heidilach's 2013 reads

I'm hoping that this will be the year I can make it through 50 books of my own choosing. Homework/work-related books have no business being counted toward my leisure reading.

Leisure reads:




Updates:

I don't have a separate ticker (since I don't really have a goal) for my non-leisure reads, but I will be tracking them here as well.

Non-leisure reads: 1

I also wanted to track how much of my overall reading was of new-to-me books and how many were old favorites that I was rereading:

New: 23 of 39
Reread: 16 of 39

Plus, I wanted to track how many books I'm finally reading after owning for at least six months (these are also read as part of the ROOTs - Read Our Own Tomes - challenge):

ROOTs books: 5 of 37

* * *

My first book was a bit of a cheat, since I started it over holiday break about a week ago but only finished yesterday:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (reread--and I may even read it again this year!)

Happy New Year and happy reading!

2. Still life by Louise Penny

This was also read for the #2 January TIOLI Challenge over on the 75 in 2013 thread: read a book by an author that you had not heard of before LibraryThing. Plus, this book was received over the holidays as one of my SantaThing gifts!

I am a huge fan of mysteries, so I was very pleased when my secret Santa introduced me to the first in the Inspector Gamache series. In this first novel, Inspector Gamache, of the Surete of Quebec, solves the murder of an elderly woman in a small town south of Montreal. I couldn't put it down. I've already added the rest of the books in the series (eight books so far) to my wishlist, and I'm buying the second one for my Kindle tonight!

For other mystery aficionados out there, I would call these a more modern twist on a cozy mystery--cozy for the most part, but there are some themes and dialogue that wouldn't necessarily appear in, say, Agatha Christie.

3. A fatal grace by Louise Penny

The second book in the Inspector Gamache series.

Happy reading in 2013.

>4 rocketjk: Thanks rocketjk! Same to you.

4. The cruellest month by Louise Penny

The third book in the Inspector Gamache series, and yes, I'm probably going to read through the whole series in order over the course of the month. The only interruption will be Cutting for stone, which I need to read for a bookclub. I can't tear myself away from Gamache for the moment, however...

Nothing like kicking off with a Potter!

>6 notmyrealname: So true. It's a great way to ring in the year.

5. A rule against murder by Louise Penny

The fourth book in the Inspector Gamache series.

6. The brutal telling by Louise Penny

The fifth book in the Inspector Gamache series.

Unbeknownst to me, of friend of mine started the Gamache series in mid-December. When we discovered we were both reading them, we had a revelation--we are like the children who eat all of the Halloween candy in one sitting. We're going to gorge ourselves now and then be sad that we didn't save any for later.

I'm now forcing myself to put off reading the sixth Gamache until I finish Cutting for stone; I have to turn the book in to the library by this Friday, so I should be able to read Gamache on Saturday. It's only a few days delay, but it's a small display of willpower, I suppose.

7. Kiss of the highlander by Karen Marie Moning (reread)

8. The dark highlander by Karen Marie Moning (reread)

9. Spell of the highlander by Karen Marie Moning (reread)

I was feeling kind of blah this weekend, so I reread these three books from the Highlander series. They are all romance novels with an element of fantasy/time travel/magic to them. Easy, fun reads if you like the cross-over romance-fantasy genre. All three of them are lead-ups to Moning's super fun Fever series, also romance-fantasy but more heavy on the fantasy (Highlander is more heavy on romance).

As per usual, still plugging away at Cutting for stone. I managed to renew (hooray!) so I have until next Monday to finish the book. I've been reading it during my lunch hours at work.

What a great start for the year! I LOVE the Louise Penny series. Glad you like it too!

Starred you too! Cutting for Stone is kind of a slog to get through, but a decent read overall. Not something I'd re-read though.

10. Cutting for stone by Abraham Verghese

Finally finished Cutting for stone last night. There was a lot I enjoyed about this book--the author frequently used very nice turns of phrase, and the descriptions of life in Addis Ababa were wonderful--but the narrative itself was not as tight as it could've been in some places. There also came a point about 100 pages from the end when reality had to be suspended when characters suddenly and unexpectedly reunited on a different continent after a span of half a decade.

I would guardedly recommend the book to people who enjoy fiction set in Africa, fiction about family relationships, or fiction about medicine. I'm interested to see what the book club will have to say about this one. My opinion of the book frequently changes with further reflection and discussion, so I'll record any new thoughts here after Monday's meeting.

