Ape's 2014 Challenge (9)

Currently reading: Blood of the Tiger




Thread #1 (Books 1-4)
Thread #2 (Books 5-11)
Thread #3 (Books 12-18)
Thread #4 (Books 19-24)
Thread #5 (Books 25-35)
Thread #6 (Books 36-41)
Thread #7 (Books 42-46)
Thread #8 (Books 47-50)


Books: 54
Pages: 16,073

January:
1. On Parole by Akira Yoshimura
2. Prize Fight by Morton Meyers
3. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
4. The Patron Saint of Plagues by Barth Anderson
5. A Catch in Time by Dalia Roddy

February:
6. Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
7. Death's Dominion by Simon Clark
8. Rabid by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy
9. The Good Son by Russel D. McLean
10. Missing Microbes by Martin J. Blaser

March:
11. Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
12. Bone in the Throat by Anthony Bourdain
13. The Hammer of God by Arthur C. Clarke
14. Divine Misfortune by A. Lee Martinez
15. Cold Plague by Daniel Kalla

April:
16. The Secret Life of Lobsters by Trevor Corson
17. The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
18. Harvest by Jim Crace

May:
19. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
20. The Third Eye by David Knowles
21. The Garlic Ballads by Mo Yan
22. Saucer by Stephen Coonts

June
23. Saucer: The Conquest by Stephen Coonts
24. Saucer: Savage Planet by Stephen Coonts
25. The Gift of Stones by Jim Crace
26. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

July:
27. Strong in the Rain by Lucy Brimingham
28. Epileptic by David B
29. Zodiac by Neal Stephenson
30. How To Survive a Robot Uprising by Daniel H. Wilson
31. How to Build a Robot Army by Daniel H. Wilson
32. Stitches by David Small

August:
33. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
34. Sand and Fire by Tom Young
35. The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip
36. Crazy by Linda Vigen Phillips

September:
37. Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain by A. Lee Martinez
38. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
39. Spartan by Valerio Massimo Manfredi
40. The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
41. Quesadillas by Juan Pablo Villalobos

October:
42. Wolf Moon by Charles de Lint
43. Bite by Richard Laymon
44. The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff
45. The Rising by Brian Keene
46. The Deluge by Mark Morris

November:
47. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
48. Pyongyang by Guy Delisle
49. Siberiak by Jenny Jaeckel
50. Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco

December:
51. MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood
52. Brunanburh by M.J. Porter
53. Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen
54. Mossflower by Brian Jacques


Birth Year Challenge: 1 book per month that was published in 1988, the year I was born.

January: On Parole by Akira Yoshimura
February: Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
March: Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
April: The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
May: The Garlic Ballads by Mo Yan
June: The Gift of Stones by Jim Crace
July: Zodiac by Neal Stephenson
August: The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip
September: Spartan by Valerio Massima Manfredi
October: Wolf Moon by Charles de Lint
November: Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
December: Mossflower by Brian Jacques

------------------

Games: 40

January:
1. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
2. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
3. Borderlands 2

February:
4. Ni no Kuni
5. DmC: Devil May Cry
6. The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct
7. Bioshock Infinite

March:
8. Beyond Good and Evil
9. Metro: Last Light
10. Puppeteer
11. South Park: The Stick of Truth

April:
12. Prototype 2
13. Infamous: Second Son
14. Soul Sacrifice
15. LittleBigPlanet Vita

May:
16. Dead Space 3
17. Rayman Legends
18. Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon

June:
19. Split/Second
20. Persona 4 Golden
21. Modnation Racers: Road Trip
22. Watch Dogs

July:
23. Spy Hunter
24. Ratchet and Clank 2: Going Commando
25. Trials Fusion

August:
26. LEGO The Hobbit
27. Rainbow Moon
28. The Last of Us
29. Call of Duty: Ghosts
30. Ys: Memories of Celceta

September:
31. Need for Speed: Rivals
32. LittleBigPlanet Karting

October:
33. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
34. Dead Nation
35. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls
36. Minecraft

November:
37. Mx Vs. ATV: Alive
38. Middle-Earth: Shadow or Mordor
39. Need for Speed: Most Wanted

December:
40. Xcom: Enemy Unknown
41. Dragon's Crown

Happy New Thread, Stephen!!

Happy reading! And videoing :)

Hola!

Happy new thread, Stephykins!

Happy new thread!

Hello, thanks, and welcome everyone! :)

Starred and ready for more!

I am starting to think it is a good thing that I seem unable to keep up with the conversations on your threads. Stopping by with Hellos now before things get 'interesting' all over again. ;-)

New thread! Yay! :) *vows to make Stephen listen to "Cream" by Prince, possibly while he's sleeping*

>9 lkernagh: What Lori said. There're a lot of weirdos on this thread. :P

Hi Kim, Lori, and Sara!

I finished MaddAddam and it was great! I'm going to try to get that review written later today. :)

51. MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood



Pages: 394
Rating: 4/5

Fiction: Dystopia
Library checkout

I was a pretty big fan of the previous 2 books in the series, and after a year of saying "I'm going to read MaddAddam soon, I swear" I have finally gotten around to it. At this point in the series I'll skip the summarizing and just say that it starts where The Year of the Flood left off, and that the story mostly involves the Crakers integrating with the MaddAddamites.

Once again, I was pretty disappointed with the book in the beginning. Like The Year of the Flood, the previous characters essentially become props in the background, as this time the story focuses on Zeb. After I got over that disappointment for a 2nd time, I was able to enjoy and appreciate Zeb's history and his perspective during the events of the previous books.

I admit, at this point it feels like we're treading the same ground over and over again. Zeb's experience was a lot different than Snowman's and Ren's, but I just didn't feel like it added much to what I knew already. The book's best moments are in the present, particularly the sections involving the Crakers and the pigoons. The two intelligent but not-quite-human groups added a thick layer of intrigue for me, and was absolutely the highlight of the novel.

Overall, this is another great installment in the MaddAddam series, and Atwood's bibliography. 4 stars!

>12 Ape: Glad you enjoyed it, Stephen.

Thanks, Micky. :)

>12 Ape: You liked it better than I did but it was a good series overall. I'm still looking to read her A Handmaid's Tale. Have you read it?

I have, I gave it 5 stars and it was in my top 5 books last year. :)

I'll have to move it up my TBR list then. Maybe my next audio-book. :)

Totally! Also, you can go through my library and put every book I've ever given 5 stars on top of your TBR list as well. It's the sensible thing to do. :P

In other news, inexplicable adorable panda.

Ha. I'll definitely have to take a closer look. I glanced through a tiny bit and saw you gave American Gods a five star. I'm in the middle of listening to that one. And I loved The Song of Achilles.

See? Clearly I'm right about everything! :P

Well, you're only right about the adorable panda. ;) *pushes face into panda's fur and gives it a raspberry* Fur babies!

>19 Ape: There is nothing inexplicable about panda adorableness. It is a constant. ;)

*Hopes Sara doesn't have her eyes gouged out while doing that* :P

Leah: I agree! Although I'm sure Sara can prove us wrong by finding a creepy/weird/pervy panda on Google. Actually, I know of at least one, so I know that for a fact. So, um, PLEASE DON'T DO THAT, SARA! We like our panda adorable, not equipped enormous you-know-whats.

