karspeak's in again for 2013

Hi, all, this is my 6th year on LT and my 2nd in the 75ers, and I'm looking forward to another great year of reading!! Please drop by anytime!--Karen

Books read this past November and December:

84, Charing Cross Road
The Xenophobe's Guide to the Dutch
The Xenophobe's Guide to the Italians
The Xenophobe's Guide to the Americans
Gone Girl
Excellent Women
Don't Tell Mom I Work on the Rigs, She Thinks I'm a Piano Player in a Whorehouse
The Venice Experiment: A Year of Trial and Error Living Abroad
Ender's Game
Many Colored Land
Howl's Moving Castle
The Shape of Water
Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women

Welcome back!

Hi Karen! Leaving a star on your thread so I can follow your reading this year.

Thanks, Jim, and, as always, thank you so much for organizing everything!!!

Hi, Mamie, welcome, I love mutual starring:).

January
1. The Dog Stars
2. Grass
3. The Hangman's Daughter
4. God's Hotel
5. Merchanter's Luck
6. The Alloy of Law
7. The Xenophobe's Guide to the Austrians
8. The Xenophobe's Guide to the English

February
9. Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth
10. On Basilisk Station

March
11. The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog
12. The Xenophobe's Guide to the Irish
13. The Universe Within

April
14. Frost Burned
15. The Great Train Robbery
16. Xenophobe's Guide to the Belgians
17. North and South

May
18. The Sweet Life in Paris
19. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character
20. The Terra Cotta Dog
21. Monument

June
22. Sum It Up
23. The Honor of the Queen
24. Weight Loss Boss
25. The Player of Games
26. A Talent for War

July
27. Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot- and Cold-Climate Cultures
28. How Bad Are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything
29. Clean Break: The Story of Germany's Energy Transformation

August
30. Dragon Bones
31. Dragon Blood
32. An Invisible Thread
33. Dissolution
34. Food Matters

September
35. Turkey: Culture Smart
36. The Orphan Master's Son
37. The Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss
38. Eaarth

October
39. Lean In
40. The One and Only Ivan
41. The Song of Achilles
42. Wonder
43. Steelheart

November
44. The Weather Makers
45. Where'd You Go, Bernadette?
46. The Xenophobe's Guide to the Czechs
47. Eleanor and Park
48. Dust
49. Maze Runner
50. Scorch Trials
51. Death Cure
52. And the Mountains Echoed

December
53. Beautiful Ruins: A Novel
54. The No Sweat Exercise Plan
55. Still Life with Woodpecker
56. Hyperbole and a Half
57. Culture Shock! Morocco
58. Hyperion

I've got you starred. I always enjoy your thread since we tend to read and enjoy the same types of books.

Happy New Year!

Thanks, Jennifer and Pirate! I am excited for another year of great reading.

Hi Karen....Just another (now retired) military wife stopping by to star you so I can keep track of how life is treating you. Hope the New Year is starting out to be a good one.

Hi, Tina! My husband retires in 2015, and then we'll actually have to pick a place in the US to settle down and grow roots--yikes! I look forward to reading how you liked Testament.

1. The Dog Stars (Friend Rec)
This was a well-written and enjoyable post-apocalyptic novel. It was much less bleak than The Road, but the novels do remind me of each other quite a bit. This was a fun way to start off the year.

You've done it already with The Dog Stars - given me another to want to read on my ever growing "want to read" list. Since I like well written post-apocalyptic stuff, I'll have to look at the library for this one before too long. I'm not a big fan of "The Road". I found it much too bleak and unbelievable in various ways. I liked the father-son relationship in it a lot, but the story itself, not so much.

I've got you starred so i can find you in this huge 75 group.

happy reading!

Thanks, Ron! I really think you might like the book I review below, too.

2. Grass
I've read two other books by Tepper, Beauty and The Gate to Women's Country. Grass is by far the best. This sci-fi novel, which takes place on the planet Grass, so named because of the vast grasslands, has a great plot, characters (human and otherwise), and pacing. It took the first third of the book for me to become absorbed in the story, but I was completely gripped for the rest of the book, putting all else aside to finish it! Tepper is well known for expressing her feminist and environmental views through her novels, but the messages she worked in at the end didn't detract from the storyline and weren't very controversial, especially compared to her other writings. Recommended if you enjoy sci-fi.

