katy's reading for 2013

Hi there, yup, I'm a little late in starting this, I wasn't planning on doing a reading topic this year, but I've kinda missed it, so here I am, better late than never I guess. I did feel a little intimidated last year posting book reviews as they're really not my forte and I felt sometimes that I didn't do the book justice, or conversely, praised too much and unduly influenced other people's reading. So I'm not going to do that this year, just plain comments about whether I liked or disliked and if I have more to say, well...then... I'll say it! LOL.

That said, here's what I've read so far this year:

Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner, a classic YA that I finally got around to reading, enjoyable, but I wish I'd read it when I was younger.
The Supernaturals by David L. Golemon - good creepy story
The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz - not a bad take on Sherlock Holmes
Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey - LOVED this series!!!! Can't thank GeorgiaDawn enough for mentioning this.
Alas Babylon by Pat Frank - after having this in my audio library for years I finally listened to it and really "enjoyed" it, despite it being a bit bleak at times.
Red Leaves and the Living Token by Benjamin David Burrell - an Early Reviewers ebook
The Mourning House by Ronald Malfi, not bad
The Return by Walter de la Mare - love de la Mare's poetry, and found the premise of the story intriguing, but felt it could have been told with a LOT less words!
The Haunting Season by Michelle Muto - another creepy one
The Third Floor by C. Dennis Moore - ditto
Montmorency by Eleanor Updale - re-read, I now have the sequels and wanted to refresh my memory before moving on to them.
The Cornerstone by Anne C. Petty an ER ebook
The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey - very enjoyable mystery
Life of Pi by Yann Martel - WOW! I wanted to read this before I saw the movie. LOVED it!!
American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett - another ER book
Seed by Ania Ahlborn - creepy, pretty good
Madness, Betrayal and the Lash by Stephen R. Brown - took me a long time to finish 'cause I kept putting it aside to read other stuff, but when I finally gave it the time and concentration it deserved, I really enjoyed it. Fun to learn about the origins of Pacific North America names like Puget Sound, Mount Baker, Juan de Fuca Strait etc.
Brothers Far From Home: The World War I Diary of Eliza Bates by Jean Little, part of the Dear Canada YA series. This is a great series, telling Canadian history in a far more interesting way than I learned it. And Jean Little has always had a fond spot in my heart, I loved her books dearly when I was growing up, and she came to our school, she was the first author I ever met. Very sweet lady.
A Face at the Window by Dennis MacFarland - creepy again
Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold - another re-read (or listen to more accurately). I love this series and just wanted to spend some time in the characters company again.
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold - ditto

I've been on a real supernatural streak since last Halloween and can't seem to get enough creepy ghost stories. I found a video series on YouTube that I'm watching right now, fun and a few good shivers (even though I know it's all fiction). Anyways, some of the stories I've read have been pretty good, The Supernaturals, The Cornerstone, A Face at the Window come to mind.

Now I'm reading bits and pieces of lots of books, can't seem to settle down to just one, so at the moment I'm reading Darkhouse by Karina Halle, the first in a supernatural, mystery, sort of romance series that is funny, creepy and just lovely light reading. I'm hooked and will definitely be reading the rest of the series. Also on the go is The Bear's Embrace: The True Story of a Grizzly Bear Attack by Patricia Van Tighem, a very intense, tragic memoir; Forms of Devotion by Diane Schoemperlen - one of my SantaThing books that I'm reading slowly, to simply savour every moment - it's a treasure; Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson, still plugging away at this one, I'm enjoying it, but get distracted from reading it easily;
and I'm listening to the latest Ruth Downie ancient Roman mystery Semper Fidelis.

Okay, that's enough of me for one post. Be back when I've finished something!

That's some list to scroll through! I'm glad you're doing this again. I will add your new thread to the list.
:o)

ETA: Umm, did you have a 2012 thread, because I can't find it? Yet I am pretty sure I swiped and read some books from your list...

You read a few books I have waiting on my TBR shelves or in my e-reader: Wool, Alas Babylon, and Lark Rise to Candleford.

