read I can recommend this book to anyone interested in the different aspects of how beliefs are interpreted and integrated in our modern world.

Hi Morphy I was initially thinking the same, but also I challenge myself with wider reading I don't tend to plan ahead in my reading. I am usually very spontanous in what I read. So - well - I should hope that this will not pose to much of a problem. :)

Tanglewood hehe I thought so :)

Haha very much agree with you Eva

Thank you very much Christina hopefully I will manage :)

Hello SouthernKiwi thank you for the recommendations :) Some of the authors I read already and some I haven't so I will check them out. I always like to try someone new/old which I haven't tried yet. Although, I have to say that I am a great fan of Marrillier and I especially liked that particular duology you are mentioning.

Hello Gingerbreadman thanks for your visit and welcome! I will also be following your reading adventures this year :)

Is We Sinners about Laestadians? Or am I thinking of the wrong group? Sounds interesting, regardless.

Hello Eva :) Yes, it is about the Laestadians and it was a very interesting read.

I still have to post quite a few reviews, visit some threads, but didn't have much time the last week, because my son has been and still is quite ill.

Thanks - it'll be going on the wishlist.

Hope your son recoups soon!

I don't think the books for me, but a great and interesting review nonetheless, thanks!

#06 I think I am special!



#06 Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood - shortlisted for Giller prize 2003

Genre: Dystopian - 436 pages
Rating: 4.5/5

“The male frog in mating season," said Crake, "makes as much noise as it can. The females are attracted to the male frog with the biggest, deepest voice because it suggests a more powerful frog, one with superior genes. Small male frogs—it's been documented—discover if they position themselves in empty drainpipes, the pipe acts as a voice amplifier and the small frog appears much larger than it really is."
So?"
So that's what art is for the artist, an empty drainpipe. An amplifier. A stab at getting laid.”

“Immortality,' said Crake, ' is a concept. If you take 'mortality' as being, not death, but the foreknowledge of it and the fear of it, then 'immortality' is the absence of such fear. Babies are immortal. Edit out the fear, and you'll be...”

“Jimmy, look at it realistically. You can't couple a minimum access to food with an expanding population indefinitely. Homo sapiens doesn't seem to be able to cut himself off at the supply end. He's one of the few species that doesn't limit reproduction in the face of dwindling resources. In other words - and up to a point, of course - the less we eat, the more we fuck."

"How to do you account for that?" said Jimmy

"Imagination," said Crake. "Men can imagine their own deaths...human beings hope they can stick their souls into someone else...and live on forever.”

Woah, this was such a terrific read, a powerful rollercoaster ride, scary, dark, but also funny and ironic. It is a book filled with coarse language but sucks you in anyway. The questions raised in this story, nothing new there, but presented in a truly compelling way. Where should we draw the line in regards to gen technological manipulations of humans, animals and nature? Do we deserve to live, with all the power we have to destroy our planet and ourselves? What are the repercussions of what we are creating in regards to our children?

Somewhere, not too far in the future we meet Snowman, who appears to be the only human survivor of a global biological and ecological disaster. Trying to survive in this new situation with genetically altered animals, plants and a new type of hybrid people – not quite human, but not animal either – he slowly faces starvation. Whilst Snowman forages for supplies his story unfolds and we meet the boy and then the man, Snowman has been before the catastrophe hit. We hear the story of the boy Jimmy, who grows into a relatively naive and shallow young man and together we hurtle towards the end of the world. We meet Crake his childhood friend, a genius and mad scientist, and Oryx, whom they both loved.

What I loved about the story was Atwood’s incredible imagination. She presents us with pigoons, unique modified pigs used for organ harvesting, rakunks, wolvogs, well then we get ChickyNobbs, happycuppa and the likes, as hardly anything natural is available anymore. Aside from internet porn, games and executions she also presents us with an assisted suicide site called nitee-nite.com, if that’s nothing? This was such a marvelous read, and I am certainly looking forward to the sequel.

Great review! This is another of the books shamefully gathering dust on my shelves.

Thank you Eva - my son is getting better now, which means I will have some more time for posting and catching up shortly :)

Thank you Clfisha :)

Haha Tanglewood - thank you! I just started the sequel The Year of the Flood which is very promising as well. Definately a worthwile read. :)

Ooh, I just finished The Year of the Flood! It was brilliant. Glad to hear you liked Oryx and Crake too.

Great review of Oryx and Crake. Makes me think I should be pulling my copy off the shelf soon. I don't know why I haven't read it yet. Post-apocalyptic and bio-engineering are some of my favourite types of reads.

