Majkia (Jean) Tries for a Repeat - Part 2

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Books for 2013:

103. Rest You Merry - Charlotte MacLeod
102. Quite Ugly One Morning - Christopher Brookmyre
101. Teckla - Steven Brust
100. London Falling - Paul Cornell
99. The Cruellest Month - Louise Penny
98. On the Oceans of Eternity - S.M. Stirling
97. Blackcollar - Timothy Zahn
96. Jar City - Arnaldur Indridason
95. Zoo Station - David Downing
94. A Drink Before the War - Dennis Lehane
93. Phoenix Rising - Pip Ballantine
92. The Fleet Street Murders - Charles Finch
91. The Man With a Load of Mischief - Martha Grimes
December
90. Hide and Seek - Ian Rankin
89. Sandman Slim - Richard Kadrey
88. Knots and Crosses - Ian Rankin
87. The Yard - Alex Grecian
86. Can You Forgive Her? - Anthony Trollope
85. Ratking - Michael Dibdin
84. God Save the Queen - Kate Locke
83. Whitefire Crossing - Courtney Schafer
November
82. Leviathan Wakes - James S.A.Corey
81. Mirage - Clive Cussler
80. Black Order - James Rollins
79. Initiate's Trial - Janny Wurts
October
78. Against the Tide of Years - S. R. Stirling
77. The Ice Princess - Camilla Lackberg
76. The Various Haunts of Men - Susan Hill
75. Stormed Fortress - Janny Wurts
74. Nine Princes in Amber - Roger Zelazny
73. The Art Forger - BA Shapiro
72. The Inimitable Jeeves - PG Wodehouse
September
71. The Difference Engine - William Gibson and Bruce Sterling
70. Map of Bones - James Rollins
69. House of Silk - Anthony Horowitz
68. Yendi - Steven Brust
67 What Angels Fear - C.S. Harris
66. Reliquary - Preston/Child
65. White Rhino Hotel - Bartle Bull
64. Gateway - Frederik Pohl
63. Hexed - Kevin Hearne
62. The Small House at Allington - Anthony Trollope
61. The Hunt for Atlantis - Andy McDermott
60. The Unexpected Mrs Pollifax - Dorothy Gilman
August
59. The Grim Company - Luke Scull
58. In the Woods - Tana French
57. Traitor's Knot - Janny Wurts
56. The Godwulf Manuscript - Robert B. Parker
55. These Old Shades - Georgette Heyer
54. Don't Look Back - Karen Fossum
July
53. The September Society - Charles Finch
52. Flashforward - Robert. J. Sawyer
51. Still Life with Murder - P.B. Ryan
50. Foreigner - C.J. Cherryh
49. Framley Parsonage - Anthony Trollope
48. The Spiritualist - Megan Chance
47. The Kill Artist - Daniel Silva 'audio'
46. Peril's Gate - Janny Wurts
June
45. Every Dead Thing - John Connolly
44. The Engines of God - Jack McDevitt 'audio'
43. Raven Black - Ann Cleeves
42. The Rook - Daniel O'Malley 'audio'
41. Hamlet, Revenge! - Michael Innes
40. Grand Conspiracy - Janny Wurts
39. Night Soldiers - Alan Furst 'audio'
38. Redshirts - John Scalzi 'audio'
May
37. A Fatal Grace - Louise Penny
36. The Keeper of Lost Causes - Jussi Adler-Olsen
35. Sandstorm - James Rollins
34. The Damnation Affair - Lilith SaintCrow
33. The Poet - Michael Connolly - 'audio'
32. The Devil You Know - Mike Carey
31. Darwin's Radio - Greg Bear - 'audio'
April
30. Wolfhound Century - Peter Higgins - 'dead tree' - ER
29. Hounded - Kevin Hearne
28. Crime at Black Dudley - Margery Allingham - 'audio'
27. Killing Floor - Lee Child
26. Outsider in Amsterdam - Janwillem van de Wetering
25. Doctor Thorne - Anthony Trollope
24. The Cater Street Hangman - Anne Perry
23. No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith
22. Ragtime in Simla - Barbara Cleverly - 'audio'
21. Death of a Cozy Writer - G.M. Malliet
March
20. Fugitive Prince - Janny Wurts
19. Relic - Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - 'audio'
18. Bruno, Chief of Police - Martin Walker - 'audio'
17. Death in the Stocks - Georgette Heyer
16. The Map of Time - Felix J. Palma
15. The Cardinal's Blades - Pierre Pevel
14. Cold Granite - Stuart MacBride
13. The Neon Rain - James Lee Burke - 'audio'
12. A Cast of Stones - Patrick W Carr - 'dead tree' - ER
February
11. Vale of Stars - Sean O'Brien - ER
10. The Arctic Incident - Eoin Colfer - 'audio'
9. And Only to Deceive - Tasha Alexander
8. A Talent for War - Jack McDevitt
7. Call for the Dead - John le Carre
6. Moon Over Soho - Ben Aaronovich
5. Case Histories - Kate Atkinson
4. After the Armistice Ball
3. Montmorency - Eleanor Updale - 'audio'
2. When Christ and His Saints Slept
1. The Amulet of Samarkand - 'audio'
January