I'm a big fan of Jean Little, too. From Anna is one of my absolute favourite books, ever. I've fallen behind on her books in the last few years, but I did read another of her Dear Canada books, If I Die Before I Wake, about the 1918 flu epidemic. It was quite good, although it was rather obvious that the main function of the book was to impart historical information.

I read a different book by Stephen R. Bown, called Scurvy. He is very good at portraying the hardships of life at sea.

Thanks for visiting. Yes clam, here's my 2012 thread: http://www.librarything.com/home/katylit

And Sylvia, If I Die Before I Wake was the first of the Dear Canada series that I read, I'm always on the lookout for more of these books at used bookstores. My first (and favourite) Jean Little is Mine for Keeps, I enjoyed From Anna too.

Scurvy sounds good, I'll have to look for that one.

Mine for Keeps was my first, too, and is a close second to From Anna in my favourites.

#4 - Um, that took me to your profile page. :o)

Huh, that's weird, I was using my new tablet so I probably copied it wrong, (still learning) here's a second try: http://www.librarything.com/topic/130151 (if this doesn't work, that topic was called katy's catches for 2012)

Hi Katy :o)

Glad you decided to keep a thread going after all. I prefer reading short comments rather than lengthy reviews, so your method is perfect for me. And we know we can always bug you for more details or opinions if we need it.

I need to get my hands on Wool. Its sounds like my kind of story (dystopia) and has had great responses here. I also need to start reading Bujold's other series, now that I've finished the Vorkosigan books.

#8 - "I prefer reading short comments rather than lengthy reviews, so your method is perfect for me."

Ditto that. Big blocks of text on a screen make my eyes glaze. :oD

Oh, dear...I do tend to ramble on! I'll try to rein it in.

But I don't always prefer short commetns, MerryM. I saw your review of Matched on the current reads thread and caught myself wondering how I could get my hands on that series as well.

*slaps hand* No No No. I really am going to whittle down Mt TBR a bit more first.

*smile* Once again I fulfill my purpose on this earth...

So glad you're back, Katy--I've enjoyed so many of the books you've posted about. And Lark Rise to Candleford is a delight--I first read it in college and love to revisit it every few years.

I prefer short comments, too. Both to write and to read. So you are doing fine!

I finished up a couple more of Karina Halle's Experiment in Terror series, Red Fox and Dead Sky Morniing. It's a fun series, has a few shivers, but lots of sexual tension too between the two protagonists. It's written in the first person and I like the writer's voice, she's funny, self-deprecating and spunky. There are times when I figuratively roll my eyes, but they still make for fun, light reading.

As a counter to the reading candy I also just finished The Bear's Embrace. I used to work for the BC Provincial Government in the Cultural Arts Ministry and thus got the opportunity to meet some authors who were applying for grants. Patricia Van Tigham was one and I read her book for the first time back when it was initially published. I read recently that she had committed suicide, so I re-visited her book, which remains as powerful, heart-breaking and inspiring as the first time I read it.

Now I'm making a start on an ARC mystery, set in a town where I used to live.

"set in a town where I used to live."

Oh, that's very cool. That kind of thing can make even a lackluster book wonderful. :o)

You know? Even a "lackluster book" wasn't saved by a much loved location. I started reading Twilight is not Good for Maidens positive that I would love it 'cause it takes place in Sooke, Vancouver Island, BC. I lived there for 2 years and on the Island for 15. It's my idea of heaven on earth. And obviously it's the author's ideal too. But I found she used to many Canadianisms (if that's a word) and her descriptions were frustratingly over-the-top. Instead of just "a steady rain" she would go on about how Islanders are used to the many winter months of driving, cold rain and fog...yada yada yada." It got old really fast. Maybe I was just tuned into it 'cause I DID live there and so it was more commonplace to me? Maybe a reader who wasn't familiar with that area would have found it informative and interesting, instead of plodding and tour-guidey as I did? Meh, the book is part of a series and I won't be in a hurry to read any more.

On the other hand I also read my first library e-book Lost Boys by Orson Scott Card. It was supposedly a supernatural story but I found it to focus 90% of the story on a happy family practicing Mormonism with a little bit of supernatural tucked into the last couple of chapters. So while I found the story very heavy on religion and very light on "ghosties, ghoulies and long-legged beasties", Card's writing made reading the book entirely effortless. He is a fabulous writer, even when he's preaching!