I've been eyeing Year of the flood many times, but think I need to reread Oryx and Crake first. It was one of those books I just read too fast, just rushing through it in a day or two. I don't remember much of it, except I liked it.

Hello everyone, thank you to all my visitors during my long absence. Unfortunately, my family and I were very unlucky this winter and had to fight with lots of illness. My son and I both ended up getting pneumonia as secondary infections after a flu and were both pretty sick for some time.
So, I have a lot of catching up to do. I haven't written reviews to all the books read during my illness, but if you are interested in any of those books just let me know.

It will take me some time to catch up with all your lovely threads and eventually I will vistit all of you.

#07 I love to play

Read
01. Der Wunschpunsch - Michael Ende



#07 Warm Bodies - Isaac Marion

Genre: YA, Romance, Dystopian - 256 pages
Rating: 3.5/5

"My friend 'M' says thie irony of being a zombie is that everything is funny, but you can't smile, because your lips have rotted off. "

“It does make me sad that we've forgotten our names. Out of everything, this seems to me the most tragic. I miss my own and I mourn for everyone else's, because I'd like to love them, but I don't know who they are"

This was a beautiful, fluffy and highly enjoyable read. I had this book already on my TBR pile for quite some time and only read it now because the movie is coming out in February.
Usually, our perception of zombies is as such that, well, they are dead, ugly, scary, obviously can’t think and that they are driven by a basic need to feed on other humans. Okay, that’s what we usually believe when picking up a zombie novel. However, this didn’t happen in this one. Here, we meet R a zombie who lives with others of his kind at an abandoned disused airport. R lives in one of the aero planes and collects music, he loves to ride the escalator and muses about his existence, and he feeds on other humans but doesn’t enjoy it. He just seems to be a different kind of zombie.

None of us are particularly attractive, but death has been kinder to me than some. I’m still in the early stages of decay. Just the grey skin, the unpleasant smell, the dark circles under my eyes. I could almost pass for a Living man in need of a vacation.



“Now I’m just standing here on the conveyor. Along for the ride. I reach the end, turn around, and go back the other way. The world has been distilled. Being dead is easy. After a few hours of this, I notice a female on the opposite conveyor. She doesn’t lurch or groan like most of us. Her head just lolls from side to side. I like that about her. That she doesn’t lurch or groan. I catch her eye and stare at her.”

On one of their feeding raids, he meets Julie, rescues her and that subsequent changes his existence, ahem, I honestly don’t want to use the term life here as he is a zombie.

“Eating is not a pleasant business. I chew off a man's arm, and I hate it.
Of course if I don't eat all of him, if I spare his brain, he'll rise up and follow me back to the airport, and that might make me feel better. I'll introduce him to everyone, and maybe we'll stand around and groan for a while.”

This book was quite a surprise as I didn’t know what to expect from a zombie romance, but with all its puns the story undeniably delivered a considerable amount of entertainment. However, as it is such a small book it is also read fairly comfortable in one night session.

“I erupt from the dark, crushing tunnel into a flash of light and noise. A new kind of air surrounds me, dry and cold, as they wipe the last smears of home off my skin. I feel a sharp pain as they snip something, and suddenly I am less. I am no one but myself, tiny and feeble and utterly alone. I am lifted and swungthrough great heights across yawning distances, and given to Her. She wraps around me, so much bigger and softer than I ever imagined from inside,and I strain my eyes open. I see Her. She is immense, cosmic. She is the world. The world smiles down on me, and when She speaks it’s the voice of God, vast and resonant with meaning, but words unknowable, ringing gibberish in my blank white mind.

sorry to hear about your illness - hopefully everyone is well now though!

#11 Once upon a time....

Read
01. Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson
02. Low Town - Daniel Polansky



#08 The Alchemist of Souls - Anne Lyle

Genre: Fantasy - 480 pages
Rating: 3.5/5

What an intriguing book this was a combination of alternate history with a splash of fantasy. Although, the book started off a bit slow, it never was so that I wanted to give up on it. In the latter part of the book the story certainly picked up and I found myself thoroughly engrossed in it.

What I quite enjoyed about the story was that it was set in Elizabethan England, but not as we know it with her being the “Virgin Queen”. No, the story opens with Elizabeth mourning the recent death of her husband Robert Dudley and we don’t stop there. They also had children and her oldest son; also Robert is appointed Regent and Prince of Wales.

The Elizabethan London undoubtedly came to life throughout the story in all its ugly, dirty, filthy and smelly glory. The description of the different sites and places in London were remarkably well done, and I immediately felt comfortable within these surroundings. At that period of time England still felt the effects of the Reformation and the author managed to weave that nicely into the story. Catholics had to stay in hiding to avoid being prosecuted. It’s also the time where the world is being explored, and new Continents are discovered.

