Triskaidekaphobia - Ryvre's 13 in 2013

To counteract the bad luck the number 13 is bringing, I'll aim to read at least seven books in each category. :) I want to try to read more books overall in 2013 than I did in 2012, so I have an overall goal of at least 114 books in 2013.

1. Doxophobia - Award Winning
   
2. Kainophobia - Published in 2013
   
3. Gerontophobia - Published Before 1950
   
4. Xenoglossophobia - Books in Translation
   
5. Hodophobia - Set Outside of U.S., Canada, or Western Europe
   
6. Scopophobia - About Outsiders
   
7. Mnemophobia - Rereads
   
8. Chronophobia - Historical Fiction
   
9. Technophobia - Scifi, Fantasy, & Steampunk
   
10. Claustrophobia - Anthologies and Collections of Short Stories
    
11. Epistemophobia - History, Religion, & Other Weighty Non-Fiction
    
12. Prosophobia - Current Events & Pop Culture, & Other Light Non-Fiction
    
13. Somniphobia - Sandman Group Read
    Bonus Category: Bibliophobia - For books that don't fit other categories

Megalophobia (longest book so far): Atlas Shrugged at 1084 pages of unbelievably tiny type
Cherophobia (best book so far): Templar by Jordan Mechner, LeUyen Pham and Alex Puvilland
Atychiphobia (worst book so far): "The Marrying Maid" by Jo Beverley (short story)





All books finished in 2013:

1. Wild Seed
   
2. The Professor and the Madman
   
3. Token
   
4. Skin and Other Stories
   
5. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets
   
6. Tartuffe
   
7. Iron: Or, the War After
   
8. Warbreaker
   
9. Anya's Ghost
   
10. A Morbid Taste for Bones
    
11. Bloodshot Volume 1: Setting The World On Fire
    
12. Glory: The Once and Future Destroyer
    
13. The Drowning Girl
    
14. Emma, vol. 1
    
15. The Iliad
    
16. Ready Player One
    
17. Quantum and Woody Vol. 1: The Director's Cut
    
18. The Anthology Project
    
19. Every Day is an Atheist Holiday!
    
20. The Sparrow
    
21. Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes
    
22. Sandman: The Doll's House
    
23. Snow Crash
    
24. Pietrolino
    
25. The Great Gatsby
    
26. Diosamante
    
27. Elantris
    
28. Silent in the Grave
    
29. Aya
    
30. Doctor Who: Only Human
    
31. Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time Volume 1
    
32. Sultana's Dream
    
33. Sandman: Dream Country
    
34. Silent in the Sanctuary
    
35. Sandman: Seasons of Mists
    
36. Gods' Man: A Novel in Woodcuts
    
37. A Wrinkle in Time
    
38. How Loathsome
    
39. Unnatural Creatures
    
40. Death: At Death's Door
    
41. Silent on the Moor
    
42. The Prince
    
43. Much Ado About Nothing
    
44. The Ocean at the End of the Lane
    
45. American Savage
    
46. Saga, Vol. 2
    
47. Chicks Dig Comics
    
48. Shadow and Bone
    
49. Rent Girl
    
50. Sandman: A Game of You
    
51. The Poisoner's Handbook
    
52. Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
    
53. William Shakespeare's Star Wars
    
54. Maisie Dobbs
    
55. The Song of Achilles
    
56. Lust
    
57. Krishna: A Journey Within
    
58. Bread & Wine
    
59. Templar
    
60. Atlas Shrugged
    
61. Songs of Love and Death

Doxophobia - Award Winning Books
Books that have won awards, big or small.

1. The Drowning Girl (2012 Bram Stoker)
   
2. Ready Player One (2012 Prometheus)
   
3. The Sparrow (1996 Tiptree, 1997 BSFA, 1998 Clarke)
   
4. Silent in the Grave (2008 RITA)
   
5. A Wrinkle in Time (1963 Newbery)
   
6. Maisie Dobbs (2003 Agatha, 2004 Macavity)
   
7. The Song of Achilles (2012 Orange Prize)

Currently Reading:
Wolf Hall (2009 Booker Prize)

Maybes:
The Windup Girl (2010 Hugo & 2009 Nebula)
Baba Yaga Laid an Egg (2010 Tiptree)
Whiteout: Melt (2000 Eisner)
Trumps of Doom (1986 Locus)
Finder (2004 & 2005 Ignatz)
To Say Nothing of the Dog (2009 Hugo & Locus)

Kainophobia - Published in 2013
They've still got that new book smell!

1. Iron: Or, the War After
   
2. Bloodshot Volume 1: Setting The World On Fire
   
3. Pietrolino
   
4. Diosamante
   
5. Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time Volume 1
   
6. The Ocean at the End of the Lane
   
7. American Savage
   
8. Saga, Vol. 2
   
9. William Shakespeare's Star Wars
   
10. Lust by Ben Templesmith, menton3, and Steve Niles
    
11. Templar

Currently Reading:

Maybes:
Red Handed

Gerontophobia - Published Before 1950

1. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (1929)
   
2. Tartuffe (1664)
   
3. The Iliad (800s BC, give or take)
   
4. The Great Gatsby (1925)
   
5. Sultana's Dream (1905)
   
6. Gods' Man: A Novel in Woodcuts (1929)
   
7. The Prince (1513)
   
8. Much Ado About Nothing (1600)

Currently Reading:
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)

Maybes:
Heart of Darkness (1899)
The Three Musketeers (1844)
Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis (1949)
Mad Man's Drum: A Novel in Woodcuts (1930)
The Master & Margarita (written 1930s, published 1966)
Mythology (1942)

Xenoglossophobia - Books in Translation

1. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (French)
   
2. Tartuffe (French)
   
3. Emma, vol. 1 (Japanese)
   
4. The Iliad (Ancient Greek)
   
5. Pietrolino (French)
   
6. Diosamante (French)
   
7. Aya (French)
   
8. The Prince (Italian)

Currently Reading:

Maybes:
Blacksad: A Silent Hell
The Rabbi's Cat
Sputnik Sweetheart
War with the Newts
Borgia: Power and Incest
Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings
Megillat Esther
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Cosmos Latinos

Scopophobia - About Outsiders
Books featuring queer characters, disabled characters, immigrants, ethnic minorities, religious minorities, or other marginalized groups.

1. Wild Seed
   
2. The Professor and the Madman
   
3. Anya's Ghost
   
4. The Drowning Girl
   
5. How Loathsome
   
6. Unnatural Creatures
   
7. American Savage
   
8. Rent Girl
   
9. The Song of Achilles
   
10. Bread & Wine

Maybes:
No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics
Earth Logic
The Wives of Bath
The Chosen
The Bone Doll's Twin
The Story of Beautiful Girl
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Hodophobia - Set Outside of U.S., Canada, or Western Europe

1. Aya (Ivory Coast)
   
2. Sultana's Dream (Bangladesh)
   
3. Krishna: A Journey Within (India)
   
4. 
   
5. 
   
6. 
   

