clamairy's 2010 Reading Journal

Here's a link to my LT wiki page with a list of what I've read so far in 2010:

BOOKS READ IN 2010

Scroll down for previous lists.

I used to be able to juggle more books at once than I seem to be able to now! I'm reading A Game of Thrones (and love, love, loving it) and listening to A Modern Mephistopheles on my iPod. The Alcott is quite humorous, though I'm pretty sure it wasn't meant to be. Apparently it was written for a pulp periodical when she was quite young.

So glad to hear you are loving Game of Thrones. Wonderful book, complex and fascinating characters, and I love how the characters change, and someone you hate becomes someone you admire, and vice versa!

Yup, it certainly keeps you guessing, though I am loving Ned, Bran, Arya, Tyrion and Jon all the way. (Except for that once instance with Ned which I won't divulge.)

I am wondering why HBO dropped the 'A' from the book's title...

No words for how much I love the whole A Song of Ice and Fire series. Don't care if another sentence never gets published, I love it dearly just the way it is.

agree fleela, but I so want to figure out just who Jon's parents are!

#5 - WHAT!!!!?????

Uh oh... maybe I should post 'Please no spoilers' warning... LOL

Clam, well, even from the first you have no idea who his mother is. So I didn't necessarily see that as a spoiler. Sorry!

Don't worry clam, that's not much of a spoiler at all compared to the metric crapload of unsolved mysteries GRRM has crammed into the books.

>5 majkia:
I subscribe to the blue roses theory.

Not to worry.
:o)
Now I'll be searching for clues!

SfIaF is still on my I'm not sure list. I've read Hedge Knight which is a short story set before the main action kicks off, and I was really really impressed with GRRMs characters. But I never really get on with vast multi-person epics so I've been a bit reluctant to stat. Maybe if I can find the first in a library somewhere.

Feela. I too subscribe to the blue roses theory. Makes the most sense.

Now clam can search for comments regarding blue roses, lol

#11 - Nope, I'll wait until I am done, thank you. LOL Although Ned just had a flashback in which a wreath of blue roses figured quite prominently. ;o)

#10 - "But I never really get on with vast multi-person epics..."

Oh, I LOVE them! :o)

Well, from everyone's comments and then you finally starting it, and then me finding a copy at our store, I just had to pick it up. So it's now on my TBR pile. Problem is I've got so many TBRs, not sure when I'll get around to it. Sounds like a good book to curl up in front of the fire with on cold, snowy nights.

When does the TV show come out? 'Cause I'd like to read the book before seeing the show for sure.

Next year, you gots plenty o' time.

I think the tv show begins in April. I loved those books, the shifting perspectives on the characters is kind of genius. I just wish GRRM hadn't run out of steam. I don't think he has it in him to finish them.

#14 - That's good news, katylit!

#16 - Ummm, how many more are there supposed to be?

BTW, my daughter owns the 2nd, and I bought the 4th in a hardcover for a buck last year at our library's book sale. I am really hoping someone donates a decent copy of the 3rd for our next sale, which is in 2 weeks. I get first dibs, so I'd snag it.

how many more are there supposed to be

I wish I could be there to see your jaw hit the floor.

LOL I thought there were only meant to be TWO more... am I wrong?

Very wrong. So very wrong.

Balls. (Said the Queen, though she had none.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire - check the sidebar on the right

Ah, so it's three more, not 6 or 12 more... Still. How old is this guy?

He's in his 60s, I believe.

Yeah, he was born in 48. I hope he keeps his wits about him into his golden years.

He seems to have too many irons in the fire and a wicked case of writer's block. And, he's reached the stage where his editors are afraid of him, so he gets no help with his obvious inability to make decisions. It's kind of sad.

Check out his LJ blog to watch the pathology unfold in real time. The schadenfreude of the blog has substituted for any hope of reading about Tyrion again for me.

It was still worth reading the first 4 books.

#26 - Well, I'll wait until I'm done reading the four before I visit the blog, then!

Seriously, clammy, if he even publishes one more I'll be amazed. He's completely spinning his wheels and out of control on ASOIF. Book 5 was originally slated for 2005.

He does go to the set of the tv show, puts out comic books and magic cards, and goes to a lot of cons, though. And watches football, lots and lots of football.

Looks like he skips the gym, though! ;o)

LOL!

He reminds me a lot of Peter Jackson before he made Kong. Except he's older, of course.

Maybe we can get Brandon Sanderson to finish up the series for him! (And Patrick Rothfuss, too. ;-)

Well since Brandon's only got one more Jordan book to write maybe Martin will ask him to finish ASoIaF? ;)

jinx!!!

8P~~

oh ye of little faith, says she who is a year older than Martin...

It's not about his age, it's about what seems to be his total lack of real enthusiasm for finishing the project. He treats it like a freshman term paper with all the attendant defensiveness and distraction.