##. The anatomy of fashion: dressing the body from the Renaissance to today by Susan J. Vincent

This book was read as part of my doctoral research. I'm noting it here so I can keep track of all my 2013 reading, but I'm not counting it towards my 50 leisure reads.

I think the book was helpful in getting me to think about new ways to present my research (I study Soviet fashion in the 1920s and 1930s), but the title is somewhat misleading in that it overgeneralizes Ms. Vincent's research. She focuses very specifically on English fashion from the 15th-19th centuries. Descriptions of fashions from other countries are almost absent, and references to the 20th and 21st centuries are quite rare; in the case of the 21st, references are confined almost entirely to the epilogue.

11. Bury your dead by Louise Penny

The sixth book in the Inspector Gamache series. This book made me fall in love with Quebec City; I'm already pestering the boyfriend about taking a trip there next year. Possibly my favorite book of the Gamache series thus far, though I did love Still life and The cruelest month.

Just purchased the seventh Gamache installment this evening. I'm also working on The Hobbit and The founding gardeners, which is my bookclub selection for February.

12. A trick of the light by Louise Penny

The seventh book in the Inspector Gamache series. I only just purchased it last night, and it was finished by late this morning...and I'm already reading the next one. I was THRILLED today to discover that the ninth Gamache book will be out this year; however, it won't be released until August. I'm going to have a long spell of no new Gamache when I finish the latest.

I love how the characters in the Inspector Gamache series develop more depth as the series progresses. Each book is like visiting old friends!

>16 loriephillips: Lorie, I'm in the middle of The beautiful mystery, and I'm so worried about Jean Guy. I wish he'd stop letting that jerk Francoeur inside his head. It makes me so mad...and I love that it makes me so mad. I really nervous to see what happens in this one. It feels like everything is falling apart, much like everything falls apart in The cruellest month. I hope there's some resolution at the end and she doesn't leave us hanging until August!

I read The Beautiful Mystery last September and I can't say much about it without spoiling it for you. I will say that I can hardly wait for the next one!

13. The beautiful mystery by Louise Penny

Well, now I'm going to be on pins and needles until August when the next Gamache mystery comes out. SPOILER ALERT for those who care: I cannot BELIEVE that Francoeur is going to these lengths to get to Gamache. What a cruel, pathetic character. Who does that? Who plans to get an addict to relapse? It's sick. And Jean-Guy is just going to make me cry if he throws everything away now. ACK! Why must you do this to me, Louise Penny? WHY??

14. Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning (reread)

After the emotional roller coaster that was The beautiful mystery, I retreated to an old friend for solace and occasional ass kicking. Darkfever is Moning's first in the 5-book "Fever" series that pits reluctant sidhe-seer Mackayla Lane against the fae who are slowly taking over modern day Dublin. Maybe not the greatest literature of all time, but I like the story and the fantasy world that Moning creates well enough that it overrides any other irritations.

Maybe it's all a plan between Gamache and Jean-Guy? Hard to believe Jean-Guy really would alienate Gamache AND his daughter. I'm suspicious that there is a plan we are not aware of. Interesting plot twist. Keeps you hooked!

>20 loriephillips: Lorie, I didn't even think of that! That would be so sneaky of Louise...I'm just wondering how she'll resolve all of this. And I want to know what's going on with the Morrows! That Peter Morrow is a snake in the grass.

If we get as much snow in New York as they're calling for, there's a good chance I'll be reading a lot this weekend! I'm in the 12-18" band. I'm just hoping that it means we get to leave work early tomorrow.

15. Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning (reread)

The second book of the "Fever" series. As more and more Fae continue to take over Dublin, Mac struggles to figure out who is with her and who is against her. Probably the least exciting book in the series, in my opinion, but sets up a lot of action for later.

16. The hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Also read as part of the ROOTs - Read Our Own Tomes - Challenge. This one has been sitting on my shelf for at least five years.

I've attempted to read Tolkien before, and it always takes me a LONG time to get into his writing style. I always feel like Tolkien skims over monumental things in such a perfunctory way. (This is especially ironic since the release of Peter Jackson's weighty films--is there no middle ground?) Tolkien can wrap up a whole battle in a matter of five pages. It must just be my own hang up; I know plenty of other people who love reading Tolkien.

I'm going to try to read the three books in the Lord of the Rings at some point this year, also for the ROOTs challenge.