You only banned Sara from posting creepy pandas, right?

>24 Ape: As do I! *puts on protective goggles before face-planting herself into a fuzzy panda (and definitely not the one in >25 katelisim:>

Oh, yes! Never underestimate the disturbing relationship I have with google images. o_0 Enormous you-know-whats? You mean brains, right? Kind of like the one Katie got a hold of already. :P

>25 katelisim: Ha! I believe he only banned me, so post away! :D Zombie pandas rock!! And I'd probably still cuddle that one, as long as it was in a strait jacket and gagged. Panda s/m! Woo hoo!

ETA: I did find some sexy panda pics, but even I'm kind of reluctant to do that. (Does LT kick people off who're too pervy? 'Cause I'm sure I'm on the soon-to-be-kicked-out list.) So I stuck with something "safer": please be human lips (on the face lips)!

Hey, Stephen, if your library has it, check out How To Be a Person: The Stranger's Guide to College, Sex, Intoxicants, Tacos, and Life Itself by Lindy West (and a bunch of other weirdos ;). I've been meaning to read all of this, but I probably won't. But flipping through it, it has some fairly good advice, like "How to Successfully Put Your Parts in or on Another Person." (And, yes, they do give very brief and vague advice on how to get to step 1--actually talking to a "vagina-haver", lol.)

They also gave a description of the Midwest. (Sorry, you got lumped with A LOT of other states: Illinois, Indiana {I visited it once; never going back}, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri {visited once too; not too bad; very humid in the summer!}, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.) Anywho:

THE MIDWEST

Mascot: A clogged artery.

Motto: "Ow, my artery!"

Main Attractions: The Sears Tower (Chicago), the Gateway Arch (Saint Louis), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland), Oprah (OPRAH!!!!!), corn (everywhere).

The Midwest is a wholesome place where everyone is nice, even the bad people (and there are several!). The sizable Scandinavian population keeps things Lutheran and bland. A typical Midwestern meal consists of feeding a cow potatoes and ham custard until it dies, then cutting the cow into steaks, stuffing the steaks with Jell-O salad, deep-frying the stuffed steaks, piling the steaks into a large mound or berm, smothering the whole thing with maple-beer-cheese gravy, and serving it all with a side of popcorn shrimp and "broccoli" (which is just sticks of butter carved into the shape of broccoli). Vegetables are outlawed. And for dessert: hugs!

Aaawwww! Hugs!!!! :P

(Sorry that was so long! You can read mine for the Pacific Northwest here on my thread.)

Katie: Awwww, that's still pretty adorable. :P

Sara: Man, I was really hoping to find a way to put my parts in someone without having to talk to vagina-havers. *Sighs* There's no hope for me! *Weeps*

The book does sounds funny though. :)

>28 Ape: The book is pretty funny, and at times they're pretty safe with their advice, like with drugs and sex, so kudos to them. My advice: put a sex doll on your Dear Santa list and see what she *ahem* I mean, he can do for you. But if you're into living vaginas, I'd say go for hookers and/or escorts. Escorts are more legal than hookers, though they basically do the same type of work, talking optional. And an escort you might even persuade to go to the library or bookstore with you. :) They have to enjoy it, whether they're illiterate or not. It's their job. Make them read to you! Hmm, I think I'm enjoying the thought of escorts more than you are. :D

That's like tossing someone with arachnophobia into a pit of tarantulas. Eeek!

But if you pay for the, um, tarantula to be submissive, then the phobia might lessen a little bit. You make the calls.

I'd obviously still be paranoid that the tarantula would, y'know, kill and eat me. :P

That's what handcuffs and gags are for, silly. :P

ETA: And to be fair, the tarantula's probably afraid of being killed and eaten too.

I think I may just have to avoid tarantulas for now...

But they're more afraid of you! *googles tarantula porn*

*is traumatized for life*

Oh, god, WHY DID I TYPE THAT INTO GOOGLE!!!

Now I'm definitely avoiding...tarantulas... o.o

I know! I don't think I'll be able to touch my tarantula for awhile. My spiders-crawling-into-my-vagina-to-lay-eggs phobia is definitely coming back! *runs away screaming, hands between her legs*

Hi Stephen. Um, I don't want to spoil the party or anything, but I wanted a bit of advice. My kids have been saving for an Xbox, but they're nowhere near being able to afford it. Several family members are thinking of chipping in for a Christmas present. As a gamer, bearing in mind my kids are 11 & 6 years old, what would you recommend as a console?

I had a look online and PS4 is pretty much neck and neck with Xbox One; PS4 has more power but fewer games available. There were several reviews which recommended the Wii U for their age (we currently have a Wii - not Wii U - but the remotes keep going, apparently), but mostly 6 months or older; nothing really current.

Any advice?

Oh - I think someone had better help Sara up; she seems to have fallen over. I can't - I suffer from arachnophobia.

Sara: Yeah, did you see the man-with-a-scorpion picture? Now I'm DEFINITELY afraid of having sex. :P

Humouress: Oooh, this is always a difficult question. Personally, I'm not a fan of Nintendo, and haven't been since the Nintendo 64. I hear the Wii-U is a HUGE improvement over the last console, but I honestly just don't know many people who have them.

So, between the Xbox and the PS4, it's really a matter of preference. The power level are basically the same. I Xbox has 1 big processor and the PS4 has a dual-core processor that amounts to the same amount of power. As for the games, again, it's a matter of preference. I'm a Playstation owner and I love the Playstation exclusives, but that is the primary thing you should consider when buying a console, the games!

So, the games. Xbox has traditionally been known for it's online First-Person Shooter community. Call of Duty always sells better on the Xbox than on the PS4 because more people play it online with the Xbox. Playstation has a lot of great single-player, story-driven games like Heavy Rain, and what it lacks in the online community department it makes up for in variety. It has the shooters like the Xbox (Killzone and Resistance) but it also has cute kid-friendly games like LittleBigPlanet and Modnation Racers. The PS4 also has a lot of ported Japanese games, which are pretty amazing.

Sooooooo, my advice would be...ummmm, to pick whichever one they want!! Haha, I know, that was a lot of talking for a lame answer, but if they are the ones that are going to be playing it then they probably know what they want. You should ask them why they want the Xbox, actually. It might be because there is a game on it that they want to play, that isn't on the PS4, or it might be because their friends have that system, so they'll be able to trade games. If they are just picking it because they saw the commercial then I'm tempted to convert them to Playstation players since that's what I have, but if Xbox is what they want then go for that. It would be like ordering chocolate ice cream and being served vanilla. Sure it's delicious, but it's not what you asked for, right? :)

To summarize, here is my console buying guide for anyone who doesn't want to read all this:

1. Buy the console they are asking for. They are asking for it for a reason.

2. If you don't know what they want and have no way of asking them or their parents/relations, buy the newest version of their current console, so they can continue playing the new releases of the games they love. Certain games are ONLY available on certain systems, so if they are a fan of Mario, Infamous, or Halo, then they can only play those on the Wii-U, PS4, and Xbox One respectively.

3. Broadly speaking, Wii-U is more kid-friendly, Xbox One is more adult-centric, and PlayStation 4 offers an equal amount of both.

