Kriti's (kgodey) 2014 reads (#2)

Hi I'm Kriti, and this is my fourth year in this group. Reading 75 books in a year isn't really a challenge for me, but I enjoy the community of this group, so I track my reading here. I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy.

My reading goals for this year are:
- Read at least 100 books.
- Read more diversely.

My book review blog is Just a World Away.
My 2014 Category Challenge thread is here.

50 BOMBs Challenge

This is a challenge I came up with on Feb 16, 2014 – I'm listing 50 books that I own but haven't read yet – some are very new, some are old. I'd like to read them all by the end of the year. I'll cross off items as I read them.

Speculative Fiction
1. Red Country by Joe Abercrombie
2. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
3. Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl by David Barnett
4. Last God Standing by Michael Boatman
5. World War Z by Max Brooks
6. The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
7. Wild Seed by Octavia Butler
8. A Darkling Sea by James L. Cambias
9. The Red Knight by Miles Cameron
10. Spellbound by Blake Charlton
11. Unwrapped Sky by Rjurik Davidson
12. So You Want to Be a Wizard? by Diane Duane
13. Infoquake by David Louis Edelman
14. The Magician King by Lev Grossman
15. Parasite by Mira Grant
16. Wolfhound Century by Peter Higgins
17. Among Thieves by Douglas Hulick
18. The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
19. Fade to Black by Francis Knight
20. The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty
21. Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord
22. Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
23. The Night Sessions by Ken MacLeod
24. The Dervish House by Ian McDonald
25. Desolation Road by Ian McDonald
26. He, She and It by Marge Piercey
27. Declare by Tim Powers
28. The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi
29. Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
30. Tome of the Undergates by Sam Sykes

Non-Speculative Fiction
31. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
32. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
33. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
34. The Ice Limit by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
35. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

Graphic Novels
36. Fables, Vol 1. by Bill Willingham
37. Fables, Vol 2. by Bill Willingham
38. Y The Last Man, Vol 1. by Brian K. Vaughn
39. Preacher, Vol 1. by Garth Ennis
40. Klingons: Blood Will Tell (Star Trek)

Non-Fiction
41. In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta Ahmed
42. Notes from a Big Country by Bill Bryson
43. Seeing Further, edited by Bill Bryson
44. How to Build An Android by David F. Dufty
45. The Black Count by Tom Reiss
46. Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
47. The Difference Engine by Doron Swade
48. The Secret History of the Mongol Queens by Jack Weatherford
49. Mapmakers by John Noble Wilford
50. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

I'm doing both the Random House bingo challenges this year, but I'm omitting the "YA" requirement for the YA challenge. This is just for fun – I don't want to take it too seriously.



More than 500 pages: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Forgotten Classic:
Book that became a movie: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Published this year: The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley
Number in the title: The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente
Written by someone under 30:
Book with non-human characters: Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
Funny Book:
Female Author: Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
Book with a mystery: Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold
One-Word Title: Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold
Book of short stories:
Set on a different continent: Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
Non-Fiction: Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson
First book by a favourite author:
Heard about online: Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
Best-selling book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Based on a true story: The Black Count by Tom Reiss
Book at the bottom of TBR pile: Burning Paradise by Robert Charles Wilson
Book my friend loves:
Book that scares me: The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey
More than 10 years old: City of Bones by Martha Wells
Second book in a series: Honor's Knight by Rachel Bach
Blue cover: Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks

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Book with female heroine: The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty
Book set in a high school:
Last of a trilogy: Steles of the Sky by Elizabeth Bear
Book with a colour in the title:
First book in series: Fortune's Pawn by Rachel Bach
Book set in the future: Miles, Mystery and Mayhem by Lois McMaster Bujold
Book with a break-up: Ghost Train to New Orleans by Mur Lafferty
Book without a love triangle: Expiration Day by William Campbell Powell
Book that became a movie: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Book set in Paris:
Book set in the past:
Book with magic: Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey
Book set in summer:
Book with a dragon: So You Want To Be A Wizard? by Diane Duane
Book that made you cry: Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold
Graphic novel:
Book based on a myth:
Classic YA:
Book with a Lion, Witch or Wardrobe: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Book with an incredible fight scene: Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
Book heard about online:
Book set in another world: Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
Book with epic love story:
Book with music:

JANUARY 2014
1. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks (Jan 2, 467 pages)
2. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal (Jan 4, 302 pages)
3. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (Jan 7, 596 pages)
4. The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente (Jan 7, 248 pages)
5. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (Jan 9, 1007 pages)
6. Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold (Jan 11, 307 pages)
7. Burning Paradise by Robert Charles Wilson (Jan 11, 317 pages)
8. City of Bones by Martha Wells (Jan 12, 383 pages)
9. Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold (Jan 15, 311 pages)
10. Miles, Mystery and Mayhem by Lois McMaster Bujold (Jan 16, 418 pages)
11. Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold (Jan 16, 338 pages)
12. Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold (Jan 17, 392 pages)
13. Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold (Jan 17, 345 pages)
14. Young Miles by Lois McMaster Bujold (Jan 29, 520 pages)
15. Miles in Love by Lois McMaster Bujold (Jan 31, 862 pages)

Statistics
Books read: 15
Pages read: 6,813

Uncounted books:
* Foxy by Emma Dodd (Jan 7, 40 pages)
* Foxy in Love by Emma Dodd (Jan 10, 40 pages)

FEBRUARY 2014
16. Honor's Knight by Rachel Bach (Feb 1, 358 pages)
17. Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold (Feb 1, 307 pages)
18. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold (Feb 2, 422 pages)
19. Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold (Feb 3, 339 pages)
20. The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley (Feb 13, 462 pages)
21. Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey (Feb 14, 320 pages)
22. Expiration Day by William Campbell Powell (Feb 16, 330 pages)
23. The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks (Feb 25, 309 pages)
24. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson (Feb 26, 1087 pages)