Grass does sound like my kind of book. I've been picking up Tepper's books this past year at used shops and library sales and I do have a paperback of Grass. I haven't read one of hers since Women's Country which is bad of me. Thanks for the rec. I should try and squeeze this one in this year.

I've been told by other people that I should read this. Maybe this'll convince me ...

Steve, I just added The Unfolding of Language to my list from your thread, it sounds right up my alley. I'd only recommend Grass if you enjoy sci-fi a fair amount. I was surprised by how much the plot grabbed me.

Glad to see you back with us again, Karen!

I just read about The Dog Stars on Mark's thread and promptly put it on hold at the library. I hope I enjoy it as much as you two did.

Hi, Stasia, Happy 2013! I hope you enjoy it, too!

Thanks! I will let you know.

#12 The Dog Stars sounds like something I might enjoy. I have an apocalyptic category on my 13 Category Challenge this year do I'll add it to the Wishlist. I'm someone else who found The Road a bit bleak.

#14 Grass is something else I've had on the TBR pile for ever - I must get around to it this year.

Hi, Rhian!

Hello :) *delurking* just to let you know that I am a great fan of Tepper and I very much enjoyed Grass as well, also one of my faves by her will always be The Singer from the Sea and The Awakeners.

Happy Sunday!

Wonderful, thanks for the recs!!

>17 karspeak:. I'm definitely a SF fan tough I don't read as much of it as I used to. So no worries on that score. Hope you enjoy the Deutcher. I thought it was totally fascinating.

3. The Hangman's Daughter (Book Club selection)
This is a novel translated from German about a hangman and his family living in a small town in Bavaria in the 1600s. A friend is accused of witchcraft, and the hangman works to solve a town mystery and clear her name. The author's ancestors were one of the most famous families of hangmen in Germany, which led him to write this novel. This is a good but not great novel, with respectable plotting, pacing, and writing. The historical aspects seemed pretty good, as well, although I am skeptical that an uneducated hangman would have had any access to medical texts, let alone owned many of them. By the way, hangmen were in charge of hangings, beheadings, various other punishments, and torture, which was a common way of exacting confessions.

#26: I liked that book, but did not love it. Since the daughter of the title was largely tangential to the book, I am wondering about what the title was in German originally. I would like to read more of the series if and when I can get my hands on the second book, The Dark Monk.

>27 alcottacre:--I checked and the German title translates exactly the same, but I thought it was an odd title, too. I will probably skip the rest in the series, but I am glad I read that one, especially since I am currently living in Germany, which made it that much more interesting. Amazon says he has three out in the series and is planning a fourth.

4. God's Hotel (Book Club selection)
This nonfiction book is one physician's story of working many years at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Fran, the last almshouse in the country. The author/physician, Victoria Sweet, shares what she learned from her time there, both medical lessons and life lessons. She also talks a lot about what can go wrong with "the health care system" and with patient care. Sweet is a talented writer, and I know several friends and LTers who have loved this book. For me, since I am married to a physician, have worked in a few medical systems, and have heard my mother, an RN, talk about how medical practices have changed since she went to Butterworth Nursing School in the 1960's, none of this was new information. My husband was just telling me yesterday about how the architects for a new hospital had told him they planned to have all of the new patients for three clinics walk past the audiological testing booths on their way to their exam rooms. Hmm. This almost exactly mirrors one of the stories in God's Hotel. But I recommend it if these topics sound interesting to you.

Hello :) I have got The Hangman's Daughter on my TBR pile. Very good review. In regards to the medical text reading, Hangmen during the middle ages were expected to have quite a sufficient medical knowledge.
When the job was created in the early middle ages the Hangmen used to be criminals, soldiers and other low lifes. However, over time they actually created a proper training with apprentice ship. The medical skills were extremely necessary to patch people up again after they were tortured, it was also necessary to understand anatomy and physiology to maximise the effects of torture.

Oh, I just see that you live in Germany, ah, just checked your profil page - Landstuhl!

> 27 The German title translates indeed the same "Die Henkerstochter" :)

And another interesting review on God's Hotel that one has been on my wishlist already for some time :)

Ein schönes Wochenende!