ROOTS challenge:



2013 Category Challenge:



Pages Read



Group Reads:

January: When Christ and His Saints Slept - COMPLETED
February: The Magus - did not get to this
Zoo City - Did Not Finish
March: Dr. Thorne - COMPLETED
July: The Long Ships - Abandoned
August: The Small House in Allington - Anthony Trollope

Year Long: Anne Perry's Pitt series

- The Cater Street Hangman - Pitt #1

Summary for July:

One Book Abandoned The Long Ships - after 300 pages. Couldn't deal with the hypocrisy surrounding the 'conversions'.

6 Books Read:
Don't Look Back - Karen Fossum
These Old Shades - Georgette Heyer
In the Woods - Tana French
Traitor's Knot - Janny Wurts
The Godwulf Manuscript - Robert B. Parker
The Grim Company - Luke Scull

3 mystery/thrillers
2 fantasy
1 historical

6 ebooks/ no audio ( because that doesn't work for me when RVing)

2690 pages

4 female authors
2 male authors

2 ROOTS, 6 13 in 13, 5 TIOLI

Best book of the month: Traitor's Knot.

August plans:

Hexed - Kevin Hearne - AlphaCAT, TIOLI 11
The Small House at Allington - Anthony Trollope - group read, TIOLI 4
The Heart-Shaped Box - Joe Hill - CAT-trick TIOLI 14
The House of Silk - Anthony Horowitz AlphaCAT, TIOLI 15
The Dreaming Void - Peter F Hamilton - AlphaCAT
The Unexpected Mrs Pollifax - Dorothy Gilman - AlphaCAT - audio
Stormed Fortress - Janny Wurts

*slides into first*

Wheeeee!

You home or posting from the RV?

We are home:)

60. The Unexpected Mrs Pollifax - Dorothy Gilman





A fun and easy story about a New Jersey widow, bored with her life, who goes to the CIA and asks to be a spy. What happens after that is just a crazy patchwork of happenstance.

Cool characters, interesting story, and lots of fun.

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13 in 13, TIOLI, AlphaCAT

I've got the Pollifax on Mount TBR. I should bump it up a bit.

61. The Hunt for Atlantis - Andy McDermott




(Audiobook)

I love books about archaeological quests, so I’d hoped for a bit more from this book. There was lots of chases and gunfire but not enough archaeology for my tastes. Also, I found the ending a bit hard to believe, at least the plot denouement at any rate.

Still, I own book two and because I like one main character, and want to kick the other, I’ll probably listen to it as well.

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A ROOT, a 13 in 13 (cat 12), an AlphaCAT and a TIOLI

62. The Small House at Allington - Anthony Trollope





Not my favorite Trollope but very much the usual tale with lots of fun pokes at society and its peccadillos.

This was the audio version read by Simon Vance whom I greatly enjoy.

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This is a 13 in 13 (Cat 4 - Epic Tales), a ROOT, a TIOLI, a shared read.

63. Hexed - Kevin Hearne





Atticus, no longer able to keep a low profile, is forced to face down a bunch of bad witches. And discovers he has some new friends.