Statistics
Books read: 9
Pages read: 3,934

MARCH 2014

25. A Darkling Sea by James L. Cambias (March 8, 351 pages)
26. So You Want To Be A Wizard? by Diane Duane (March 9, 370 pages)
27. Dreamweaver's Dilemma by Lois McMaster Bujold, Suford Lewis and Lillian S. Carl (March 18, 250 pages)
28. The Black Count by Tom Reiss (March 23, 326 pages)
29. The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty (Mar 29, 338 pages)
30. Ghost Train to New Orleans by Mur Lafferty (Mar 29, 319 pages)
31. Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson (Mar 30, 279 pages)

Statistics
Books read: 7
Pages read: 2,233

APRIL 2014

32. Steles of the Sky by Elizabeth Bear (Apr 6, 429 pages)
33. Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan (Apr 6, 545 pages)
34. The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan (Apr 8, 593 pages)

JUNE 2014

35. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (??)
36. The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey (Jun 28)

JULY 2014

37. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (Jul 13)

AUGUST 2014

38. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Aug 3)
39. Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Aug 12)
40. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Aug 12)
41. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (Aug 17)
42. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (Aug 17)
43. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (Aug 20)
44. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (Aug 23)
45. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Aug 24)
46. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (Aug 25)
47. Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling (Aug 27)
48. Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson (Aug 27)
49. Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson (Aug 29)
50. Jumper by Steven Gould (Aug 30)

SEPTEMBER 2014

51. New Spring by Robert Jordan (Sep 1)
52. The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Sep 4)
53. The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan (Sep 6)
54. The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (Sep 7)
55. The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan (Sep 8)
56. The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan (Sep ?)
57. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan (Sep 13)
58. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (Sep 16)
59. Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan (Sep 19)

OCTOBER 2014

60. Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan
61. Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan
62. Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan
63. The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
64. Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
65. A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
66. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
67. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
68. The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
69. Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
70. The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
71. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
72. The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
73. Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
74. Shadows Beneath (anthology)
75. Legion by Brandon Sanderson

NOVEMBER 2014

76. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
77. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
78. Firstborn & Defending Elysium by Brandon Sanderson
79. The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
80. Reflex by Steven Gould
81. Impulse by Steven Gould
82. Exo by Steven Gould
83. Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb
84. Legion: Skin Deep by Brandon Sanderson
85. Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
86. Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
87. Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb
88. Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb
89. Golden Fool by Robin Hobb
90. Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb

DECEMBER 2014

91. The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb
92. Rogues edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
93. Epic edited by John Joseph Adams
94. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
95. Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan
96. The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein
97. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
98. Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey
99. Portable Childhoods by Ellen Klages
100. Saints Astray by Jacqueline Carey
101. The Just City by Jo Walton
102. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

I'll have you know that I've read across six of my categories, so far, Andrew.

Haha. I know! It's just that you've already (over)filled your SciFi quota by 260%! But the year is long and you read so damn fast. I have no doubt that you will succeed in your category challenge.

Also, re: the Foundation books. I'm gonna read those this year, I think. I was just trying to decide whether to read 'em chronologically or in the order that they were published. But it looks like Asimov suggested that people actually read them in chronological order. This isn't what I would normally do, but it seems silly to argue with the other...

Happy new thread, Kriti!

Happy New Thread!!

So close to getting Bingo on your card!!!

Hi Kriti! :)

Happy new thread and Sunday!

@andrewreads: Andrew, I hope so! The Vorkosigan series was pretty long, so if I hadn't read those, I think I would've had a more balanced year so far.

I didn't know that Asimov recommended chronological order; I think I would just start with Foundation because it's the classic. Let me know when you plan to read it; I'll try to read it around then too.

@wilkiec, @scaifea, @RosyLibrarian, @Ape,: Diana, Amber, and Marie, thanks! Stephen, hi!

@dk_phoenix: Faith, I decided I was doing so well with my regular bingo that I'd add the YA bingo too (except without the "YA" requirement; I don't read that much YA). I've updated the bingo post to reflect that.

I found this list that LT created in honour of Valentine's Day – Favorite Literary Love Stories. I wanted to contribute but it took me a while to figure out what mine were – apparently I don't pay that much attention to romance in books/there isn't that much good romance in books. Anyway, I came up with:

1. Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey – The whole trilogy, actually. Phedre and Joscelin go through far too much together.
2. The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord – I wish more romances were like this one.This was marketed as sci-fi, not romance, though.
3. A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold – This is the one where Miles "gets the girl", but it wouldn't be such an effective romance if we hadn't seen Miles grow up considerably in the many books before this one.
4. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold – I don't think this one would've been as effective without seeing how Cordelia and Aral's relationship lasts/evolves over the years in the Miles books afterwards.
5. The Princess Bride by William Goldman – This may be influenced by my swooning over Cary Elwes in the movie.
6. Stardust by Neil Gaiman – I'm not sure this should be on the list since it's very fairytale-like but it always warms my heart, so there you go.

Interesting list! Wish I had the time to make one od those. Maybe this coming week. :) Anywys, happy new thread. I'm looking forward to seeing what else you read.

My impromptu list would probably contain (in no particular order):-
1. Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë
2. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel García Márquez

In Fantasy worlds, I guess Fitzchivalry would make the list.

I am sure it is easy to see longevity being the theme of my list; there isn't much to differentiate between love and infatuation in short term.

#26: Interesting list! For me, longevity definitely plays a role, but I think plausibility is more compelling. Too many books portray romance as wish-fulfillment/reward, and makes it look easy. In my opinion, romance is indeed deeply rewarding, but a good one is in no way easy – it's really hard work. So even if the romance isn't shown weathering the test of time, if the actual falling in love takes a lot of time and effort (as in The Best of All Possible Worlds), I like it a lot. (This doesn't apply to Stardust and The Princess Bride – those are just well done for their genre).

