Title: Boneshaker
Author: Cherie Priest (CheriePriest.com;
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
cmpriest; @cmpriest)Genre: Science Fiction/Steampunk
Page Count: 413
Publisher: Tor
( Review: Boneshaker by Cherie Priest )
Title: Boneshaker
Author: Cherie Priest (CheriePriest.com;
cmpriest; @cmpriest)Genre: Science Fiction/Steampunk
Page Count: 413
Publisher: Tor
( Review: Boneshaker by Cherie Priest )
Title: Spellbent
Author: Lucy A. Snyder (
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
las; author's website)Genre: Urban Fantasy
Page Count: 348
Publisher: Del Rey
( Review: Spellbent by Lucy A. Snyder )
Title: The Icarus Girl
Author: Helen Oyeyemi
Genre: Fiction
Page Count: 322
Publisher: Bloomsbury
( Review: The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi )
Title: Cast In Fury (Chronicles of Elantra, Book 4)
Author: Michelle Sagara (msagara.wordpress.com;
msgara; @msagara)Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 490
Publisher: Luna (Harlequin)
( Review: Cast in Fury, Chronicles of Elantra Book 4 )
Title: The Patriot Witch (Traitor to the Crown, Book 1)
Author: C.C. Finlay (ccfinlay.com;
ccfinlay)Genre: Historical Fantasy
Page Count: 327
Publisher: Del Rey
( Review: The Patriot Witch (Traitor to the Crown, Book 1) )
Title: Ragamuffin (sequel to Crystal Rain)
Author: Tobias S. Buckell (TobiasBuckell.com)
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 316
Publisher: Tor
( Review: Ragamuffin by Tobias Buckell )
Title: Blue Diablo (Corine Solomon Series, Book 1)
Author: Ann Aguirre (AnnAguirre.com)
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Page Count: 316
Publisher: ROC
( Review: Blue Diablo. Spoilers! )
Title: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance Trilogy, Book 1)
Author: N.K. Jemisin (
nojojojo; NKJemisin.com)Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 410
Publisher: Orbit
( Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin. MAJOR SPOILERS! )
Review: Wild Seed by Octavia Butler
Feb. 23rd, 2010 10:33 am
Title: Wild Seed (Patternmaster Series, Book 4)
Author: Octavia Butler
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 306
Publisher: Aspect Fiction
( Review: Wild Seed by Octavia Butler )
Title: The Salt Roads
Author: Nalo Hopkinson (NaloHopkinson.com; Author's Blog; @nalohopkinson)
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 392
Publisher: Warner Books
( Review: The Salt Road by Nalo Hopkinson )
Title: Snakes And Ladders: Glimpses of Modern India
Author: Gita Mehta
Genre: Nonfiction
Page Count: 297
Publisher: Anchor Books
( Review: Snakes and Ladders by Gita Mehta )
Title: Flesh and Fire (Book 1 of the Vineart War)
Author: Laura Anne Gilman (
suricattus; LauraAnneGilman.net)Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 374
Publisher: Pocket Books
( Review: Flesh and Fire (Book One of the Vineart War) )
Title: Indigo Springs
Author: A.M. Dellamonica
planetalyxGenre: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy
Page Count: 317
Publisher: Tor
( Review: Indigo Springs by A.M. Dellamonica )
Title: The Parable of the Sower
Author: Octavia Butler
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 295
Publisher: Warner Books
( Review: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler )
Let's face it, 2009 kind of sucked, but just so you can't say it was all bad, karnythia has put up this wonderful bit of flash fiction entitled "Harpy's Lament" on the donation model.
And it's as awesome as you'd expect coming from a mind like hers. She does a fabulous job of re-examining the stories and twisting something new and better and wonderful out of it, something unexpected. Being the secret mythology fiend that I am, I approve heartily. It's also quietly lyrical and a pleasure to read. Definitely made my day.