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A TIOLI, a ROOT, a 13 in 13 (Cat 9) and an AlphaCAT

64. Gateway - Frederik Pohl

65. The White Rhino Hotel - Bartle Bull









Gateway, a science fiction novel, is  about the discovery of a mysterious, uhm, gateway created by aliens long gone.

The White Rhino Hotel is a novel about a young man leaving England to try to make a life in Africa.

The two books are eerily similar in structure.

I didn’t plan to read the second one right after Gateway, but just picked it up, so this similarity was entirely unexpected.

Both go into detail about the strange worlds the people step into, and spend a lot of time dealing with the reactions, surprises and learning curves for each new world.

Both were wonderful reads, and eye-opening in multiple ways. Both are highly recommended.

Hi, Jean! I've been hearing a lot of good things about Bartle Bull (what a name!). Guess I'll have to try him. But what a surprise that the two novels, so dissimilar in genre and period about which and when they were written, are so similar.

I hope you enjoy it! Yeah, it was ... eerie and great at the same time!

I LOVE this picture! Taken during WWII in London:

 

66. Reliquary - Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child is the second book in the Pendergast thriller series. A wild ride as Pendergast and old friends find out that they didn’t really understand what happened in BOOK 1, and that things were going pear-shaped again. Very effective sequel.

67. What Angels Fear - C.S. Harris is a period mystery, set in London, just as the Regency is about to begin. A woman is found murdered and raped in a church and the clues point to Lord Devlin, the only remaining son of one of the Prince’s main advisers. I realized after I began this that I’d read it many years ago. I did remember whodunnit, but reread it entirely anyway. Quite a good period mystery with lots of grimy scenes of the poor sectors of London.

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Both are TIOLI, 13 in 13, ROOT. One is an AlphaCAT

I loved both books! Also the great WWII image. I'd have been right there beside those guys. Thanks for sharing.

68. Yendi - Steven Brust

69. House of Silk - Anthony Horowitz





Yendi is the second book in the Vlad Taltos series. Very funny assassin with a smartass tiny dragon who sits on his shoulder. Actually the dragon is funnier.

House of Silk is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche which I thought was excellently done. Very much evoked the originals, I thought.

Today is our 35th wedding anniversary. Given that folks showed up at the beach for our wedding because they couldn't believe either of us were getting married, I think we've done pretty damn well.

We're still RVing at Topsail State Park, which hasn't been all that great a trip. The water is horrible after all the rain we've been having so Jim wasn't able to fish. And coastal flooding around the park has brought a ton of mosquitoes. Even so we got away for a few days and have enjoyed that.

We're heading home today. No idea what we'll do this evening. Quite possibly nothing!

Happy anniversary, Jean! Thirty-five years! Pretty darn well indeed!

I am having such a good time reading Map of Bones by James Rollins. The first of the series was very good, but this one... Oi. I'm looking up all the concepts and organzations he's mentioned, like, the Dragon Court, and magnetism in monoatomic metals, and on and on. I just can't stay too far from a computer or at least a wifi connection or a smartphone. I love this sort of book that uses actual stuff from history that isn't familiar and weaves a tale around it.

Thanks Mary! We had a nice day and night with no pressure.

70. Map of Bones - James Rollins

I had sooooo much fun reading this book, the second in the Sigma Force series. I got to look up lots of stuff and try to see what was real and what wasn’t.

Some stuff I looked up: m-state metals (monoatomic metals), the Order of Dragons, how many Magi were there?, heap-leach cyanide recovery method to extract precious metals , Meissner Fields and superconducting metals,Catharism, Thomas Chrstians, the Chinon Parchment.

There were more.

Non-stop action, believable storyline not going too far afield, fleshed out characters, hateable bad guys, and never sure who was on which side. What more can you want from a thriller!

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A 13 in 13 and a TIOLI

August Recap:

This has been one of my busiest reading months yet.

12 books (currently listening to The Difference Engine which I will finish today) for the month.

Audiobooks:
The Difference Engine
The unexpected Mrs Pollifax
The Hunt for Atlantis
Gateway
The Small House at Allington
White Rhino Hotel
Reliquary
Yendi

E-Books:
Hexed
The House of Silk
What Angels Fear
Map of Bones

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4523 pages read/listened to.