Currently Reading:
The Potato Factory (Australia)
Lost to the West (Byzantine)

Maybes:
Dreamers of the Day (Egypt)
Baba Yaga Laid an Egg (Croatia)
The Purple Shroud (Byzantium)

Mnemophobia - Rereads

1. The Sparrow
   
2. Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes
   
3. The Sandman: The Doll's House
   
4. The Great Gatsby
   
5. Elantris
   
6. A Wrinkle in Time
   
7. Atlas Shrugged

Currently Reading:

Maybes:
Winter of Fire
Les Misérables
Children of God
Chronicles of Amber
Mélusine

Chronophobia - Historical Fiction

1. A Morbid Taste for Bones (The Anarchy, England 1137)
   
2. Emma, vol. 1 (England, late 19th century)
   
3. Silent in the Grave (England 1886-1887)
   
4. Silent in the Sanctuary (England 1887)
   
5. Silent on the Moor (England 1888)
   
6. Maisie Dobbs (WWI, England 1913-1929)
   
7. The Song of Achilles (Trojan War, Greece 12th or 11th century BC)
   
8. Templar (Disbanding of the Knights Templar, France 1307)

Currently Reading:
Slammerkin (England 1752-1763)
Sovereign (Tudor era, England 1541)
When Christ and His Saints Slept (The Anarchy, England 1101-1135)
Wolf Hall (Tudor era, England)

Maybes:
The Purple Shroud (Byzantine Empire 527-)
Mr. Churchill's Secretary (WWII, England 1940)
Russka (Russia 100ish-1917)
Cleopatra: A Life (Egypt 69BC-30BC)
Northlanders- The Plague Widow (Russia 1020)
As Meat Loves Salt (English Civil War)
A Thread of Grace (WWII, Italy 1943)
The Dreamer, Volume 2 (American Revolution, US 1776)

Technophobia - Scifi, Fantasy, and Steampunk

1. Wild Seed
   
2. Warbreaker
   
3. Glory: The Once and Future Destroyer
   
4. The Drowning Girl
   
5. Ready Player One
   
6. The Sparrow
   
7. Snow Crash
   
8. Elantris
   
9. A Wrinkle in Time
   
10. The Ocean at the End of the Lane
    
11. Saga, Vol. 2
    
12. Shadow and Bone
    
13. Songs of Love and Death

Currently Reading:
Black Sun Rising

Maybes:
Leviathan Wakes
Tigana
The Shadowed Sun
Return of the Dapper Men
11/22/63
The Magicians
Long Juju Man

Claustrophobia - Anthologies and Collections of Short Stories

1. Skin and Other Stories
   
2. The Anthology Project
   
3. Unnatural Creatures
   
4. Chicks Dig Comics
   
5. Songs of Love and Death
   
6. 
   

Currently Reading:
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever
The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits

Maybes:
Astray
The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft
Somewhere Beneath Those Waves
A Mosque Among the Stars
The Last Mimzy: And Other Stories
Bending the Landscape: Fantasy

Epistemophobia - History, Religion, & Other Weighty Non-Fiction

1. The Professor and the Madman
   
2. The Prince
   
3. The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
   
4. Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
   
5. 
   
6. 
   

Currently Reading:
The History of White People
War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America's Campaign to Create a Master Race
Visionary Women: Three Medieval Mystics
The Borgias and their Enemies
Christianity: the First Three Thousand Years
Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization

Maybes:
Jonathan Loved David: Homosexuality in Biblical Times
Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention

Prosophobia - Current Events, Pop Culture, and Other Light Nonfiction

1. Every Day is an Atheist Holiday!
   
2. American Savage: Insights, Slights, and Fights on Faith, Sex, Love, and Politics
   
3. Chicks Dig Comics: A Celebration of Comic Books by the Women Who Love Them
   
4. Rent Girl
   
5. 
   
6. 
   

Currently Reading:
The Holy or the Broken
Tilting at Windmills Volume 2

Maybes:
Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement
Just Kids
Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: The Frightening New Normalcy of Hating Your Body
Ink-Stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors: Superwomen in Modern Mythology

Somniphobia - Sandman Group Read

1. Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes
   
2. Sandman: The Doll's House
   
3. Sandman: Dream Country
   
4. The Annotated Sandman, Volume One
   
5. Sandman: Seasons of Mists
   
6. Death: At Death's Door
   
7. Sandman: A Game of You
   
8. 
   
9. 
   

Currently Reading:
The Sandman Papers: An Exploration of the Sandman Mythology
Sandman- King of Dreams
The Sandman Companion
Hanging Out with the Dream King

Bibliophobia - Books that don't fit other categories

1. Token
   
2. Quantum and Woody Vol. 1: The Director's Cut
   
3. Doctor Who: Only Human
   

Currently Reading:
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Volume 2
Deadman, Book One
Green Lantern/Green Arrow, Volume Two

Maybes:
Cerebus: High Society
Eastenders Book Two: Swings and Roundabouts

Hi ryvre, love the theme of your challenge. You just give me lots of LT inspirations. 'Baba Yaga' is a must after seeing this episode of Lost Girl ;) I am the shame of the family, I've never read any Molière, this is a must for 2013. Oh you give me so much ideas for comics ! Looking forward to read your thread.

Welcome! Your challenge looks great - love the theme.
Lots of interesting categories too, I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for ideas.

I have a category each dedicated to disabilities and LGBT issues is you want to have a look to get ideas.

Nice categories :)

Group read of When Christ and His Saints Slept in January - maybe you can join us!

Great theme. Nice gentle wake up for my brain this morning, figuring out what each phobia is. More fun than getting right to work! Looking forward to seeing how you fill out your reading year.

Thanks everyone!

electrice> I've never heard of Lost Girl, but I'll check it out. I love anything with Baba Yaga! Definitely keep an eye on my list if you're interested in comics. I run a comic store, so I'm sure I'll read a lot of them!

PawsforThought> I checked out your list and jotted down a few ideas. Thanks!

cyderry> Perfect! I'll move When Christ and His Saints Slept to the top of my pile.

Ooh so that means you can give us friendly LTers a nice discount, right?! ;)

My tongue got twisted in my head reading your categories. What fun!

PolymathicMonkey> If you're ever in Chicago, come on by! :)

:o I'm from Chicago!! Unfortunately, for the sake of comics (and fortunately for my wallet :P), I now live across an ocean, durnit! hahaha. Next time I brave the TSA and go visit the family, I will have to check it out!

Awesome! When you're in town, definitely stop by my shop!

I've not the slightest idea when it'll be, but will do!! :D

A well thought out set up for your challenge and I like the idea of your goal to read more than last year. Looking forward to following your thread.

Hello, welcome and best of luck meeting your goals! If you end up reading The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits I shall be interested to hear what you think of it. (With a title like that, my curiosity is definitely piqued.)

I have that book on my shelf, shamefully unread. I'd like to hear what you think of it as well.

I suspect it will be at the top of my pile. I just finished Kissing the Witch by the same author, and I really enjoyed it. I'm currently reading her novel, Slammerkin, and I'm loving it.

Nice setup to your challenge, ryvre. Lots of great books listed. I am looking forward to seeing what you think of the books you read for your categories!

Great setup!! I love your category titles - very clever! Looking forward to following along since many of your potentials are also on my Mt. TBR.

Still love all the phobias. Looking forward to your reviews.

2012 is done, so I have my final count. 113 books in 2012, so my 2013 goal is at least 114 books!

Go for it!

I just started my first new book of 2013- The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah". It was a Christmas gift, and it bumped a few other books down the to-read list. It's really interesting so far!

@ 37 -- I do love that song! Looking forward to seeing your thoughts on the finished book.

First completed book of 2013!


Wild Seed by Octavia Butler
Categories: Scifi, Fantasy, and Steampunk and About Outsiders
4 stars

Octavia Butler is brilliant! There is so much to think about in this book: race, gender, the nature of relationships, what abnormal powers would do to people. There were so many layers, I'm sure I missed so much on the first reading.

I finished this book right before watching the Doctor Who Christmas special, so I was thinking a lot about the costs of immortality. How does a person cope when they outlive everyone they care about? When everyone in their life is temporary? It was an interesting pairing.

I will definitely continue the Patternist series!

OMG!!! Glad you loved Wild Seed. I love that book, and am so happy I got a chance to talk with Octavia Butler before she died. One of the things I remember her telling me was she would have people coming up to her say they had a love relationship like the one in that book between Doro and I forget what name the mostly-woman was using. Octavia's response was "I'm so sorry for you." LOL! Yes, continue with the series. I'll shut up before I give you spoilers, but yes, she deals with many, many issues. She was definitely a deep and careful thinker, and she worked closely with a biologist too. I'm hoping to read Kindred this year. Sorry! I just did an Octavia gush on you!

*adds Wild Seed to wishlist.*

I've never read Octavia Buttler but I've seen her books praised so many times on LT, and her stories sound so interesting, I've really got to try them sometime.

*adds Wild Seed to wishlist.*

I should probably do that too.

The only thing I've read by Octavia Butler was a short story called "Amnesty," but I remember being very impressed. I should probably check out one of her full-length novels sometime.

cammykitty> I'm so envious! I really wish I'd had a chance to meet Octavia Butler!