17. The fellowship of the ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Also read as part of the ROOTs Challenge.

It's been awhile since I posted; I have a very sick cat at home who has been giving me a tense February. There was an extended vet stay, and now the little bear is home with a feeding tube. I've been spending a lot of time on kitty care and not as much time on reading (which is how it should be). I hope he starts eating on his own soon though--his feeding schedule is wearing me out!

But on to the book!

I decided to keep my Tolkien juju going and move straight on to the Lord of the Rings series from The hobbit. I know I wrote in my previous post that Tolkien skims over things--and in my defense, in The hobbit, I felt like he did!

I feel like it is an entirely different author who wrote The fellowship of the ring. Things are much more fleshed out and detailed, and I find the style much easier to handle. I actually enjoyed the book, which surprised me. (I thought I'd like it, but not actively enjoy it as I was reading.)

This difference in style led me to do some research of the most perfunctory kind (i.e., Wikipedia) where I discovered that The hobbit was written as a children's tale and that Tolkien, upon reediting the book, stated that he would have preferred to rewrite the whole thing, as he was unhappy with the style of prose. So my feeling of two completely different authors isn't crazy.

While sitting with the sick little bear, I re-watched all three of the movies to give me a better idea of where the changes were from book to film. I really prefer the book's telling of the exit from the Shire, with Tom Bombadil and the Barrow Downs. I also think the book's timeline makes much more sense; Frodo has the ring for a number of years between Bilbo's party and Gandalf's return with news of the one ring.

On to The two towers!

18. The two towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Also read as part of the ROOTs Challenge.

I enjoyed The two towers ever so slightly more than The fellowship of the ring, but I think that's because more of my favorite characters in the story (Eomer, Faramir) make an appearance. I'm also experiencing the same dilemma when reading the books as I did when watching the films: I know the main story is that of Frodo and the ring, but I personally like the bits that deal with other aspects of the story. I get bogged down when reading about Frodo's endless treks through the marshes, over the wastelands, up the stairs, etc.

Just started The return of the king last night.

"I get bogged down when reading about Frodo's endless treks through the marshes, over the wastelands, up the stairs, etc."

I know what you mean. I don't know if you're a Beatles fan at all, but when I first read the trilogy many years ago, I was in junior high school and the album Abbey Roads had just come out. I was listening to that record over and over as I read the Lord of the Rings. For ever in my mind the tolling, deep guitar lines of "I Want You/She's So Heavy" will be associated for me with mind's-eye vision of Frodo trudging through those wastelands with an ever more oppressive weight around his neck.

19. The return of the king, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Also read as part of the ROOTs Challenge.

It was good to finally bring the series to conclusion. I think the parts I enjoyed the most were the bits with Pippin exploring Minas Tirith, and then the chapter about the scouring of the Shire. There is something hilarious about Saruman being referred to as "Sharkey"; it kind of knocks him down to the level of a greaser on Laverne and Shirley.

And if I could be allowed just one more quick comment on Tolkien's writing style: Again, I liked this series much better than the Hobbit, but after reading all three books, I must say that Tolkien has this way of taking something that should really be an a-ha, huge gasp, grip the arms of your chair moment and turning it into a wholly anticlimactic work-a-day occurrence. It's really quite incredible. I almost missed the bit where Gollum fell into Mount Doom with the ring. It just happened in a brief sentence, and then it was gone. Poof!

20. Faefever, by Karen Marie Moning (reread)

The third book in the "Fever" series. More and more Unseelie are taking over Dublin, and Mac is torn between a number of would-be allies. Will they be able to keep the walls between our world and Faery from falling?

21. Dreamfever, by Karen Marie Moning (reread)

The fourth book in the "Fever" series.

22. Shadowfever, by Karen Marie Moning (reread)

The fifth and final book of the "Fever" series...but not of the world AWC (after the walls crashed). Probably my favorite book in the series, mostly for the scenes that take place inside of Faery in the White Mansion.

I've just purchased KMM's Iced, which picks up the story AWC from the perspective of Dani Mega O'Malley, a young sidhe-seer with super speed. I'll probably be reading it over the weekend. It got some mixed reviews (Moning tends to write romance, and O'Malley is only 14), but I'll prepare myself going in.

23. The immortal highlander, by Karen Marie Moning

So before getting to Iced, I took a trip backwards and read one of Moning's "Highlander" romances that I had earlier skipped. (Full disclosure, I skipped it because it didn't feature one of the MacKeltars as the main character.)