Female authors: 2
Male authors: 10
An unusual month for me as usually those are more even.

10 TIOLI
11 ROOTS
All are 13 in 13

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I can't believe I've read 71 books so far this year. Last year I struggled to read 75, and that was the first time ever I'd read that many books in a year (at least since I've been an adult). Prior to that 40-50 had been the highest years.

Audio books really help for me. I was working on my daughter-in-law's computer and was able to listen as I did so. Also I listen as I compute much of the time. I don't listen in the car as I'm not generally driving far enough to make that work for me.

Book I loved best this month - not necessarily the BEST book, but the one I enjoyed the most:

Map of Bones, second in the Sigma Force series by James Rollins. I kept looking up all the odd bits of tech and science he mentioned as well as some historical stuff. That, nerd that I am, really enlivens a book for me.

Congrats on your getting to 71 iin only a little over halfway through the year! You might very well make it to 100 at the rate you're going! I've read four that are on your list of August books, and now you have interested me in the Sigma Force series (thank you very much for that, as if I need another series ~ LOL).

Have a great weekend!

71. The Difference Engine - William Gibson and Bruce Sterling





Alternate history/cyberpunk tale of what happens when Charles Babbage creates computers during the Victorian Age. England has a distinct advantage and the world, as a result, is very different. Including some interesting changes as to who is Prime Minister and who isn’t.  As well as whose still a colony and who isn’t.

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Finished last day of August so it counted for August TIOLI. Also a ROOT and a 13 in 13 (Category 8 - Timothy Leary's Glasses)

  

72. The Inimitable Jeeves - PG Wodehouse - The Jeeves books are every bit as amusing as the TV series was, but I wish Stephen Fry had read it. :)

73. The Art Forger - BA Shapiro - This was very different from what I expected. Not the usual viewpoint by insurance agents or art detectives, but instead from the forger’s point of view. Complex enough to keep me guessing and intriguing details on how forgery is done.

Both are 13 in 13 (Cat 6 for Jeeves, Cat 1 For The Art Forger) and both are TIOLI. Jeeves is an AlphaCAT.

74. Nine Princes in Amber - Roger Zelazny




First in the Amber series, I’ve read this many times. Intriguing and different magical system, with brilliant presentation of the information through the eyes of a player whose memory has been erased.

75. Stormed Fortress by Janny Wurts




8th book in the Wars of Light and Shadow series.

This book represents all the things I love about reading a series as opposed to individual works. Change, based on learning, experience and exposure to events, the world deepening and revealing  before unknown depths, the characters having to survive mistakes and the vagaries of plans gone awry because of things not understood or known, or simply because neither people nor plans are perfect.

Wonderful ending to this arc. Looking forward to finding out where in the universe the rest of the series goes I have no idea! And that’s brilliant.

Congrats!

thanks!

Congrats on 75 read, Jean!

Thanks Lori!

76. The Various Haunts of Men - Susan Hill



The first in her current day mystery series.  Even so, the book is oddly gothic for a modern day story, with lots of atmosphere and terrific settings.

Told from a surprising POV and with creepy effectiveness.

Will definitely continue this series.

77. The Ice Princess - Camilla Lackberg



The first of a series. I doubt I’ll be continuing this series as I wasn’t impressed with the main character, although I did like the male police officer.

Good mystery though and effective and different setting.

78. Against the Tide of Years - S. M. Stirling




The second in the Nantucket Event series.

What happens when an island is somehow transported from present day to the bronze age?  

The Nantucket people have begun exploring their new world and are reaching out to the existing civilizations of the times. And, trying to clean up the mess they’ve already caused.

And, of course, with modern tech (even if it is limited) they’ve already drastically changed ‘history’.

Jean, congratulations on 75! (and the three since then :-) )

Yes, congrats on the 75 big number! Whoooo hooo!

Since I won't finish another book before midnight, here's my summary for the month:

7 books read

2 fantasy
3 mystery
1 alt history
1 historical fiction

4 female authors
3 male authors

Best book of the month: Stormed Fortress by Janny Wurts although I also loved The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill, for entirely different reasons.