So go over there, read it, and put a couple of bucks in the virtual tip jar.
karnythia has put up this wonderful bit of flash fiction entitled "Harpy's Lament" on the donation model. And it's as awesome as you'd expect coming from a mind like hers. She does a fabulous job of re-examining the stories and twisting something new and better and wonderful out of it, something unexpected. Being the secret mythology fiend that I am, I approve heartily. It's also quietly lyrical and a pleasure to read. Definitely made my day.
So go over there, read it, and put a couple of bucks in the virtual tip jar.
2009 in Books
Dec. 30th, 2009 11:59 amIt's that time of year when we all start looking back at what we've done and making our lists and checking them twice and tabulating what we've done. Or read, in my case.
Here are the reading stats for 2009:
( The list of books I've read in 2009 in reverse chronological order. )
Reading Stats
Books Attempted: 37
Books Completed: 34
Average Time to Read A Book: 10.4 days
Most Read Author: (tie) Alison Weir or C.E. Murphy with 3 books each
Longest Book Read: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - 784 pages
Shortest Book Read: Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston - 224 pages
PoC Authors Read: 6
Female Authors Read: 18
GLBT Authors Read: 2 (to my knowledge).
Genres:
Nonfiction/Science: 1
Non-fiction/Memoir: 3
History/Biography: 4
Science Fiction: 7
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance: 12
Fantasy: 5
Mainstream/General Fiction: 2
5 Best Books I Read in 2009 :
5. Colors of the Mountain - Da Chen. Great memoir, funny and tragic and poignant and painful, lyrically told, a great adventure and a peek into a place I hadn't been before. A tale of simple hope and endurance in hard times, of friends, family, hard work, victory, defeat, and all the things that come with growing up - no matter where you are.
4. Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scotty Lynch. Rip-roaring adventure, hilarity, heists, wonderful plot, great dialogue, awesomest lady pirates in existence and great characters. The chemistry between Locke and Jean is perfect Buddy Cop (or Buddy Thief) and the plot keeps one guessing until the end. Fun, twisting, and cinematic to read.
3. The Princes In the Tower - Alison Weir. Impeccably researched, a fair and balanced look at an oft maligned ruler and the turbulence of the period in which he lived as well as the treacherous politics all around. Weir tells the story not of the one-dimension villain of Shakespeare and Tudor histories, but of an ambitious ruler in a troubled time, a man who - despite his appalling actions - did have his good sides.
2. Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts - Maxine Hong Kingston. Riveting, searing, painful, and often mind-bending, this memoir leaves claw marks on its readers with the unfiltered exploration of Kingston's childhood and inner universe.
1. Kindred - Octavia Butler. Possibly one of her finest works, Butler, who is rightfully remembered as probably the best science fiction writer of our times, examines so many themes (slavery, family, freedom, obligation, love, hate) with both elegance and a kind of honesty that scathes a reader and compels deep, troubling thought and tells a harrowing story with characters that, while not always likeable, are nothing short of compelling.
5 Worst Books I Read in 2009:
5. The Becoming - Jeanne C. Stein. Bland, stripped-down vampire story with no real flavor to commend it, a half-written plot and nothing added to the genre with no characters worth caring about.
4. All The Windwracked Stars - Elizabeth Bear. Melodramatic, overwritten Norsepunk, illogical, ill-explained and lacking in worldbuilding with a plot that doesn't satisfy and characters that either bore or annoy.
3. The Walls of the Universe - Paul Melko. A ripoff of every time-travel episode you've ever seen with a too-lucky, bland, white bread cast of characters that read like talking cardboard and a meandering plot.
2. Soon I Will Be Invincible - Austin Grossman. Whiny, superficially thoughtful superhero farce that tries hard to be Watchmen without understanding what made it great.
1. Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison. Irritating, too-stupid-to-live Mary Sue heroine traipsing through a plot with more holes in it than swiss cheese and a world that's more black lipstick and fake leather than actual darkness or magic. Everything I dislike in Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance is in this book and turned up to eleven.