4. If all else fails, become a Playstation fan like me. :P

The kids at my library are all into Xbox because of Minecraft -- it's what they play about 95% of the time (my library has a gaming center in the teen area). The teens play it, and the younger kids get excited when they see it. I know it's possible to play Mineraft on other platforms (including PlayStation but not Wii), so maybe check and see if that's part of the appeal for them?

ETA: My brother has a WiiU, but he's a hardcore Nintendo fan -- our family got the original Nintendo console when he was about 4, and every new console since. He likes the WiiU, but like Stephen said, it's all about which games are available. My brother is a Legend of Zelda guy.

>38 humouress: I have a Wii. It says something about the Wii systems that I'm not particularly a gamer and definitely don't want any of that sill blood and guts stuff so bought a Wii. There are lots of games but the Wii Party ones are hilariously fun. They are great for kids but just as great for a bunch of rowdy, drunk 20-somethings (as my friends and I were several years back when we all got into them). I'm a Zelda fan as well and enjoy a lot of the quirky Nintendo games, like Okami and Epic Mickey. It's really all about Super Mario Galaxy. That game is soooooo much fun.

That being said, my brother who used to be a much bigger gamer always preferred the PS systems and my friend Teddi who researches everything to death (might be why we are friends) has always been an XBox user. So.... I'm no real help. ;)

So, as part of a gaming group, we own all of the newer consoles. My break down:

Wii / WiiU
Great for kids and Nintendo fans. Games are generally super cute. Mario, Zelda, Smash Bros, Lego, Pikmin, Kirby. Several party/multiplayer games as well.

Xbox
Lots of shooters and adult games. Gets major franchises. Kid games definitely exist, but they aren't strongly promoted. I haven't looked much into the XboxONE titles, but 360 titles that are kid friendly include Katamari, Rayman, Just Dance, Viva Pinata, Epic Mickey, Minecraft, and a ton of Kinect games. Of note: online playing is NOT free; you must purchase a subscription to play with friends.

PS4
Like Stephen said, it walks the line of family and adult pretty well--good for families w/both young and older players. Kids games include: Disney Infinity, Skylanders, and Lego. I'm not sure beyond that. Though, of note, Kingdom Hearts is a PS exclusive. While the next installment isn't out yet, that's sure to be a very popular title that features Disney and Final Fantasy characters. There's also a pretty good indie game scene on the PSNetwork, which is free to play with friends on.

I agree with much of Stephen's suggestions to find out why they want the particular system. If it's just for one title they saw advertised, that happens to be on multiple platforms, I would suggest finding other titles they are interested in--and which console best fits their tastes and gaming needs.

>38 humouress: No, no! I'm good! *hops back up on her feet and looks for highest place to stand on* I don't have a fear of spiders--except when they want to crawl into my orifices! o_0

>39 Ape: Holy crap! If you mean this one, I just now found it. :D I think you should only be afraid of having sex with scorpions, not sex in general, unless it's with a blender or something. :P

Look at you, Mr. Should-Employed-At-Game-Stop. :)

>40 foggidawn: Oh, yeah! Minecraft! Yeesh. If I hear that word one more time from a kiddy patron.... j/k ;) I'm glad kids are into something, whether its games or books, instead of worse stuff--gangs, drugs, boy bands, etc.

I think y'all should work at Game Stop now that I've read your messages. :D It's waaay over my head, but you guys know your stuff! :)

Foggi: Minecraft is AMAZING, and it's available on PC, Xbox, and Playstation. I've sunk so many countless hours into that game, it's kind of pathetic. :) I was a Nintendo fan growing up. My parents were actually gamers, so I've been literally playing games since I could pick up a controller. I had the NES, the Super Nintendo, and the Nintendo 64. But after that, I converted to Playstation with the Playstation 2, and I've since had the PS3, PS4, and Playstation Vita. :)

Leah: Ha, not all games have blood and gore. In fact, I have a friend I talk to online who is literally cannot play games with almost any kind of blood or violence, but she has a Playstation. She plays the Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, LittleBigPlanet games, the LEGO games, etc. There are tons of options for people who don't like violence. Also, Playstation Network has tons of cute little simple games for a few bucks each, kind of like the Apple store or Android market, only of a much higher quality.

Katie: Yeah! Although, most of those games you listed are cross-platform games. Katamari, Rayman, Epic Mickey, Skylanders, Disney Infinity, and LEGO games can be played on both/all consoles. As far as kid-friendliness, I'm not super familiar with the Xbox line up, but Viva Pinata is pretty much it, isn't it? Haha, I'm sure they have stuff on Xbox Live though. Playstation has: Kingdom Hearts, LittleBigPlanet, Modnation Racers, Tearaway (coming to PS4 soon), Knack,and Puppeteer. And as they get older, they can play the more adult games, like Killzone, Resistance, Infamous, God of War, etc. :) I really need to brush up on my Xbox exclusives though, I've haven't been keeping up with those. I do wish I could play Dead Rising 3, dammit! :P

Sara: Yes, that's the scorpion picture I talking about. Also, I'm not convinced. I'll never be able to sleep with anyone without imagining a giant stinger about to jab me in the back. The horror!

Being employed at Gamestop would be pretty awesome. Even though I would absolutely suck at customer service, at least I'm actually knowledgeable about games. And books. A bookstore would be pretty cool too.

Yeah, I kinda fell behind on knowing where the exclusives are when my budget nudged me towards PC gaming. Which, to be honest, my PC looks a lot nicer than my TV right now, which is an early 2000's beast of a box.

Ha, that's understandable. I'm too addicted to the trophy/achievement systems to turn to PC gaming now.

Actually, I was playing FATE earlier this year, I actually found it and one of it's expansion packs (Undiscovered Realms) for $1 at Dollar Tree, but I only played it for 3-4 hours before I lost interest. After playing things like Diablo and one of the most amazing video games in the history of time (Titan Quest), it seemed very repetitive and boring.

What completely pushed me over was when Steam had Skyrim for under $8. Those sales are amazing. I actually just picked up the South Park game for like $13 and a handful of indie games during the fall sale--got 7 games for about the price of 1 new console game. Funnily enough, I don't play the typical PC games (a la Diablo, MMORPGs, etc).

And I apparently have Titan Quest. I think it came in a bundle that a friend gave me for xmas one year. Haven't tried it yet, though.

>44 Ape: Problem solved: always be on your back! Unless her stinger slides under the bed and stabs you through the box spring and mattress. :P Hmm. We've got to think about this better. Oh! Make sure she wears a latex outfit! Perfect! Nothing can creep out of those suckers. Or wear something like a Kevlar vest.

I think most employees at Gamestop suck at customer service. Just my humble opinion. :P I've shopped there a few times for movies, and while most of them were nice--doing the "Is there anything we can help you find?" yadda yadda yadda--some of them are so into the material, they forget they're supposed to be working. You would be so perfect at Half Price Books then. They sell books AND video games. And I see some staff that stay primarily in the back, sorting new material coming in, or shelving books, etc. But I don't know if that's a higher-up job or if you have to go through the hazing bit of working the front desk first. o.0 I think I've applied at HPB eons and eons ago, but I never got a call back. No surprise. My resume was pretty sad looking. But I think the holiday season is probably the best time to apply! :) Best of luck, Ape Man!