I've finished my 13 in 13 but am adding books to the challenge still.
I've read a total of 78 books so have completed my 75 book challenge.
I've read 59 ROOTS total, 3 this month.

Currently Reading:

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson which is terrific
Initiate's Trial by Janny Wurts which I've only just begun but which has already sucked me in.

Thanks, Karen and Susan!

oooh, I loved Cryptonomicon!!!

79. Initiate's Trial - Janny Wurts





I received this book through the Early Reviewer program. I decided not to just pick it up and read it but instead decided to read the entire series in order first. I'm very glad I did. This is not the sort of series you can jump around in. Each book builds upon the previous one, with consequences from earlier actions affecting not only the individuals but the overall course of the plot.

The characters are multi-layered and complex. They grow, they evolve, they make a LOT of mistakes, and then they have to live with those mistakes and, where possible, right wrongs done or at least try to mitigate the unfortunate fallout. But that isn't always possible. Sometimes you just have to accept.

The world is well-drawn and with many hidden, or little-understood or long-forgotten complexities. It's a fantasy world, but one with tightly drawn rules and when something surprises you, you can remember, far back in a previous book, there was a hint of this to come.

If you love fantasy, love your characters tricksy and smart, determined, sometimes nefarious, and you love a world you have to work at to get a grasp on, then this is a series for you.

Me, I'm loving it.

Great grand kid Kai. I still HATE those headbands!

What a sweet picture! I will make no comment on the headband. Too bad you cannot fast forward through time, then you could show an older Kai the picture and see what she thinks of the headband. ;-)

Gotto love the eyes! I love the way babies just take it all in through those lovely eyes.

80. Black Order - James Rollins





The third in Rollin’s Sigma series – scientists with guns – starts out with two seemingly harmless assignments. Gray Pierce is in Copenhagen looking into some weirdness regarding sales of expensive scientific treatises and a Darwin Bible. Meanwhile, Painter Crowe heads off to a Buddhist retreat where Gray had spent some time, when the head of the monastery asked for help regarding some mysterious illness and mysterious lights.

It isn’t long before both of them are under ferocious attacks by folks tattooed with runic characters.

Another compelling Sigma Force entry with lots of twists, turns and quantum physics.

81. Mirage - Clive Cussler



This book was received through Penguin First Reads Program.

Mirage is the ninth book of The Oregon Files series. A military thriller detailing the operations undertaken by a heavily camouflaged ship that looks like a beat up old merchant ship but is in fact a heavily fortified and heavily armed ship that contracts out to the CIA.

This book concentrates on a mysterious new weapon which has already destroyed several ships and nearly takes out the Oregon itself. What is it, who is using it and what is their plan?

Not much by way of character development, but intriguing and fast-action tale that holds your interest.

82. Leviathan Wakes - James S.A. Corey




Fast plot and intriguing characterization.

The future isn’t all that terrific as humanity is stuck in our own star system, not having found an FTL solution as yet.

A faint SOS beacon brings a response from a passing transport ship, and when its shuttle  reaches the disabled ship, the crew watches in horror as a cloaked warship blows away their transport. Now stranded and hiding from this unknown enemy, they struggle to find a place to go, how to get there, and what to do then. They find some evidence that the culprits in attacking their ship are from the Mars federation. The disclosure of that evidence starts a shooting war between the Belters and Mars. Earth remains surprisingly quiescent. But how long will that last?

Two POVs which you know will mesh up eventually. Lots of action, interesting trying to piece together what the heck is going on.

Great read!

October roundup:

A fairly slow month of reading for me: total of 5 books finished and I'm still listening to Cryptonomicon.

I did read two longies, one 750 pages, the other 600, even so.

Total pages read: 2474

2 female authors, 3 males.

2 fantasy, 2 thrillers, one science fiction.

4 books were ROOTS, one I got from Penguin to review.

Best of the month: Janny Wurts's Initiate's Trial closely followed by Leviathan Wakes. Although I truthfully enjoyed every one I read this month.

November plans :

My numbers for November will no doubt be dismal as I am doing NaNoWriMo. So we shall see. At the moment I plan to read:

God Save the Queen - Kate Locke - steampunk
Can You Forgive her? - Anthony Trollope
Knots and Crosses - Ian Rankin - Scottish Noir
Sandman Slim - Richard Kadrey - fantasy.