I hope to see Octavia Butler crop up on some other lists this year. :) I especially loved Kindred and Parable of the Sower, but I've never read a bad book by her.

The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
Categories: History, Religion, & Other Weighty Non-Fiction and About Outsiders
3.5 stars

The Professor and the Madman is a history of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary. I didn't know anything about the OED before reading this. I love the idea of thousands of people sending in quotes to the dictionary. Early crowd sourcing!

I'd never stopped to think about the time before dictionaries and encyclopedias. I can only just barely remember a time before the internet, so I'm used to having all information at my fingertips. It's nearly impossible for me to conceive of a time before easy reference materials.

The sections about mental institutions and the evolution of psychiatric diagnoses were especially fascinating to me. It's very interesting to see how our views of mental health have changed over the years. I'd love to find another book specifically about these issues.

The writing was good, but too sensationalistic for my tastes. The story was interesting on its own; it didn't need added drama and suspense.

Token by Alisa Kwitney & Joëlle Jones
Categories: Other
3.5 stars

In the mid 2000s, DC Comics realized that teen girls were reading manga but not mainstream American comics. Instead of toning down the sexist portrayals of women in mainstream comics, they created a new line specifically aimed at teen girls. This line, Minx, was almost certainly doomed from the start. (Especially when they decided to name it Minx. Really? Who thought of that name!) It never gained the presence in bookstores that DC hoped for, but it didn't do well in the traditional comic market either. Minx was canceled in 2008, surprising nobody. Token was one of the last Minx books to be published. It came out in October of 2008, after the Minx line had been canceled.

The art in Token is gorgeous! I read The Girl Who Owned a City last year, and fell in love with Joëlle Jones. She draws incredibly expressive faces and very dynamic figures. I'm going to need to find more books drawn by her. (She remind me a bit of one of my favorite comic artists, Amanda Conner, but without the cheesecake.)

The story was less impressive, but not bad by any means. Shira is a 15-year-old girl living in Miami in 1987. She doesn't fit in well at her Jewish high school, and she's never been kissed. It deals with the regular set of coming-of-age cliches: dating, fights with parents, feeling like and outcast, and parental remarriage. Nothing really spectacular, but reasonably well told.

Token doesn't appeal to me, but The Girl Who Owned a City looks very interesting. I'll have to keep my eyes own for it.

Skin and Other Stories by Roald Dahl
Categories: Collections of Short Stories
2.5 stars

This is definitely different than his books for children! Most of these short stories are about murderers, cheats, or other unscrupulous people. They're generally quick, and they have twist endings. They were enjoyable enough, but nothing spectacular.

Tintin in the Land of the Soviets by Hergé
Categories: Published Before 1950 (1929) and Books in Translation (originally in French)
2 stars

Tintin in the Land of the Soviets was the first Tintin story. It's really rough, and I can see why it's been left out of the most recent compilations. Still, it's nice to see where the series got its start, and the portrayal of Soviet Russia was interesting.

Tartuffe by Molière
Categories: Published Before 1950 (1662) and Books in Translation (originally in French)
3.5 stars

I've been meaning to read this for years! I've seen School for Husbands and School for Wives performed, but I was only vaguely familiar with Tartuffe. It was a much easier read than I expected! The story was entertaining, and there were a few very witty parts. I'd love to see it performed!

I saw Tartuffe performed in high school as part of a one act play competition and found it hysterical! Actually read the play a few years ago and loved it.

To counteract the bad luck the number 13 is bringing

Does it make you feel better if I tell you not to worry? My husband is Italian and tells me that number 13 is lucky in Italy. So if you just take on a little 'la dolce vita' attitude, you should be okay. Anyway, very clever categories! Have fun.

Iron: Or, the War After by Shane-Michael Vidaurri
Categories: Published in 2013
3.5 stars

The war is over, but not everyone can leave it in the past. The story deals with spies after a war. All the characters are anthropomorphic animals, but that seems to have very little effect on the story. The story jumps between characters pretty quickly, making it occasionally hard to follow.

The art in this book is dark, moody watercolors in shades of blue and gray. The book is worth the price for the art alone. Have a look at some of it here.

I've been working way too much and not reading nearly as much as I'd like. Hopefully I'll be able to make it up later in the year and still make my goal.


Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Categories: Scifi, Fantasy, and Steampunk
4.5 or 5 stars

Brandon Sanderson's books always manage to stun me. He starts with predictable fantasy tropes, and then he uses them in totally unexpected ways. There is a revelation in this book that was so surprising I had to stop reading for a day to let it sink in.

Warbreaker wasn't as complex of a story as the Mistborn trilogy, but I found it more enjoyable. I loved all the main character, and the world was fascinating. Each character had their own distinct voice and way of seeing the world. Two characters could look at the same event and see totally different things.

I'm working my way through the annotations to Warbreaker. It's fascinating seeing what went into writing the book, and there are a lot of elements that I didn't notice. I really wish he'd write more books in this world.

I loved the book, but I'm not quite sure if it deserves 5 stars. I wavering between 4.5 and 5. I'm looking forward to rereading Elantris and reading Way of Kings later this year.

You have me intrigued!

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Categories: About Outsiders
4 stars

Anya just wants to fit in. She is a Russian immigrant with a difficult to pronounce last name, and she really doesn't want to be seen with the only other Russian kid at her school. She only has one friend, and she has a crush on one of the popular boys. Anya meets a ghost who may be able to help her with some of her problems.

I'd been hearing about this book for quite some time, but I'm generally not a fan of coming of age stories. It was darker than I expected, and the story took some interesting turns. I loved the art! I'll be watching for Vera Brosgol's next work.

I've had that one on the radar, but it seems to have dropped off the list somehow. Putting it back, since "darker than ...expected" is generally a good thing for me. :)

Anya's Ghost sounds good. Yes, the cover makes it cute, so any dark at all is more than expected. I'll look into it.

A Morbid Taste for Bones: The First Chronicle of Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters
Categories: Historical Fiction
2.5 stars

I really enjoyed Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series, and I wanted to read more in that general time period. The Brother Cadfael have been recommended to me a few times, and it seemed like a promising series. Unfortunately, this first Brother Cadfael mystery was really difficult to get through. The characters were wooden and the dialogue almost put me to sleep. I've heard the second volume is better and ties into the historical events more, so I might give it a chance at some point in the future.

It has been a long time since I last read any of the Brother Cadfael books but since they were part of my teen reading, I am not surprised if the characters came off as wooden with uninteresting dialogue for you!

Bloodshot Volume 1: Setting The World On Fire by Duane Swierczynski
Categories: New in 2013
2 stars

I'm enjoying the rebooted Valiant universe as a whole, but Bloodshot did nothing for me. Too much gore, not enough enough story.




Glory: The Once and Future Destroyer by Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell
Categories: Scifi, Fantasy, and Steampunk
4 stars

A good scifi, superhero(ish) story with amazing art.




The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan
Categories: Books About Outsiders and Scifi, Fantasy, and Steampunk
4 stars

The Drowning Girl caught my eye on this year's Nebula shortlist. Much like last year's Nebula winner, Among Others, it's hard to classify this as fantasy. Maybe it is, or maybe it's all in the narrator's head.

Imp- schizophrenic, queer, and possibly haunted- narrates her "ghost story." It's difficult to tell what is real, what is imagined, and what is an outright lie. Imp is an incredible unreliable narrator.

I think I liked The Drowning Girl. I definitely loved parts, but I also hated parts. I loved the jumbled confusion of Imp's mind, but my the random short stories and diversions didn't hold my interest. I could have done with more plot, but it was very good nonetheless.

I nearly bought this the other day (I did quite like The Red Tree) & your review doesn't put me off. Its nice to be forewarned though :)

Emma, vol. 1 by Kaoru Mori
Categories: Historical Fiction and Books in Translation (originally in Japanese)
3.5 stars

I've been watching a lot of Upstairs Downstairs, so English maids have been on my mind. Emma is an enjoyable light romance. It was perfect for a night of insomnia. I'll probably continue with the series.