Skraylings are the ones who arrived from this new world, they are a short reptile like species, covered in tattoo’s, competent in the arts of healing, in harmony with nature, magic users and they are also intelligent and shrewd traders. Although, they are barely tolerated within the Christian world as they refuse to accept Christ as their savior. Accordingly people believe they are demons which need to be hunted. I seriously felt that the author used the Native American’s whilst creating these species.

The story was centered around Maliverny Catlyn a gorgeous rogue, with aristocratic background who is down on his luck. When offered a commission as bodyguard to the Skrayling Ambassador he is seriously surprised and rather reluctant at the same time. However, he needs the money to pay some debts and to keep his twin brother in – for that time – decent accommodation at the Bethlem hospital for the insane. This new job quickly lands him deep into political intrigues, but he finds allies in his friend Ned and Hendricks, with his own secrets, a boy from one of the acting companies, in his quest to protect the Ambassador. The more time Mal spends with the Ambassador, the fonder he grows of this gentle man, and he has to work extremely hard in order to keep his commitment to the crown, to the Skrayling and to protect his own secrets and interests.

This was certainly a truly engrossing read, and I will continue on with the series to see what happens to the characters. The character of Malverny was exceptionally well developed; whereas the other characters lacked at times.

Here, everything what I read and listenend to during January. For quite a few of them are no reviews.

January reads

#01 Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson - 672 pages review
#02 Low Town - Daniel Polansky - 384 pages review
#03 ♬ Der Wunschpunsch - Michael Ende - 240 pages review
#04 The Walking Dead Vol.4 - The Heart's Desire - Robert Kirkman - 136 pages review
#05 We Sinners - Hanna Pylväinen - 189 pages review
#06 Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood - 436 pages
#07 Warm Bodies - Isaac Marion - 256 pages
#08 The Alchemist of Souls - Anne Lyle - 480 pages
#09 ♬ The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness - 496 pages
#10 The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood - 528 pages
#11 Domain of the Dead - Ian McKinnon - 252 pages
#12 Remains of the Dead - Ian McKinnon - 234 pages
#13 ♬ The Snow Queen - Joan D. Vinge - 469 pages
#14 The Taker - Alma Katsu - 450 pages
#15 The Reckoning - Alma Katsu - 352 pages

February reads without reviews

#16 ♬ The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness - 528 pages
#17 ♬ Monsters of Men - Patrick Ness - 624 pages

#11 Once upon a time....

Read
01. Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson
02. Low Town - Daniel Polansky
03. The Alchemist of Souls - Anne Lyle



#18 Jhereg - Steven Brust

Genre: Fantasy - 239 pages
Rating: 3.5/5

I read this as part of the group read this month and I have to say it was a real fun read. Yes, an uneven story as roni mentioned, but nevertheless fun :). Steven Brust refers lots of times to events which happened a long time ago, which made it a bit hard at times, because that made me yearn to know more about the events hinted at.

We meet Vlad Taltos an established assassin and "human" member of the Jhereg. The Jhereg are part of the Dragearan society who live on a world shared by these Dragearan's and humans which are referred to as "Easterners". However, Vlad is hired by the big boss of the Jhereg Council to kill another member who took of with the gold of the Jhereg. This Council member has to be killed quickly, before the news of the crime gets out to the community. However, the villain manages to find sanctuary in Castle Black which belongs to a Dragonlord - another group of the Dragaeran society. If Vlad should kill him there, that could trigger a major war between the houses of the Jhereg and the Dragon with has to be avoided at all cost. Vlad is facing a serious dilemma and will need all his strength and help of his friends to figure out how to get on top of all the ensuing complications. As I mentioned already earlier also the story is a bit uneven, it was a real fun read and contained a lot of humor. I also enjoyed the fact that the women in the story seemed to be very strong and resourceful.

#11 Once upon a time....

Read
01. Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson
02. Low Town - Daniel Polansky
03. The Alchemist of Souls - Anne Lyle
04. Jhereg - Steven Brust



#19 ♬ The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern - audiobook unabridged narrated by Jim Dale

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy - 400 pages
Rating: 5/5

This was undeniably the best book I have read so far this year. I listened to the book as unabridged audiobook version and just loved it. When the book first came out, I even didn’t look twice at it, because I don’t like black and white. I only can say what a mistake it was.

“The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.”