I actually thought long and hard about Robin Hobb, because I love her characterisation, but I think Fitz is too melancholy to make this list. His relationship with Molly ended up feeling like wish-fulfillment, which Fitz totally deserves after his life, but I didn't think Molly was fleshed out enough for it to make my list. However, if Fitz and the Fool end up together after this upcoming series comes out, that might be a different story :)

Congrats on the new thread! Loved looking over your BOMBS challenge. Enjoyed reading Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Looking forward to hearing what you think!

#28: Thanks, Marianne! I am looking forward to reading it too – I don't know anything about it, but one of the women working at the Friends of the Library sale last year recommended it to me.

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I got to meet Avery Brooks today! And he put his arm around me!

Great picture, Kriti!

I still have a picture that I had taken (more years ago than I care to admit!) with Ron Perlman, who at that time was starring in the Beauty & the Beast television series, which I loved.

>29 kgodey:: Ahhhhh! Living in Oberlin sure does have its perks.

>29 kgodey:: Wow, how cool is that!?

#30: Thanks, Stasia! I love Ron Perlman, I last saw him in Pacific Rim. That sounds like a fun picture!

#31: Yup :D He's such an Obie, too.

#32: It was pretty awesome, Amber. He was really nice.

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Our local general store is also a used bookstore, and I stopped by to pick up some contact lens solution today, and of course, ended up walking out with a bag full of books. My haul:

1. Burning Chrome by William Gibson – a book of short stories, including several set in the Sprawl world of Neuromancer fame. It starts off with Johnny Mnemonic – I knew that was a movie, but I didn't realise it was based on a Gibson short story set in the Sprawl world. Molly Millions from Neuromancer is in it, too!

2. Logan's Run by William F. Nolan - another sci-fi movie that I didn't entirely realise was originally a book. I'm excited to read it, though.

3. Redwall by Brian Jacques - this seems to be a series that many people read as children, but I never did. It sounds like a cozy read for sometime I need to unwind, though.

4. Magic's Pawn by Mercedes Lackey - this is book 1 of another Valdemar series, and I figured I would eventually want it since I liked Arrows of the Queen so much. Vanyel was referred to a lot in Arrows of the Queen and I am curious about his story.

5. Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold – okay, I've already read Cetaganda in my Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem omnibus, but this was a really interesting edition – it was the size and shape of a mass market paperback, but it was hardcover (but priced like a cheap paperback!). I think the Vorkosigan series is one of my all time favourite reads and will continue to be so forever, so I don't mind collecting editions.

The Redwall series was definitely my first favorite fantasy-style series. I read it mostly in 4th and 5th grade, though... I wonder how well it ages. I look forward to reading your review! I imagine it'd only take you ~2 or 3 hours to get through that. (Hot tip: I seem to remember lots and lots of food-related descriptions that always made me hungry, so maybe don't read on an empty stomach.)

I read Lord Brocktree when I was in middle school (I believe) and liked it quite a bit! :)

>33 kgodey:: Oooh, I just read Redwall for the first time last year and really liked it!

Also, "Run, Runner!" Love it. (The movie, that is - I've not read the book.)

Magic's Pawn was my favorite Mercedes book. :) I hope you like it!

#34: Yeah, I expect it will take me ~2 hours, that's my average time for a 300-400 page book. My favourite thing about the books I read as a kid was always the descriptions of food (there were always picnics and midnight feasts and farmhouse dinners), that's probably why I love reading while I eat so much.

#35: Good to know, Stephen!

#36: Yay, Amber, good to know that Redwall is fun as an adult, too. And yeah, Logan's Run is great.

#37: Hi Melissa! I was really intrigued by Vanyel in Arrows of the Queen – it's great that his book is good!

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I finally read my Culture book that I allotted to February, The Player of Games. I enjoyed this one more than Consider Phlebas, although this isn't really a happy book, either. It was great to see more varied drone characters, and I enjoyed that we get to see the world through a Culture citizen's eyes. I thought it was very interesting how the Culture is a post-scarcity egalitarian society, but there are still those who feel stifled by the lack of stakes.

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Also, I'm pretty sure I'm getting my advance copy of Words of Radiance today! I haven't been this excited about a book ever since A Memory of Light came out. Okay, maybe a little bit for Republic of Thieves, but not this much.

Advance copy, huh? Guess, I will have to stay away from your thread, lest you drop spoilers!

Avery Brooks! Hooray! Looking good! (You, I mean!)

#39: Don't worry, Piyush, I'm not a spoilsport.

#40: Thanks, Marianne!

So excited!

Ah! Excited for you. I'm personally waiting for it on audio. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say about it.

#43: I think it comes out on audio next week, too?

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Well, I finished it – Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. I'm still processing so I don't have much to say right now, but wow, 8 hours of straight reading can be tiring. I've never done that after a workday before.

Hi, I stopped by to see your thread and your reading tastes. You read a great deal faster than I do but I like many of your books. I just re-read Redwall for my Face-to-Face (FTF) book group and loved it again. I hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by my thread and wishing me good luck with my curry adventures!

44 > must have been good! I'm off to see if my library has ordered the audiobook. I would thing so if it comes out next week. Thanks for the tip :)

I don't think I have done 8 hours of reading after a workday either, must be a special book. Wait! Don't answer that! I can't read it for another month, and I don't want to know how awesome it is!

42/44: Ha! I was going to make a joke about you finishing it in 'no time,' but...ummm, well, I see you finished it. *ahem*

#45: Thanks for stopping by, Karen! I am looking forward to reading Redwall, so many people seem to love it.

#46: Hopefully you're in the midst of reading it, Melissa.