We'll see how far i get with those before I commit to any others.

>42 majkia: Love those big blue eyes!

We're RVing at Grayton Beach State Park in the Florida Panhandle. Our campsite and a picture of some driftwood I found interesting.

I think we stayed at Topsail Hill when we went there a few years back. It was quite nice, but we did venture down to Grayton Beach and noticed it was nice as well. There was a little place that served quite nice breakfast in the town of Grayton Beach if I remember correctly. Enjoy your time there!

ETA: I googled. The little restaurant was called "Another Broken Egg Cafe."

oh cool, thanks for that info Lori. We do know to visit the Hurricane Oyster Bar for dinner and drinks but hadn't gotten any suggestions for breakfast.

You're welcome. I made the mistake of looking at the breakfast menu again. I need to make plans to go back down there some time so I can enjoy the breakfast again. http://www.anotherbrokenegg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/GraytonBeach.pdf.

83. Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer
FANTASY: First of the Shattered Sigil series. An intriguing beginning to a series. Lots of mountain climbing details, interesting magical system, complex world building. I'll definitely be reading more of this sereis.

84. God Save the Queen - Kate Locke
STEAMPUNK: First of the Immortal Empire series. Quite a complex steampunk world with some surprises. I found it a bit slow going at first, but it picked up after the first 3rd of the book. I've got book two on the TBR.

85. Ratking - Michael Dibdin
MYSTERY: First in the Aurelio Zen series, I found it a bit hard to understand the complex politically charged world of a policeman in Italy, but once the actual mystery got going, I really enjoyed it. I'll read more of this series as well.

86. Can You Forgive Her? - Anthony Trollope

The first in Trollope's The Palliser Chronicles, examines the plight of women of the upper classes and how much freedom, or lack thereof, they have.

The title refers, according to Trollope, to Alice Vavasur, but can even more easily be asked with regard to Glencora McCluskey who at the beginning of the book is affianced to Plantagenet Palliser, a member of the House of Commons and heir to a dukedom.

This is a many times re-read for me. I adored the series when it was on Public Television in the 70s. Washington D.C. came to a stop on Monday nights, as everyone was glued to the TV, and the lives of these British Aristocrats.

After seeing the series I, of course, had to read the books. I re-read this as part of a group read for the 75rs and 2013 Category Challenge.

My second great greatgrandaughter arrived a few minutes ago. Say hello to Hartley:

Cute! Congrats to your family!

Congratulations on your new family addition!

Thanks everyone. :) Happy to report Mom (Kerra) and Hartley are doing well. Dad (Randall) is exhausted. How typical...

They should get released from stir (okay, the hospital) today.

87. The Yard - Alex Grecian

An interesting look at The Yard attempting to rebuild itself and regain a city's trust in the wake of its failure to capture Jack the Ripper.

It also depicts the rise of forensic science and the first movement toward modern policing and murder investigations.

It's gory and gritty and depicts the miseries of the poor in London, but I found it fascinating. I enjoyed the noir flavor, and found the characters well, and deeply, drawn.

I listened to the audio version and thought the narrator, Toby Leonard Moore, did an excellent job.

I have see some good reviews for The Yard and happy to see another one by you, Jean! That one is already on my future reading list, but I didn't think to check out an audio version. Off to see if that is something my local library has available.

88. Knots and Crosses - Ian Rankin



Finally read the first book in the Rebus series and I've got to say I was definitely not impressed. Firstly, I disliked Rebus intensely. He's a self-righteous judgmental ass. And definitely not all that bright. Does he improve later on?

I also found the reason for the killings and kidnappings a stretch. And again judgmental.

I found the constant reference to Rebus's religion annoying as hell, since he'd immediately turn around and do something he'd then term sinful.

I did love the descriptions of the city and the atmosphere was nicely noir.

Not at all sure I want to continue the series.

Hartley is of course the name of a leading brand of jam in the UK so perhaps your delightful great-granddaughter will be a musician in coming years.

Jean, I am slowly wending my way through the threads of my American friends to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving weekend. You obviously have plenty to celebrate and I'll raise my own glass to you from these tropical climes.