Well, why did I love it? I just loved the detailed, stunning, mesmerizing descriptions, also the plot moved along slowly the tension was almost unbearable. Maybe, I loved the story so much because I am so excited about the Circus in general. My great grandfather and my grandfather both were born in the Circus, and also it was only my great grandfather who performed until old age, the passion for the Circus life was passed on to the next generations.

“Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There's magic in that. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift."

However, the story centers on Marco and Celia who are groomed from a remarkably early age to become magicians. Pitted against each other in a challenge to find out whom the better magician is, the stage is set in the Le Cirque des Reves. They know OF each other, but don’t know EACH other until much later. They begin to love each other long before and start to create more and more attractions in the circus to satisfy one another. However, IMO the story itself is the least significant part as this position is reserved for the Night Circus itself. I think this is one of those stories you either get downright sucked in, or you hate it because of the way the story is written. For one, we jump constantly around the timeline; the story largely unfolds through the eyes of the different characters involved. The story appears at times disconnected, but then you see the silver thread that holds the story together. These varied, weird and magnificent casts of characters are the ones who keep the story of the circus going, they are the ones who engage, enchant and mesmerize you in the same way as the various tents give you a myriad of extraordinary experiences. Although, the ending of the story could be considered rather weak, but despite all these minor flaws and the sometimes slow journey, you are utterly captivated throughout the story.
Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys detailed descriptions and has a passion for the Circus.

Everything in this tent is white. Nothing black, not even stripes visible on the walls. A shimmering, almost blinding white. There are trees and flowers and grass surrounding twisted pebble pathways, every leaf and petal perfectly white. The Ice Garden!

And here just to complement the story a picture of my great grandfather *smile*



Unfortunately, not many photos survived WWII. BTW his wife, my great grandmother was French and was until the late 1920's a solo dancer in the Moulin Rouge. She died at the beginning of the 1930's of pneumonia.

#07 I love to play

Read
01. Der Wunschpunsch - Michael Ende
02. Warm Bodies - Isaac Marion
03. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
04. The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness
05. Monsters of Men - Patrick Ness



#020 ♬ Genesis - Bernard Beckett - audiobook unabridged narrated by Becky Wright

Genre: YA, Dystopian - 192 pages
Rating: 4/5

Well, considering that this is an extremely short book with only 190 pages this was an unexpected treat. Maybe although, I ought to add that the book itself didn’t work for me, so I listened to the unabridged audiobook version.

The story is set about 100 years in the future, where most of the world is destroyed by plaque and disease. We are in Plato’s Republic an Island founded by a rich man, exceptionally well secured against the outside world.

The founders of The Republic sought to deny the individual, and in doing so they ignored a simple truth.

Here, we meet Anaximander who is being examined on her historical knowledge of the world and the history of the Republic, in order to gain entrance to the Academy. The entire exam takes place over five hours and is presented in the form of a philosophical dialogue and a discussion on Anax own perspective and her opinions on the events in the past. I was immensely surprised that I got sucked in so easily into this story. The dialogues are overflowing with concepts, theories and enthralling ideologies about ethics, humanity, the meaning of freedom, what is consciousness and about trust and betrayal. Bernard Beckett managed to explore a multitude of critical themes in a brilliant and intensely enjoyable style. If you don’t mind pages filled with dense philosophical themes this is certainly the book for you. The ending of the story was most disturbing of all because I didn’t expect it at all. I felt like someone beat me with a sledge hammer on my head, that’s how surprised I was by it.

“Human spirit is the ability to face the uncertainty of the future with curiosity and optimism. It is the belief that problems can be solved, differences resolved. It is a type of confidence. And it is fragile. It can be blackened by fear, and superstition.“

“Which came first, the mind or the idea of the mind? Have you never wondered? They arrived together. The mind is an idea.”

Hello psutto, *smile* Thank you very much. We are not well yet, but we are back onto the Road of recovery. I wish everyone a happy reading week.

@ 79 -- The Alchemist of Souls sounds interesting! Might have to add it to the TBR list.

#79. 85 - It's in the TBR.... somewhere

Wow, great photo of your great-grandfather, and very neat that he was part of the circus!

Love that photo of your great grandfather - so evocative!

Nice review of Warbreaker. And echoing the others, thats a great photo of your great grandfather! Great to hear you're feeling better.

Bianca I got Genesis as a Christmas Swap gift. It is on my TBR soon pile. If I don't get to it this month I will read it next month. I loved Valerie's (jolerie) review last year.

I'm happy to hear you are all feeling better. How is the kitchen renovation?

I just can't get over it how great those category pictures are! I'm sure you don't mind if I serve myself. :)

Saw the photos of the kitchen reno on your 75 thread. AMAZING! Yay for the new kitchen.