#47: Well, I was looking forward to it for over a year, so I kind of expected to spend the whole night reading; I even ordered pizza instead of cooking dinner. I won't tell you anything about it, but I have a spoiler-free review up on my blog.

#48: Yeah, I like doorstops, they last me multiple reading sessions, sometimes. :D

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I haven't been reading much over the past couple of weeks, I think that 8 hour sprint kind of knocked me out. I also don't think I should've made that huge list of books that I need to read this year (in Post 2 of this thread); whenever I plan my reading, I end up not reading.

Yeah, I'm way overambitious when it comes to planning my reading and then end up getting discouraged. Sorry you haven't been reading! :(

My first book of March is A Darkling Sea by James L. Cambias. A human research team is studying a primitive sentient species that lives deep underwater. but they can't actually make contact because they have to abide by a treaty they signed with a more powerful species. When a human scientist breaks the rules and gets himself killed, tensions erupt. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding of this book, but it was a little light on plots, and the characters were not really fleshed out. It was a fun, quick read, though.

*lurk*

#52: Hi, Roni!

Today is a two-book kind of night. I read So You Want To Be A Wizard? by Diane Duane, one of my 2013 SantaThing books. I liked it a lot, although I caught myself skimming some of the action scenes. I like the idea of teaching yourself magic from a book and building a wizarding society based on that, and Nita and Kit were great protagonists.

I like that series a lot myself. This first book was really a change of pace back in the day.

Hi Kriti! My first visit round these parts for a while, and gosh, haven't you been busy?! I envy you getting stuck into the Vorksagian series - as far as I can tell they've never been published in the UK, so I have to order them second hand via Amazon and then wait weeks for them to arrive. I've read Warrior's Apprentice but stopped there. I guess I could just splurge and buy a load at once so I can race through them like you did (something tells me it's just that kind of series). Also Redwall! Wow! That is a blast from the past! I read that as a kid and seemed to remember loving it, although I'd struggle to recall any details of it now! Lots of yummy sounding food is ringing a very distant bell though. I too will be interested to hear how you get on with it. Perhaps I'll attempt a re-read at some point if you enjoy it. (no pressure or anything! ; ))

#55: Yeah, I need to get the next couple of books, although it's not a huge priority.

#56: Hi Hannah! I actually haven't been getting that much reading in this month; I'm still trying to find a good balance between work and life. I highly recommend the Vorkosigan series; I'm already looking forward to rereading them. They're definitely worth a splurge. I'm not sure when I'll get to Redwall, but sometimes I'm in the mood for some light reading.

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I finally read another book.... Dreamweaver's Dilemma by Lois McMaster Bujold and Suford Lewis. It's a collection of short stories (including the title story in the Vorkosigan universe, but centuries before even Falling Free), essays, a long interview and some other Vorkosigan-related materials.

The Black Count is a biography of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, the father of the famous novelist Alexandre Dumas and the inspiration for many of his stories, particularly The Count of Monte Cristo. He was the son of a French nobleman and an African slave, and a martial hero, rising from private to general-in-chief of an army in only a few years. His story rivals the ones in his sons' books, including a shipwreck, foreign dungeons and suspected poisoning, before being almost forgotten because of France's renewed racism/Napolean's personal ire. I really enjoyed this book; I learned a lot about France's colonial history as well.

Thanks for the review! The Black Count is on my wish list at the local library. Waiting for my turn to come up. Glad you enjoyed it!

#59: Thanks, Marianne! I can't wait to see what you think of it; I think you'll enjoy it.

Book Bullet!

#61: Glad to hear it, Melissa :P

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I'm currently reading Notes from a Big Country by Bill Bryson, which is a collection of unrelated short (4-5 page) essays, so it's really hard to read straight through. I've also started Consider the Fork, which is a very interesting book about the history of food told from the perspective of the evolution of cooking and eating tools.

I'm on a bit of a non-fiction kick at the moment, but I'm starting to miss fiction already. Non-fiction doesn't give me the same urge to finish the book in one sitting, though, so it's easier to read for just half an hour here and there.

I recently checked out Bryson's newest one, One Summer, on audio and stuck it on my ipod. I can't wait to get round to listening to it - love him.

#63: Yeah, I really enjoy his writing too, Amber. I haven't read a lot by him – A Short History of Nearly Everything is great, though.

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I read these two books last night: The Shambling Guide to New York City and the sequel, Ghost Train to New Orleans. Zoë Norris needs a job, so when she sees an ad for managing editor of a new travel publishing company, she jumps at the chance. However, her new job is anything but normal – her coworkers AND her book's target audience aren't human. She's thrust into a world of zombies, vampires, spirits and more, where just being a plain old human means you're lunch.

Each of these books covers the writing of one travel book. I enjoyed them a lot – I don't often like urban fantasy, but I really love the world of these books. Zoë can be an annoying protagonist at times, but she's likable.

I just finished Consider the Fork, which I've been reading in bits and pieces over the last few days. It's kind of a history of cooking tools, equipments and techniques, but also talks about how this evolution shaped what we eat. It's divided into eight chapters, each focusing on one particular class of tools (like pots and pans, measuring tools, grinding tools, cutlery) and how they changed from the Stone Age to present day. I liked how it made sure to include non-Western tools and practices as well.

The author writes in a conversational style, which I enjoyed, but it means that there wasn't a lot of narrative flow to the book as a whole. It was like a series of interesting conversations with occasional information being repeated in multiple places.

That one sounds very interesting! I'll have to check my library's catalog for it later.

>66 Ape:: It was! I'm interested to see what you think of it.