>30 drachenbraut23:--Thanks, Bianca, for explaining that! I had read that Hangman's Daughter was meticulously researched, so I should have trusted the author more to get those details right:). We just got snow here, finally, after a month of going without. A happy weekend to you, as well!

5. Merchanter's Luck (LT Rec)
This space opera series has quite a bit of LT love, so I tried it out. It was cute and entertaining, but there was not much action. Quite good world building, okay characters, okay plotting. Maybe this book is just setting up the main characters for future books in the series? A good space opera is hard to find!

6. The Alloy of Law (LT Rec)
I read this author's first fantasy novel, Elantris, and thought it was pretty bad. Thankfully I gave The Alloy of Law a try based on an LT rec, and I really enjoyed it. This book is a mix of fantasy with a western (complete with a sheriff), and some Victiorian flavor thrown in. The characters don't have much depth, but they're fun. The book's system of magic is particularly imaginative and well thought out. And the plot was fast-paced. So, it was a fun, light, well-done romp! I plan to read the sequel whenever it is eventually published.

Alright, no more sci-fi/fantasy for awhile. I'd like to focus on general and literary fiction, besides all of the nonfiction I have going at the moment.

7. The Xenophobe's Guide to the Austrians
Another strong book in the series. It added to my trip to the Tirol (and a few hours in Innsbruck).

8. The Xenophobe's Guide to the English
Not as interesting for me, I think, because as an American I already have so much exposure to English culture. But it did explain a few of the patterns of behavior among all of the Brits in my ski class, such as never, ever bringing up work, even so much as mentioning one's profession, although we skied and chatted together for two days.

#33 never, ever bringing up work, even so much as mentioning one's profession That sounds a little strange to me. I would say that as a Brit myself, asking what people do is one of the normal openers to any conversation with someone I don't know. Perhaps that's it - we all ask what someone does, and we expect other people to do the same to us. But to volunteer the information if someone hadn't asked would seem a little ... well ... odd ...

#34 Rhiannon, obviously you'd know better than me about these things;). The book was suggesting that on vacation discussing work was avoided? Twice, after various other bits of chatting, I asked some guys what they did for work, then they both answered but never asked what my job was? I know it's splitting hairs at this point, I just am fascinated by cultural differences, blatant or subtle... Anyway, it was a nice ski vacation and refreshing to not be around Americans for a change!

9. Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth (Random Library Grab)
This was excellent, highly recommended. I have been a "convert" to global climate change for quite a while now, but I had read lots of conflicting info about what to do about it. I drive a hybrid, turn off lights when I'm not using them, etc, but I felt stuck. This book re-energized me as to the importance and immediacy of the issue. The author wrote this with his then-two-year-old daughter in mind, wondering what the world would be like for her when she grew up, because of climate change. The author is a well-respected science reporter, and he did a good job of framing the various issues. I am going to try to get my present and former book clubs to read it, since I think it can appeal to a mainstream audience.

10. On Basilisk Station (LT Rec)
This was a quite good space opera. This makes the third read-for-fun-but-still-quite-good series in the past 6 months that I have discovered, all of them thanks to LT. The other 2 series are the Detective Montalbano books and the Alloy of Law series (the first is out and more will come).

On another note, Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth has really stuck with me. I keep wanting to suggest it to random people that I meet and yell, "Why haven't you read this?! Read it right now, dangit!!". But that probably wouldn't go over very well...

11. The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook--What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love, and Healing (Friend Rec/Professional Dev.)
The author is a pioneer in the field of helping children recover from neglect, abuse, and/or trauma, and the insights he brings to the subject are amazing and heartening. The book is also remarkably well-written and readable for the layperson. I rarely have patients who have been neglected or abused (as far as I know), but I feel very prepared now for when I do. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who regularly works with children (teachers, pediatricians, etc), anyone with an interest in psychology, or anyone who knows children who have been abused or neglected (including many foreign adoptees).

12. The Xenophobe's Guide to the Irish (learning about Europe selection, plus I really enjoy this series)
Another solid entry in the series.

13. The Universe Within (Random Library Grab)
This book begins with the big bang, talks about how different elements developed, and explains primordial soup through the rise of primates. Shubin also interspersed stories about important scientific discoveries and how they resulted in jumps in our knowledge in evolution, astronomy, astrophysics, the geologic record, etc. It is incredibly readable, approachable and interesting for any layperson. I have read several books on evolutionary biology, but this book took a much grander view by beginning with the birth of the universe, instead of just single celled organisms, etc. It also filled in gaps in my knowledge about why different mass extinction events occurred, why the earth cooled or warmed at various points, etc. Highly recommended if you enjoy reading about science.