I don't read much manga, so I kept reading through the page left to right. I'd read a page two or three times, then realize that I was reading it backwards. :)

The Iliad by Homer (translated by Stanley Lombardo)
Categories: Written Before 1950 (crazy old) and Books in Translation (originally in Ancient Greek)
3 stars

I speed read the Iliad in preparation for an Iliad LARP. :) I wanted to get a feel for the characters and setting.

I read the Odyssey and the Aeneid years ago, but this was my first time reading the Iliad. I expected it to have more of a beginning and ending...

The goriness surprised me. (I suppose it shouldn't have. The Iliad is a war story, after all.) So many eyeballs popping out and falling into the dirt!

I spent most of the book wanting somebody to slap some sense into Achilles. WTF dude! I was mostly cheering on Hector, who seemed to be the only person with any sense.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Categories: Award Winning (2012 Prometheus) and Scifi, Fantasy, and Steampunk
5 stars

It's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets Little Brother, with added 1980s nostalgia dialed to 11!

Wade, a poor kid in a dystopic future, spends every waking moment in a virtual reality world. When the billionaire creator of that world died, he left his company to the first person to solve a massive VR puzzle based on 1980s pop culture. The only way to solve the puzzle is to gain encyclopedic knowledge of 1980s movies, tv, music, and especially video games.

I'm not normally a huge fan of VR books. (Though I'm eagerly awaiting the next issue of Nate Simpson's Nonplayer, if it ever comes out.) I like worlds that have realistic constraints, and VR worlds tend to have nonsensical world building. The focus on 1980s culture gave the VR universe a bit of focus, so this world held together well.

It's not great literature, but it's a lot of fun. If you enjoy 1980s nostalgia, read Ready Player One right now!

I actually just bought a copy of the Iliad myself, from OUP's big sale a couple weeks ago. I read the Odyssey in high school, but have never read this one, and it was for cheap, and a supposedly great new edition lol, so I figured what the heck. I'm not sure what to think of all sort of popping eyeballs, though! haha

Also, prepare for lots of skulls being split open! :) It's definitely worth reading, despite the really long, graphic battle scenes.

Yeah I don't mind a bit of gore as long as there's a purpose to it (unlike, say, the Saw movies (or most modern American horror flicks, for that matter)), which war definitely serves as! ;P

Great to see 5 stars for Ready Player One - it's an upcoming read for me!

It's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets Little Brother, with added 1980s nostalgia dialed to 11!

That gave me a good giggle... and it's so true!

Loved Ready Player One! So glad that you did too.

Now that I've finished Ready Player One, I'm having a lot of fun watching my boyfriend read it. I watched him pour drinks with the book propped open on the stove in front of him. I don't think he's going to put it down until he finishes.

Quantum and Woody Vol. 1: The Director's Cut by Christopher J. Priest & Mark D. Bright
Categories: Other
4.5 stars

People have been telling me about Quantum and Woody for years. It's the one classic Valiant title that everyone loved, even though it never sold very well.

I enjoyed the first volume a lot. It's a zany buddy book from a time when most comics took themselves way too seriously. The writing is sharp, and the art is good (but really 90s). I'll continue with the rest of the series.

Mainstream comics don't have a great record when it comes to race. I've been interested in the portrayal of people of color in mainstream comics, and this is one of the must-reads. It's not a comic about race, but it humorously addresses the racial issues that were rarely mentioned in other comics.

Christopher J. Priest's Black Panther: The Client and Black Panther: Enemy Of The State are my favorite portrayals of Black Panther. (Honestly, they're the only ones I like at all.) I need to track down more by him. It's a shame he's not writing comics any more.

I've been really enjoying the Valiant relaunch so far, and a new Quantum and Woody series was just announced. I can't wait!

The Anthology Project by Joy Ang & Nick Thornborrow
Categories: Short Stories
3 stars

Independent comics anthology from Kickstarter.

It was alright overall, but not spectacular. Only one store, "My Hero" by Matt Rhodes, really impressed me.

I just realized that I'm in the middle of a ton of books! Some of them are long term projects, and others are books that I'm reading with my boyfriend, but mostly I've been too scatter brained to finish a book before starting a new one.

What I'm currently in the middle of:

1. The Annotated Sandman, Volume One
   
2. Atlas Shrugged
   
3. Black Sun Rising
   
4. The Borgias and their Enemies
   
5. Chicks Dig Comics
   
6. Christianity: the First Three Thousand Years
   
7. Deadman, Book One
   
8. Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
   
9. Every Day is an Atheist Holiday!
   
10. Green Lantern/Green Arrow, Volume Two
    
11. Her Smoke Rose Up Forever
    
12. Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Volume 2
    
13. The History of White People
    
14. The Holy or the Broken
    
15. How Loathsome
    
16. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume 1
    
17. London Pub Reviews
    
18. A Malady of Magicks
    
19. The Master and Margarita
    
20. The Sandman, Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
    
21. The Sandman Papers: An Exploration of the Sandman Mythology
    
22. Slammerkin
    
23. Sovereign
    
24. The Sparrow
    
25. Tilting at Windmills Volume 2
    
26. Unnatural Creatures
    
27. Visionary Women: Three Medieval Mystics
    
28. Void of Course
    
29. War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America's Campaign to Create a Master Race
    
30. When Christ and His Saints Slept
    
31. Wolf Hall
    
32. The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits
    
33. A Wrinkle in Time

I think I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon finishing some of these. Maybe then I'll have room on my nightstand again!

Are you going to finish them in alphabetical order or in the order that you started them? And i thought I was bad!

Ooh I want to know how the annotated & exploration Sandman ones are, finish those! haha. I enjoyed the series very much, though I'm overall not a huge Gaiman fan. A lot of your selections look quite interesting!

mamzel-
I'm starting with the ones that are nearly finished, and I'm not letting myself buy or start any new books till I get the list down to a reasonable number. :)

PolymathicMonkey-
I'm rereading Sandman for a book club. It's one of my favorites! So far, I'm really enjoying the Annotated Sandman! It helps me catch references I would have missed. So far, The Sandman Papers isn't wowing me, but it might bet better once I'm into the meat of it.

There's been lots of buzz about Ready Player One. You've convinced me. 1980s + Charlie = Must read. ;)

*nods* I'm sure there are plenty of allusions I missed in it, and especially since I only read through it all once, and it's so packed with things that even if you know all the sources of what he includes you can still easily gloss over them without realizing! heh. I will be curious to know if the Papers get any more interesting!

I feel better now about starting about 15 different books at once. So hard to choose just one at a time.

Every Day is an Atheist Holiday! by Penn Jillette
Categories: Current Events, Pop Culture, and Other Light Nonfiction
2.5 stars

I really enjoy Penn Jillette. I prefer his autobiographical stuff to his political/anti-religious rants, but the whole book was entertaining enough.




The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
Categories: Scifi, Fantasy, and Steampunk and Reread
5 stars

Sometimes a book will come along that makes me reconsider all my previous 5-star ratings. The Sparrow is one of these. Other books, even really fantastic ones, just don't measure up.

I'm so torn on Penn. He's clearly an incredibly smart man, and I think it's great that you know where he stands, on anything. He is blunt and matter-of-fact and it's great. But, there's times he really ticks me off. Just because he thinks something is bullshit (heh) doesn't necessarily mean it is. You can always find some facts to support any side of an argument, especially when you look at it so narrowly, as he sometimes does. But then, I excuse it anyway, because so much of what he says is properly thoroughly researched, and well, we all have our handful of things that frustrate us too much and make us a bit closed off to other ideas, so it's only natural he's the same. :P

I've never read any steampunk, maybe I should look for that one! :D

Loved the sparrow hated the sequel though

PolymathicMonkey> He's definitely smart, and I love opinionated people! It's awesome that he worked his way up from a destitute street magician. I wish he talked more about that, and less about trying to have "No God" put on a personalized brick at Epcot center. But even when he pisses me off, he's interesting.

I have one category for scifi, fantasy, and steampunk, but The Sparrow is firmly scifi. (It's Jesuits in space! What an awesome concept!)

psutto> I'm not sure if I'm going to reread Children of God. The Sparrow doesn't wrap everything up neatly, but it doesn't have to. A sequel was largely unnecessary.

Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, & Malcolm Jones III
Categories: Sandman Group Read and Rereads
4 stars

My boyfriend and I started a Sandman book club in preparation for the new issues. We're rereading the series along with a lot of related material. Here's my reading setup:


That's Absolute Sandman, volume 1, The Annotated Sandman, volume 1, The Sandman Papers, The Sandman Companion, The Sandman: King of Dreams, and the online Sandman annotations. (Hanging Out With the Dream King showed up after I took this picture.)

I'm reading them in the Absolute editions, but recording each individual volume as I go. My book club meets every month, and if I don't think I'll remember my thoughts if I wait till I finish the Absolutes.

When I first read it, I knew nothing about the DCU other than what made it into the Batman animated series, so I didn't even realize Sandman was set in an established universe. I'd only ever read Marvel superhero comics. Sandman blew me away! Like a lot of people (especially women) around my age, Sandman is the book that got me into comics.

Rereading it, I was shocked at how much this volume connects with the DCU. I remembered that John Constantine appeared, but I didn't know about all the Kirby references. I've been reading the Fourth World books, so it was awesome seeing Scott Free and Granny Goodness.

The coloring in the Absolutes is gorgeous! I originally read it in floppies, and a lot of the colors were muddy. There's a double page spread of Hell that really struck me. In the floppies, all the demons kind of run together. In the Absolute, they really pop! There is so much in the spread that was lost due to the original crappy coloring.

Sam Kieth's art looks great, especially when he's drawing demons. I know I'm in the minority, but I prefer his art to Mike Dringenberg's.

I love these books! This isn't the strongest volume, but it's still crazy good. It really starts to feel like Sandman in the final issue, when Death shows up. Rereading these as Vertigo is in it's death throws is a bit depressing, but it's been dwindling for years.

Supplemental stuff:
(I'm reading these along with the books, and I don't want to forget what I thought about the early parts.)

The Annotated Sandman, volume 1 - Decent so far. Some pages have a lot of annotations, but most have few or none. The material from the original scripts is really interesting. I'm not certain that it's worth the price.

The Sandman Companion - This is a lot like the TV guidebooks I have for Buffy and Angel. It points out a lot of things that I would have missed otherwise, and the interviews with Gaiman are fascinating. This is the most interesting supplemental book so far.

The Sandman Papers - I'm reading the essays in this volume out of order, as they are relevant to the volume of Sandman I'm reading. So far I've only read the essay about the origin of the Sandman. I didn't realize that it was originally an update of the old Kirby Sandman series, but it makes sense after seeing all the Kirby references. I'll have to come back to most of the essays after I've finished my reread, but it looks like they'll be worth waiting for.

Sandman: King of Dreams - More of a coffee table book than an in depth look at Sandman. It's alright, but a bit superfluous.

Hanging Out With the Dream King - So far I've read the interviews for the early creators. Karen Berger's was really awesome! I love most of the British invasion Vertigo writers, and it's really neat seeing how a lot of that came together. Sam Kieth's explained why he left after only five issues.

Online Sandman Annotations - I'd miss so many references without this! These annotations are nearly indispensable, and they compliment the other annotations well.

Ahhhhhh I want the Absolutes so bad but they're so expensive, urgh!!

That's an excellent set-up!! I think we all crave the Absolutes.... :)

I actually prefer the more reasonably sized trades now that recolored editions are out, and I've been eyeing up the box set. The Absolutes are so big! I can't just lounge and read them or throw them in my bag. But my boyfriend has the Absolutes, so it would be silly to buy another set when I already have the issues and the annotated edition... (At least that's what I tell myself every time I see the box set.)

I'm currently drooling over this statue of Death. I'm a sucker for busts and statues. It's a good thing I get an employee discount on comic-related stuff, or I would go broke.

Joining the others in drooling shamelessly over the Absolutes!

... or at least, that is what I am doing. ;-)

>90 ryvre: That is pretty slick. Unfortunately I have no comics discount :P hence using my library, which sucks, because they often don't finish their series collections! At least in English they often don't. DMZ is missing 11 & 12, Mouse Guard has only 1 & 2, Unwritten just 1-3, etc. gah! lol At least they have the full Sandman so I was able to read all those!

Ok I am now officially drooling about the Absolutes :)

PolymathicMonkey> That sucks, especially missing the end of DMZ! Can you at least get awesome European comics that aren't in print in the US?

I've only recently started getting more into them, so I'm not really sure, lol. It's entirely possible they have a bunch of European ones in Dutch but not English. They have easily twice as many, if not 3x, more comics in Dutch than English, since, ya know, native language. hahaha. Do you know of any popular European ones that aren't widely available Stateside?
I tend to just browse through them and pick up whatever looks interesting and try it out. That's how I discovered Thomas Ott's The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8 and the Brazilian twins, Fábio Moon & Gabriel Bá, with their De: Tales and I just noticed there the other day another one by them, which I have out right now. :) I have no idea how popular either of those are in the US or if I'd have found them there, but hey, a completely disordered comics area that makes you poke around everywhere has its perks! lmao.

I've been meaning to read De: Tales! How was it? Daytripper is phenomenal. I've never heard of The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8, but it looks really interesting.

There is no Enki Bilal in print in the US! I would love to stock The Nikopol Trilogy in my store, but I can't.

Borgia: Blood for the Pope has been out of print here for a few years. There's almost no Milo Manara in print. Only super expensive omnibuses.

The only European comic that seems to stay in print here is Blacksad. Which is great, but I really wish some of the others were easier to get...

I really liked it! I love their art, and the stories were really touching—not in a cheesy kind of way, but because they were so real, so raw. I wanted more! Which is why I was thrilled to notice this one there, now! I wasn't expecting another, but kept peeking in that slot hoping one would show, and one did! lol. I snatched it up immediately, didn't need to examine it one bit! hahaha. I actually didn't even check out The Number, I "read" it standing there, heh. I was curious, since the title at a glance looked to be just the number itself, and then that it was wordless intrigued me, so I just read it right there. :P It was very interesting indeed.

*checks* Dammit, see, they have both Nikopol and Borgia there, but only in Dutch! But now you've made me wonder, so I may have to go check out the awesome comic book store in the center that I've only gone to once because I want to buy it all and it's not faaaiiirrrrrr! lmao, and see if they sell either of those there.

However, I just checked bol.com out of curiosity and while they don't really have Enki Bilal (aside of 2nd-hand stuff), they do sell Borgia: Blood For The Pope for €16.

>86 ryvre: - love the set up, have you joined the group read? I am of course jealous of you having access to the absolutes!

I'm so far behind on both reading and writing reviews! I've been working too much and not reading enough!


Sandman: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli and Steve Parkhouse
Categories: Sandman Group Read and Rereads
4.5 stars

I'm so glad I read some of Jack Kirby's Sandman before this. It ties in so much more than I ever realized! I'm looking forward to continuing my Sandman reread.





Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson
Categories: Scifi, Fantasy, and Steampunk
4 stars

This was an insanely weird book. I loved parts of it, especially the weird religious stuff. But I thought other parts wandered too much, and the end was long and a bit tedious.





Pietrolino by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Olivier Boiscommun
Categories: Published in 2013 and Books in Translation
4 stars

Euro comics have really piqued my interest lately, especially ones by Jodorowsky. Pietrolino is the story of a French mime during WWII. It's fairly short, but it packs a lot of emotions into a small book. The art is gorgeous- a bit reminiscent of Blacksad- and the coloring is perfect.





The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Categories: Published before 1950 and Rereads
3 stars

I reread The Great Gatsby in anticipation of the film. It was much as I remembered- great prose, annoying characters. Daisy may as well be a cardboard cutout, and Gatsby never really does much.





Diosamante by Alexandro Jodorowsky and Jean-Claude Gal
Categories: Published in 2013 and Books in Translation
2 stars

More Euro comics! Diosamante is in the same vein as Red Sonja or the Dejah Thoris comics. A warrior woman fights in inexplicably little clothing, mostly for the approval of some dude. Blech! But the art was so pretty...

I've now read a lot of Jodorowsky, but no Incal or Metabarons. I must correct that!





Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Categories: Scifi, Fantasy, and Steampunk and Rereads
4 stars

There are few fantasy authors who manage to surprise me, but Brandon Sanderson is consistently one of them. This book isn't as polished as some of his later books, but it's still fantastic.

Sanderson's world building is fantastic. His magic systems are always very unique, and he actually thinks about what magic would do to the economy and political systems.

I think Hrathen is one of the best characters I've read in a while. I love characters with complicated relationships to their faith, and the contrast between Hrathen and Dilaf made the book for me.

I'm working my way through the annotations, which I'd highly recommend to anyone who has read the book.





Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
Categories: Award Winning (2008 RITA) and Historical Fiction (Victorian England)
4.5 stars

I'm not entirely certain why I picked this book up. Victorian England isn't terribly interesting to me, and I don't tend to read much in the romance genre. (Silent in the Grave was published by Harlequin and it won a major romance award, but there's actually very little romance in it. Certainly no bodice ripping.)

Despite being an odd choice for me, I totally hooked me from the first line: "To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor."

I guessed the murderer from the beginning, but I almost always do. (I used to drive my ex crazy when we'd watch thrillers. It's like an annoying mutant power.) Knowing the murderer didn't make me enjoy the book any less, and I've already picked up the sequel.

I've been working too much and not reading enough!

Totally understand when RL takes precedence! Some good reading here - I enjoyed Silent in the Grave, although I wasn't expecting the romance angle, but still good and I have now added Elantris to my future reading list.

I've now completed at least one book from each of my categories!


Aya by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie
Categories: Books in Translation (French) and Set Outside of U.S., Canada, or Western Europe (Ivory Coast)
3 stars

The Aya series tells the story of a group of girls growing up in the Ivory Coast in the 1970s. Aya wants to be a doctor, and she doesn't have much time for dating or partying. Her friends Adjoua and Bintou are more interested in dancing and boys. It is mostly a typical coming of age story, focusing on dating, family, and teenage awkwardness. Enjoyable, but not spectacular.

Doctor Who: Only Human by Gareth Roberts
Categories: Other
3.5 stars

Entirely enjoyable! Lots of funny bits, and it has the tone mostly right.

Eccleston is my favorite of the new Doctors, but he was on the show for such a short time. It's nice to have books and comics with his doctor.

With the recent news about Matt Smith leaving, I've had Doctor Who on the brain. I'm also in the middle of Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time and Doctor Who: The Forgotten. I'm thinking about reading some of the older books as well. I've heard really good things about Love and War.

Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time Volume 1 by Scott Tipton, David Tipton, Simon Fraser
Categories: Published in 2013
2.5 stars

This collection covers the first four issues. Each issue tells a story from one Doctor's era, and they try to capture the feel of that Doctor. It was somewhat successful, but never spectacularly so. If you like classic doctors with their most iconic companions going against stock villains, then this will probably entertain you.

The best part of this series has been the covers to the individual issues by Francesco Francavilla. I want a poster of all the covers when the series is over!

Ooh, now I'm thinking of bingeing on my Dr Who novels. I keep buying them in bunches whenever I find a used-book store that carries them, but haven't read too many yet. Only Human looks interesting, too!

rabbitprincess - I've read a few others, but Only Human is my favorite so far. I only ever see Fourth Doctor books at the used book stores near me, but he's one of my least favorites.

Sultana's Dream by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
Categories: Published before 1950 (1905) and Set Outside of U.S., Canada, or Western Europe (Bangladesh)
3 stars

An early feminist utopia. Sultana dreams of "Ladyland," where men are cloistered away. Of course, this prevents all crime and other social problems...

I wonder if this influenced Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland, written 10 years later.

I was going to add Only Human to the wishlist, but then I realized I already own it with a different cover - your cover is much better!

-Eva- > The 50th anniversary covers are awesome! I'm thinking about picking up the full set.


Sandman: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones, Charles Vess, Colleen Doran and Malcolm Jones III
Categories: Sandman Group Read and Rereads
3 stars

I really liked "Calliope." It feels like an issue of Hellblazer.

"A Dream of a Thousand Cats" was also really good. It's an interesting story, and I like what it reveals about the underpinnings of the Sandman universe.

I can't even describe how much I hate "A Midsummer Night's Dream." I think it's my least favorite issue in the series. It's tedious and pretentious.

Superhero deconstruction is always nice, and "Façade" is well done.




Annotated Sandman Vol. 1 by Leslie Klinger
Categories: Sandman Group Read
3 stars

The annotations provide some interesting material, but it's really uneven. Some pages are packed with annotations, but most have one or none.

Note: Since I just read the annotations, I'm not going to count this as a book read in 2013.

Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn
Categories: Historical Fiction (England 1887)
4 stars

Generally good, though I wish Julia and Brisbane would just get on with it! I'm looking forward to the next book.




Sandman: Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones, Mike Dringenberg, etc.
Categories: Sandman Group Read
5 stars

The best volume so far! It was great seeing the whole family assembled, and I'm starting to see the shape of the greater story.

I keep meaning to track down Sultana's Dream by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain.. but I wasn't sure if it was a bearable read! on the wishlist it goes :)

clfisha > Here's the full text of Sultana's Dream. The book has a lot of supplemental material, but the story itself is very readable and super short.

Gods' Man: A Novel in Woodcuts by Lynd Ward
Categories: Published Before 1950 (1929)
4.5 stars

God's Man is wordless, told through incredibly detailed woodcuts. I can't imagine the amount it time it must have taken to make this! Even without words, it's easy to follow the story and really care about the main character.

One of the my favorite woodcuts from the book:

Ahhh I loved the cats story and hated the Midsummer Night's Dream one, too! I did/do not not not understand why that thing won some big award and made everyone all upset (lol) or why it's so highly regarded!! I don't know if there is any other story in it that I just fully did.not.like. like that, completely & fully, but ugh. And it's just so much worse since it's supposed to be so brilliant!

PolymathicMonkey > I'm so glad somebody agrees with me! I met with my book group yesterday, and most of them loved Midsummer Night's Dream. I said I hated it, and they looked at me like I'd grown a second head.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Categories: Award Winning (1963 Newbery), Reread, and Scifi, Fantasy, and Steampunk
4 stars

This was a childhood favorite of mine that (mostly) held up. I really enjoyed the character interaction and the story, but the book felt heavy-handed at times.




How Loathsome by Tristan Crane and Ted Naifeh
Categories: About Outsiders
4 stars

A graphic novel about fetishists, drug dealers, transsexuals, and scenesters. The writer described it as "queer tranny Sex and the City, but funnier and more sarcastic," which sounds about right.

I originally saw an except from this book in No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, and I fell in love with it immediately, particularly Ted Naifeh's art. It wasn't perfect, but I loved it nonetheless.




Unnatural Creatures by Sarah Monette
Categories: About Outsiders and Collections of Short Stories
3 stars

A followup to The Bone Key. Enjoyable, but not all the stories worked for me.

Death: At Death's Door by Jill Thompson
Categories: Sandman Group Read
2.5 stars

At Death's Door is a retelling of Season of Mists focusing on Death instead of Dream. (And, to a lesser extent, Delirium and Despair.) I didn't care for Jill Thompson's characterization of Delirium, and the new parts of the story don't add much to the Sandman mythos.

Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn
Categories: Historical Fiction
3.5 stars

The actual mystery was kind of lame and pretty obvious, but we finally got some resolution to the romantic subplot...

->116 ryvre:
I've been looking at that one, but the drawing samples I saw weren't appealing to me either. Such a shame.

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
Categories: Published Before 1950 (1513), Books in Translation (Italian), and History, Religion, & Other Weighty Non-Fiction
5 stars

I expected this to be a slog, but it was really readable and enjoyable. I've always had a not-so-secret desire to be a super villain, so I'll keep this book around. :)

Some parts made my head explode a little, but it is 500 years old. This bit in particular:
"For my part I consider that it is better to be adventurous than cautious, because fortune is a woman, and if you wish to keep her under it is necessary to beat and ill-use her; and it is seen that she allows herself to be mastered by the adventurous rather than by those who go to work more coldly. She is, therefore, always, woman-like, a lover of young men, because they are less cautious, more violent, and with more audacity command her."