I'm afraid my library doesn't have a copy. :(

#68: Oh :( I'm not sure how much you want to read it, but maybe interlibrary loan is an option?
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I just finished Steles of the Sky by Elizabeth Bear – the final book in the Eternal Sky trilogy. I like this series a lot, it's set in an analogue of Central Asia and has very non-traditional fantasy characters (almost no white people, many different kinds of women). It's written in a very epic way, but never skimps on the character development. The final book concluded the series very well.

FREE BOOKS! (and some self-promotion)

I got to interview author Marie Brennan, and Tor has given me two packs of her excellent A Natural History of Dragons and The Tropic of Serpents to give away! Read the interview and enter the giveaway here!

These were two of my favourite books from last year, and I highly recommend them. (The Tropic of Serpents is just out; I got an early ARC). The premise: Victorian-type memoirs about a woman who defies the conventions of her society to become a leading dragon naturalist with sharp prose, very real characters and a fascinating world. You can read my reviews of them here.

>70 kgodey: Awesome! I have to admit I added those books to my TBR list because her name was also Marie and I liked the cover, but now I really want to read them! What a cool opportunity. :)

Done!

Btw, the Bear trilogy has come onto my reading horizon with the publication of this last book--I never heard of the first two despite the fact that I have read a number of her works.

#71: Go ahead and enter, Marie! :)

#72: Thanks Roni! I hope that I can also shove the books from your wishlist to your TBR pile :)

Do read the Bear trilogy; her characters and world are incredible. I particularly enjoyed this "Big Idea" post where she talks about the inspiration for Steles of the Sky: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2014/04/08/the-big-idea-elizabeth-bear-2/

Kriti! Have you read much Stephen R. Donaldson?

>74 andrewreads: I read Lord Foul's Bane but I really did not like the protagonist, he rapes someone pretty early on in the book, and in general he was self-loathing and unpleasant. I've heard a lot of good things about the series, though – people praise the extreme that the "unwilling fantasy hero" thing is taken to.

>75 kgodey:. Yeah, then I'd recommend you stay clear of his Gap Cycle, then...

I only asked because I just started reading The Mirror of Her Dreams. So far, it's not bad. But I've only read ~120 pages... Thankfully, this is just a two book series, so even if it's kinda meh it should be pretty quick.

Whats up, Ms. Godey?

>76 scaifea: Hi Amber! I'm not really in a hurry to read any of his books soon; although maybe I will in a decade or so when my perspectives on stuff may have changed.

>77 andrewreads: I'm interested in seeing what you think, Andrew. I don't really know much about his non-Thomas Covenant books.

>78 PiyushC: Hi Piyush! Not much is up these days, I'm going through a bit of a reading lull. I'm backed up on reviews on my blog and I'm also sitting on an author interview I need to publish, and I can't find the motivation :( I did read half of Heaven's Queen by Rachel Bach and didn't really care about finishing it, and I also finished Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn but wasn't really drawn into it even though I usually like her work.

>79 kgodey: I can totally empathise with your writing lull. I have taken to writing reviews after a gap of a month and a half and I know for a fact that the first two I wrote since then were horrible. I still have quite a backlog of April reviews (despite skipping reviewing all of my March reads), since I have been doing quite well with my reading this month.

Likely very soon, I would start reviewing only those books about which I really have something to say, that should help with, time, quality, motivation, everything, I guess, I hope.

>80 PiyushC: Yeah, my reviews get pretty bad after short lulls. :( I get so many free books from publishers that I feel like I really need to be stepping up my game, but that only makes the pressure go up / motivation go down. I've been back to working full time since January, and I really enjoy my work, but it kind of sucks all my brain power out so I just want to zone out in my time off.

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I just randomly picked my giveaway winners for the two Marie Brennan books and they happened to be the two LT members that entered (that I know were LT members, anyway). :)

I just posted another interview/giveaway on my blog, this time with Mur Lafferty, author of the Shambling Guides books – The Shambling Guide to New York City and Ghost Train to New Orleans. I loved these books when I read them earlier this year, but haven't gotten around to writing a review yet.

Here's the link to the interview/giveaway post: http://justaworldaway.com/2014/04/24/interview-with-author-mur-lafferty-giveaway...

Just popping in to enjoy your various reviews (I also enjoyed Consider the Fork) and to wish you a Happy Friday!!

The Lady Trent books arrived today!

And mine arrived today! They are simply beautiful!!

Hope all is well there. We haven't seen you here for a week.

I already sent you an email, but wanted to put on your thread that the Shambling Guides from Mur Lafferty arrived today. I've had these (or at least the first one) on my Wishlist for a long time. I was listening to her podcasts many years ago, when Escape Pod first started up. Her Heaven/Hell series is really good, as is her superhero novel called Playing for Keeps.

Kriti, you've disappeared from both here and your blog for the last month and we are worrying about you. Please check in!

Hello everyone! I'm sorry for disappearing; I'm all right, although I haven't read anything for more than a month (this happened to me in April/May the last couple of years too, not sure why – maybe I set too many reading goals for myself early in the year and get overwhelmed after the initial burst of enthusiasm?) I've been pretty busy with work, and I was also sick a couple of times – a recurrence of the migraine, and a never-before-seen eye allergy.

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@michigantrumpet Marianne, thanks for stopping by! Sorry for the delayed reply.

@drneutron, @ronincats: Jim and Roni, I'm glad you received the Lady Trent books! I hope you enjoy / have enjoyed them.

@mahsdad Jeff, I'm also glad you got the Shambling Guides! I haven't read any of Mur Lafferty's other work, I really want to check them out, though.

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I'm currently pretty excited about reading THE EXPANSE series by James S.A. Corey (starting with Leviathan Wakes – I've heard really good things about it. Has anyone else read it?

No, but I do have Leviathan Wakes on my tbr shelves, so I'll be interested in your opinion.

I just started Leviathan Wakes yesterday!

Welcome back Kriti! I have those type of months too.