Katie: Yeah, I've heard a lot of good things about those Steam sales. I'm really stubborn about digital content, though. I want to own physical copies of my books/cds/dvds/games if I can. The Vita has started to convert me a bit, because there aren't a lot of games for it outside of PSN, so I've made a few digital purchases since I got one of those...but still.

If you are talking about South Park: The Stick of Truth, I played it earlier this year (my sister bought it) and it's fantastic! :)

If you like Diablo-esque games, in my opinion, Titan Quest is the best representation of the genre! I know everyone loves Diablo II, and I'm a big fan myself, but I so love Titan Quests class system. ^_^

Sara: There aren't any HPBs near me. There is a Barnes and Noble about an hour away, but not HPBs that I know of. :(

>49 Ape: I would google nearby bookstores, but I know you don't want to give out your city/town. So here's a list of HPB stores in Ohio (you guys have more than we do!). Barnes & Noble could be a good option, too. If you don't want to do the cash register thing, I think there's a café in most of stores. You could do that--and hide behind the counter, reading. ;) I had a coworker whose son lucked out and got a job at B&N stocking shelves. Awesome job! Very little human contact. And all he did was find it online, fill out the application, etc.

I've already given out my city/town, because I've posted my local library in the past. :P I live in Logan, Ohio, and I'm willing to meetup with anyone in the vicinity. Which amounts to 1 person, I believe. (Foggidawn).

Unfortunately, as expected, none of those HPB stores are near me. There used to be a Borders in Lancaster (about 30 minutes away) but Borders went out of business a month or 2 after I applied. Figures!

Oh, that's right! *smacks forehead* And it's right on your LT page, too. *double smack* Not too many celebrities from there, I see, though I guess Jason Hartshorn sounds, um, interesting. And Tiffany Donahue's pretty cute! So that's two more people you could always bump into. ;) Have you checked https://www.librarything.com/local/members to see whose nearby?

A lot of our Borders stores closed down, too. :*(

*lurking along, absorbing all the gaming info. Thanks, guys; appreciate it*

Stocking stuffer for Stephen--How to Build a Girl--until I realized it wasn't a How-To. :(

Sara: The only "celebrity" I know of from Logan is Katie Smith, who played in the WNBA and won 3 gold medals in the olympics for Women's Basketball. I was in middle school when she won the first gold medal and met her at an after school event. Kids swarmed her to have her sign...their Pokemon cards... *Head smack*

Humouress: But we've only scratched the surface! We need to discuss PSN Vs. Xbox live, and don't forget the Playstation's Vita support. It doubles as a controller, y'know! :P

Sara: Ooooh, building a girl would be fun! I just read The Golem and the Jinni, after all. She would obviously be made out of recycled books...and ice cream. :D

>55 Ape: I don't follow basketball, but good for her! That's impressive. :) Well, at middle school, having your Pokémon card sounds normal. If she visited a high school, well, the guys would want her to sign their little poking man. :P

Recycled books and ice cream are the way to go! That way you can get your brain stimulated and your belly full while you're, um, eating her. :P There's got to be an easy way to build a girlfriend. Oh, I know! Home Depot trip! :)

Hmmmm...Home Depot...sorry, all I can think of is pointy metal objects and splinters. *Shudders*

They've got insulation, rubber...lots of squishy stuff. You just have to look for it. Or we could hit Toys 'R Us first.

Hmmmmm, I think I'll stick with recycled books and ice cream for now. I just want my imaginary girl to be smart and taste like dessert. That's not too much to ask, is it? :P

She'd literally be a melting ice queen though. And all those pages ruined! I don't know. I think your girlfriend needs some tweaking, like into something like this. But where to find a bazillion dollars to pay for one? :D

I don't know, I think her breasts are fake. :P

Duh! :P Creepy thing is, is she could probably be 100% real, except they just dipped her in latex. That could be a turn on for...well, nobody in normal society.

I'm pretty sure these people would be into it.

Oh yeah, no doubt! :D Or seriously demented people who were probably whacking off at the museum with all these Chinese warrior statues that were supposed to be real people dipped in cement(?) or something. But look at the one missing a head. Did they just dig out his bones? Or was it all just rumor?

Hmmm, I don't know, the image isn't working, unfortunately. :(

But if the concrete broke then there wouldn't be anything holding the bones in place anyway, so... *Shrug*

How's this one?

But wouldn't they be able to look down the hole and see if there are bones or not? I'm still perplexed about whether it was real or not. I went to one exhibit in Portland years and years ago, and I don't remember if it was true.

Yeah, that one worked. Um, yeah, I don't think a person could fit in that. o.o

These are the terracotta warriors? I don't know much about them, other than they kick my mage's butt on Titan Quest. :P

From what I heard, they were dipped into some kind liquid that would then dry. But from Wikipedia-ing the whole thing, I realized I'd been lied to. They were really statues, not corpses: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army .

LOL! Yes, well, your mage probably deserved it. ;) Yep, those are the infamous terracotta warriors.

ETA: Random creepy are they real or aren't they? (The girls, doofus. Not the boobs. :P)

>Sara: Real. She dubs herself as a human Barbie doll.

There's also someone known as the human Ken doll.

Ack! Fake people are even scarier than real ones! Hide me!

52. Brunanburh by M.J. Porter



Pages: 245
Rating: 4/5

Historical Fiction
Owned

------------------------------------------------------------

In 927, the English king Athelstan gathers the leaders of the Scots, the Welsh, and the Dublin Norse and convinces them to sign a peace treaty that will finally unite their respective kingdoms. It is a tremendous endeavor, although not everyone in attendance seems happy about it. ...and then in 937, the English king Athelstan looks upon a battlefield that divides the signers of that very treaty, a battlefield that will be the location of a bloody battle for the supremacy that the treaty failed to prohibit.

I have to admit, I despaired a bit at the start of this novel. It jumps forth between 927 and 937 between chapters and changes perspective each time, switching between the kings (or their brothers) as they interpret the events happening with wildly different perspectives. Worse still, everything is told in first-person, which I was sure was going to become a terrible, confusing wreck of a narrative. Interestingly and, really, quite oddly, I found the exact opposite to be true. I don't know if it was the first-person perspective or not, but every character's voice felt very distinct to me, and I had no trouble following what might otherwise have been a tangled mess if not properly handled.

I was also pleased with the format, jumping back and forth in time can be tedious, but in this case it worked fantastically. Reading about the kings signing the treaty in one chapter and then reading them preparing for battle in the next built far more suspense than I was expecting. Often the chapters set in the earlier time period can feel tedious, since you already know where they are leading, but I never felt that way with Brunanburh. I was equally interested in both plots, and never felt disappointed at having to leave one for the other.

As for the historical accuracy, it's an ancient battle and not much is known about it, so naturally it's very fictionalized. It's something you expect when reading these novels, and I can accept it for what it is. I'd also point out that my edition was riddled with typos and the like. I counted around 20, and there were also so inexplicable blank pages. The typos didn't bother me too much, and thankfully there wasn't any text missing, but I just thought I'd point that out.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I think it will be a memorable one.

>71 Ape: Nice review!

Thanks! :)

>69 katelisim: Seriously?? That is so awesome! When I have a little more privacy, I'll check out those links. Thanks! :)

>70 Ape: Fake people are better than real people. They don't judge you, so there's no worry there. They're the "perfect human" (other than pets, of course, though I swear my cat judges me when I really rip one while she's sleeping ;).