Now I'm going to start Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I found it at the local school bookfair and just couldn't pass it up. I wonder when my yen for all stories supernatural is going to dwindle? LOL.

Oh, that's too bad. :o/ That book only has two ratings on LT and they aren't great, so it would seem at least those two people agree with you.

Glad your ebook experience was a good one! :o) Did you use OverDrive to borrow it, by any chance?

Well, just before I was able to start Prince of Mist another library book came in, A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorehead. A WW2 non-fiction of French Resistance women, arrested by the Vichy and Germans and sent to Auschwitz. It left me completely shattered by their courage, unbelievable suffering and the horrors they endured. I don't read many books about the extermination camps, but this one will stay with me for a long time.

I also finished one of my SantaThing books, Forms of Devotion, by Diane Schoemperlen. This is a collection of very original, short stories? vignettes? essays? Hard to describe, absolute delight to read. I savoured each and every one.

Now another library book has arrived, World War Z, requested because of all the recommendations and discussion here. I'm really not into the whole zombie thing, but this one does sound kind of intriguing, so I'll give it a go. I'm not going to request any more library books for awhile after this one 'cause I really want to get started on River of Stars, G.G. Kay's newest book.

Blech! WWZ way to graphic and gory for me. On to River of Stars.

I've been wondering just how much violence was in WWZ. That settles it—I won't be checking it out. I prefer my apocalypses to be bloodless.

After numerous biology courses in University, including the memorable Invertebrate Zoology 201, I can handle a lot of ick. What I can't handle is the violence that can go along with it, especially in novels. I'm not into zombie books or movies, but for some reason WWZ has piqued my interest, so I do intend to give it a try this year.

Ick doesn't particularly bother me so long as there's reason for it. But I find zombies as bad guys immensely boring. I like me an intelligent bad guy (s).

I don't read zombie books at all as a rule, but I did like WWZ sandragon. I can handle gore as long as there isn't some demented person getting off on inflicting it. A brainless person doesn't get off on it, it's just what they do, and the others just need to survive, so it's all good. ;) We all have our thresholds of what we can stand and what we can't don't we? For instance, I simply cannot read anything about the extermination camps at this point in my life.

MrsLee - I like knowing the hows and the whys when it's biology related, and I think it'd be fun to read what the author has come up with for the hows and whys of a zombie plague and the aftermath. (I never would have thought I'd consider a zombie book fun!) If it was just about zombies rampaging the world looking for brains, I wouldn't be too interested.

I'm interested in reading about the extermination camps, but I haven't actually tried (well, there was an ER one a few years ago but it was a badly edited journal and I'm not counting it), so I don't know if I'd be able to or not. I'm wondering about trying A Train in Winter.

I had a hard time reading A Train in Winter, there where many times I had to put it down and compose myself. The one immensely saving grace in this story was the deep, abiding friendship the women developed and how much it helped them endure.

And maybe after just reading it, it made World War Z that much harder to take. I need less death and mayhem now.

I can understand WWZ being hard to read after something like A Train in Winter. I think WWZ will be easier for me to pick up and read than A Train. Knowing it's fantastical fiction rather than real life events will help, but I don't think I could read one after the other either.

@sandragon, if you want a book with the whys and hows of the zombie thing, read Feed by Mira Grant and its sequels Blackout and Deadline. Cracking good stories as well.

Hmmm. 2 zombie books for my wishlist. Definitely a record. Thanks for the rec, tardis. I've seen Feed mentioned favourably before, but I wasn't convinced until now. The biology geek in me wants to know what Mira Grant comes up with the explain a zombie plague.

I needed something light and fun to read, just can't seem to concentrate these days. So I read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. It's my first Christie in years and years and perfectly fit the bill.

I also finished listening to Duma Key by Stephen King. One LT reviewer said that he had grown away from King, finding the same old, same old stuff, but that Duma Key was more of the old King; I couldn't agree more. The last Kings I've read were Bag of Bones and Under the Dome which I really enjoyed, but I think Duma Key was even better. The Florida location, the characters, the supernatural element were all really well drawn out and kept me enthralled.