Welcome back Ms. K! You would be pleased to hear, I (finally) read Words of Radiance this month!

>89 ronincats: I got sidetracked by a reread of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which I haven't read in probably 7 years. I forgot how fun the first book was. I'm not done with the reread yet, though.

>90 norabelle414: I'm looking forward to see what you think, Nora!

>91 michigantrumpet: Thanks Marianne!

>92 PiyushC: Thanks Piyush! Now we just need the next book...

Also forgot to mention, I have another interview/giveaway up at my blog. I'm interviewing Brian McClellan, the author of the Powder Mage trilogy (and a student of Brandon Sanderson), and I'm giving away a copy of the first book, Promise of Blood.

Good interview, Kriti, and the series sounds interesting. I'm not going to enter, though, since I just recently won something.

>93 kgodey: Indeed we do! I think Stormlight Archives is one of Sanderson's most ambitious projects.

Hi, Kriti! Over on Ape's thread, we've been pondering the idea of a meetup in Columbus next weekend at a big book sale -- thought we'd mention it in hopes that you can make it! We haven't picked a definite time (or even day) yet, so let us know if there's something that will work for you!

Just stopping by to say hi, Kriti!

>97 foggidawn:: I hope the meetup went well, foggi! Sorry I was unable to make it.

>98 ronincats:: Hi Roni! I hope you're doing well!

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I'm back from a weeklong work trip to San Francisco. I also got to see a lot of friends, which was fun but very tiring. I'm glad to be back home.

   

I actually read two books in June – a reread of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (I failed to record the date of this read) and The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey on the plane ride back to Ohio on June 28. I enjoyed The Girl With All The Gifts, although it reminded me a lot of the video game The Last of Us.

Glad you had fun and are safely home. I'm doing very well, thank you!

I am not sure if you know, Legion: Skin Deep is expected to come out later this year.

>101 PiyushC: I actually have Legion: Skin Deep preordered! I'm hoping to get a numbered copy that matches the numbered copy of Legion. I also contributed to this IndieGoGo which is a pre-order for a book containing an "alternate universe" version of some chapters from The Way of Kings (an earlier concept for the book). I'm pretty excited about that one too.

   

I read Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (finally!) this weekend, and it was pretty good. I was not really in the mood for an action-packed book, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have, but it was still pretty good. I'm looking forward to the new SyFy series – they just cast Thomas Jane as Detective Miller, which is pretty awesome.

I also read about half of Three Princes by Ramona Wheeler before giving up – I'm not counting it as a read book, but I should probably talk about it a bit. It had pretty bad reviews, but I thought it was fun when I started reading it – it's set in an alternate history where the Egyptian empire led by Caesar and Cleopatra never fell. However, I quickly realised why it had gotten terrible reviews – the characters are all Mary Sues, every woman in it is only there to be an object of sexual attention and be gorgeously dressed and ready to sleep with the heroes (and the book is written by a woman!), there is far more attention paid to descriptions of opulence than characterization (seriously, even a pit stop in the desert after being kidnapped is mostly all about all the luxuries available in the tents and the beauty of the woman attending to the heroes). I couldn't stand it after a while.

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In other news, I've been re-watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I always don't feel the need to read as much when I'm binging on a TV show. Before that I was binge watching House of Cards, and some Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Joseph (my husband) and I are also working on buying the house we are currently renting – that's been taking up a lot of my time as well. So much paperwork!

Leviathan Wakes is in my tbr pile--I don't know from your reaction whether to move it up or not!

>104 ronincats: Roni, I think you should move it up! I was just in a weird mood when I read it, I think.

I haven't had a reading slump this bad in ...ever. I reread a couple of my childhood favourites recently though – The Secret Garden and Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and also A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (which I never read as a child).

Well, that's some good company, Kriti! I love all of those.

It's okay, I think sometimes we all are so obsessive about reading so much that we burn ourselves out on it. I've gone months without playing video games, and weeks at a time without listening to music, but for some reason I'm mortified if I go a day without reading.

Don't worry, I doubt your love for books has diminished, and everyone gets over those slumps eventually. So, it's okay, there's nothing to feel bad about. :)

*Hugs*

I see you are still waiting for the ER copy of Shattered as well. What a bummer to be so far behind publication date!

Thanks Roni and Stephen for the support!

>108 ronincats: I haven't read the other Iron Druid books yet, so I'm okay (although still miffed) about the wait for Shattered, but I'm really unhappy about having to wait so long for Fool's Assassin (from Robin Hobb's Fitz/Fool saga) – I actually cancelled my pre-order of it. I really want to read it, but I don't want to buy it now just in case it shows up.

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I have been doing a whole lot of rereading – I read the entire Harry Potter series over the past 1-2 weeks (for the first time in seven years after being really obsessive about them as a teenager! I had a lot of odd feelings about that). I also reread The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and yesterday, I read Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson (probably my favourite of her work).

I know what you mean about Fool's Assassin. I ended up getting it from the library and have read it already but haven't put my review on the book yet because I'm still waiting. :( I'm still catching up on threads but it sounds like you've had a lull in reading (which sounds like it's gone if you read the Harry Potter series in two weeks! Wow :) ). I've had those too. Not often but when they do happen it sucks. Anyways, hope life is treating you well. :)

>110 Kassilem: Sorry to hear that you haven't received Fool's Assassin either, Melissa! I should get it out from the library, although I'm considering taking this opportunity to reread all the books. I've been on quite the reread kick lately.

My reading lull does appear to be over, which is awesome. I generally finish books in one sitting, so I read one Harry Potter book a day :)

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I reread Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson since my last post, but it didn't have quite the same magic as Journey to the River Sea. Then I read my first new book in forever, Jumper by Steven Gould, which was way different and way better than the movie. I liked that one a lot, I'm working on a full review for my blog. Tor didn't send me the second book, Reflex, but hopefully they'll do that soon – they did send me the third and fourth books in the series.