Last year I posted all of the books that I read with my son. I'm not doing that this year, but I wanted to mention for other parents out there that so far this year my 6-year old son has been especially enjoying The Chronicles of Narnia, the Secret Agent Jack Stalwart books, and the Captain Underpants books (don't knock them until you've tried them!).

14. Frost Burned
Book 7 in the Mercy Thompson series. This series is definitely petering out for me...

15. The Great Train Robbery (LT Rec)
This is a Michael Crichton account of the famous train robbery of Victorian London. Entertaining.

16. Xenophobe's Guide to the Belgians

17. North and South (LT Rec)
This classic, originally published in 1855, was excellent. It is like Pride and Prejudice, Middlemarch, and Ross and Rachel from the TV show Friends mixed together. I stayed up very late to finish it!!

18. The Sweet Life in Paris (Europe book)
The author David Lebovitz was a pastry chef at Chez Panisse for many years then started writing dessert books and moved to Paris. He writes insightfully and respectfully about Parisian food and culture and his experiences adapting to the city. Well-written, entertaining, and very readable. There are also one or two recipes at the end of each chapter.

19. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character (husband rec)
This was a very good book on education. It talked a lot about the importance of children learning to work hard in school, and it nicely synthesized the flaws and complex issues surrounding American education, and what works and what doesn't. The review of research on how childhood stress is strongly linked with the child's ability to pay attention in school and their health as an adult was new to me. And the research showing how parental interactions with infants strongly affects how well the child will tolerate stress (and therefore how well they can pay attention in school) was particularly interesting and novel to me. Recommended for those who have a particular interest in child development or education.

I'm glad to see The Sweet Life in Paris reviewed so favorably. It's on my wish list.

#44
The review of research on how childhood stress is strongly linked with the child's ability to pay attention in school and their health as an adult was new to me.

I teach first grade at a school that services a homeless shelter and a refugee community. Stress definitely affects their ability to focus and learn, which is one reason why I don't think teachers should have their pay based on student achievement.

Thank you for sharing your review!

#45 Lori, I think you'll enjoy it!

#46 Hey, Pirate, I worked with a similar group of kids when I worked in central, rural NC for Early Childhood Intervention a decade ago. It was a very emotionally demanding experience, my hat is off to you!

20. The Terra Cotta Dog (series)
This is the second in the Inspector Montalbano series. Translated from the Italian, set in Sicily, the series is a nice blend of gritty noir, local culture, good plotting, and crusty but ethical and sharp main character. I'll eventually read the next in the series.

21. Monument
A sci-fi novel originally published in 1974, pretty good but not great. It's about a group of humans in the future living on an exotic beach paradise planet with a Polynesian-like culture. Their existence is threatened when the planet is discovered and a giant resort is planned by an off-world developer. But the natives have been given "The Plan" to outsmart the developers, if they can follow it...

So far this year I've read 7 fiction and 14 nonfiction. As usual, I would like to focus more on some great novels.

22. Sum It Up (Book Club Selection)
This is an autobiography of Pat Summit, the famous coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. She has been diagnosed with alzheimer's so has recently begun decreasing her role in the program. While I admire her for her tenacity, work ethic, great coaching skills, heart, etc, I just didn't get into her story and felt it dragged quite a bit. I also didn't gain as much insight into alzheimer's as I had hoped.

23. The Honor of the Queen (#2 in the Honor Harrington series)
Entertaining second entry in this space opera series. Not sure yet if I'll continue with the series or not.

24. Weight Loss Boss (darn my slowing metabolism)
I found this book helpful, even though I don't follow Weight Watchers. His main premise is that you have to establish healthy new habits, such as what/how much to eat, when to exercise, etc, or you will surely fail. New habits take at least 2 months to establish, so it takes patience to build them. I did skim quite a bit, though, since weight loss mantras can get old quickly.

25. The Player of Games (the author Iain M. Banks died recently)
This is one of the books set in Banks' sci-fi universe (the Culture series). Enjoyable and well-written sci-fi. I will eventually read more in this series. I'm glad I tried out this author.