Thanks Paul! I hope your holidays are magical.

89. Sandman Slim - Richard Kadrey


A young man who can do real magic, is sent down to hell by the members of his circle. He survives (alive) for 10 years and figures out a way to escape. His arrival back on Earth is focused on revenge - on those who sent him to hell, and murdered his girlfriend.

I found the book a bit hard to get into at first, but once I got over the whole, 'god' 'the devil' 'hell' 'angel' and 'heaven' thing, I found it intriguing. Especially once the worlds began to coalesce and you saw that those words, while common, are used for quite different things than you assume.

Fast paced, noir, brutal at times, the main character is hard to like. But he grows and evolves and more importantly grows up.

I'll certainly be continuing this series.

90. Hide and Seek - Ian Rankin


Marginally better than the first book of the series, the author seems to still be attempting to define Rebus, and currently using most of the usual tropes to do so.

The mystery was all over the place, with Rebus chasing shadows rather than bothering to think things through.

Character development is minimal.

The Rebus series sounds like something I will skip!

November Round Up:

I'm not going to finish the book I'm reading currently so here's the monthly totals and breakouts:

Heavy on the Lads this month: 6 vs only 1 by a lady.

The Yard - Alex Grecian - ROOT, Audio, 13 in 13
Knots and Crosses- Ian Rankin - TIOLI 6, AlphaCAT, Audio, 13 in 13
Sandman Slim - Richard Kadrey ROOT, AlphaCAT, 13 in 13
Ratking - Michael Dibdin - ROOT, 13 in 13
Can You Forgive Her? - Anthony Trollope - TIOLI 2, Group Read, 13 in 13
Hide and Seek - Ian Rankin - 13 in 13

God Save the Queen - Kate Locke - TIOLI 4, ROOT, AlphaCAT, 13 in 13

So that's 4 ROOTS, with one that I can't honestly count because I'm sure I'll re-read the Pallisers again some time.

1 historical, 4 mystery, 1 steampunk, 1 urban fantasy.

Biggest disappointment: Knots and Crosses. It was horrible and I didn't want to finish it, but I did. Then because folks kept saying not to judge the series on that book, I jumped right into the second of the series Hide and Seek. It was better. Nothing to write home about, I'm afraid, but better. I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series.

Most enjoyable: The Yard which was very reminiscent of The Alienist . Just up my street, those two.

I'm currently about halfway through a second steampunk, Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine but won't get it done by midnight.

I think I did pretty good since I also wrote north of 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo.

91. The Man With a Load of Mischief - Martha Grimes

A many time re-read for me. Christmas in a fairytale town. With corpses.

92. The Fleet Street Murders - Charles Finch


More murder at Christmas time. Not as good as other Charles Lenox mysteries, primarily because after reading Trollope I know way too much about electioneering so found that part of the book rather annoying.

93. Phoenix Rising - Pip Ballantine


Steampunk. World building is very intriguing, and the characters are well drawn, but the book is badly in need of an editor!

94. A Drink Before the War - Dennis Lehane

Excellent noir, gritty mystery set in Boston. The characterization is excellent. Will definitely read more of this series.

95. Zoo Station - David Downing


John Russell is an English reporter living in Germany as Hitler rises to power. He observes the signs but like his neighbors closes his eyes to the worst of things. Until he finds himself drawn in and recruited for spy duty.

Very reminiscent of Alan Furst. Interesting viewpoint with lots of detail regarding the times in Germany.

96. Jar City - Arnuldur Indidason


First of the Erlindur series, police procedural set in Iceland. Interesting setting, and quite noir.

97. Blackcollar - Timopthy Zahn

First of the Blackcollar series, science fiction. Aliens have conquered Earth and its planets and the novel depicts the beginnings of the first successful terrorist action against the by Earthers. Very fast paced and enjoyable.

98. On the Oceans of Eternity - S.M. Stirling

The last book of the Nantucket Event trilogy. The island of Nantucket has been somehow transported to the far distant past. The trilogy depicts how the people there adapted and how they've changed Earth's history as a result. Complex plot, with interesting technological aspects as to how the bronze age would change if someone showed up with modern ideas, if not the most modern of weapons.