I'm still grateful for what we have, although I do miss Tyrion. And Arya! OMG, remember where we left her!? (And just think about it, don't spoil it for clam!!!)

Don't make Neil Gaiman get involved! http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/05/entitlement-issues.html

I agree he's not my bitch! It's gone way beyond that now. No one with a lick of sense could possibly expect to see another ASOIF book in their lifetime. If it happens, great, but you'd be a fool bet on it.

Grinning over Gaiman's blog! Very clear and to the point.

Hate to admit it in this crowd, but I tried to read Game of Thrones about 5 years ago and just couldn't get into it. *ducks to avoid being hit by rotten tomatoes and cabbages* I tried, really, but the 60-page rule passed without my liking it any better, then I went to page 100 because, you know, it's a reeeealy long book, but then gave it up as not happening.

Maybe I should try again...

Well, if something doesn't grab you after 100 pages I wouldn't try again for a few years at least. I see you enjoyed the Mary Stewart Merlin Trilogy, though. And the Auel books, too. (I snooped around the 'books we share' thingy.) I wonder what didn't grab you about Thrones...

Maybe it was just the wrong moment in time. I've got too many books to finish through the end of the year to add another to the list, but I think I'll try it again next year.

Game of Thrones is probably not my cup of tea but I have to say its been fun reading you-guys going back and forth. Hope you love the book, Clam...

Well Stephen King is the counter example. He wrote the first three Dark Tower books and then took at least a 10yr break before picking the series back up again. (unfortunately it didn't continue with the same sparkle that he'd left it)

#13- well maybe you'd alos like Peter Hamilton although he writes SF rather than fantasy, but it definetly has that epic feel to it. (I don't know why it doesn't feel like Space Opera, but it doesn't).

I enjoyed A Game of Thrones, but bogged down during the second book. From what comments and reviews I've read afterwards, I probably won't look at the third and fourth ones unless Martin delivers a truly excellant fifth book.

He is not the only author who has difficulty finishing his series. Kristen Britain and Elizabeth Haydon comes to mind. Britain takes on average five years per book and Haydon has seemingly lost interest in her Symphony of Ages series, writing children's books based on the series instead of finishing the main series.

Finished Thrones this morning. Loved it. Can see why people dive right into book 2, but alas, I cannot at this point. I just started my latest ER book, The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama. Not far enough into it to make any judgement call just yet.

Yeah, I've enjoyed the first 2 Song of Ice and Fire books, and the 3rd is waiting on my shelf. I have (had?) high hopes, but I'm afraid that even if he does get around to finishing the ones he has planned it'll just keep stretching out. And probably taper off in quality because of it. I think that's the main reason #3 is still sitting there...

If I ever write a fantasy epic, remind me to insist that my editor edits throughout the series.

#47 Book three is the best so far.

So far I am loving The Marriage Bureau for Rich People. Many thanks to LT's ER program for another gem.

Having read the LT ER reviews and the blurb over on Amazon, it does sound tempting.

I've got the first four ASoIaF books on my shelf, and I'm sure I'll love them, but I'm going to put off reading them for as long as I can. Plenty of other good stuff to read in the meantime.

Finished The Marriage Bureau for Rich People and I may try to read The Outliers before I jump into A Clash of Kings. I borrowed The Outliers from a library one town away for my son to read for a school project. He enjoyed it and he thinks I would, too.

Geeze. Felt like it took me forever to read Outliers, but I did have that book sale in there to eat up massive chunks of my time. Not sure what to start next, but it better not be too dense. I need a 'palate cleanser.'

#48 Book 3 was my least favorite I think. To each hir....

#48 & #54 - LOL That's what makes LT so much fun...

ETA: I think I might reread Childhood's End and hope the Suck Fairy doesn't visit. ;o)

I reread Childhood's End recently and gave it a 6 out of 10.

Yep, the Suck Fairy visited me.

Ack, double post.

But then I wanted to say, YMMV, anyway. :)

Uh oh... :o/ How much did you like it the first time you read it, Morphy? Maybe I should just wallow in the golden glow of half-remembrance.

It was the first science fiction book I ever read and there was heavy sentimental value. I REALLY wanted to love it as much as I did as a kid.

ETA: It wasn't *awful* just not as good as I remembered.

*trying to get "palate cleanser" and "Childhood's End" into my head at the same time...*

Okay, I read the Prologue, just to see if it would grab me, and grab me it did!

"He had labored to take man to the stars, and, in the moment of success, the stars - the aloof, indifferent stars - had come to him."

I'm in!

Good to see the two books on Feynman in your list. They are among my favourites, probably because I think like him.

I adored the Feynman books. My plan is to read a few more by or about him each year. I have a few on my wishlist. Did someone say there are video lectures of his available, too? I found some stuff on YouTube that I enjoyed very much.