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Categories: Published Before 1950 (1600)
3.5 stars

I've never been much of a Shakespeare fan and romantic comedies aren't my thing, but I didn't want to see the film without reading the play first. It was entertaining, especially the snappy dialogue. Verges and Dogberry were awesome.

I'm seeing Joss Whedon's Much Ado tonight!

Ooh, enjoy! I'm tempted to see Much Ado myself.

rabbitprincess > I just got home from Much Ado, and it was awesome! I highly recommend seeing it!

They had the Kenneth Branagh version on PBS a couple of weekends ago. Great cast - Denzel Washington, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves, and Michael Keaton who seemed to channel Beetlejuice for his role as the sheriff. I'll have to see how it compares to Whedon's version.

I saw Whedon's "Much Ado" yesterday and really liked it! The Branagh version is one of my favorite movies, but Whedon's is different enough that I was able to enjoy it as well. Nathan Fillion was particularly excellent as Dogberry!

I haven't seen the Branagh version, but I'll definitely check it out!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Categories: Published in 2013 and Scifi, Fantasy, or Steampunk
4 stars

New Gaiman is always notable! I enjoyed The Ocean at the End of the Lane, but I didn't love it. I adore Gaiman's world building in his longer works, and there are hints of it in this book, but it was too short for me to really get into the world.

hmm it did feel bite sized didn't it? I really enjoyed reading it but its fading from memory fast

American Savage: Insights, Slights, and Fights on Faith, Sex, Love, and Politics by Dan Savage
Categories: Published in 2013 and About Outsiders
4 stars

If you read Dan Savage's column and listen to his podcast, there's not a lot new in this book, but it's enjoyable anyway. Like Savage, I'm from Chicago and (culturally, if not religiously) Catholic, so I always like hearing Savage talk about his family and childhood.

Saga, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples
Categories: Published in 2013 and Scifi, Fantasy, and Steampunk
4.5 stars

Saga continues to be stellar, but insanely weird.

Chicks Dig Comics: A Celebration of Comic Books by the Women Who Love Them edited by Lynne M. Thomas & Sigrid Ellis
Categories: Anthologies and Collections of Short Stories and Current Events, Pop Culture, and Other Light Nonfiction
3.5 stars

As a woman who works in comics, I was pretty much required by law to read this book. :)

Most of the book was women writing about how much they liked superheroes as children or teenagers. Those essays weren't bad, but they weren't treading any new ground. I know women like comics. I like comics, my friends like comics, and my customers and coworkers like comics. Women liking comics isn't something that requires an entire book.

There are a ton of topics about gender and comics that are really interesting, but most of the book focused on personal accounts of growing up geeky. I much preferred the essays with more substance, especially Sarah Monette's comparison of Sandman and revenge tragedies and Elizabeth Bear's examination of Warren Ellis. There were also interviews and essays by comics professionals; I really enjoyed Carla Speed McNeil and Greg Rucka.

I'm glad to see Saga holding up well. I do plan to get to it ...eventually.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Categories: Scifi, Fantasy, and Steampunk
4.5 stars

Shadow and Bone is YA fantasy with a Russian setting. It was crazy good! Alina is an incredibly interesting and sympathetic protagonist, and I was cheering for her from the beginning. I loved the characters, the setting, and the writing. I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy!

@ 132 -- Crazy good, you say? I've been hearing lots of good things about this book...looks like I'll have to add it to the TBR now!

133> It really lives up to its reputation! I was just expecting some mostly enjoyable light reading, and I was totally wowed!

Like Christina, I have also heard good things about Shadow and Bone. Very happy to see it rated so highly here!

I haven't been on lately, so going back in time a little here, but so glad to hear you say that about A Wrinkle in Time! It was my first real favorite book and I recently picked up both the 50yr anniv edition and a nice large clothbound edition of all 5, and was really hoping they held up! :))

136> That slipcase edition looks awesome! I've only ever read the first one, but I keep meaning to read the others. I recently picked up A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel, which has really pretty art.

I read 1-4 back in the day, but I don't recall reading #5. I saw that the GN existed when I found the collected edition I believe, I need it!! haha

Rent Girl by Michelle Tea
Categories: Books About Outsiders and Current Events, Pop Culture, and Other Light Nonfiction
2.5 stars

An illustrated memoir of Michelle Tea's time as a prostitute. It was alright, but nothing special. The illustrations didn't add much, and it dragged a lot after the first 100 pages.

The Sandman, Vol. 5: A Game of You by Neil Gaiman, Shawn McManus, Brian Talbot, and Colleen Doran
Categories: Sandman Group Read
3 stars

There are a lot of things I didn't like about this volume. The story seemed disjointed, and I have to admit that I didn't care about Barbie's dream world. The New York part of the story was better, but the characters felt like cardboard cutouts. I was especially annoyed by the gender essentialism.

I did like the art quite a bit. Shawn McManus has a really cool style.

Supplemental stuff:
The Annotated Sandman, volume 2 - Some interesting info. Worth the price, but barely.

The Sandman Companion - Some interesting insights into the characters.

The Sandman Papers - I really didn't care for the essay about A Game of You. It talks about a number of essays critical of the story line, then waves them away. I would have much rather read an analysis of the story line than half-hearted apologism.

Hanging Out With the Dream King - I enjoyed reading about the rift between Colleen Doran and George Pratt over the inks in this story arc. What can I say? I like drama.

Lots of good stuff to catch up on in this thread! I liked the JW Much Ado but the modern dress was a little incongruous, he has a deft touch with the comedy though

141> I wasn't bothered by the modern dress, but I also enjoyed Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet and loved Alex Cox's Revenger's Tragedy. I really like classic literature in contemporary settings.

The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum
Categories: History, Religion, & Other Weighty Non-Fiction
4 stars

CSI meets Boardwalk Empire.

The Poisoner's Handbook is a very readable account if the medical examiner's office in early 20th century Manhattan. It discussed murders, accidental poisonings, and the dangers of bootleg alcohol during the prohibition.

It's pretty shocking how cavalier people and corporations were with deadly poisons! Everyday products were full of poisons, including cosmetics. Radium was thought to be beneficial, and it was put in health drinks.

Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Categories: History, Religion, & Other Weighty Non-Fiction
3 stars

I had to slog through Death by Black Hole, but it's not the book's fault. I want to care about astronomy, but I just honestly don't. My eyes start to glaze over and I don't absorb any information. I just finished reading it, and I remember almost nothing. I had heard that Neil deGrasse Tyson makes astronomy interesting even if you aren't into it, but his magic didn't work on me. If you're looking for a readable, entry level astronomy book, this would probably be a great book for you.




William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher
Categories: Published in 2013
4 stars

"Darth Vader, only thou couldst be so bold."

Enjoyable. I look forward to reading parts of it to friends.

@143 I really enjoyed it, a bit chaotic but very readable. I know what you mean, drinking radium as a health tonic. yikes!

Well, I clearly have to put The Poisoner's Handbook on the wishlist - sounds quite fascinating.

I think Neil deGrasse Tyson works better in visual format. If you watch videos of him, it's hard not to be swept up in his enthusiasm and obvious intellect & vast knowledge of the subject, even if you can't always quite follow everything he's saying (though he does a very good job at making it "simple" without making it like he's talking down to you, just some of it is too complex w/o the background, heh). Search on youtube for him, he's very fun to watch. :)

I've seen a few videos, and it doesn't hurt that he's quite handsome. :)

haha he is that, too. But it's more that he's just so engaging, he just seems so full of life and so excited about what he's talking about, that it just makes him look very attractive anyhow, you know? The whole charisma kind of deal. :))

I listened to the audio book version, I wonder if it would have better held my interest if Neil deGrasse Tyson had done the narration. I've listened to a few episodes of StarTalk, and I enjoyed them.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Categories: Award Winning Books (2003 Agatha, 2004 Macavity) and Historical Fiction (WWI England)
2.5 stars

Decent historical fiction, but I'm probably not going to continue the series. None of the characters interested me, and the plot was boring. The pre-WWI reminded me that I want to watch more Upstairs Downstairs.