Great to see you posting again Bianca and that the family has recovered from the pneumonia! I have my eye on The Alchemist of Souls and Warm Bodies sounds like a fun read! Love the picture of your great grandfather.

Hello everyone, such a long time that I have been posting :) Due to ongoing recovery of illness during January/February and work constraints I noticed that I find it difficult to maintain two threads in two groups. However, I will try to update my reading here on a regular basis and will carry on lurking and commenting on other threads. I hope that everyone is having a great weekend!

A big hello and thank you for visiting and commenting to Christina, majkia, rabbitprincess, Eva, SouthernKiwi, Roberta, Kathy and Lori :) *big smile*

#07 I love to play

Read
01. Der Wunschpunsch - Michael Ende
02. Warm Bodies - Isaac Marion
03. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
04. The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness
05. Monsters of Men - Patrick Ness
06. Genesis - Bernard Beckett



#021 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs

Genre: YA, Fantasy - 352 pages
Rating: 3.5/5

“I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was.”

This is another one of those books which has been collecting dust on my TBR for ages. However, as it is now FF I thought it would fit the bill quite nicely. Considering that this book was meant to be a picture book to show these beautiful Vintage photos, I think the author has done a pretty good job in writing a story around these photographs.

This was a strong, not much new there, fantasy story with elements from the Big Fish, and as someone mentioned already before me with some elements from Groundhog Day and X-men. Nevertheless, I felt it was an immensely enjoyable read.

The story is centered around 16 year old Jacob who had an extremely close relationship to his grandfather. He used to tell him the most incredible stories in conjunction with the most unbelievable photos, from a time when he was in an orphanage- on an Island - during WWII. When Jacob was a child, he adored these stories and because of them, he wanted to become an explorer. Once Jacob started to grow up he became unsure about his grandfather’s stories. However, when his grandfather dies, Jacob discovers something which leads him on a quest to the Island and the orphanage to find out the truth behind the stories.

I felt that the story was quite charming, and I surely will read the sequel.

“...so one day my mother sat me down and explained that I couldn't become an explorer because everything in the world had already been discovered. I'd been born in the wrong century, and I felt cheated.”

“I thought about how my great-grandparents had starved to death. I thought about their wasted bodies being fed to incinerators because people they didn’t know hated them. I thought about how the children who lived in this house had been burned up and blown apart because a pilot who didn’t care pushed a button. I thought about how my grandfather’s family had been taken from him and how because of that my dad grew up feeling like he didn’t have a dad. And how I had acute stress and nightmares and was sitting alone in a falling down house and crying hot stupid tears all over my shirt. All because of a seventy year old hurt that had somehow been passed down to me like some poisonous heirloom.”

#01 Let's be creative and broaden our horizon

This can be anything non-fiction - historical, science, biographies etc.



#22 Brief History of Slavery - Jeremy Black

Genre: Non-Fiction, History - 320 pages
Rating: 3/5

I read this book for the social injustice theme for February. I have always been interested in different aspects of history, so looking at the history of slavery was the choice for this month.

It is a short book and the author tried to give us a brief introduction into the origins and different kind of slavery up to now into our modern world. He managed this quite well; also at times paragraphs were convoluted when he tried to cram too many details into it. Another setback was that the author at times started an account or a thought but didn't follow it through. However, despite these minor setbacks this was quite a fascinating little book which could easily be used as a reference point for individual interests in slavery. What I found particularly intriguing were his explanations about serfdom, something which was extremely popular in Germany from the early middle ages to the late 19th Century. Normally not titled as slavery, but when you actually look a bit closer you can see that it wasn't anything other than slavery disguised with a different name.
I definitely can recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic, to use it as a reference point to explore deeper into the different eras, the political implications and benefits, the social agreement and all the other reasons behind slavery.

#04 Let's see if we can make it

Anything post-apocalyptic, disaster stories or horror

Read
01. The Walking Dead Vol. 4: The Hearts Desire - Robert Kirkman
02. Domain of the Dead - Iain McKinnon
03. Remains of the Dead - Iain McKinnon



#23 ♬ Dust and Decay - Jonathan Maberry - 528 pages
#24 Flesh and Bone - Jonathan Maberry - 480 pages
#25 Dead & Gone - Jonathan Maberry - 84 pages

Genre: YA, Dystopian, Zombies
Rating: see next to each book

These are the second and the third installment, and a novella of the Benny Imura series. 14 years have passed since Benny and his older brother Tom found refuge in Mountainside, a village which is protected by a chain link fence from the outside world. Outside of this fence awaits them nothing other than the zombs which roam the Earth since the apocalypse, driven by nothing more than their insatiable hunger for human flesh and blood.