I also reread New Spring by Robert Jordan and have just started on The Eye of the World, so it looks like I'll be doing another Wheel of Time reread.

I hope you enjoy you'r reread of the Wheel of Time. I just did a reread of that series myself a year ago and enjoyed it.

>112 Kassilem: I'm in the middle of A Crown of Swords now. I keep intending to take a break and read some other book, but somehow I end up reading the next Wheel of Time book instead.

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As of today, I am now a homeowner! Here's a picture of our house – it's a three family, and we live on the first floor. We've been renting here for a year already, so luckily there's no moving necessary.

Oh, wow, congrats!!

>113 kgodey: Congratulations!

Congrats!

Congrats!

Awesome!! :)

Thanks Amber, Marie, Jim, Melissa, and Stephen!

Congrats!

Wow, scary and exciting at the same time! Congratulations!

Thanks Piyush and Roni!

I'm still mostly in reread mode – I finished the Wheel of Time (I just wanted to reread New Spring and ended up somehow reading the whole series), and I've reread the first two Mistborn books. The only new book I've read recently was Ancillary Sword, which was just as good as Ancillary Justice, even though it was a much smaller scale story.

*waving* at Kriti

Congratulations on being a homeowner!

>123 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia! Nice to see you around :)

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I've been back to rereading again – I've read all of Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere shared universe books, except for the two Stormlight Archive books (which I read a few months ago, so I don't want to reread them so soon). I'm only two books away from 75, which means I might still make my goal of 100 books this year.

Hurray! I'm super glad to hear you are enjoying books again. 100 books...good luck! I'm going to be pretty happy when I reach half that amount. ;)

I picked up Ancillary Sword last week on your recommendation. I did enjoy the first book.

>124 kgodey: Wow, I ended October at the count of 73 books as well! Though I have no illusion of reaching 100; somewhere around 85-90 is where I expect to end the year.

Hope you are enjoying being a house owner, no more holes in the walls! Or is it more holes? I forget!

>125 Ape: Thanks Stephen! I'm pretty excited too, although it's been mostly rereads.

>126 ronincats: I hope you enjoyed it, Roni! The pacing is pretty different from the first, but I liked it a lot.

>127 PiyushC: Hi Piyush! I actually hit 75 in October, I've only been updating the list on the top :( – the last two were pretty small books, though.

Being a homeowner is great (the holes in the wall don't change, but instead of calling your landlord you have to fix it yourself :P) but it's been a bunch of work so far – we bought a multi-unit house, so we've been cleaning up the third floor unit and furnishing it, and we've also cleaned up our basement and converted it into a neat and organised storage area (it was a huge transformation). We're almost done with all that, though.

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BOOK UPDATE:

I succumbed to rereading The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance again – I'm not sure if they should count for my 75 books, since I read them earlier this year, but whatever. I also reread his Firstborn & Defending Elysium and read Patrick Rothfuss' new novella The Slow Regard of Silent Things, which was pretty good.

I also read a couple of partial books – Thieftaker by D.B. Jackson, which I gave up on because the writing and characters were much too stiff/formal/boring, and White Sand by Brandon Sanderson (which is an early work and unpublished, but you can get it by emailing him) – this had a lot of potential but was severely in need of editing, so I decided I'd just wait for the graphic novel due out next year.

I'm currently in the middle of Reflex, the sequel to Jumper, which I'm enjoying.

>128 kgodey: I read Thieftaker too. It had so much promise and alas, you are right, very stiff and somewhat boring.

I'm waiting on The Slow Regard of Silent Things myself. I'm looking forward to it. Thieftaker is on my TBR. That's too bad that it's too stiff. And as to The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance, I loved those books. I'm looking forward to more from the series, even if it'll take a while between each book.

>130 Kassilem: I don't remember being bothered by stiffness/formality in Thieftaker, so your mileage may vary. :-)

>129 RosyLibrarian: Hi Marie! Yeah, I was really looking forward to it because of the setting, but I couldn't really connect with the characters at all.

>130 Kassilem: The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a strange book, but Auri is a strange character. I think you'll enjoy it. And I can't wait for the next Stormlight Archive book too! As for Thieftaker I didn't actually think it was a badly written or plotted book, the writing style just wasn't for me, although it seemed pretty historically accurate.

>131 foggidawn: Yeah, the Thieftaker series seems pretty popular (three books already out and a fourth on the way), so I think a lot of people weren't bothered by the things I was :)

>131 foggidawn: That's true. Everyone likes different things. :)

>132 kgodey: When I realized The Slow Regard of Silent Things wasn't the next book in Rothfuss's series I almost didn't want to read it. But then I decided that hey it was still Rothfuss. :)

Just popping by and chiming in with the congrats on the house buying front! I will get round to The Wheel of Time Series one of these days....

>133 Kassilem: Yeah, I can't wait for the third book either either. I'm currently reading the Rogues anthology, which apparently has all new story featuring Bast, so I'm pretty excited to get to it.

>134 HanGerg: Thanks Hannah!

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I've been updating my posts above, but reading update: I finished the Jumper series (they're all excellent, I highly recommend them0, then I read Fool's Assassin (I got tired of waiting for the ER copy I won) and that prompted me to reread all of the previous Six Duchies books so I read the original Farseer trilogy, the Tawny Man trilogy and The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince. I was originally also going reread the Liveship Traders trilogy and the Rain Wild Chronicles but I really just wanted more time with Fitz and the Fool.

I also read Legion: Skin Deep in ebook format – I just got the physical book today, but I got a free ebook of it on release day because I'd pre-ordered the book. It looks like there will be more in that series, some of the questions from the first book have not been answered yet.