Random PG-13 pervosity:

TEACH ME!!!! :P

I'm reluctant to crash the party again, but I just wanted to check something with you.

My older boy plays on a PS4 at the club (so I suppose the system gets a lot of use from a lot of different players). He says that if one controller is low on battery, the system refuses to recognise any controllers, even if the others have enough charge, so they can't play. Have you come across this problem?

>75 Ape: LOL! I know, teach me teach me harder harder faster faster OMG! :P Sorry, I'm not a librarian. :D But Micky's working towards being one.... *ahem*

>77 saraslibrary: I am one. For 3 1/2 years now.

>75 Ape: No.

Humouress: I only have 1 controller, but that seems VERY odd. If a controller is completely dead, you can just plug it in and it works like plugging your laptop or phone into the wall. It gets an instant charge and it's like running it off direct electricity, so I'm not sure how this could even be possible. I tried Googling it and I can't seem to find anyone mentioning anything similar. Hmmm, I wish I could be there and see what is happening. With the PS3, if your controller dies and you want to use another one, when you turn it on it will recognize it as "2nd player." But if you are playing a 1-player game, you can't do anything because 1st player has to set everything up, so if you are in a menu you are stuck. Of course, this never actually happens because if you plug your first controller in it works fine, and even if for some reason it did break somehow, you would just use the "2nd player" controller and hold the PS button (on the contoller) and it will give you the option to change that controller to the first player. I know when you hold the PS button on the PS4 controllers they do have all kinds of options for the controller (such as lightbar dimness and speaker volume) so I'm assuming they could do that with the controllers if the first one dies, but the other solution would be to just plug the dead controller in and run it off a wire until it's fully charged.

Sara: That's okay! I mean, don't get me wrong, if I wanted to learn biology (for example...), a biology teacher would be best, but if a physics teacher wanted to teach me biology I'm sure I would still listen. ;)

Micky: But Librarians are supposed to be, um, educational! :(

>79 Ape: I can show you where the sex books are. I can recommend other sex education resources and/or classes. But that's it.

I need first-hand experience! ...so to speak. :P

I love this forum, you never know what your going to get any day..lol. On a differant note, I just finished Gil's All fright Diner, and it is right up your alley. I dont know if youve already read it but it was a good one.

>76 humouress: & 79: While in a multiplayer game on the PS4 and a controller dies, I've had the game pause itself and give a prompt. We've always had charging cords or other controllers, and been able to jump right back in. I've never experienced a complete lock-out as you described. Although, dead controllers haven't happened to me much. However, if it did happen on a regular basis, I'm sure I would've heard complaints or a troubleshooting discussion. I'm curious if it's a quirk with that specific PS4, from extensive use, or a "user error" situation (either from not knowing what to do or poor design on PS's part).

Xymon: I have indeed already read it, that was my intorduction to A. Lee Martinez and I've been slowly reading through his books since then! :)

Katie: I'm thinking it might be user error, I'm going to be experimenting this morning so I'll let you all know.

Speaking of which,

HUMOURESS: *ahem* Okay, so, my sister is on vacation and she has given me permission to borrow her controller. I have it now and I plan on messing around with it today. I may have discovered the problem.

Okay, so, the PS4 allows you to have multiple users playing at once. Previously you could have multiple accounts, but you had to play on 1 person's account or another in order to play multiplayer. On the PS4, when you connect the 2nd controller, you are prompted to pick an account, so, for example, your 2 boys could play games together in multiplayer and still get credit for it on their accounts.

So, I had Controller 1 connected to Player 1, and Controller 2 connected to Player 2. I was on Player 1's home screen. I turned that controller off, and it gave the appearance that Player 2 was locked out. I couldn't move anything because Player 2 can't do anything on the other person's homescreen. However, this was easily fixed. I just held the PS button on the controller and hit "Switch User" and switched to Player 2's homescreen. Not an issue.

If this happened during a game, it would be annoying. You would have to hit the PS button on Controller 2 and go to Player 2's homescreen, which means you couldn't continue the game....HOWEVER, this wouldn't be a problem at home. All you have to do is plug the dead controller in and run it directly that way. I'm guessing the PS4 in the library is either behind glass, or they keep their charging cables behind the desk, so that's why it's an issue for them on the public PS4.

Right now, I have my PS4 on and I have it sitting in a game. I'm going to let Controller 1 die and then see if I can continue the game with Controller 2, but I have a full charge so it's probably going to take all day. Fortunately I'm playing PS3 minigames right now, so it's no big deal. :)

Oh, it's easier than I thought. You literally just have to PRESS the PS button on Player 2's controller and it goes straight to their homescreen (but the game continue running in the background of Player 1's homescreen).

So, yeah, I'm guessing the problem is they just don't have the option to plug their controller in. Oh! Actually, I should check to see what happens if they are both logged into the same acccount. Maybe the library console only has 1 account and doesn't let them create any more.

Oh, hm, interesting. It no longer lets you log into the same account. Okay, if controller 1 dies, Player 2 just has to hold the PS button to become Player 1. I don't know, the problem they are experience just shouldn't be happening. Weird. I'm guessing they might not have figured out how to adjust who plays as which player by using the PS button. And, again, if you had the problem at home, you could just plug the controller in, so that shouldn't be an issue.

<84: It was my first experience as well with this author. He sort of reminds me of Moore except not as raunchy. Although a few times in this book I did laugh out loud such as when the werewolf swears off drinking after the wiatress tried to seduce him.

>78 MickyFine: *staples her dunce cap on her own head* My bad. :)

>79 Ape: As long as the teachers were women, right? :P

And they're supposed to be b.s.-y nice. Or at least ours are. You need a shovel to get back out of the library. :P

>80 MickyFine: Could you waive his fines? I'm sure he has a ton! :P

Xymon: Yeah, I have both Moore and Martinez on my favorite author list. I've read 3 of Martinez's books and Gil's All Fright Diner is actually my least favorite of the 3, so if you liked that one you should definitely like some of his other books. :)

Sara: Well, yeah, lady teachers are the best! :P

I don't have fines! When it comes to unloading my books on librarians, I'm always sure to be premature.

*snort* Um, I'm sure they appreciate that? LOL!

Too bad it doesn't work like that. Say you return something 2 days early, which gives you get 2 days' credit, so when you return something else 2 days late, you owe nothing. That'd be fun. :)

>79 Ape: >83 katelisim: >84 Ape: >85 Ape: Thank you; and thanks for doing all the research! I'll pass it on to the boys to let them check it out and see what they say.

Sara: I'd be a bazillionaire! At least what when it comes to free library credits. Can I cash them in for prizes? :D

Humouress: You're welcome! :)

It'd be even better if you could get cash prizes for the credit! Let's say for each million, a librarian has to remove one article of clothing.... That or you get 60 minutes free to run through their administrative center and take as many new books as you can carry out.

I saw this on DeltaQueen's thread and thought immediately of you in this super cold Christmasy weather. ;)



Who gives Santa lumps of goal in his stocking when he's bad? (Probably Mrs. Claus, hmm.)