99. The Cruellest Month - Louise Penny

Third in the Gamache mystery series, Gamache once again finds himself in Three Pines with a murder to solve. The town is as ever interesting, the inhabitants intriguing. Gamache finally begins to see the plot against him in the Quebec police forces.

100. London Falling - Paul Cornell

Very noir, gritty and scary urban fantasy with a police procedural setup. Four London Police officers, involved in a rather mundane longterm operation against a drug dealer, suddenly find themselves with the Sight, and no longer chasing a drug dealer, but rather someone not merely ugly, but evil, and supernatural as well. What a great read!

And I can't quite believe I've read 100 books, having never come close to this many in one year before!

Congrats on 100 books read, Jean! You have enticed me with London Falling. I seem to be gravitating towards stories with supernatural elements these days.

Well done Jean in passing the 100 mark!

Have a wonderful weekend. Mine is starting already as Friday wanes here slowly towards its slumbers.

Happy Solstice!
Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season, whatever you celebrate.

Congratulations on passing your previous yearly reading accomplishments. Don't we just love this group where each of us can be joyful in our favorite pass time. And I am looking forward to following you next year also. You have an interesting catalog of books read; and I think I may find some BBs in there next year. Happy New Year as well as a very Happy Solstice. I don't know about you, but I love the fact that the day light hours are increasing and the nighttime darkness is lessening.

To my own personal Santa! Have a wonderful festive season, Jean. xx

Thanks Karen and Paul!

I received some great books this year:

From the XMas Swap: (thanks qebo!)

Among Others
Ready Player One
To Say Nothing of the Dog

From SantaThing: (thanks thornton3781 !)
A Lesson in Dying
Mr Timothy
Belshazzar's Daughter
Iron House

I'm so excited about reading every one of them!

101. Teckla - Steven Brust
Book 3 of Vlad Taltos, the assassins story. Brust as his usual funny, sardonic self, with Vlad and his familiar getting into a mess and stepping into an uprising against the regime.

I do love these books.

102. Quite Ugly One Morning - Christopher Brookmyre

Tartan noir. Pain in the ass newspaper reporter on the trail of a murderer. With lots of jaw-droppingly gross scenes yet darkly amusing. I'll be continuing this series. Sigh. Not like I'm involved in enough of them already...

103. Rest You Merry - Charlotte MacLeod
A fusty professor finds a dead body in his living room. And a missing marble. Thus begins his quest to find a killer. Enjoyable if not amazingly so. Still quite a nice cozy.

That concludes 2013 for me! See you on my 2014 thread:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/162714

December Stats:

Wow, I got a lot of reading done in December:

103. Rest You Merry - Charlotte MacLeod
102. Quite Ugly One Morning - Christopher Brookmyre
101. Teckla - Steven Brust
100. London Falling - Paul Cornell
99. The Cruellest Month - Louise Penny
98. On the Oceans of Eternity - S.M. Stirling
97. Blackcollar - Timothy Zahn
96. Jar City - Arnaldur Indridason
95. Zoo Station - David Downing
94. A Drink Before the War - Dennis Lehane
93. Phoenix Rising - Pip Ballantine
92. The Fleet Street Murders - Charles Finch
91. The Man With a Load of Mischief - Martha Grimes

4 female authors, 9 males (darn, I prefer keeping that more balanced)

6 audiobooks, 7 ebooks, 2872 pages

6 mysteries, 3 thrillers (one Scottish NOIR!), 1 sci fi, 1 steampunk, 1 fantasy, 1 alt history.

A fairly good mix for me.

I still can't believe I read 103 books over the year. Yay me!

Yay you!

103 books is impressive and December was even more so!

Fantastic! What were your top reads of the year?

#82 by @karspeak> I had such a great year of reading it's hard for me to limit to a few books that really got to me but here are several that really stick:

London Falling great horror
Cold Granite tartan noir
the entire Wars of Light and Shadow series by Janny Wurts
The Various Haunts of Men - oddly gothic for a modern murder mystery
The Rook hilarious and with a great female protagonist
Blackbirds another impressive female protagonist although far darker

Yay for You! Happy New Year and here's hoping for an excellent year for reading.

Thanks!! I will give The Rook a try, looks very fun!