I also read some of The Time Traveler's Almanac, which is an excellent anthology so far, but it's huge and I got a bit overwhelmed by the number of stories, so I'll get back to it at some point. I also read half of Steven Gould's Wildside, which I didn't connect with as much as the Jumper series, but I'll also get back to that.

I'm currently in the middle of the Rogues anthology, which I'm enjoying very much and will probably read straight through (it's not that big). I also really enjoyed the other Martin/Dozois anthology I read – Dangerous Women, so I should probably get a copy of their third anthology, Warriors, at some point.

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I'm pretty excited about SantaThing, as always. I picked out the books for my Santee, and I'm on the "picked" list too!

I've wanted to read Warriors, and tried to read Dangerous Women but I couldn't read it fast enough before I had to give it back. Someday I'll have to grab those again.

I never did get my copy of ER Fool's Assassin either! I love Fitz and the Fool! :/

I know what you're getting from your Santa. I know I know I know. Hahahaha! *Dances about Kriti's thread flaunting his hidden knowledge*

>136 Kassilem: Rogues is pretty good too! I especially loved the Bast story. Fool's Assassin was really good, if you can get your hands on a copy, you should! Although if you wait, you won't have to wait quite as long for Fool's Quest.

>137 Ape: Noooooooo, don't do that. It's taking all my willpower not to go into Private Browsing and look at my SantaThing page.

Hahaha, yeah, I'm having the same problem, but I'm determined to wait until Dec. 25th! I...must...resist...

>135 kgodey: I have started Legion: Skin Deep as well, am glad to hear there would be more in the series, the first one was just that good!

>139 Ape: I've successfully resisted so far!

>140 PiyushC: I like the Legion books a lot, but I like everything by Brandon Sanderson a lot!

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Book update: finished Rogues, also read Epic edited by John Joseph Adams, that was a pretty good anthology too, although I'd read some of the things in it before (it's not all original fiction like the Dozois/Martin anthologies). I also read The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman used to be one of my favourite authors, and I still like his books, but they don't seem special anymore.

I got an ARC of Voyage of the Basilisk, the third Lady Trent book yesterday, and I just finished it. It's not due to be published until the end of March, so I'm pretty excited that I got to read it now. I really like this series, and this one is just as good as the rest.

I'm also a third of the way into Galactic Empires, which is an anthology of novellas.

*lurking through*

Ahhhh I'm so jealous of Voyage of the Basilisk!!! I love those books.

>142 ronincats: Hi Roni!

>143 norabelle414: Yeah, I love the series!

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I couldn't resist the allure of my SantaThing books, and since we're not really doing anything for Christmas this year, I decided to not save the surprise until then. I was pretty thrilled with the selection this year – I got:

- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
- Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey
- Portable Childhoods by Ellen Klages
- Pastwatch by Orson Scott Card
- The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2014

I started reading Ready Player One as soon as I "opened" the package (Joseph had opened it earlier, so he just handed me the books), and I just finished it. I've been wanting to read it for a while now, and it was just as good as all the hype promised! So many 80's video game / movie / music / computer references, and a plot with oodles of heart.

I'm pretty excited about the other ones too – Santa Olivia and Portable Childhoods are both from my wishlists, and they're from authors I really like. Pastwatch looks pretty cool, and I'm always excited to read science-y stuff.

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I also read The Steerswoman a couple of days ago, I really liked it. It seems like traditional fantasy (and it is from the point of view of the characters), but it's obvious to the reader that it's actually a sci-fi story set on a world that's being terraformed. I'll keep going with the series.

Oh, yes!! Ready Player One is so good! In fact, it takes the number 1 spot for favorite book of the year for me. :)

I haven't had any temptation with the SantaThing books because I still haven't received mine. Hoping they'll come Mon-Wed next week...

Kriti, it's Chrismas Eve's eve, and so I am starting the rounds of wishing my 75er friends the merriest of Christmases or whatever the solstice celebration of their choice is.

Happy Christmas, Kriti!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

>146 ronincats: >147 scaifea: >148 rosylibrarian: >149 Kassilem: >150 jayde1599: Thanks Roni, Amber, Marie, Melissa, and Jess! I hope you're having a great Christmas / holidays.

Merry Christmas, everyone! We're not actually doing anything this year except relaxing and having a nice and unstressful time, and that's pretty nice.

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Book update: I read two more of my SantaThing books – Santa Olivia and Portable Childhoods, both of which were great (although Portable Childhoods seemed to repeat a few of the same themes in multiple short stories). I also read and ordered the sequel to Santa Olivia – Saints Astray, and that got me to my reading goal of 100 books! I'm pretty excited about that.

This year was interesting – there were a lot of books that I started and did not finish, which is pretty unusual for me. I also reread a lot of my old favourites, and I haven't reread books for a long time (although I used to do it a lot more) and I really enjoyed that – it was like going to visit old friends again, and I'd like to do it more (even if my TBR pile is HUGE as always).

Two more books:

The Just City by Jo Walton – this was fascinating. The premise is that people from all eras of history join together and try to set up Plato's Republic from scratch with the aid of the goddess Athene and advanced robots. Of course, everything doesn't go as planned. I need to read more Jo Walton!

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis – I've been meaning to read Connie Willis for a while, and I really loved her story in Rogues, so I bought this book. It was a lot more depressing than I thought it would be, but it is about two epidemics. I also bought To Say Nothing of the Dog, and I believe that's more fun.

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Also, my 2015 thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/185100

I went up to the top of your thread and just realized that you read a whole bunch of books that I really love, and I have no idea. Man, I'm gonna have to start checking the beginning of threads more often :)

>153 Kassilem: Yeah, I kept the top of my thread updated, but I wasn't very good at updating the thread every time I read a new book. I'll try to be better at that in 2015!

Have a safe and Happy New Year!