92: I think I'll take the free books. :p

Should I ask why A naked santa clause reminded you of me? O.o

>94 Ape: I think I'd take the free books, too.

'Cause it's dirty. :P And for some reason, I'm kind of hoping he pulled A Christmas Story gimmick with his, um, candy cane instead of his tongue.

Is that link supposed to go somewhere, because it's just linking right back to this thread. :P

53. Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen



Pages: 225
Rating: 4/5

Fiction
Owned

--------------------------------------------------------------

Tree Girl is about the genocide of native Mayan's in Guatemala during the 1980's, told from the perspective of a teenage Mayan girl. Grabriela lives a secluded life in a small village, and though she is the only member of her family to attend school, she is pretty innocent of the world at large. Innocence, however, doesn't protect a person from the inexorable nature of human cruelty, and shortly after she celebrates her transcendence to womanhood she witnesses the atrocities of a war-torn country.

This is a pretty dark book, and Mikaelson doesn't pull his punches. It's made all the worse considering it's supposedly based on a true story. Even if it isn't, the war and the genocide were real, and we know many innocent people died decade after decade in that part of the world. Despite how depressing it is, I think it's important to subject yourself to things like this. Yes, it's horrible, but it's real, and turning a blind eye to it doesn't make it go away.

>96 Ape: Why, yes. *ahem* Of course it was supposed to do that. :P Actually, I just fixed it. Sorry about that. :)

>97 Ape: That one looks interesting. I know absolutely nothing about Guatemalan history.

Yes! I found the perfect ugly Christmas sweater for Stephen! Or maybe I should just abduct the model instead. Or steal the cupcakes. Yeah, choice #3. No prison time again for me. :P

Unfortunately, when I was googling ugly sweaters I found this. Wtf?? o.o *is traumatized by Jesus for life*

I'll take one of the cupcakes! :P But more importantly, is that model wearing anything underneath that sweater? :P

I think I was traumatized by Jesus a long time ago. Welcome to the club!

Um, probably just edible underwear, I think. :P So double score on the sugar rush.

Yeah, when I found out he was a zombie, I think that just did it for me. :P

I do love me some sugar. :P

*snort* Eat your heart out! (I made some for all your LT lurkers, too. Or you could just swipe them all, lol.)

Heart-shaped cookies never looked so tasty. :P

*snort*

>104 Ape: Yeah, definitely better than the ones on Black Christmas. *shudders, then snags the heart dot off the left cheek of a cookie*

>105 MickyFine: You can have some, too. I even remembered to get milk in a bag for the Canadian Corner. :)

You are all going to be so proud of me. I got a girl's number today! Yep, little ol' social-phobia-prone me. ...oh, okay okay, fine, I'll admit it. I found it in the book I'm reading. :P

LOL! You should still call it, just to see if the number works.

Not happening! *Shudders*

You can always hang up.

No! Phones are scary.

o.o

Only if you're getting hit in the head with one. Now go dial that number! :P

Those are some awesome cookies

Thank you. I stole them myself. :)

Hey everyone! So yesterday Nora posted on her thread a link to the Top 5 Books of 2014 list. (Did you know there were lists? Not enough people use them!) I said I was going to wait until the end of the year to post mine...and less than 24 hours later, here I am, making my list.

So, my top 5 books of 2014!

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline


2. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness


3. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett


4. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick


5. MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood


Top 5 lists:
Top 5 books of 2013
Top 5 books of 2014

Nice list! :) And thanks for linking to your 2013 favorites. It reminds me how woefully behind I am in my want-to-reads.

I would agree with Ready Player One, it was an awesome book, Here would be rest of my list since I read this book too this year.

A Winters Tale by Mark Helprin.

One Second After By William R Forstchen

The Troop by Nick Cutter

Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez

2013:

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Doctor Sleep by Steven King

2012:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Fevre Dream by Georege R Martin

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

On a different note, what would be your biggest flops from this year?

I'm asking people at work to give me their top 5 lists for the year to post on our website. It's very illuminating.

>117 xymon81: Cool reads! :) That would be interesting if LT did a biggest flops list, too. Mine would have to be The Three Incestuous Sisters by Audrey Niffenegger (the title is so misleading, but at least it's a short read) and Mystic Guardian by Patricia Rice (I'm still wrapping this one up, but I'm just not a romance fan).

>118 Deedledee: That does sound like fun. I wish we did that here at work, but we don't. :(

Thanks, Sara. :)

Xymon: The dishonorable mentions of the year would include:

1. Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
2. The Garlic Ballads by Mo Yan
3. A Catch in Time by Dalia Roddy
4. Death's Dominion by Simon Clark
5. The Book of Ruth by Jan Hamilton

Dee: It is, indeed, interesting to see what people pick for their favorite books of the year. That's why I wish more people used the List feature here on Librarything. :)

That's why I wish more people used the List feature here on Librarything.

Instead of your thread? :P Pshaw! Never. Where's my old list of loves/hates? Oh, look! It dates back to 1985! ;) Kidding. I'll add mine as well. Pressure, pressure.

Haha, unfortunately, I don't think they have gone back and done older lists, they've only put up Top 5 lists when the List feature went live, which was last year. People have done "unofficial" lists for listing every book you've read in every year, but I already have Collections set up for that, so I've only gone back and done last year's books. ...so far...

Well, couldn't someone start a list for years past and let people add to it? Or was that the "unofficial" lists you were talking about. And btw, I tried to add my books to the list like how they instructed ("To add a book to your list, click the "Add work to list" button in the upper-right corner. This will take you to a search box, where you can search by title, author, keyword, etc. Clicking on the title will add the book to your list."), but it didn't work. Oh well. *shrugs*

Huh, I'm not sure why it's not working for you. But yes, technically someone COULD just go back and create unofficial lists, but for whatever reason no one has yet. Or at least, I didn't see any when I searched.

I'll try again later. Yeah, somebody needs to make more lists, even silly ones like on GoodReads: Funniest Gay Titles (Sock It To Me, Santa!, There's Cock in This Book, etc--lol), Bizarro/Humor Books, etc.

Hmmmm, gay titles. I'm thinking "Alien Penetration" would be pretty gay if it happened to me. :P

LOL! Possibly, if it's another dude. But which would you rather it be by--a Martian-alien or an illegal alien?

I really need more choices!!! o.o

Well, by definition, an alien is "a foreigner, especially one who is not a naturalized citizen of the country where they are living" or "a hypothetical or fictional being from another world." Oh, wait, there's also further definitions: "a plant or animal species originally introduced from another country and later naturalized." (*cringes* cacti penetration, poison ivy penetration, snake/elephant penetration....) However, I'd probably go with the adjective version of alien: "unfamiliar and disturbing or distasteful." There's some "safe" ground there.

ETA: Still, it's penetration... o.o Maybe Smurf penetration. That might be a good one to choose.

Can we find alternate definitions of "penetration" too? o.o

Ack! You're making me look stuff up. What do you think I am, a librarian?? :P No, penetration stays. We'll just say an "unfamiliar and disturbing or distasteful" lady penetrates you with her ____ (you fill in her body part *snort* I didn't mean you actually fill in her body part...ack, never mind).

Oh, I get to do the penetrating? Well, this isn't as gay as I was expecting.