I just received an ER book Travels in Elysium and while I want to get to River of Stars, I think I'll give it another couple of days and read the ER book first.

It's kinda silly, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by the number of TBRs I have. I watched a de-clutter show the other day and while we're no where near as hoarding as the people on that show, I do have my "pockets" of stuff, that are just taking up space and not being seen, used or even wanted probably. I think I'm going to make it my summer project to sort, cull, throw out STUFF. I know it won't apply to my books, (books are definitely not STUFF) but maybe once I get started? Who knows.

Heh, I just spent my morning adding books into my TBR list. A friend offered me 2 bags full of old books. To be fair, I sorted through them 3 times and once more while entering them into my catalog, eliminating any that I wasn't truly interested in reading. I don't want to keep books just because they are old.

I confess I do have a weakness for old books, I love the bindings and thinking about what was happening when they were published, who has read them...they just have so much personality. But I am trying to be more discerning and getting old books that I'm pretty sure I'll read too. Some are just so, so pretty tho'! LOL.

Had a giggle last night and just wanted to share. Hubby and I were watching Mad Men and in one scene a woman is reading a book in bed. I instantly recognized it as Nicholas and Alexandra, I used to have the same edition. Hubby just stared at me and asked what else happened in the scene...we had to rewind to find out - I was more interested in what she was reading.

Good to know somebody has their priorities right ;-P

Gave up on Travels in Elysium, tedious, convoluted, contradictory - life is too short to waste time on books like that.

Perhaps it's because of the pain pills I'm on at the moment as I recover from my knee replacement surgery, but I just can't get into River of Stars right now. I know I'll love it once I break through this barrier, but it's not a good fit at the moment.

So I read Castle Waiting, my first graphic novel, inspired by MrsLee's recommendation and positive comments. I really enjoyed it, the artwork is a delight and the story was fun. I also read a non-fiction book Wesley the Owl, about a biologist who raised an barn owl. Delightful story. I've always been intrigued and interested in owls and now I want to get more books about them - they are fascinating creatures.

Another library book came in, so I'm currently reading The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton, another non-fiction about conjoined twins at the turn of the last century. And I'm listening to The Ocean at the End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman and read by him too. He does a fabulous job reading his own books.

I'm glad you enjoyed Castle Waiting. It's a bit off the norm, but fun because of that. :)

Now I'm finding Castle Waiting intriguing, and will have to look into it.

So I'm curious about the effect of the pain pills. I noticed something similar after surgery about a decade ago, and switched from a prescription to over-the-counter Aleve. It wasn't just the reading, there was mainly a feeling of not being clear headed. I was still in pain but it didn't matter much. LOL To make it worse I was trying to read Orlando and on the Rx I couldn't be sure exactly what was going on. I'm glad you found some books you can enjoy until you're off the meds, katylit. Feel better!!!

Thanks Clare. Yeah, I'm not sure if it's the meds either, but it wouldn't surprise me. I take pain meds for my migraines and I know reading is pretty much a write-off when I'm using them. Either from the pain or the meds, not sure - maybe/probably both. Do you think you'd have a better idea of what was going on in Orlando if you read it without meds.? LOL, I've only seen the movie, which I enjoyed, but it's pretty "out there" even with a clear head ;)

I enjoyed The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton, very interesting, their rise and fall of fortunes. I wish the author would have been able to get more information about the personalities of the twins. The book focused on their vaudeville career, the people they met through that and their experiences, but never said what the twins were like as people, were they readers, what did they like to do in their free time. what did they think about their lives, what were their feelings? Perhaps there isn't any documentation, like letters or diaries, for the author to be able to write about that, but it left me feeling kinda blah about the twins, other than perhaps some pity.

Just as I finished up this book another library book came in, Homebody by Orson Scott Card, so that's next up.

Tossed Homebody, wasn't worth my time.

Just finished An Inquiry into Love and Death by Simone St James. A good quick read - I actually spent all day reading it yesterday, something I haven't been able to do in ages. It was a great feeling.