However, while his brother trains him beyond the fence, to become a zombie hunter as well, Benny learns pretty quickly that they aren’t the terrible monsters he always believed them to be. Benny didn't realize the whole truth about his brother’s work until he started to train with him. Tom gets hired by some residents of Mountainside to kill their loved ones with dignity, something Benny didn't know. Tom’s clients usually find it difficult to live with the notion that their loved ones have become vicious zombs, with no memory of their earthly life. Through his training with his brother, Tom and Benny unexpectedly welds them together even closer. Benny realizes quickly that some of the bounty hunters quite often have less humanity than the zombies themselves and could easily be the greater threat. Tom trains Benny and his friends to get “warrior smart” in order to survive this harsh world with their cruelties and difficulties. Together they encounter one adventure after the other in order to find a haven.

I have only recently discovered my passion for zombie stories; although I often get extremely cross as they too often end in cliffhangers. Baaaaah! However, the reason why I quite like this series is that Jonathan Maberry managed to create an engaging and believable world which he describes and builds remarkably detailed in the first book Rot and Ruin. It’s not just about zombie hunts and killing, but about growing up in a world which is about to fall. The stories are about the right to live, the treatment of the dead and the living together in communities. What do you do if there aren’t any real laws to follow and you have to deal with people who act like they are God himself and think they can put their welfare over the welfare of all others? All in all, this is a good series which is fun to read as the focus is not just on moaning, drooling and bloodthirsty zombies but also on emotions, solidarity and on how to create a new future. Definitely a series I can recommend to any zombie fan.

#12 Is this the Future?

Read

01. The Snow Queen - Joan D. Vinge



#27 The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell - 408 pages
#28 Children of God - Mary Doria Russell - 438 pages

Genre: Science Fiction, Religion, Anthropology
Rating: see next to book

Once I devoured The Sparrow I had to move on to The Children of God because I was utterly fascinated. I loved the philosophical and anthropological ideas, with questions about God, faith, cultural diversity, communication, about suffering and death, atrocities and foremost of all about the meaning of humanity. What Mrs. Russell did in these stories was not only that she examined all of these aspects, but she also went on and answered them. Whether these are answers you expected and you find acceptable that depends on what your own beliefs and your viewpoints on life are. However, I felt that I was among other things, introduced into a religious viewpoint I certainly don’t share but which I can understand and respect.

“... That is my dilemma. Because if I was led by God to love God, step by step, as it seemed, if I accept that the beauty and the rapture were real and true, the rest of it was God’s will too, and that gentlemen is cause for bitterness. But if I am simply a deluded ape who took a lot of old folktales far too seriously, then I brought all this on myself and my companions and the whole business becomes farcical, doesn’t it. The problem with atheism, I find, under these circumstances...is that I have no one to despise but myself. If, however, I choose to believe that God is vicious, then at least I have the solace of hating God.”

All in all, this two books are an extremely gripping story with a terrific storyline and pretty character driven. Although, be warned and have the tissues on standby – sorry I tend to be a bit soft-hearted – especially as you know from page one that Emilio Sandoz our main protagonist is the sole survivor of the Jesuit mission to Rakhat. Switching between the Present and the retrospective memories of Emilio whilst delving into the story you always wonder how it all could could lead to these tragic events. And with tragic events I truly mean dreadful, horrific, harrowing, brutal, terrible. In the Present when we meet Emilio Sandoz he is a total wreck, utterly emotionally destroyed and a physically severely mutilated Jesuit Priest who can’t even talk about the events of the mission.

"There's an old Jewish story that says in the beginning God was everywhere and everything, a totality. But to make creation, God had to remove Himself from some part of the universe, so something besides Himself could exist. So He breathed in, and in the places where God withdrew, there creation exists."
"So God just leaves?" John asked, angry where Emilio had been desolate. "Abandons creation? You're on your own, apes. Good luck!"
"No. He watches. He rejoices. He weeps. He observes the moral drama of human life and gives meaning to it by caring passionately about us, and remembering."
"Matthew ten, verse twenty-nine," Vincenzo Giuliani said quietly. "'Not one sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.'"
"But the sparrow still falls," Felipe said.

Retrospectively we experience and learn to love all the members of the mission to Rakhat a planet they are about to explore. Once on Rakhat, we are introduced in a truly compelling way to a remarkably different kind of social society. It was intriguing to determine to which extent man was able to influence cultural changes through seemingly trifle performances. Mrs. Russell demonstrated quite well what impact such changes could have on different social cultures and to what disastrous outcomes this could lead to, usually by means of cultural misunderstandings. All these issues are further explored in the second book. Both books are highly recommended to anyone who likes to be challenged in his reading.