I'm being nice today, so no gay sex for you today. :P Oh, wait. Does it have to be a born-as-a-girl lady or a tranny. You knew I was going to have a twist somewhere. ;)

I think I'm just going to go hide somewhere and avoid this whole conversation. :P

So do I get to take your place then when the sexy aliens show up?

Absolutely!

Ummm.....maybe he's a really teddy bear on the outside?? *looks for her ball gag to put on the alien*

I've heard he's skilled at going down on a lady. Enjoy!

Oh, and just wait until you see his penis.

The indignities of being a naked mole rat. :(

And now I've been subjected to Kim Possible porn cartoons thanks to Google. People are just broken aren't they?

Hahaha, um, yeah, I've seen the Kim Possible porn. It's probably the 2nd most pornified cartoon after The Simpsons...and Family Guy. :P

Well, that's just.... just.... something....

>138 Ape: Well, I'm certainly no lady, so.... :P But I'll put on my chainmail body armor just in case.

>139 Ape: Yeeeaaah, that's so not gonna happen unless he chainmails that sucker, too.

>140 leahbird: & >141 Ape: I know. Poor naked mole rat. :( But at least Mo Willems thinks they're pretty awesome to put them in a book: Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed :).

How come I haven't seen any Kim Possible porn? *pouts* Oh, yeah, my work computer forbids it. That answers that. Gee, darn, my loss. :P

Btw, did you see Family Guy tonight about Jesus faking to be a virgin to sleep with Lois? Ah, sacrilegious stuff is so funny. No. *ahem* I mean, offensive. Offensive. :P

Oh, yeah, I've seen the Simpsons porn. Incestuous, nasty stuff. XP Still love the show, but I have to force those images out of my head every time I watch it now.

Dee: Haha, oh, the perils of reading my thread, huh? ;)

Sara: If you Google "Kim Possible" and type an extra word...probably ANY word. Like "Kim Possible CD player," you'll probably get porn. Yay for internets?

I don't watch Family Guy, but I thought virginity had the OPPOSITE effect on women. Huh, I guess I've been going about this all the wrong way.

I'm pretty sure Simpsons porn is technically illegal in the United States, actually. o.o

>120 Ape:: I remember your rant about the Eco book. It made me want to steer clear in the future. I had quite a few myself this year. but I will narrow it down to a few that I wish I could erase from my memory.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. My wife picked up this book for her book club this month so I decided to read it as well. The book itself is a bit simple but it does broadcast it's message very loudly. To me the plot worked around the message so really to plot and story are secondary to what the author wanted to convey to you.

Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh. This was just a mediocre read. For a good portion of the book I felt like quitting and moving on to something else. I don't like books where there are no punctuation and you cannot tell who is speaking. I think the characters and the world ended up being bland and uninspired. I pray there are no more to this series.

Darkness On The Edge of Town by Brian Keene. It had a good premise so that was why I picked it up. I came away disappointed, I wanted more but sadly there was none.

Ah, interesting about the Brian Keene book. I've read 3 of his books and they have been all over the place. I was disappointed by The Rising, I liked Earthworm Gods even though it was a little weird, and I thought Dead Sea was fantastic!

>144 Ape: Oh, yeah, I'll google Kim Impossible porn right this second! Um, not. :P

Yeah, but it's Jesus who's the virgin. It's like a fame thing--wanting to be the first one to pop Jesus's cherry. So maybe you should grow your hair long, grow a beard, wear sandals and a dress, hang around tons of children, and voila! You'll be a hit with the ladies. ;) Or get arrested as an assumed cross-dressing child molester. :P

I don't know if Simpsons porn is illegal, but definitely should be. XP

Oh, and:

Happy Christmas to my favorite Ohio Recluse! Big hugs to you, friend.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

From our family to yours!

Happy Holidays everyone

<115 - Great top five list!

I have enjoyed following your reading in 2014. Not sure about everything else that goes on around here but that is probably a good thing. Stopping by now to wish you a happy holiday season and all the best in 2015!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays everyone! :)

I forgot to mention. This is what I got for Christmas.



Hurray!

I had actually just added it to my wishlist a few days ago, so it was perfect! :)

Stephen, just stopping by to wish you Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year!

>156 Ape: Awesome! :) That is strange how that worked out.

Thanks Bianca!

Sara: Yeah, I'm glad I didn't order it for myself for Christmas like I almost did! Ha. :)

But then you'd have two awesome copies. One to read and one to just look at and sniff. ;)

Ah, but I've already looked at and sniffed this one. :P

54. Mossflower by Brian Jacques



Pages: 376
Rating: 4/5

Young Adult - Fantasy
Owned

~~Birth Year Challenge Book for December~~

------------------------------------------------------------------

Early in the history of Redwall, a cat ruled over Mossflower forest from within the walls of the castle Kotir. He is an tyrant king, who demands harsh tithes from the Mossflower residents, leaving them with little to eat for themselves. It only gets worse when he dies mysteriously and his daughter, Tsarmina, takes over the kingdom. She is a relentlessly cruel wildcat, and things are worse than ever for the woodlanders. But with the help of a warrior mouse from distant lands, a resistance is born, and and the battle is waged for a free, peacable Mossflower.

I never read the Redwall books extensively as a kid, but I did buy Lord Brocktree at a Schoolastic book sale sometime in middle school and I loved it. The number of anthropomorphic fantasy novel in children's and YA lit is seemingly endless, but there was always something about Brian Jacques' writing that inspired the imagination. It was hard not to see a rodent scurrying in the weeds and not think that it lived in a castle in the forest. The way he gives each animal distinct personality traits is clever as well, I always had a particular fondness for the moles, even if I sometime have a hard time deciphering what they are saying.

This has been a very nostalgic read for me, particularly because one of the characters is a descendent of Lord Brocktree himself. Maybe that has effected my rating a bit, but oh well. I loved it!

And that wraps up my birth year challenge (and, most likely, my entire year of reading.) The challenge was fun, and I think it inspired me to read a much wider variety of books and authors than I normally would, and though there were a couple bad books I also discovered that I liked that I probably would have never known about otherwise, such as On Parole by Akira Yoshimura.

So, here is the final tally for the year. I have most of my year-end stats figured up as well but I'll probably wait a day or 2 to post those.

January: On Parole by Akira Yoshimura
February: Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
March: Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
April: The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
May: The Garlic Ballads by Mo Yan
June: The Gift of Stones by Jim Crace
July: Zodiac by Neal Stephenson
August: The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip
September: Spartan by Valerio Massima Manfredi
October: Wolf Moon by Charles de Lint
November: Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
December: Mossflower by Brian Jacques

Let the madness begin!

http://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin2015

Thanks for notifying me, Jim! I'll probably wait until I post my year-end stats and my final summary (coming in a few minutes) before I make next year's thread. :)

That's beautiful, Paul! :)

December Summary:

Books: 4
Pages: 1,240

Fiction: 4
Nonfiction: 0

Owned: 3
Library checkout: 1

Video games:

Games: 2

Owned: 0
Borrowed: 1
Library checkout: 1

Playstation 3: 2
Playstation 4: 0
Playstation Vita: 0



Are these images broken for anyone? The tags and URLs are fine, I have no idea why they aren't showing up.