26. A Talent for War (LT rec)
This was an enjoyable read that was a mystery wrapped in a sci-fi.

To date, I've read 13 nonfiction, 10 sci-fi/fantasy, 1 mystery, 1 general fiction novel, and 1 classic. Hmm, my reading this year is much heavier on sci-fi/fantasy than usual, perhaps because that is the genre I'm turning to this (crazy busy) year for escape reading?

You really are hitting the science fiction/fantasy this year! and good ones too. The Player of Games has been near the top on my TBR pile since reading "Consider Phlebas" early last year. I started reading Games this morning and am liking it a lot already. Good stuff. SciFi/Fantasy usually makes up the majority of my reading, but I've scaled it back to about half this year. I'm really in the mood for more though. My mystery reading is taking a bit of a hit.

<56--Ron, Consider Phlebas is the next Banks I had planned to try. I am reading 5 books right now, I need to focus on one and finish it!

I really enjoyed The Player of Games Karen. Finished it about a week ago. I thought it was very clever and imaginative. and well played! Some parts were kind of draggy. The ending sort of surprised me even thought it shouldn't have, but I thought it was a fine finish to the book. I'm going to try and squeeze another Banks book or two in this year.

27. Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot- and Cold-Climate Cultures (Europe)
This book was poorly written and edited, but the content was very good. I've read tons of books on various cultures, but this provided a different framework, perspective, and insight on cultural differences than other books I've read. Recommended in spite of the poor writing.

28. How Bad Are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything (Global Climate Change)
This was quite good. It's very well-researched and achieves its aim of helping the average joe/jill understand how carbon intensive various things in their lives are, and what things are truly worth (in terms of size of carbon footprint) trying to change. We all have limited amounts of time, (human) energy, and money, so what should we try to change in our lives if we are only going to change one or two things, to get the most global climate change "bang for the buck"? Hint, it's not skipping plastic produce bags, using cloth diapers for infants, or using hand dryers instead of paper towels...

29. Clean Break: The Story of Germany's Energy Transformation (Global Climate Change)
Not recommended. Too pie in the sky. It only listed the positives, and none of the negatives (there are at least 2 major downsides that I know of). A pity, since the book was otherwise well-written.

30. Dragon Bones (fantasy, familiar author)
This was a light, fun but very forgettable fantasy. Not NEARLY as good as the author's Mercy Thompson series.

31. Dragon Blood (2nd/final in the series)
This completed the duology (the author's term, not mine!). Again, light, fun, very forgettable. Also, I found the hero's personality unbelievable and too perfect.

32. An Invisible Thread (Book Club selection)
A sales exec in NYC walks by a boy on a corner who is panhandling and treats him to lunch. This becomes a weekly ritual and their relationship grows, and it ultimately helps the boy's life turn out better. It's a nice true story, but unfortunately you have to wade through lots of sappy stuff, navel gazing, the lady's issues, etc. Not recommended. If you want a true feel-good story, read The Blind Side instead!

33. Dissolution (LT Rec)
This is a murder mystery set in 16th century England on the grounds of a monastery. I did not care for it nearly as much as some other LTers have. It dragged on a bit for me, and it was a bit gloomy. But its historical fiction aspect seemed nicely done.

34. Food Matters (global climate change)
Excellent. I've read lots of food and foodie books, such as Michael Pollan's books, etc. But I still gained a lot of new insight from this book and will end up changing my and my family's diets somewhat as a result of this book, both for health and environmental purposes. The recipes included in the last half are very helpful, as well.

Sorry you didn't like Dissolution much. One of the few books we disagree on!
Enjoying your thread!

I just ordered How Bad Are Bananas based on your recommendation (how bad are books?), figured I should de-lurk and give you credit.

I read Dissolution late last year. I thought it dragged on much too long, but I also really got a huge "historical fiction" buzz from it to offset. It is a gloomy story. I don't really like the main character. The mystery took much too long to resolve. But when I think back on it, I really learned a good bit from it, historically. At the time I didn't think I would continue the series but now I think I may have a go at another one in the year ahead. I had read it as a library book but when I saw a used copy a couple weeks ago I picked it up. I may re-read it a bit to refresh my brain before tackling the next one. That whole monastery stuff, tho, while really informative was much much too long and gloomy though. But I learned a lot!