The MacKeltars do make an appearance, however, and the book actually did have a lot of pertinent background information to the "Fever" series. Still...it's not my favorite of the "Highlander" books, both because of the MacKeltar issue and the fact that the lead isn't really what I'd call a "highlander."

24. Bad things happen, by Harry Dolan

SantaThing gift.

The first of a series (maybe--there are currently two) of mysteries set in Ann Arbor, Michigan, featuring the mysterious David Loogan and Detective Elizabeth Waishkey. This was the first time in over two years of e-reading that the e-read let me down. The book itself is great, but the formatting of my Kindle edition was TERRIBLE. It kinda ruined the flow of the book for me. (I found this to be particularly ironic since the plot prominently features writers and copy-editors.) There were huge blank spaces on all of the "pages," and no matter how hard I tried to tell myself it was all psychological, my brain interpreted the blanks as dramatic pauses in the story. So my internal reading of this was all messed up...

Despite all of that, I enjoyed the mystery enough that I just purchased myself the follow-up, Very bad men. Here's hoping this e-read is better formatted!

25. Very bad men, by Harry Dolan

The second in the David Loogan and Elizabeth Waishkey cycle. HIGHLY recommended for mystery lovers, though it would be best if the books were read in sequence. (The ebook formatting issues that plagued the first book were blessedly absent from the second.)

Halfway to my goal!

26. A fatal winter, by G.M. Malliet

The second in the Father Max Tudor series by Malliet. I enjoyed the book, mostly because Malliet writes in the vein of Agatha Christie and other cozy mystery authors. This volume in particular was very Christie-esque in its setting and denouement.

27. Fifty shades of Grey, by E.L. James

28. Fifty shades darker, by E.L. James

Finally had to see what the fuss was about. I enjoyed the books well enough, but the writing is nothing spectacular, and much of the dialog/situations become repetitive over time. The book also suffers from the same formula that many romance books suffer from--why is the woman ALWAYS a virgin (why?!) and the male some kind of over-developed sex machine (seriously?!)? All realism simply flies out the door. Though I guess people read romance novels for the escapist aspect...but still. Come on, romance writers. Get your shit together.

29. Fifty shades freed, by E.L. James

Yeah, I had to finish out the trilogy once I started it. This one is definitely the weakest of the bunch. It's kind of insane how much crazy crap happens to these people. They have the worst luck EVER! (Not quite as bad as the people in The time traveler's wife, my all-time most hated book, but pretty bad.)

30. Ender's game, by Orson Scott Card

First of all, WOW. It is a good thing I read a lot during the first quarter of the year, because my pace has dropped off. A LOT. Crazy what happens when life gets busy...

But, it's good to be getting back to reading! I pretty much tore through Ender's game during a long, long wait at LaGuardia. (Thank you, American Airlines!) I haven't read any books in the Ender series before, and with previews for the movie all over the place, I thought I should read it first. It was very enjoyable, but I felt like the major revelation in the book was really glossed over. It deserved more pomp and circumstance; instead of fireworks, it was kind of ho-hum. That aside, I would definitely recommend this to those who like space/technology science fiction.

It is also amazing to note that this book was written in the early 1980s, and so much of the technology described seems relevant to today.

31. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

32. Catching fire, by Suzanne Collins

33. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

Finally getting back to some reading after a string of vacations. I know, horrible, right?

I had read The Hunger Games and Catching fire previously, but this was my first read through of Mockingjay. For me, it was the weakest of the three; I feel like the books get weaker as the series went on. But I still liked the series overall.

I also think that this is a series where the movies may actually do the stories justice. I can't wait to see the second installment in November.

34. In bed with a highlander, by Maya Banks

35. Seduction of a highland lass, by Maya Banks

36. Never love a highlander, by Maya Banks

Predictable, yet fun, romance novels set in the Scottish highlands. Each book is about one of the McCabe brothers, who all manage to find love, vanquish enemies, learn about themselves, yada yada yada.

37. How the light gets in, by Louise Penny

The ninth book in the Inspector Gamache series.

So, so fabulous. The whole series is great and one I would HIGHLY recommend to mystery lovers out there. I started reading early yesterday evening and finished in the wee hours. This is just what I've been waiting for for the past eight months. I hope Penny keeps writing them. I will certainly keep reading!

38. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone, by J.K. Rowling

39. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling

Yes, it's that time of year when I start rereading the Harry Potter series. I've made it through the first two books so far.