Glad to hear it, katylit!
:o)

It is absolutely pouring outside with thunder rumbling around. I have some chores that I should be doing, but it's so cozy in my library, listening to the rain that I've decided to read instead. The chores can wait for tomorrow.

I've read a couple of books since my last post, an ARC entitled Red Dragon-White Dragon, a gruesome murder mystery set in Victorian England. A husband and wife "commissioned investigator" team were called upon to help solve the crime. It was okay.

Another book was A Violent End by Maggie Wheeler. I enjoyed this, another murder mystery, but local this time, taking place by the St. Lawrence River. The author incorporated fact with fiction, my favourite kind of story telling. The story jumps between events that happened when the St. Lawrence Seaway was built and opened in the late 1950's, and modern times. We really didn't live that far from this area, when I was growing up, and yet I never heard about it, how towns were moved and/or destroyed because of the dam and consequent flooding, the controversies, the conflicts. I find it interesting that, as far as I can remember, we never learned about any of it.

Anyways, there's a few more books in the series and I'll definitely be reading them.

I have Game of Thrones on my Kindle, so I'm slowly plugging away at it. It's good, very well written, but I'm amazed at how closely the tv series actually sticks to the book, so I'm finding it a bit redundant at this point. Maybe I need to give it some more time between watching the show and reading the books, *chuckle*.

And I'm listening to River of Stars on my iPod, enjoying it very much. (Interesting, no touchstone for G.G. Kay's book?)

Today with the rain and cozy library feeling I've decided to take a trip down memory lane and start reading the "Anne" books again. It's been years since I last read them and I'm due. So Anne of Green Gables it is.

I've heard some people say it's hard to keep track of all the characters in Game of Thrones and that watching the show first helps keep them all straight. Guess that's not always the best case scenario.

I haven't read or seen either yet. I get excited about the show when someone talks about it, but I want to read the book first, but I don't want to be left hanging at the end of book 5 (I hear the series won't be finished until 2020!), so I should just watch the show first, but but but ...

So I decided to start the Wheel of Time series, because even though it's a huge series of huge books and a huge commitment, all the books are out! Shame there's no TV show to go with this series to get all excited about. Sometimes while I'm reading, visions of Sean Bean in a fur robe and a crown intrudes whispering *you could be watching Game of Thrones*

I hear the series won't be finished until 2020!

You're an optimist I see ;)

but the tv series will have its own end. :)

44 - But, I saw it on the internet! Doesn't that make it true? ;)
Maybe after I make my way through the Wheel of Time series, I'll finally start Game of Thrones. And at the rate I've been reading lately, that will be around 2020.

45 - Temptress!

Whenever someone asks George R.R. Martin when Game of Thrones will be finished, he kills off another Stark.

Lol, suitable1, he'll run out of them soon enough as it is!

I must confess that I have checked IMDB every so often to make sure I recognize which character is which. Pretty much opposite to my usual practise of checking the book first. I recommend watching the show sandragon, it's gruesomely wonderful.

Finished up the first Anne and now on to Anne of Avonlea. The danger of reading these books about diligent, hardworking women who always make sure there is at least one cake and pie in the pantry in case company should drop in, is that it makes my mouth water and I feel an urgent desire to bake, and clean my house to a Marilla-approved sparkle. So far I've been able to resist these desires by continuing to read. I shall endeavour to continue along that path ;)

>48 katylit: I've been doing a grand job of resisting those desires!

The last time I read all the Anne books was when I was pregnant. Then I was drawn to books like Anne, Heidi, Little Women, and What Katy Did.

My house is neat and tidy and I confess to making doughnuts, apple pie and brownies in the last couple of weeks. Such are the dangers of reading L.M. Montgomery! lol.

I've made my way through most of the Anne books now and am finishing up with Rilla of Ingleside, always one of my favourites, sad as it is. It's been glorious reading about Avonlea and Four Winds again and I still treasure Montgomery's lyrical appreciation of the beauty of nature in all seasons. A kindred spirit indeed. After Rilla though, I will have to focus on other reading as I have an ARC that needs attention and one or two (ahem) other books that I should read for the first time, rather than stepping back in time. But before the end of the year I've promised myself to read the Emily books, always my favourite of Montgomery's stories.