35. Turkey: Culture Smart (Europe and thereabouts)
Just okay. It got the job done, but it wasn't particularly enjoyable to read, it felt like reading an encyclopedia sometimes. Random Turkish culture factoids: raising your eyebrows means "no," and shaking your head means "I'm not sure."

<64--Hey, Jennifer, I'm kind of relieved to not have a new series to follow;). I'm enjoying your thread, as well. In particular, I always get good suggestions for classics from your thread!

<65--Yea, Katherine! I'm so glad, it should be much more widely read. And it will fit in great with the carbon footprint discussion from your thread. Glad you liked Ready Player One, that was one of my favorites from last year!

<66--Ron, I agree completely with your take on Dissolution. I would never re-read it, though, I'd rather read something I've never read before! I think you have more patience than me...

36. The Orphan Master's Son (book club selection)
This was a fantastic novel, well deserving of the Pulitzer. I particularly loved the various psychological aspects of living in North Korea, which were masterfully played out in the second half of the novel. Highly recommended, I am still savoring it!

37. The Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss (Europe)
Another enjoyable and informative book in the Xenophobe's series. I had an amazing trip to Mürren, Switzerland, two weeks ago (breathtaking!!!).

38. Eaarth (global climate change)
Yikes, this is a heavy book. The premise is that, with the reality of climate change, we are/will be living on an altered planet, and we will have to change our lives accordingly. As I read the last page, my thought was, "Oh, damn!!!". It's that kind of book. I am glad I read it, but I would definitely not recommend it as an intro to the topic of global climate change. For that, I would turn to Hot by Mark Hertsgaard.

39. Lean In
I thought Sheryl Sandberg's (COO of Facebook) book discussing women and work was very good, with lots of good advice, informative research, and interesting and pertinent anecdotes. However, if you don't feel like reading 240 pages on the topic, her 14 minute TEDtalk hit the main points from her book, and watching it might help you decide if you want to read Lean In.

40. The One and Only Ivan (book club selection, we're reading a trio of children's/YA books for December)
This is a Newberry winner, and it has great reviews. I thought it was well done (the writing, the gorilla's voice, the various themes), but most of the book was too depressing/sad for me (unhappy animals in small cages), although everything turns out alright in the end.

41. The Song of Achilles (LT Rec)
Excellent. A re-telling of the Trojan War, and in this author's hands it is a fresh, exciting, and heartbreaking story. Definitely recommended.

42. Wonder (Book Club Selection--YA theme)
This was good, IF you like YA lit. I think I'm learning that I only like YA if it's sci-fi or fantasy or dystopic or supernatural, etc. But if it's just about life, then I am usually not satisfied with how the book deals with whatever life issue the book targets. Wonder is about August, a fifth grade boy with a severe craniofacial malformation (his face looks terrible), and how he struggles to fit in to the fifth grade. Another theme of the book is how his sister feels somewhat sidelined by her parents' attention to August (this was the most realistic aspect of the novel for me). And how other kids struggle to be his friend and fight peer pressure for being his friend. This was too YA for me, but I think many other readers would enjoy it.

43. Steelheart (friend rec)
This was a light, fun read. Not great, but pretty good. An asteroid appears in Earth's atmosphere and gives some people on earth superpowers. Unfortunately, most of them are bad, so it's up to a group of regular humans to fight them, one superhero at a time...

44. The Weather Makers (LT and Amazon Rec, Climate Change)
It took me a while to wade through this book, but it was yet another well done book on climate change. It may have too much science for some lay readers. It added more to my knowledge of climate change, and I thought the author's last chapter about what individuals can do was particularly well done. Also, it helped me understand why it is so difficult to make accurate predictions about exactly when/how much the sea will rise, currents change, global temperature rise, etc, since there are so many complex and interrelated scientific variables.

45. Where'd You Go, Bernadette?(Book Club selection)
This was a very fun read. It was well-written, the writing was particularly clever, and the plot was humorous, warm, and satirical. It is a nice balance between modern literature and light, easy reading.

46. The Xenophobe's Guide to the Czechs (Europe)
Another good and enjoyable entry in the series. And its descriptions do hold true for the few Czech friends that I have.