Edit: Weird, when I post the image and then right-click the red X and look at the URL it has all kinds of extra stuff in it, which isn't there when I edit the post. o.o

~~2014 Reading Stats~~
Books read: 54
Pages read: 16,073

Average book size: 297 pages

I averaged:
44 pages per day
308 pages per week
1,339 pages per month

On average, I finished a book every: 6.75 days

~~Fiction/Nonfiction~~
Fiction books read: 43
Nonfiction books read: 11

Fiction - average rating: 3.49
Nonfiction - average rating: 3.54

~~Gender~~
Books by male authors: 40
Books by female authors: 13

Male authors - average rating: 3.40
Female authors - average rating: 3.77

~~Owned vs. Public library~~
Owned books read: 22
Library books read: 31

~~Genres~~

Number read:
Science Fiction: 11
Historical Fiction: 7
Horror: 7
Graphic Novel: 6
Humor: 6
Fantasy: 5

Average ratings:
Fantasy: 4.17
Graphic Novel: 4.00
Science Fiction: 3.45
Historical Fiction: 3.43
Humor: 3.33
Horror: 2.86

~~Early Reviewers~~
Books read/won: 6
Average rating: 3.50

~~Summary~~

Last year was a pretty dismal year on the reading front. It was the least amount of books I had ever read in a year since joining the challenge, with just 53 books! I told myself that, without dispute, I would read more books this year! Well...I did...by a single book. *Head smack* Oh well, technically I did read more books...although I read EVEN FEWER pages overall, by well over 1,000. *Sigh*

I did discover one of my favorite books of all time this year, however, Read Player One, so it wasn't a complete loss. :)

Oh, and once again I read a lot fewer books by women than I did by men, but the books by women had a MUCH higher average rating. When am I ever going to learn?

My increasingly dismal year-by-year comparison. *Sigh*

Books read:
2009: 81
2010: 87
2011: 81
2012: 75
2013: 53
2014: 54

Pages read:
2009: 24,492
2010: 25,958
2011: 19,935
2012: 19,168
2013: 17,643
2014: 16,073

Average book size:
2009: 302 pages
2010: 298 pages
2011: 246 pages
2012: 255 pages
2013: 333 pages
2014: 297 pages

Average pages read per day:
2009: 67 pages
2010: 71 pages
2011: 54 pages
2012: 52 pages
2013: 48 pages
2014: 44 pages

Books by star rating!

5 stars:
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

4 stars:
On Parole by Akira Yoshimura
Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rabid by Bill Wasik
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
Divine Misfortune by A. Lee Martinez
The Secret Life of Lobsters by Trevor Corson
Harvest by Jim Crace
The Third Eye by David Knowles
The Gift of Stones by Jim Crace
Strong in the Rain by Lucy Birmingham
Epileptic by David B
Stitches by David Small
The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip
Crazy by Linda Vigen Phillips
Emperor Mollusk Vs the Sinister Brain by A. Lee Martinez
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Wolf Moon by Charles De Lint
The Deluge by Mark Morris
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Siberiak by Jenny Jaeckel
Maddaddam by Margaret Atwood
Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen
Mossflower by Brian Jacques

3 stars:
Prize Fight by Morton Meyers
The Patron Saint of Plagues by Barth Anderson
The Good Son by Russel D. McLean
Missing Microbes by Martin J. Blaser
Bone in the Throat by Anthony Bourdain
The Hammer of God by Arthur C. Clarke
The Cold Plague by Daniel Kalla
The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
Saucer by Stephen Coonts
Saucer: The Conquest by Stephen Coonts
Saucer: Savage Planet by Stephen Coonts
Zodiac by Neal Stephenson
How to Survive a Robot Uprising by Daniel Wilson
How to Build a Robot Army by Daniel Wilson
Sand and Fire by Tom Young
Spartan by Valerio Massimo Manfredi
The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
Quesadillas by Juan Pablo Villalobos
Bite by Richard Laymon
The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokiloff
The Rising by Brian Keene
Pyongyang by Guy Delisle

2 stars:
A Catch in Time by Dalia Roddy
The Garlic Balads by Mo Yan

1 star:
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco

And finally, the book quiz! Just fill in the answers with books you've read this year! :)

Describe yourself: Strong in the Rain

Describe how you feel: State of Wonder

Describe where you currently live: The Changeling Sea

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Island of Dr. Moreau...or...maybe that's not such a good idea.

Your favorite form of transportation: Saucer

Your best friend is: Death's Dominion (...what? Too morbid?)

You and your friends are: Crazy

What’s the weather like: The Deluge (not true, but it's the only thing that fits.)

You fear: Quesadillas. I don't trust them, with all their onions and evil intent. Keep your eyes open! o.o

What is the best advice you have to give: How to Survive a Robot Uprising. ...or a Quesadilla uprising, for that matter.

Thought for the day: As always, I have nothing that fits here.

How I would like to die: On Parole. Errr, no, wait, how about The Garlic Ballads? They could be in cahoots with the Quesadillas!!

My soul’s present condition: Sand and Fire

>168 Ape: - I cannot see the images. When I took a glance at the page source, it looks like the image link, I also see the extra text - %E2%80%9D at the start and end of the URL address - Weird!

>169 Ape: - Ooooohhh, stats! Yay for RPO being your favorite book of 2014!

>172 Ape: - The return of the book quiz! I keep "borrowing" this quiz from your every year and then I miss place it. Borrowing again this year!

>172 Ape: Excellent stats, my friend. I'm always impressed at all the details you track. I'm also digging your answers to the book quiz. I will be stealing this but I'm trying to squeeze two more books in this year so I reach 75.

>169 Ape:: Its ok if you didn't make it this year my friend. As long as you enjoyed yourself that's all that matters right?

Wow! I'm impressed with your stats, too, Stephen. So detailed! Want to do mine? (totally stealing your book quiz, but giving you credit, of course ;)

*waves* hi.... missed you for a long while... back now.... looking forward to you 2015 posts.... Peach I'm out - I'm Batman!

Merry belated Xmas! Always love the stats :)

Lori: I'm an idiot! Ha, it took me a few days, but I just realized the reason the image tags weren't working was because I was using quotation in an IMG tag, like you would in a link. *Head smack*

Enjoy the quiz! I've fallen behind on everyone's threads. So much new year chatter and multiple-thread-happenings and I'm a little overwhelmed, particularly because I've been busy with other internet things over the past few days. I need to get caught back up so I can see everyone's answers!

Thanks, Micky! :) I don't actually track them throughout the year, I just add them all up withing an hour or 2 sometime in late december. The tag system is great for that. I just go to my collection, look at the books I have in my "Books read - 2014" collection, and then start clicking through the genre tags and whatnot. Works great. :)

Xymon: I didn't enjoy myself! It was miserable, I tell you! Actually, I didn't have many terrible reads this year, so I can't complain. :P

Jen: Missed you too! I'll probably have my 2015 thread up either later today or tomorrow. :)

Katie: Thanks! *Hugs*

Yay for solving the tag mystery! I like those covers, now that I can see them. ;-)

Lori: Covers are very importnat, after all! :)

OKAY EVERYONE! My 2015 thread is officially up! Please follow me over there. I'll disable all the booby traps just for you. :)

Huh huh huh, you said booby.

That's right! *Brandishes home made nipple-clamp bombs and bras made from bear traps* Mind the booby traps!