Here are the reading stats for 2009:
( The list of books I've read in 2009 in reverse chronological order. )
Reading Stats
Books Attempted: 37
Books Completed: 34
Average Time to Read A Book: 10.4 days
Most Read Author: (tie) Alison Weir or C.E. Murphy with 3 books each
Longest Book Read: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - 784 pages
Shortest Book Read: Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston - 224 pages
PoC Authors Read: 6
Female Authors Read: 18
GLBT Authors Read: 2 (to my knowledge).
Genres:
Nonfiction/Science: 1
Non-fiction/Memoir: 3
History/Biography: 4
Science Fiction: 7
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance: 12
Fantasy: 5
Mainstream/General Fiction: 2
5 Best Books I Read in 2009 :
5. Colors of the Mountain - Da Chen. Great memoir, funny and tragic and poignant and painful, lyrically told, a great adventure and a peek into a place I hadn't been before. A tale of simple hope and endurance in hard times, of friends, family, hard work, victory, defeat, and all the things that come with growing up - no matter where you are.
4. Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scotty Lynch. Rip-roaring adventure, hilarity, heists, wonderful plot, great dialogue, awesomest lady pirates in existence and great characters. The chemistry between Locke and Jean is perfect Buddy Cop (or Buddy Thief) and the plot keeps one guessing until the end. Fun, twisting, and cinematic to read.
3. The Princes In the Tower - Alison Weir. Impeccably researched, a fair and balanced look at an oft maligned ruler and the turbulence of the period in which he lived as well as the treacherous politics all around. Weir tells the story not of the one-dimension villain of Shakespeare and Tudor histories, but of an ambitious ruler in a troubled time, a man who - despite his appalling actions - did have his good sides.
2. Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts - Maxine Hong Kingston. Riveting, searing, painful, and often mind-bending, this memoir leaves claw marks on its readers with the unfiltered exploration of Kingston's childhood and inner universe.
1. Kindred - Octavia Butler. Possibly one of her finest works, Butler, who is rightfully remembered as probably the best science fiction writer of our times, examines so many themes (slavery, family, freedom, obligation, love, hate) with both elegance and a kind of honesty that scathes a reader and compels deep, troubling thought and tells a harrowing story with characters that, while not always likeable, are nothing short of compelling.
5 Worst Books I Read in 2009:
5. The Becoming - Jeanne C. Stein. Bland, stripped-down vampire story with no real flavor to commend it, a half-written plot and nothing added to the genre with no characters worth caring about.
4. All The Windwracked Stars - Elizabeth Bear. Melodramatic, overwritten Norsepunk, illogical, ill-explained and lacking in worldbuilding with a plot that doesn't satisfy and characters that either bore or annoy.
3. The Walls of the Universe - Paul Melko. A ripoff of every time-travel episode you've ever seen with a too-lucky, bland, white bread cast of characters that read like talking cardboard and a meandering plot.
2. Soon I Will Be Invincible - Austin Grossman. Whiny, superficially thoughtful superhero farce that tries hard to be Watchmen without understanding what made it great.
1. Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison. Irritating, too-stupid-to-live Mary Sue heroine traipsing through a plot with more holes in it than swiss cheese and a world that's more black lipstick and fake leather than actual darkness or magic. Everything I dislike in Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance is in this book and turned up to eleven.
Title: The Wars of the Roses
Author: Alison Weir (AlisonWeir.org.uk
Genre: Historical Non-fiction
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Ballantine
( Review: The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir )
Title: Marie Antoinette: The Journey
Author: Antonia Fraser
Genre: Non-fiction (Biography)
Page Count: 544
Publisher: Anchor
( Review: Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser )
Title: The Life of Elizabeth I
Author: Alison Weir (AlisonWeir.org.uk)
Genre: Non-fiction (Biography)
Page Count: 560
Publisher: Ballantine
( Review: The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir )
Title: Mainspring
Author: Jay Lake (JLake.com;
jaylake)Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Tor
( Review: Mainspring by Jay Lake )