47. Eleanor and Park (Book Club Selection)
This was a cute and well done teenage love story. Recommended if you enjoy YA general fiction.

48. Dust (sequel)
This was the final book in the Wool trilogy. I loved Wool, which is a post-apocalyptic book about people living in massive concrete silos, and they can never go outside. I didn't care for its prequel, and I was also underwhelmed by this book, Dust, which wraps up the story. Eh.

49. Maze Runner (Amazon or LT rec?)
Oh my goodness, I scarfed this book down in a day. It is Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies meets Wool. Very fun and very gripping YA, recommended if you enjoyed Hunger Games.

50. Scorch Trials (Sequel)
And I scarfed this, the second in the trilogy. Not quite as good as the first...

51. Death Cure (Sequel)
The third in the trilogy. I'm not very pleased with the plot, but I had to finish it nonetheless. Maze Runner was very fun, though.

52. And the Mountains Echoed (Book Club selection)
A very well-done novel that follows the different lives that have touched or intertwined over a few generations originating from a family in a small village in Afghanistan. The stories range from Afghanistan to Greece to the US to Paris. This is a beautiful and emotionally complex novel.

53. Beautiful Ruins: A Novel (friend rec)
This was a good but not great novel. It is one of those lives-interwined, and all the threads come together at the end kind of book. It ranged from 1950's Italy to modern Hollywood, etc. It kept reminding me of A Visit from the Goon Squad, but it wasn't as good, or as edgy, alas.

I read Beautiful Ruins at the beginning of the year and really enjoyed it then, although there were elements of the story I didn't care for. In hindsight I think I must have just been in the right mood for it. I seriously doubt I would rate it as highly now. Good but not great, as you noted.

Ron, I'm curious as to how you would like Orphan Master's Son, which was my favorite novel of the year, hands down. It was a Pulitzer winner, as well.

Thanks for pointing out Orphan Master's Son Karen. It looks interesting. I'll keep a watch for it at the library.

54. The No Sweat Exercise Plan (Amazon rec)
Excellent book. The book's premise is that 30 minutes of walking, or biking, or other gentle exercise, per day will yield the full health benefits of exercise. There is no need to run, do aerobics, etc, except for athletic training or to speed up weight loss. The author is a Harvard physician who founded the Harvard Men's Health Review, and he will have you convinced by the end of the book that not exercising is the stupidest thing you could do, but that exercising can also be very easy. That's great news for me because I hate running and have been trying on and off for years to get into it. Highly recommended if you are looking for a readable, very well researched, encouraging book on exercising, whether you are young and in pretty good shape or older and dealing with a variety of medical issues.

55. Still Life with Woodpecker (Book Club)
I really didn't like this novel, Tom Robbins is SO not my cup of tea. I just kept wishing the characters (and the author) would be quiet. To each his/her own.

My final 3 books for the year:
56. Hyperbole and a Half (on multiple lists as "funniest book of 2013")
I enjoyed it, and I'm glad I read it. I often found her more insightful than funny. The book reminds me very much of Let's Pretend This Never Happened, except this author is sharper and particularly good at expressing complex ideas/concepts. I sent my sister a copy, I think she will love it.

57. Culture Shock! Morocco (I just got back from a one-week vacation to Morocco!!)
Very good, I strongly recommend this in addition to a guidebook if you travel to Morocco or want to learn about Morocco culture/life.

58. Hyperion (friend rec)
Very well-done sci-fi, it reminded me a lot of Iain Banks' Culture series. This is the first in a 4-book series.

Looks like a great batch of reading! I'm a Dan Simmons fan, but ashamedly have never read Hyperion or sequels. It's on my semi-infinite list, though...

Well, considering this has been a crazy busy year, it has been good reading-wise. I read about half and half fiction and NF. My fave read of the year was Orphan Master's Son, my fave NF was Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth, even though the author pandered a bit, and my second fave fiction was The Song of Achilles. My 2014 thread is here. Happy New Year!!

congrats on a good year Karen. I'm going to try and read Orphan Master's Son next year when the library copy becomes available. You did well. I want to read the Hyperion series also ... someday!

So many books, so little time:). I've got you starred for next year--happy reading, Ron, and Happy New Year!

<90--"semi-infinite list"--ha! I will have to check out Simmons' other work, Jim...