Laia's 2009 reads

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Well, after spending too much time keying in my 2008 list by hand thanks to not having a reliable and comprehensive Twitter search app, I decided to jump in on the challenge group that matches my personal goal for the year. Hi, everyone!

I'm Kirsten, a 28 year old queer femme from New England living in San Francisco. I read mostly fiction with a bent towards books about books and fantasy, and a solid recommendation from someone with similar tastes will almost always get picked up and bumped into the top portion of the pile. I'm in college and am taking as many English electives as possible, which will consistently add to my TBR mountain, ensuring that it remains forever unconquerable :)

2008 was my first year tracking my reading. I read 66 books, a few of which were for school, many of which were re-reads, and a slew of which were juvenile fiction, YA, or otherwise "fluffy." Last term I read loads of short stories and academic articles that didn't make the "official" list, so that helps to even out the hardcore vs. fluff ratio ;)

I'd like to shoot for 75 full-length books this year with fewer than half being re-reads; the other characteristics are less important to me. Good luck to us all!

Hello Kirsten and welcome to our group! Have a Happy New Year! And Good luck! My name is Catey and I live in Texas. I am 17 going on 18.
I am looking forward to seeing what you read!

Catey

Hi, Catey; thanks for the welcome :)

Last year's list was pretty standard fare for me; you can see it here if you're interested. I'll probably go poking around people's lists here when I've got time, or go take all the 2008 polls on the LT LiveJournal community...

Your Welcome, and I would like to see what you read last year. :) Lol there are a lot posts out there so it might take some time! I try everyday to get caught up but there never seems to be enough time, they just keep talking.

Catey

Welcome to the group, Kirsten!

If you are interested in science fiction and fantasy, be sure to check out the threads of TadAD and ronincats, although I am sure we have more of those fans on here that I am overlooking.

Thanks for the tip; I definitely will! I had to pry myself away from others' lists last night to get some actual reading done... The only complaint I have about LT is that I spend less time reading books, and more time reading Talk threads :)

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
I've decided that, until I'm tired of doing it, I'll re-read this series annually. I began on January 1st in 2008, but now that I'm in school, I began during my holiday break to allow for at least partial completion before classes begin again.

One of my favorite books popped into my head as I read your post and looked at your profile, and I hope you don't mind my suggesting it: Rhapsody by Elizabeth Haydon. There are parts that are a little romance-y, but overall, it's a great book (and trilogy). (I'll admit to not caring as much for books 4, 5 and 6 in the series.)

For the record, I am more than open to recommendations, and have no qualms at all with loads of chatter happening on "my" thread - charting my reading is personal, but I'm doing it here to make it interpersonal, as well :)

Thanks for the suggestion, alynnk; I'll definitely check it out I've mooched the first book and will place it upon the mountain once it arrives!

I read the Harry Potter series annually too - sometimes even more than that! POA is one of my favs, even though it is a shorter one.

Mine too, Cait :) I feel like it's where we really start getting the measure of each of the main characters, and heavy duty foreshadowing of things to come in the later books.

I totally agree! I always classify the first two as children's books, but I think that POA is where JKR makes her first foray into a more adult-themed work. However, while I enjoy the GOF story, I think it is a return to the more childish tone of PS and COS.

Hi! Just stopping in to star your thread--I like to keep up with the others who read science fiction and fantasy--surprised we only have 72 books in common, though!

#13 ronincats

Me too on the sci fi/fantasy likes and wanting to find more. Can you let me know any other people in the 75'ers that read a lot of sci-fi, or especially fantasy that I should keep up with? I'm finidng it quite overwhelming to try and keep up at the moment!!

If I owned twice as many books as I do, I bet the number would be exponentially higher :)

I'm rebuilding my library in addition to growing it - I've had to leave books behind on too many occasions... I've also only recently begun branching out from the couple of authors whose works introduced me to the f/sf world (Card and Lackey) back in my early teens.

#14 lunacat Yes, you are starred as well. TadAD and DrNeutron are the two highest in that area, but what I am doing is taking everyone responding to the What We Are Reading in SF and Fantasy and checking out their libraries and threads. Tad was checking who in the group he had the most books in common with by going to their profiles, but that's pretty tedious. I will definitely check all my starred threads regularly--I agree, the number overall right now is pretty overwhelming.