Maisie Dobbs is a different kind of mystery story, that is for sure, and the plot was slower than I was expecting. It was the historical fiction aspect of the story that keep me going.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Categories: Award Winning Books (2012 Orange Prize), About Outsiders, and Historical Fiction (Trojan War, Greece 12th or 11th century BC)
4.5 stars

Fantastic! I read the Iliad earlier this year, and I enjoyed this retelling.

Lust by Ben Templesmith, menton3, Steve Niles
Categories: Published in 2013
2 stars

I didn't especially enjoy Lust, but the the art was great.




Krishna: A Journey Within by Abhishek Singh
Categories: Set Outside of U.S., Canada, or Western Europe (India)
3.5 stars

Interesting story and gorgeous art.

Was Steve Niles the writer or an artist? Does he do art? I read his "Big Book of Horror" and omg it was absolutely miserable. He completely & utterly destroyed those classic stories. So I kind of hate him forever now lol, and wouldn't be surprised if he wrote this one that it wasn't so good.

Steve Niles was the writer for half of the story, with Ben Templesmith doing the art. It felt like he was trying really hard to be dark and gritty... Really not my cup of tea. I've been thinking of reading his 30 Days of Night, but now I think I'll skip it.

Bread & Wine: An Erotic Tale of New York by Samuel R. Delany and Mia Wolff
Categories: About Outsiders
3.5 stars

An autobiographical story by Samuel Delany. Good, with interesting, sketchy art.

re:Niles - Yeah I saw the movie and it wasn't bad, but my friend had picked up a couple of the comics (back when it was new) when I was with her and we were looking at them while waiting for our pizza to be ready, and I was really not enthused by what I saw. I'm not interested.

Templar by Jordan Mechner, LeUyen Pham, Alex Puvilland
Categories: Published in 2013 and Historical Fiction (France 1307)
5 stars

Wow.

In 1307, the Knights Templar in France were rounded up and arrested. This 470-page graphic novel follows a small band of Templars who escaped arrest. Templar is half historical intrigue and half Ocean's Eleven style heist. It's extremely funny at some points and sad at others. The characters are all well rounded, with tons of personality.

The art is gorgeous, and fits the book perfectly. It is detailed and expressive. There's a two page spread near the middle of the book that I would love to have as a print.

Templar is, without a doubt, one of the best historical graphic novels I've ever read. At $40, it's a bit pricey, but it's worth every penny. It's the best book I've read so far this year.

I love reading about the Knights Templar! I balked a bit when you mentioned the price but then I noticed that you had mentioned it is a 470-page GN, so the price seems to be within reason. Happily, I have discovered that my local library has 4 copies of the book 'on order' so I have placed my request for when the books come in.

lkernagh> I look forward to your take on Templar once your library gets copies. I know almost nothing about the Knights Templar, but I want to read more about them now!

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Categories: Rereads
3.5 stars

I have a soft spot for cults, charismatic leaders, and political/pop culture phenomenons, so Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand in general are guilty pleasure for me.

There are some light spoilers here:
I really like a lot of the story. Dagny is a female protagonist taking on a vaguely scifi dystopic world, and she's totally badass. I first read Atlas Shrugged at 17, and I had encountered very few respected books with female protagonists who didn't tragically die or only exist to get married. Dagny's ex, Bruce Wayne Francisco, is sexy and enigmatic. And there's a pirate! Sure there's some really messed up political stuff, but it's such an engaging read! Then you get to part 3, and John Galt shows up. And he's a complete tool who gives a billion-page long radio speech. Still, if I breeze past the crazy bits (like how a train full of people totally deserved to die for, I don't know, not being good enough capitalists) and ignore everything that John Galt does, it's an enjoyable read.
End of spoilers

If you've read Atlas Shrugged, I highly recommend the blog Atlas Clubbed. It is a chapter-by-chapter snarky, pop-culture-laden summary and analysis. Some parallels in pop culture simply make reading Atlas Shrugged more fun. (Phillip Readon is totally Buster Bluth! Good call, blogger!) More importantly, there are a lot of keen insights about how Ayn Rand's objectivist narrative relates to current political issues and political thinking. It's thought provoking and funny!

P.S. Hank and Francisco have so much sexual tension! If I wrote slashfic, it would be about them. Theirs is an epic love story!

Now that I've finished Atlas Shrugged, I can start my reread of Les Misérables! I didn't want to have more than one 1000+ page tomes in my reading rotation at the same time!

Templar goes straight on my wishlist as well!

-Eva-> Yay! I'm so glad it sounds interesting to people. I desperately love historical graphic novels, but I often feel like I'm the only one.

Songs of Love and Death: All Original Tales of Star Crossed Love edited by Gardner Dozois and George R. R. Martin
Categories: Scifi, Fantasy, and Steampunk and Anthologies and Collections of Short Stories
4 stars

I picked this up because it has stories set in a few worlds that I love: Dresden Files, Kushiel's Legacy, and Outlander. Plus a Neil Gaiman story. It had some ups and downs. "The Marrying Maid" was insanely bad. Just unbelievably terrible. "You, and You Alone" was fantastic, and many of the others were very good. Overall, this collection had a lot more good than bad.

"Love Hurts" by Jim Butcher - Harry and Murphy need to get to the bottom of some freaky love magic. Not bad, but not exceptional. I think I just don't care for Harry and Murphy together... 3 stars.

"The Marrying Maid" by Jo Beverley - Ugh. She's his soul mate, and he will literally die if she doesn't sleep with him right now... This story is so rapey! I will make sure to avoid this author in the future. 0.5 stars.

"Rooftops" by Carrie Vaughn - Superhero romance! Light, but fun. 3.5 stars.

"Hurt Me" by M.L.N. Hanover - Great haunted house story. And apparently the writer is one of the people who wrote Leviathan Wakes, which my boyfriend has been bugging me to read! 4.5 stars.

"Demon Lover" by Cecelia Holland - Fantasy, heavy on the mythology. Predictable, but not bad. 3.5 stars.

"The Wayfarer's Advice" by Melinda M. Snodgrass - Star ships and intergalactic war. Decent story, but nothing exceptional. 2.5 stars.

"Blue Boots" by Robin Hobb - Generically historical, but good. 3.5 stars.

"The Thing About Cassandra" by Neil Gaiman - Brilliant and weird. 4.5 stars.

"After the Blood" by Marjorie M. Liu - How could I not love a post-apocalyptic story about an Amish vampire! 4.5 stars.

"You, and You Alone" by Jacqueline Carey - Delauney's backstory! I'll admit that I cried a bit. Coming right after Song of Achilles, all the allusions to Patroclus and Achilles made me even more emotional. 5 stars.

"His Wolf" by Lisa Tuttle - Contemporary fantasy set in the southwest. 4 stars.

"Courting Trouble" by Linnea Sinclair - Scifi. I just couldn't bring myself to care about this story... 2 stars.

"The Demon Dancer" by Mary Jo Putney - Urban fantasy. It started good, but then dragged on. 2.5 stars.

"Under/Above the Water" by Tanith Lee - Aren't short stories supposed to be short? It felt like this one went on forever! 1 star.

"Kaskia" by Peter S. Beagle - My first Peter S. Beagle! I've been meaning to check him out for a while. This was a really good story with an honestly surprising twist. 4.5 stars.

"Man in the Mirror" by Yasmine Galenorn - This one has some a lot of similar themes to the other haunted house story in this collection, but it's also really good. 4 stars.

"A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows" by Diana Gabaldon - I stopped reading the Outlander series midway through the fifth book, partially because I found Roger and Brianna incredibly irritating. I was worried I wouldn't like this because it's Roger's backstory, but it's actually quite lovely. It hints and things that must happen after I stopped reading, and now I'm curious. Maybe I'll give it another try... 4.5 stars.

->164 ryvre:
LOL! It's probably the easiest way of getting me to read histories - comic format! :) Looks like my library has one copy on order - I'm first in line!

>164 ryvre: - solid BB from that one

I am not much of a short story collection reader but LT has been good about moving me more in that direction. I do like how anthologies give the reader a taste for new authors to potentially follow and Songs of Love and Death looks like a nice collection of stories. Adding it to my potential future reading list.