Should be ashamed that I only read the first Anne and never went any further? I didn't read it until I was 30, though. I did enjoy it immensely.

I don't know if ashamed would be the word, clammy. I enjoyed the first three tremendously, after that they became rather a blur for me.

Definitely not ashamed. My mother and grandmother loved the Montgomery books so they were just always a part of our growing up. Some are better than others, Anne's House of Dreams, and Rilla, but IMO they're all lovely stories.

"Some books are so familiar, reading them is like being home again." That describes perfectly me with the Anne books, or really, any L.M. Montgomery books. I've finished the Anne series now and feel a little lost that they're over. I also read The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls which was a little gruesome YA fantasy, kinda neat, intriguing, but yup, gruesome. I'm now reading The Floating Staircase by Ronald Malfi, so far a not-too-bad modern ghost story. I can't seem to focus on one specific audio book at the moment so some nights I'm listening to River of Stars, other nights MacBeth: A Novel. They're both wonderful, so I'm not sure what my problem is. Distracted I guess.

Finally finished River of Stars. Part reading, part listening. My level of concentration is poor these days and this book required concentration. But it is an excellent story, very beautifully written as one would expect from G.G. Kay.

I read another supernatural story as well, The Wyckham House. It was okay.

Now I have to get caught up on my Early Reviewers books, so first up is Death of a King.

Ack! Okay, I am making a resolution to be more diligent with my reading thread for 2014. But first I guess I'd better finish up 2013.

These are the books I read in the last few months of last year, listed in no particular order. I am sad to say that some of them haven't stuck in my mind as much as they should have, which is a little disturbing seeing as it's only been a couple of months :(

As mentioned - Death of a King
The Black Monastery - I enjoyed this, Vikings raiding the British Isles and coming up against one scary dude.
The Disappeared, an audio book I've had for ages and finally listened to. Sci fi and memorable.
This House is Haunted by John Boyne, I do like his writing, a good one.
Seldom Come By an ARC written by an Australian about Newfoundland in the early 20th century. Very good. First of a trilogy and I'm looking forward to reading the rest.
The Wanderer in Unknown Realms by John Connolly, a creepy novella, pretty good.
Echoes of Avalon - ok
The Circle - I really enjoyed this.
House of Echoes, a re-read, just some light fluff.
The Massey Murder - non-fiction, very interesting about a murder of a member of the notable Massey family (a cousin of actor Raymond Massey and Vincent Massey a former Governor General) in 1914 Toronto.
more Hugh Howey: First Shift, Second Shift, Third Shift and Half Way Home
Out of Time, another ARC
The Curse of Malenfer Manor, ARC
Netherworld, ARC
Miss Buncle's Book - a treasure, a treat, everyone should read it, it's sweet, simple and restful. Very endearing.
Miss Buncle Married - ditto. There are two more in the series, The Two Mrs. Abbotts, and The Young Clementina - I will be reading them as soon as possible.
The Eye Unseen
Touched by Fire, ARC.

Your reading list seems to be morphing into my wishlist. Lots here that sounds interesting! The Disappeared, The Circle, Miss Buncle's Book, This House is Haunted: they're all knocking on my door.

Looking forward to seeing your 2014 thread :o)

This House is Haunted is on my Nook but I haven't gotten to it yet...and Sandragon, you're in for a total treat with Miss Buncle! The Black Monastery looks interesting too...

Looking forward to your 2014 thread. I've gotten a scary number of books from your lists over the last few years! :)

ETA: the touchstone for The Black Monastery brought me to a book set in th Greek Islands...?

Ack, wrong touchstone Marissa, LT doesn't seem to recognize my edition, which is by William Stacey.

How am I supposed to read this thread without looking at the book titles?

? Sorry clam?

LOL! @ clamairy :D

I'm glad you've discovered D. E. Stevenson. I try to convince everyone to read her books.

#62 - To keep from running out and buying them all. :o)

Doh, I'm slow! Lol.