2. Foundling by D.M. Cornish
4/5 stars

If the entire series is as engaging as this first novel, it will be one I happily follow. Rossamund is a likable enough main character, but it is in the supporting cast and the creation of the Half-Continent that D.M. Cornish truly shines.

Without too heavy a hand, the author weaves definitions, customs, and facts from this new world into the story, giving readers the opportunity to absorb the information rather than expecting us to recall slews of terms from the moment of their introduction. The comprehensive appendices provide supplementary insight to what is found in the book as well as a well-arranged glossary of terms, should one escape you during the telling of the tale.

The characters with whom Rossamund interacts, from the staff at the foundlingery where the story begins to the creatures he meets on his journey to the new folks we meet at the end who are bound to be important in book two of the series, are all brilliantly crafted and utterly lifelike. They propel the story effortlessly, providing Rossamund with ample opportunities for adventure.

The story has themes to appeal to juvenile and YA readers, but the writing is not simplified for such an audience. I highly recommend this book to youth at or above middle-school level; it may be somewhat challenging to younger readers, but the grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary will set a beautiful example for early reader/writers.

I saw this Foundling listed on the Young Adult thread and already put it on Continent TBR, but I am glad to see the additional input about the book. Thanks for the review!

I found book 2, Lamplighter, in hardcover on the Borders bargain rack for $3.99; I thought it looked good enough to pay full price for Foundling off the shelf, and I'm glad I did :) Book 3 is scheduled for a May 2010 release... I'm hopeful that the tales and the telling hold up throughout!

I do not have a Borders anywhere close to me, but I do have a Waldenbooks. I may have to go over there and see if I can luck into a bargain copy.

3. The Little Prince

WHY DIDN'T ANYONE EVER TELL ME THIS BOOK WOULD MAKE ME CRY?????

Beautiful. I can't believe I waited this long to read it.

#21: We try very hard not to divulge spoilers in the group. Sorry about the crying part. I am reading it in the near future and I already have the box of Kleenex handy.

Well, I'm new to the group so I'm not holding it against any of you :)

I should also note that I cry at books ALL THE TIME. Sad books, happy books, funny books, poignant books - I am a crier. It's what I do. So I hope this isn't a spoiler for anyone, because seriously? I've been known to cry when watching commercials and movie trailers (take your pick).

****************SPOILER******************

I cry at books too - I still cry while reading both Little Women and Charlotte's Web and I know Beth dies and so does Charlotte, but I still cry. I do not cry when watching commercials, though, especially since I mute them!

That commercial is the only one I can think of off the top of my head, but the fact that I cry EVERY TIME I SEE IT made it memorable... Books, on the other hand... I think the first one I remember making me cry was My Girl; it's been all downhill since then...

>24 alcottacre:: I have witnessed someone on another website be told sternly that mentioning Beth's fate was a spoiler....

#26: Remonstrance taken to heart, Rachael. I will never mention it again.

>27 alcottacre:: that was meant to be slightly tongue-in-cheek, sorry! I found it really hard to believe that there was anyone left alive with more than a passing acquaintance with reading that wouldn't already know that!!

#28: That's what I thought, too - I am sure every girl (and probably quite a few boys, as well) read it when they were kids!

*Blushes* I didn't know that Beth dies. *smiles sheepishly*

#30: I humbly apologize for spilling it, then. *hanging head in shame*

Thats OK. I've been trying to read more classics and that is one on my list.

It is one of my favorite books of all time and one I routinely re-read. I certainly hope you enjoy it once you get a chance to read it.

>27 alcottacre:: I didn't know that either... as I've never read it... *shrugs* For some reason, I think my childhood self lumped it in with books like 'Little House on the Prairie' (ie. boring, probably because it has the word 'little' in the title... my 8 year old self probably made some weird word association) without knowing anything about it. And here I am, 26 and still don't know anything about it & haven't read it! Please forgive my ignorance...

Stasia, since two people have now mentioned it told them something they didn't know, perhaps you should go back to Post #24 and write *** SPOILER *** in it?

#34: What is there to forgive? I brought it up, and should have realized that just because I have read it multiple times does not mean everyone else has.

#35: Will do, Tad. Should have thought of that myself.

I've moved this thread over here - come join us! :)

Beth? Who's Beth?

- TT