I'd like to imagine that I think like him, too... but at a much lower level. LOL I love the fact that he was interested in so many things, including music and art, and that he practiced for hours and hours until he was damned good at both.

I have read most of the books by and about him. Most are technical. I recommend his biography, Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman by James Gleick which for some reason links to a book with a slightly different title on LT.

If you like books on scientists, one of the best ever is The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom.

Added both to my wishlist. Thanks, darrow! :o)

Coincidence! The LibraryThing book group started in the ever popular Pacific Northwest (aka Seattle area) is reading Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman. I am not one who would have picked it up on my own, so I am glad I have a chance to read it for the group.

#66 - I hope you enjoy it, maggie. He really was a gem.

So I went off on a sidetrack and read Encounters with the Invisible World : Being Ten Tales of Ghosts, Witches and the Devil Himself in New England by Marilynne K. Roach, being as it's October. It was good fun, and sent me skeedaddling off to re-read Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown. I feel like a need a bigger New England Ghost Story fix...

Edited to add: I think I'm going to give The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
by Katherine Howe a shot next. It fits in with my theme, and I bought it for myself for my last birthday. Now if I can just find it...

I liked Deliverance Dane. It had some "this is my first novel" short-comings, but I liked the story.

Clamairy, I actually got Deliverance Dane off the shelf as an audio book, with no expectations....and I liked it. I agree with Morph's first book comment, but it is a good story.

Typing this in my car using my lappy because our neighborhood lost its internet access.

Yes, I am seeing some flaws in the book due to the exuberance, but they are forgivable... so far anyway. ;o)

This seems to be the perfect Autumn read! (ETA: Especially for someone living in New England!)

Oooh. Deliverance Dane sounds good. I just added it to my wishlist. :)

I'm on an October/Autumn theme reading kick myself. Can't wait to see how you like the book when you finish it and what you read next, Clammy. :)

Finished it last night! Loved it. Her writing needs some polishing, to be sure, but it was a fun romp. Now I am dying to visit Marblehead and Salem. I'm sure they would be ridiculously crowded this time of year, though.

I agree visiting there would be fun! Be sure to tell us if you go.

I don't think I've read Young Goodman Brown since high school, but I remember really loving it!

#75 - This was the third time for me. I still think it's brilliant, but I found it less amusing this time, for some reason. Maybe I sympathized with him more this time around.

Working my way through Last Night in Twisted River now, after seeing John Irving last week with my daughter. (I was with my daughter. John Irving wasn't with my daughter.)

Here's a link to a clip about his visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ImF2INCuy4&feature=player_embedded

I finally finished the John Irving book. It took me 4 weeks! I don't even think Middlemarch took me 4 weeks to get through. SHEESH! I enjoyed it, but it's not my favorite of his, not by a longshot.

Now I have to decide which of my ER books to read next. I'll probably go with George Eliot in Love because I need something on the shorter side.

I was bad. I picked up the next Library Book Club selection 'just to look at,' I swear, and I couldn't put it down. So I finished The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein yesterday. Loved it. It's a dog book, BTW, so if you're not a person who appreciated dogs then don't bother. But if you are...

I already started Girl in a Blue Dress for my other book club. Will do the George Eliot bio right after that.

Finished off my audio book, Mistress of the Art of Death last night while walking off the feast. Loved it! I have put the audio version of the second book in the series on hold at the library. I can't wait to get into it.

Still working on that novel based on Dickens' marriage. It's okay.

(edited to fix misplaced apostrophe)

I noted that the Amazon reviewers seemed to think that as well of Girl in a Blue Dress. Not being a fan of Dickens to any great extent, I think I'll give it a pass.

On the other hand, like you, I did enjoy Ariana Franklin's novel!

Okay, I have to admit I'm enjoying Girl in a Blue Dress quite a bit now. Blast those Victorians and the way they treated women. Actually, blast just about every historical era.

Started The Serpent's Tale on my iPod and am loving it. Different narrator than the first book, but still decent.

Finished Girl in a Blue Dress and ended up really enjoying it. It took a good 100 pages to get into it. Started George Eliot in Love, which is one of the ER books I need to get to.

Finished the Eliot biography. It was okay, but no great shakes. I started Undressing the Moon which is another ER book I received, thanks to the almighty LT algorithm. So far it is quite good.

Finished Undressing the Moon and really enjoyed it. The year is winding down quickly and I am way behind my usual reading totals. Aside from my daughter's search for the right college, and her two graduations, her party and then readying for departure, I'm not sure what else was inhibiting me. Then again, those things were probably more than enough to keep me from reading...

Having gone through more or less the same chaos, I would say that yes, that's enough to slow you down! Here's hoping next year will be a better one for reading.