Books which I have read so far, also there are still some reviews outstanding!
I do document Novellas as well, but don't count them towards my reading total - well, at least not in the category challenge!

#01 Let's be creative and broaden our horizon This can be anything Non-Fiction such as Science, History, Biography or whatever fetches my interest.
01. Brief History of Slavery - Jeremy Black

#02 Why don't you like me? Books from various banned book lists eg ALA.

#03 Misfits Anything which doesn't fit a particular category

#04 Let's see if we can make it Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Horror
01. The Walking Dead Vol. 4: The Hearts Desire - Robert Kirkman
02. Domain of the Dead - Iain McKinnon
03. Remains of the Dead - Iain McKinnon
04. Dust and Decay - Jonathan Maberry
05. Flesh and Bone - Jonathan Maberry
06. Dead & Gone - Jonathan Maberry
07. The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan

#05 Don't break my Heart Well, some romance for chilling out is necessary as well.
01. The Taker - Alma Katsu
02. The Reckoning - Alma Katsu
03. A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness
04. Shadow of Night - Deborah Harkness

#06 I think I am special! Anything long- or shortlisted for various Booker prizes, Nobel, 1001 Books etc.
01. Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood - shortlisted for Giller Prize 2003
02. The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood - shortlisted for Giller Prize 2009

#07 I love to play Children or YA literature
01. Der Wunschpunsch - Michael Ende
02. Warm Bodies - Isaac Marion
03. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
04. The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness
05. Monsters of Men - Patrick Ness
06. Genesis - Bernard Beckett
07. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland--For a Little While - Catherynne M. Valente - 33 pages

#08 Who is trying to sneak into my home? Mysteries and Thrillers
01. The Hanging Shed - Gordon Ferris

#09 Across Time Historical Fiction

#10 Return to the classics I am planning to reread some of my classics, but also to read some classics I haven't tried before :)
01. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
02. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
03. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

#11 Once upon a time.... Fantasy
01. Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson
02. Low Town - Daniel Polansky
03. The Alchemist of Souls - Anne Lyle
04. Jhereg - Steven Brust
05. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
06. The Alloy of Law - Brandon Sanderson
07. Written in Red - Anne Bishop
The Voice: An Ephemera Novella - Anne Bishop - 66 pages

#12 Is this the Future? Science Fiction
01. The Snow Queen - Joan D. Vinge
02. The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
03. Children of God - Mary Doria Russell

#13 Newfangled? What's that? Contemporary Fiction
01. We Sinners - Hanna Pylväinen

Currently I am listening to Blindness by Jose Saramago - which is also a GR in the 75er group, just in case anyone should be interested :) and I am reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood for the Atwood April in the 75er group.

You could always make a category just for novellas. All's fair.
You've done some great reading. The Russell books sound intriguing to say the least.

#29 ♬ The Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch

Genre: Urban Fantasy - 432 pages
Rating: 4/5 - I actually went up by 1/2 star :)

“You put a spell on the dog," I said as we left the house.
"Just a small one," said Nightingale.
"So magic is real," I said. "Which makes you a...what?"
"A wizard."
"Like Harry Potter?"
Nightingale sighed. "No," he said. "Not like Harry Potter."
"In what way?"
"I'm not a fictional character," said Nightingale.”

Hey, what a fabulous fun read this was. I so much enjoyed this story, especially all the London details. Living in London for 6 month of the year, it was easy for me to follow Peter Grant around London. Aaranovitch managed to capture the Londoner spirit so well that it made me chuckle a lot of times. Peter is an immensely likable character, and it’s easy to connect with him. His language and tone reminded me a lot of some of my English mates, and that is the character used throughout the story.

“The Metropolitan Police Service is still, despite what people think, a working-class organisation and as such rejects totally the notion of an officer class. That is why every newly minted constable, regardless of their educational background, has to spend a two-year probationary period as an ordinary plod on the streets. This is because nothing builds character like being abused, spat at and vomited by members of the public.”

Such fun! The humor and the unique combination of utilizing magic paired with criminal investigations were highly entertaining. The setting of the story is acutely in line with the modern Dr Who and commensurate with Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. Well, if you love them, this is undoubtedly the book for you.

“Being a seasoned Londoner, Martin gave the body the "London once-over" - a quick glance to determine whether this was a drunk, a crazy or a human being in distress. The fact that it was entirely possible for someone to be all three simultaneously is why good-Samaritanism in London is considered an extreme sport - like BASE jumping or crocodile wrestling.”

Hello mamzel,
The Russel books were absolutely fantastic and I don't think I was able to capture that enough in my review. They are definitely books I can highly recommend. Although, the story deals with Religion that is not an overpowering aspect of the story.

I laughed out loud at the Rivers of London quote. Glad to hear you enjoyed it! I actually read the third book in the series recently and am looking forward to going back to the beginning :)

I do like the Ben Aaronovitch books. Glad you liked the first one of the series. I think there's a slight drop-off on the second (still pretty good) but the third is equally as good as the opener.

Judy reminded me that I should've had the Jonathan Maberry series on the wishlist but it's good to hear another positive view of those books here as well.

Those are great quotes! I have this one on Mt. TBR - anything with a fun character works for me.

Hello rabbitprincess great that I could make you laugh with my choice of quotes. I am looking forward to the second installment in that series.

Hi Wolfy good to hear that the series continues to be good and I am glad to hear that I could convince you to follow Judy's advice in regards to the Maberry books.
Definitely recommended to any zombie fan. :)

Eva if you enjoy fun characters you definitely will enjoy Peter Grant, because he is just so witty and funny.

#10 Return to the classics



#37 The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Genre: Modern Classics/Classic - 177 pages
Rating 4.5/5

What a fabulous little gem this is! Usually, I am not someone who is too fond of short stories, but I have to say that I loved this one. The most appealing aspect of this story is Fitzgerald’s magnificent sense of language, which drew me in straight away. Right in the beginning I couldn't truly connect with the story itself and felt rather underwhelmed. However, after rereading a few of the chapters I finally recognized how beautiful Fitzgerald has woven this story.

This is a valley of ashes - a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. Occasionally a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight .

Illuminated in this brilliantly written novel is the High Society of the US during the 1920’s. In America, the time of Prohibition is represented as “The Roaring Twenties”, extensive drug use and extravagant parties with innovative jazz. All of this is brought to light in deep facets through the brilliant use of Fitzgerald’s descriptive writing. In addition, Fitzgerald depicts in a wonderful way the superficial blasé attitude, the over-saturation of the fashionable Upper Class, their fast paced life and continues boredom.

Nick is the narrator of this story. He thinks of himself as tolerant, non - judgmental, a good listener, and feels that as a result, others prefer to tell him their secrets. However, it becomes pretty quickly clear that Nick is not as detached as he believes and that he has to bear some of the blame of the tragic events which follow.

“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.
"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had”

The style and Fitzgerald's melancholic aspect of his characters lure you into such a lightness of being that you can’t hate the utterly annoying decadence of the main characters. You know they are nasty, and actually you shouldn’t like them, but you are fascinated anyway. What Fitzgerald manages to portray in this little story, is that despite all the wealth, every single character, is a rather lost soul, with no real focus on life, without the ability to fill the empty spaces. This has been particularly evident in Jay Gatsby’s unquenchable desire for Daisy which is the setting for this novel.

"He wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was.”

Jay Gatsby is one of the “New Money” and is fascinated by the dazzling and mundane society of the twenties. For a while, he is allowed to share their and especially Daisy’s life. However, how illusory this life might seem notwithstanding the element of fraud, jealousy and neuroses of that society rule. In the end even 'The Great Gatsby' has to deal with the consequences and the reality of this life.

"Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes."

Bianca you review has actually interested me in reading The Great Gatsby. For some reason the story has never called me.

I think The Great Gatsby may have been one of the books I read too young and/or under the tutelage of a terrible teacher -- I remember despising it as trivial and thin, just as much as I despised the triviality and stupidity of the teacher who tried so hard to get us to talk about metaphors in it (the light! there is a light! it is very important! -- sigh). You're inspiring me to read it -- give what you said, surely it can't be as insipid as it seemed in a class I hated at the grand old age of 14.

Also, just realized just now that your handle is not in fact drachenblut -- bad on me for misreading for months! Can I ask what the story behind the handle is?

wow lots to catch up on here - glad you liked the sparrow but I think you liked the second a lot more than I did, reminding me that I need to get round to the next Aaronovitch book too and now I'm intrigued by the great gatsby too

Love the whole 1920's era... and have to admit to having not read The Great Gatsby! I need to rectify that before I watch the movie adaption. I am a huge fashion of the era (as well as liking everything I have seen with Isla Fisher in it) so I should probably get moving on reading this one! Thanks for the motivational review, Bianca! ;-)

I saw the shorts for Ther Great Gatsby movie a while ago, which I thought looked alright, but your review has given me a good push to read the book, nice review.